International shipping over the past few months?

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

When the pandemic first started, I ended all of my listings in March because I'm worried about shipping delays and missing parcels etc. I started relisting my items near the end of April (because I stopped working) and sales have actually been decent. I only sell to Canada and USA, with USA taking up 90% of my sales. Luckily I didn't get any INR claims or complaints at all. Just curious how were international sales like for people who still sell international the past few months? Before the pandemic, international sales take up roughly 20-30% of my sales, so I was just wondering if I should start accepting international orders again. I mainly use CP small packet air for my international sales before the pandemic. Has it been reliable? I went back to my full time job back in June because the number of cases dropped, but with the BC cases trending up lately, I might need to consider staying home again (no I don't qualify for CERB lol). 

[ypdc_dennis]

Never stopped selling internationally. No complaints of non-delivery so far.

My big worry is whenever I have a sale for the USA -- the USPS service has been sliding under Trump's new postmaster with cuts to overtime and hiring freezes and instructions to ignore postal standards, all while handling more mail.

Canada Post seems to be getting mail to countries on it's approved list.

https://www.canadapost.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/service-alerts.page

I've had international sales to UK, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands. Based on feedback some arrived really quickly (especially when compared to the USA). 

-..-

[arhirii2007]

I would agree with @ypdc_dennis. Packages sent to Germany, France, UK, etc. have all arrived safely and rather quickly (one item sent to Germany arrived in just 5 days).

Mail to the US is another story, as long as 3 weeks Toronto to Ohio for example.

[femmefan1946]

Slightly fewer overseas sales than usual but no problems with any of them. EBay was overly protective in preventing customers in some countries from bidding while their postal systems were in lockdown.

I noticed during the pandemic surge in sales (March to mid-July) that there were fewer than usual US sales for some reason but many more to Canada.

The USA remains a problem and a concern.

Combine a national personality of "want it yesterday" with a slowed postal system, and we are looking at difficulties.

I hope eBay will continue to protect sellers faced with Not Received claims while the slowdown is in process.

How have your overseas suppliers been coping? Are you getting new stock?  I have a few contacts in the comic book world, but not in the manga field.  My friends seem to be working steadily (writing and drawing) but there have been some upsets in book distribution mostly with DC.

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

With all my sales (Canada, USA, everywhere) I always give my buyers an ETA of 2-4 hours, with a note saying that potential delays could happen because of the pandemic. I think I have 10 days handling time set right now, so that pushes my ETA further back. My USA buyers are all quite patient, and judging from feedback history they do received their books mostly in 10-15 days, sometimes faster.

I still have very few Canadian sales, as mentioned 90% are to USA. Almost all letter-post and small packet air. I did use CCE more during late-April to mid-May when I had a surge of sales justifying the drive there, and to have tracking for all mail because I was worried about delivery, but now everything pretty much are sent with CP as it's more convenient.

It's not exactly an "overseas suppliers" that I have; what I buy is actually what I collect. I just sell them after I finish reading them lol. But I have been buying less because SAL mail from Japan is not an available option anymore due to the pandemic, so the cost of buying from Japan is higher now with airmail shipping. The last parcel I bought was from July and it arrived in about 3 weeks. Haven't bought anything new since, as I need to save money in case I need to stop working again. I still have hundreds of books that I haven't listed on eBay haha.

I will look into resuming international sales later on my days off. Thanks for all the feedback everyone! =D

[lucitabby]

I found delivery of small packet to UK and one to Poland faster than delivery to the States.

I only one INR since the pandemic started - something sent Lettermail, Calgary to Vancouver. 

I have a hunch it arrived and the guy just never let me know.

So really, no problems.

[pjcdn2005]

“With all my sales (Canada, USA, everywhere) I always give my buyers an ETA of 2-4 hours..........“

lol. Fastest delivery on eBay! 

[pjcdn2005]

“With all my sales (Canada, USA, everywhere) I always give my buyers an ETA of 2-4 hours..........“

[pjcdn2005]

lol. Fastest delivery on eBay! 

[reallynicestamps]

@zee-chan-jpn-books 

I still have hundreds of books that I haven't listed on eBay haha.

As a fellow reader (SF/F mostly) I should warn you.

Books breed.

You leave two books on the nightstand and a week later there are five, and a comic, and your Kindle is hot to the touch.

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

---

@pjcdn2005 wrote:

“With all my sales (Canada, USA, everywhere) I always give my buyers an ETA of 2-4 hours..........“

lol. Fastest delivery on eBay! 

---

WEEKS!   

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

“With all my sales (Canada, USA, everywhere) I always give my buyers an ETA of 2-4 hours..........“

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

lol. Fastest delivery on eBay! 

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

---

@reallynicestamps wrote:

As a fellow reader (SF/F mostly) I should warn you.

Books breed.

You leave two books on the nightstand and a week later there are five, and a comic, and your Kindle is hot to the touch.

---

Fortunately I'm the only one in the house who read comics so I'll just need to be diligent myself  Looking at the BC curve I'll probably need to stop working at some point, so gotta save those $$ 

[jcd931]

Good news story.  Sent small packet international tracked to Italy.  Sent on August 10/20, received notice that it was delivered August 20/20.  Fairly impressive.

[reallynicestamps]

Not international but a friend who lives on one of the Gulf Islands (off the BC Coast and only accessible by boat) reported today that he received a book ordered from a small Toronto publisher in two days!
(There are 14 ferries daily, however.)

This may mean that Canada Post is getting back on track. Cross all your toes.

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

I suppose I'll do a report too. I mailed a 5.5 kg box of comics with CP expedited parcel, and it arrived in 5 business days to US east coast! (Mailed last Thursday after cutoff hours, arrived yesterday)

I also have 3 other parcels I dropped off at CCE on Monday evening, I think 2 to east coast and 1 to southern area of US, all arrived today. eBay is glitchy though, they all popped up under "waiting for shipping" screen so I suddenly thought I got 3 new sales, then when I clicked, they were all last weeks' sales with updated "delivered" status... lmao

PS. I'm located in Vancouver BC

[silverpinups]

I sent a package to Germany using Tracked Packet-International. The item was shipped on Aug.21/20 and it was successfully on Aug.28/20 (7 days). 

This has to be a record, especially during a pandemic....

[darak10]

almost no problems, but I am limiting my sales to US, UK and Germany.  Not really suffering for not being open to shipping anywhere else honestly, sales are good.  

One item to the UK arrived in 2 days (point of mailing - Edmonton).  Fastest I've ever heard of, shocked the customer too.    

Germany no problem, very efficient still.  Decided to sell to an Austrian customer who was tire kicking and ended up buying, thinking it's probably going to be fine.  

Received parcel airmail from Netherlands in two weeks, Germany in around a week, and a month and a week for lettermail item from Norway.  

Most of my stuff to the US is getting there no problems, many times ahead of schedule.  Had one tracked item I mailed July 21 that just arrived today haha.  It was scanned in SF on July 24 and disappeared until August 28 when it re-surfaced and was scanned in the customers home state across the country.  This is the only problem I have had in several months.  USPS are remarkably efficient for all the flak they get.  This is probably why I choose to stick with the national postal services over chitchats etc, they've never given me any problems and get way too much flak than they deserve.  The only problems I get are when the GSP is involved but that's another matter haha.  

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

Update again! Just mailed a small packet air to somewhere in US on August 24, the UR tracking number shows delivered today!

I really like the UR tracking number. 3 out of 4 of my UR shipments showed delivered with eBay's system.

[wecango88]

The URs are technically not trackable from Canada Post's own website. They are a remnant from when they upped their prices and removed services a few years ago. Sometimes they appear OK in the USPS system, sometimes not. If it doesn't show and the buyer logs an INR you will lose the case.

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

Yes, I'm aware. The UR shows with eBay's own tracking system so that's working perfectly for me. My items are mostly in the $15-$30 range with shipping included, so I can't justify the cost of adding tracking. My INR rate is very low, around 1%. The amount of $$ I paid with INR is still far less than tracking every shipment. When order total is over $100 then I usually choose a trackable method.