Shipping to different zones in Canada

[deejay727]

As a seller in Ontario, I find that Canada Post has lower rates to ship an item to Ontario or Quebec than to BC or Newfoundland. Hoe do sellers deal with this issue or how do I indicate this in my ad?

[momcqueen]

[cumos55]

My experience with a local pickup.....

Once an item is purchased,  an arrangement for a local pickup is made using eBay Messages...

It is my choice to have  the buyer pay cash Canadian dollars when the item is picked up.

After a payment is made an invoice with local pickup indicated is forwarded to the buyer.

and then payment received and item shipped is noted on the transaction. 

There should be no question in relation to a communication of information including address and telephone number between buyer and seller ......  information required to complete a local pickup.

All communication with the buyer is through eBay Messages.

[momcqueen]

Right-o. That’s the way I do it too. The only shortcoming I find in this time-worn process for me is having to mark the item ‘shipped’ at conclusion when it’s more like ‘dispatched’ to the buyer... but that’s a technicality.

[reallynicestamps]

@deejay727

Just to be clear-- are you using the Simplified or the Advanced Sell Your Item form?

Do the screenshots @momcqueen has posted look familiar?

[retroman_studios]

Have you considered the flat rate boxes that Canada Post sells? If some of your items would fit in that box (there are 3 sizes starting at 14.99 I think)  you could use that option for a simple no frills shipping flat rate. Just calculate for the extra FVF on shipping and you are good.

I do that for some of my items and it beats having to calculate or having some areas in Canada where the price is so expensive that perhaps buyers don't want to purchase, but a nice flat rate, works quite well.

[deejay727]

Thanks for the response, I will look at it.

[deejay727]

Thanks for the reply.  Will investigate that option.

[reallynicestamps]

@lotzofuniquegoodies

For a recent time period on $600.00 in sales paid out almost $325.00 in postage.

If you are doing it right, you are paying out $0.00 in postage.

The BUYER pays the postage.

Even if you offer Flat Rat/Free Shipping, the Buyer pays the postage.

Which costs more?

A $10 with $5 shipping?

 Or a $15 item with Free Shipping?

Free Shipping just means that your shipping costs are included in your asking price.

I hope that your buyers paid $925 to you before you spent $325 to Canada Post.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

This is why with 95% of my listings shipping is extra and upfront. Any discounts from the post office go towards any profit or fees. As noted previously, there are just too many variables when trying to ship any item, either across Canada or worldwide. In speaking to Canadapost the other day, discovered they now charge extra for shipping to rural areas in Canada. Thia is factored in with the calculator.   Anyone using flat rate would be taking a loss to these points in those cases.

(250 gr package from Calgary to Native Reserve in MB 19.27. Same package to just outside of Mtl 16.18)

-Lotz

[femmefan1946]

think the premium for isolated communities has been around for a long time. We don't see it often because those communities are small and so there are few reasons to ship to them.

[mrdutch1001]

Between Hubby and self, we sell a wide range of items but the flat rate shipping has worked well for us as we have been able to work out our system using stats that we have gathered over the many years of selling. About 50% of the within Canada shipments are to Ontario(so the postal code used for the flat rate pricing reflects that). About 45% of the shipments are split between BC and Alberta, with the rest just random locations to other parts of Canada... rarely see sales from within own province so dealing with local shipments doesn't really factor into our situation.

[jhuang63]

Flat rate shipping was always a headache for me because I might have to eat up the cost of shipping to remote areas. But the good news is eBay recently launched a new program called shipping rate table. https://www.ebay.ca/ship/rt/. I found it very helpful as I can stop guesstimating and specify different shipping rates to different areas within the country. 

[cumos55]

With flat rate shipping one has to look at the total for all sales.

The shipping that a buyer pays  includes tax, GST/HST, and a handling fee.

Those that pay more for shipping and handling than the actual cost for postage,  pay for those buyers that pay less shipping and handling  than the actual cost.

For many sales to buyers that live close to Winnipeg , there may be a partial refund of postage.

At the end of a year  there will always be a net collection of a handling fee for all sales.