Shipping From Canada to the US first sale

[sta.stwe.xounjl]

Hi,

I just sold my first item and I'm shipping it from Canada to the US.

I assume I need a commercial invoice? Is there anything else I need? 

I have sent samples on behalf of a company before and we also needed to fill out another form but I'm not sure what's different between me as a person and a business since it's still a sale.

Any advice is helpful! 

[snoopwiz]

Assuming it is for the shoes you accepted best offer on?  What method (carrier) will you be using to ship to the U.S.?

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

I would send your item by Canada Post Expedited to the US with tracking & insurance especially for expensive items. That way there is proof that they received it.  You can make up a label online. I use Shippo which is linked to eBay so all the information is carried over. You just have to put in the measurements & weight. (You will have to sign up with Shippo first). Also do you have the Solutions For Small Business card from Canada Post? You save a bit on postage that way.

[snoopwiz]

If it was for the shoes, be sure to ship with "signature required"  That's a must. 

[flipistics]

I think those should be eligible for the Authenticity Guarantee program, in which case you'd be shipping it to eBay within Canada and then eBay, once authenticated, would ship them to your buyer.

[femmefan1946]

I assume I need a commercial invoice?

Not really. Many sellers will include a packing slip.

You will need a customs declaration, but that will be part of your mailing label if you use Canada Post.

Do you have a Solutions for Small Business number yet? There are discounts, and the abovementioned Expedited service is only available to holders of an SfSB account.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/business/small-business.page?

While US residents have a duty-free allowance of $800, they will be paying Internet (state) Sales Tax as part of the money they send you. EBay deals with remitting that so nothing to worry about there.

As a new seller, your payment will be Held for up to 30 days against your customer's satisfaction. But you ship when eBay tells you to -- on your Orders page. No where else.

Selling high value/high fraud items is not a good idea for a new seller, but here we are.

Shall we assume that you do have  a Managed Payments account set up already so that eBay can transfer your money to your bank account sometime in July?

And I cannot stress enough- spring the $1.75 for Signature Confirmation of Delivery. Without that you have no proof of delivery and can lose the shoes and the payment.

BTW- While you give the colour of the shoes as green, they show on my monitor as beige. Monitors can do funny things to colour.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

Make sure you only send it to the address that was provided at checkout. A common scam is people find inexperienced sellers in high risk categories (cell phones, graphics cards, shoes, etc), and ask them to ship to a different address. If you do this, they will be able to request a refund because you did not ship the item to the address they provided at checkout, and they will be able to keep the item. 

If something needs a commercial invoice on the exterior of the box, you can go to 'My eBay', 'Orders', and using the drop down menu marked shipping you can click 'Print Packing Slip And More'. From there, you can print a receipt. If you don't have access to those clear adhesive pouches that are used on the outside of a package, you can put the invoice in a regular white envelope, write "invoice" on the outside of it, and securely tape the envelope to the side of the package. That will usually suffice. 

With an expensive package, you should always include a receipt or invoice inside the actual package as well. You can print this the same way mentioned above. It is important that it has the ship to and from address. If you print your label at home, another good policy is to print an extra shipping label and put it inside the box, and write "not a return label" on the back of it. This way, if your label is damaged in shipping and you file a missing package report with USPS, whien they find the box and open it there will be a replacement label inside. Admittedly, that is being hyper vigilante, but it takes 2 seconds and wastes one sheet of paper. 

You should use a service with signature required. Another above a certain amount needs it to be covered. With that said, signature required will ensure that USPS doesn't drop leave your package at someone's door. If no one is home, it will be sent to a post office for pickup. 

The best way to print the label is to sign up for Canada Post's Small Business account and do it online that way. Like others have said, you want to use at least Canada Post Expedited for a sale like this. Don't use Small Packet (no tracking), or Tracked Packet (it is slow and inconsistent). You can also look into something called Chit Chats, which can send your item from Canada via USPS Priority for usually much cheaper than Canada Post. The only two downsides to Chit Chats is that they only have drop spots in specific cities, so you might not have one available to you. They also only allow insurance up to $300. If you do sign up for Chit Chats, never use their 'economy shipping' only use their regular tracked option. Their economy option is very slow, and risky for expensive orders since it can go through different couriers (similar to Intelcom here in Canada). 

[intimewithmusic]

Hi. Not sure how much time you have to ship. I skimmed the replies and there's a lot of incorrect info in them. Assuming the shoes are the $1000/Best Offer accepted. 

*Do not ship them Expedited Parcel. There is NO SIGNATURE OPTION to the USA. Signature option is only available on Xpresspost or Priority. As it's BO accepted I don't know the total sale amount.

*For orders (not the item selling price) over $750 eBay will not protect you without a signature. A sale total includes the item selling price, the shipping the buyer paid, and the sales tax. This is outlined in the eBay Signatures Policy. If the total of the three is $750 or more you need a signature on delivery.  IE: Item sold for $650. Shipping is $50. Taxes are $50. That adds up to the eBay $750 threshold.

*Ebay policy reads"

"Seller – When should I purchase signature confirmation in order to be protected against an item not received case or a payment dispute?

If the order has a total cost (including shipping costs and any taxes) of $750 or more, you're required to purchase signature confirmation to be protected if a buyer reports an item not received or opens a payment dispute. "

   See attached photo of the only Canada Post signature options. Your only choice for Canada Post to the USA is Xpress post or Priority.  In this case I suggest you pay the extra cost over Expedited Parcel and send the shoes Xpresspost with insurance. 

If you choose not to ship Xpresspost you can ship via UPS but I'm guessing you don't have a UPS account yet and you may run out of time. 

  This is a big (risky) sale for an inexperienced international seller. It would be a shame not to cross the finish line due to a mistake based on the wrong advice. If you have any questions at all I suggest you go to eBay Help & Support. Phone them for clarification.  The last thing you need is to have eBay come looking for a signature you cannot produce because that feature is not available through most Canada Post services.

  Selling internationally is different for all of us. It depends what you sell and to a certain extent, your background.  If you continue I suggest selling less expensive items first, under $100 value and preferably under 2 kilograms via tracked packet USA until your buisness identity is established and you gain experience. 

  With the rise in online seller crime,  customs, couriers and selling platforms are undergoing vigilant restructuring. Nothing that was common practise a few years ago is relevant today.

  I wish you the best success.  In this case Xpresspost.

  

[intimewithmusic]

PS. I'm in KTown so close. For comparison my Expedited and insured $750 parcel cost to ship shoes to Orlando Florida is $68.19 but no signature. To ship via Xpresspost the cost is $95.56 qualifying for eBay protection. A difference of $27.37.