eBay

rdemaree · ‎11-06-2024

So trump has unfortunately won a 2nd term in the usa.

I am wondering what this will mean for Canadian sellers whose customer base is 75% usa?

I heard an idea of 10% blanket tariffs globally on all imports going into USA. What would this mean for me as a Canadian seller who ships primarily to the usa?

Are we doomed?

Thoughts?

-Ryan

sin-n-dex · ‎01-18-2025

@flipistics wrote:
@renouvel_93 wrote:
Apparently, from what I understand, de minimis is ending primarily so that all shipments--especially small ones--are checked for drugs and other contraband. This was initiated by Biden.

Anywho, I wish eBay would put out some message to let Canadian sellers know possible scenarios. I currently have my status as away until I know more about what to expect. Do I keep selling now or what until I know more.
The uncertainty is draining.
I (hopefully temporarily) turned off sales to the USA on Friday. I'll wait and see what actually happens on Monday or Tuesday and then decide how to proceed. There's really nothing eBay can tell us right now because it appears that no one outside of Trump's inner circle knows. There's no reason to turn off sales within Canada though.

If all packages have to be processed at the border, it's going to clog the entire mail system up because they don't have the manpower to actually do that. Even for inbound packages here in Canada, many packages that went through the USPS / Canada Post weren't charged tariffs or taxes until they reached much, much higher than our de minimis because it cost them far more to process it than what they collected.

I think it's premature to be turning sales off... if companies like Chit Chats and Stallion Express are still operating, de minimus is in effect. These companies likely won't be able to continue when de minimus goes away.

It could happen quickly (the tariffs) but how they'll affect small sellers on eBay won't be immediate.

C.

brettjet38 · ‎01-18-2025

Get ready for Round 2

phc64 · ‎01-19-2025

I have always included in my listings the line, "Any import duties, taxes, or fees payable on delivery are the responsibility of the purchaser." I hadn't been including the word 'tariffs', because I had always assumed that a duty and a tariff are the same thing. But because of what may or may not happen tomorrow, I thought I would do a little research.

The curious thing is that a US government website states that the terms are interchangeable, but other sources claim that a duty and a tariff are not the same thing, although when I read their definitions, they sure sound like the same thing to me:) Just to be sure, I am going to change the wording in my listings to include the word 'tariff'.

As others have stated, we simply will not know if the expected tariffs will be applicable to our sales to US buyers until we learn the exact wording of the executive order the incoming president is expected to sign tomorrow. (Will they go into effect immediately? Will they apply to everything? Will a 'de minimus' still be in effect?)

mrdutch1001 · ‎01-19-2025

The tariffs are aimed at BIG business,Industries,Distributors, Manufacturers...so unless you are selling thousands of dollars worth of vinyl 45s as a "commodity"/as a supplier to various businesses and distributors in the USA, I highly doubt there is need for concern...

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎01-19-2025

@marnotom! wrote:
“How Trump’s Tariff Proposals Could Affect 7 Major Retailers’ Stock Prices”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2024/11/07/trump-tariffs-could-affect-stock-prices-of-five-b...

Interesting snippet:

To be sure, some think foreign companies pay tariffs. Trump has repeatedly contended that foreign companies would foot the bill, telling a gathering last month at the Economic Club of Chicago that “the countries will pay,” according to CBS News.

That claim is not backed up by reality. “A consistent theoretical and empirical finding in economics is that domestic consumers and domestic firms bear the burden of a tariff, not the foreign country,” according to an October 2024 analysis from the nonpartisan Budget Lab at Yale University featured by CBS News.

| caught a news segment on either CBC or CTV recently that mentioned (sounds like totally in error) that Canadian/foreign shippers would pay those tariffs. It was covered and then went on to next part of the segment. Unsure if an attempt after the fact was made to correct.

"IF or WHEN" tariffs kick in US buyers and businesses too will see that 25% charge. Heaven forbid if eBay gets the tast collecting and passing on the service to sellers as part of their fees. Scary thought.

https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en-ca/knowledge/publications/a72040b4/tariffs-101-what-you-need-...

Who pays tariffs and who collects them?

In terms of legal liability for payment of duties at the border for imported goods, for imports into the US, typically, the importer of the goods pays the tariffs at the border to US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP). For goods coming into Canada, the importer typically pays the duty to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). However, the legal obligation to remit duties to the authorities at the border is distinct from the question of ultimate liability for customs tariffs as between contracting parties, which depends on the contractual arrangement between the parties. For example, the ultimate purchaser of the good in the destination country could agree with the importer that it will reimburse the importer for the import duties as part of the total purchase price of the goods. For more information on contractual provisions that impact tariffs, see questions 6(i) and (j) below.

As a general FYI using creative dollars for value is NOT a good plan similar to marking as gift. Do so at your own peril. This is why when businesses ship to internationally by courier they include a company issued invoice, along with the courier copy and have a Nafta certificate on file or include 1 when applicable. All about dotting your i's and crossing your t's.

Anyone know if Canada is forwarding a bill to trump for new costs for Canadian border security and customs inspections? 🤣

sonicconcept · ‎01-23-2025

Americans have tax/duty free benefits upto $800. If your items are more than that limit, might Subject to new tariff. Lots of things still not cleared. If the tariff would be regardless of anything that going from Canada or only items Made in Canada. For example if you are reselling an electronic item made in USA or Japan, should not be trariffed. Finger crossed. In worst case, tariff is regardless and you need continue your business, you will have to offer post sale discount to offset part of the tariff.

flipistics · ‎01-24-2025

@sonicconcept wrote:
Americans have tax/duty free benefits upto $800. If your items are more than that limit, might Subject to new tariff. Lots of things still not cleared. If the tariff would be regardless of anything that going from Canada or only items Made in Canada. For example if you are reselling an electronic item made in USA or Japan, should not be trariffed. Finger crossed. In worst case, tariff is regardless and you need continue your business, you will have to offer post sale discount to offset part of the tariff.

There is no chance that most sellers will be willing to offer discounts to offset the tariff, nor should they.

I can't see it affecting items simply because they're shipping from Canada, but at this point who knows? The blowback at Americans having to pay a 25% tariff on a Made in USA product would be something to see. Assuming it's based on country of origin, which it should be, the tariff on China might be more annoying for resellers. Such a high percentage of goods have been made there over the past 30 years.

Hopefully, in a worse case scenario where the de minimis goes away and the 25% tax hits, eBay will back us up and collect it at the time of sale. I don't want to deal with buyers complaining about paying 25% when it gets delivered to them. Buyers in other countries are used to it and expect it. US buyers certainly won't.

chicweb · ‎01-24-2025

Yes, I also hope eBay will add it in the fees the buyers must pay at checkout.

But, there's also something in their documentation that says:

Source: https://www.ebay.ca/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/taxes-import-charges?id=4121

"When you sell on eBay, you're responsible for complying with all applicable tax laws. If you're selling to buyers outside of Canada, you should inform them about the potential import charges they'll need to pay when they receive their item.

Some countries and jurisdictions require eBay to collect import tax from the buyer when they pay for their order. Consignments where eBay does not collect taxes may require buyers to pay additional import fees (e.g. VAT and duties) as part of clearing their parcel through customs, or when they receive their order.

Buyers are responsible for paying import charges. If you offer international shipping, you can't include these costs in the item's purchase and shipping price. Make sure to let international buyers know this in your listings."

So, will it apply? Will eBay do it or not at checkout?... I hope so.

Maybe someone at eBay could answer us on this ?

38e_avenue · ‎01-24-2025

@rdemaree wrote:

Are we doomed?

No doubt! We cannot win the tariff war with the US. If it happens, our economy will fail and we will become the 51st state. This board will be renamed to "The Ebay 51st State Community Discussion Board". 😁

sin-n-dex · ‎01-24-2025

@sonicconcept wrote:
Americans have tax/duty free benefits upto $800. If your items are more than that limit, might Subject to new tariff. Lots of things still not cleared. If the tariff would be regardless of anything that going from Canada or only items Made in Canada. For example if you are reselling an electronic item made in USA or Japan, should not be trariffed. Finger crossed. In worst case, tariff is regardless and you need continue your business, you will have to offer post sale discount to offset part of the tariff.

If tariffs are collected like VAT and eBay is collecting them, they will be appropriate for the value of the sale, plus it will be on all items "located in Canada". The only way around this is to ship from the US (which is what I do through Stallion Express), and that only works if your item is under $800 otherwise Stallion Express (and Chit Chats) won't accept it for posting. You're supposed to have an invoice in the package and they do open packages and check for compliance at random.

So it being made in the US won't matter if it's being shipped from Canada, if eBay collects tariffs there are tariffs to be charged.

We don't know yet how this is going to work and it might take a while to get everyone on board with collecting tariffs. I'm hoping de minimus (the $800 duty free allowance) doesn't go away so I can keep shipping with Stallion Express. I have a feeling if item location says Canada it's going to scare off a lot of US buyers who aren't sure what's actually happening. I used to have the odd US buyer afraid of paying duty from Canada even though that never happened under $800 imports.

C.

sin-n-dex · ‎01-24-2025

@flipistics wrote:

Hopefully, in a worse case scenario where the de minimis goes away and the 25% tax hits, eBay will back us up and collect it at the time of sale. I don't want to deal with buyers complaining about paying 25% when it gets delivered to them. Buyers in other countries are used to it and expect it. US buyers certainly won't.

I'm kind of hoping eBay won't have to collect the tariff because there's no place to hide... at least while ebay is not collecting tariffs I can just ship my items from the US (but this is only because of de minimus, so I imagine many of us will be screwed if that goes away... not sure what I'd do in that case).

I did hear they talked of lowering de minimus. At $800 I have very few sales that come close to that. The highest sales I've had to the US have been about $450 USD. But I suppose it depends what's sold. For the most part I sell $10-20 items, so it's only if someone buys many that a sale becomes that expensive.

C.

sin-n-dex · ‎01-24-2025

@38e_avenue wrote:
@rdemaree wrote:

Are we doomed?
No doubt! We cannot win the tariff war with the US. If it happens, our economy will fail and we will become the 51st state. This board will be renamed to "The Ebay 51st State Community Discussion Board". 😁

We're going to be doomed for reasons other than a tariff war. Right now there's no people to pick oranges because they are all too afraid to show up for work because of ICE raids. Apparently although there are legal farm workers, many of them are not. The illegal farm workers keep food prices cheap. The US's agricultural sector is going to fail with their mass deportation and since we import lots of food from there, the increased food prices will soon affect us, even if there's no tariffs.

The Trump administration is a very scary thing for the economy. The news had it right when they called it a "love affair with confident stupidity".

C.

mathman87vw4 · ‎01-25-2025

You may already know what I'm about to say. But in the unfortunate case that you need to shift to dot-ca, you can still access USPS shipping as long as you maintain a USA shipping address (which you do because you use cross border services). The only catch is that you have to create your shipping labels through the dot-com site and select your USA shipping address. I imagine you probably do this to access Canada-exclusive shipping options.

byto253 · ‎01-25-2025

Still waiting to see how this will play out. The tarriff question was punted to Feb. 1st and given to a group for further study - as the NY Times indicated that is not really the president's style. Also when that happened the stock market went up. There are a lot of behind the scene Republicans and large business guys saying that big tarriffs will hurt the stock market. And to refer to the Times again, stock market value is one of the few external indicators that register with the president and that he thinks reflects on him.

Of course applying logic is a mugs game here but it may be targetted tariffs. The de minimus question is the big one for small eBay seller's of course.

ricarmic · ‎01-25-2025

I saw an article yesterday about US produce farms in the states along the Mexico border not having anybody showing up to pick the crops, the undocumented imigrants nor the documented imigrants as they're worried they'll be caught up in it too...that will get noticed eventually as well.

2025 is going to be an "interesting" year......

reallynicestamps · ‎01-25-2025

Grocery shopping today.

Buying Mexican (and Peruvian and NZ and South African and Spanish and Chilean) produce over US.

Fortunately we are near the Delta BC greenhouses which produce tomatoes and lettuce, etc all year round.

sin-n-dex · ‎01-25-2025

@mathman87vw4 wrote:
You may already know what I'm about to say. But in the unfortunate case that you need to shift to dot-ca, you can still access USPS shipping as long as you maintain a USA shipping address (which you do because you use cross border services). The only catch is that you have to create your shipping labels through the dot-com site and select your USA shipping address. I imagine you probably do this to access Canada-exclusive shipping options.

You can set your default shipping address to be the US address and then make labels from the dot com site, HOWEVER, you cannot ship these packages unless you drive them across yourself (which I do not recommend.. I've taken hours to ship a few packages because "inspections" and then having to repack everything when I get to the post office).

If you use Chit Chats or Stallion Express (with the US address they provide) you would buy labels on their site and bring it to one of their branches for posting.

Another problem is if you are listing on the dot com site with a US address, Canadian buyers won't be charged HST, and technically you're supposed to mail those orders from the US (so taxes get assessed on import). That would be the correct way to do things.

C.

sin-n-dex · ‎01-25-2025

@ricarmic wrote:
I saw an article yesterday about US produce farms in the states along the Mexico border not having anybody showing up to pick the crops, the undocumented imigrants nor the documented imigrants as they're worried they'll be caught up in it too...that will get noticed eventually as well.

2025 is going to be an "interesting" year......

I was reading the same, but I didn't know it was limited to just along the border. Documented migrant works have a visa to be allowed to work on farms (a visa specific to the agriculture sector) but it sounds like they don't want to be hassled along with their undocumented co-workers.

If crops aren't being picked there will be a food shortage and prices will go up.

Also if we tariff the US back in the trade war, we'll probably have to stop important oranges and grapefruits (and other US grown fruits) because it will be too expensive to buy them. We do not get by unscathed from choices the US makes (like the mass deportation).

C.

sin-n-dex · ‎01-25-2025

@reallynicestamps wrote:
Grocery shopping today.
Buying Mexican (and Peruvian and NZ and South African and Spanish and Chilean) produce over US.
Fortunately we are near the Delta BC greenhouses which produce tomatoes and lettuce, etc all year round.

I wasn't paying close attention to where my produce came from, but I didn't buy much of that today. I get lots of prepared stuff that's made in Canada (although can't say where the actual ingredients come from).

We're a week from the 1st... waiting to see what happens.

C.

marnotom! · ‎01-25-2025

@chicweb wrote:

Yes, I also hope eBay will add it in the fees the buyers must pay at checkout.

So, will it apply? Will eBay do it or not at checkout?... I hope so.

I don’t believe eBay collects duties or tariffs on behalf of any country or region, just taxes. (e.g. The EU.) I can’t see why or how it would be different for sales to US buyers unless they're required by US law to do so.