eBay

lucky9092 · ‎12-08-2018

Hi everyone. I have just sold an item on ebay and I've always sent my stuff with Canada Post with no issues and even recently despite the on/off strike. This method of shipping is clearly stated in my auctions. The buyer has bought the item and wants me to send it by Purolator. He messaged me before buying the item if I could send it Purolator and I said no. I mentioned to him that it is not my responsibility to pay the extra shipping cost and he told me that shipping to him would be free because he has a Purolator account so in essence, I would have no shipping to pay to send it in BC from Quebec... What is this ?

I offered to send it by Canada Post accelerated and that I would refund the shipping cost ($50 CAD) if he didn't get it by Christmas.

item number

352528644788

recped · ‎12-08-2018

Generally speaking it's not safe to use a buyer provided shipping account number. If the account is stolen or if it's a business account but the transaction is not authorized by the business then you will find the carrier (Purolator) will bill YOU later for the shipping if they are unable to collect from the account holder.

Some carriers offer a pick-up service where the account holder can request a pick-up on their own account. This is (somewhat) safe but I'm not sure if Purolator offers this service.....UPS and FedEx do.

The use of a customer provided shipping accounts is somewhat common in business to business transactions when the customer is known to the seller but for retail it's usually a bad idea.

"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.

ypdc_dennis · ‎12-08-2018

Give the buyer the parcel dimensions, weight and your ship from address.

Then have the buyer purchase the label and send you a PDF of the shipping label for you to put on the package.

Then check that the ship to address on the PDF label matches the purchase address.

If it does, ship with that label.

-..-

reallynicestamps · ‎12-08-2018

Do you have the customer's address yet? If you do, use Google Maps to get an idea of where it would be sent.

Shippo allows us to use Purolator labels.

Don't ship to an address that is not the one on the Paypal payment.

It's my understanding that the buyer can request an upgrade in shipping and pay the higher cost. A seller who upgrades without permission from the customer can't charge him for the upgrade.

I'd be cautious about the buyer sending the label because it can be scam.

Read the customer's Feedback Left for Others.

Generally, philatelists are a very honest bunch. But you seem to be selling mixed postage lots, and in effect you are selling money.

retroman_studios · ‎12-08-2018

SCAM ALERT! SCAM ALERT!

Don't do this. Besides the possibility of having to pay for Purolator, the flip side is that the buyer can redirect the parcel and claim "Non Delivery". Which means you lose the money from your sale, as the scammer opens a case, says it was never delivered. He asks eBay to step in and with no proof of delivery, you are forced to refund.

So unless this buyer is an old friend you trust with you car keys, don't do it. If he balls and doesn't want to pay for shipping as you listed, cancel the sale and report the buyer and indicate to eBay what he was asking.

lucky9092 · ‎12-08-2018

Thank you everybody. The buyer only has 9 feedbacks. It's not nearly enough for me to trust him on an expensive sale. This is not for stamps but for a camera lens. He has already paid the required amount for Canada Post accelerated which I had listed at $50 to ship to BC. He doesn't seem closed to the idea of Canada Post but he wants the lens for Christmas and he thinks Canada Post can't do it.

So Purolator too complicated, too risky. I'll send it Canada Post as usual and will refund the shipping amount if it doesn't get there for Christmas.

hlmacdon · ‎12-08-2018

@lucky9092 wrote:
Thank you everybody. The buyer only has 9 feedbacks. It's not nearly enough for me to trust him on an expensive sale. This is not for stamps but for a camera lens. He has already paid the required amount for Canada Post accelerated which I had listed at $50 to ship to BC. He doesn't seem closed to the idea of Canada Post but he wants the lens for Christmas and he thinks Canada Post can't do it.
So Purolator too complicated, too risky. I'll send it Canada Post as usual and will refund the shipping amount if it doesn't get there for Christmas.

Many people are reporting delays with their Purolator packages as with Canada Post. I would also back the recommendation of never using someone else's courier account unless you are in an established business relationship with them as it gives that party too much control over the shipment and leaves you open for a nasty surprise. I would look at Fedex or UPS expedited options at this stage and avoid Purolator entirely.

electronicifycanada · ‎12-09-2018

You should first make it clear that Purolator is owned by CP and they are also experiencing the same delays as CP for the strike. I have ordered from a seller offering Purolator with hopes that it would be different and I was wrong. Still waiting 3 weeks for parcel and tracking is just stuck in labor disruption limbo.

momcqueen · ‎12-09-2018

This thread is fascinating to read as an observer. As we have accounts with FedEx and UPS already (that go largely unused) I wouldn't hesitate as a buyer to offer to send my own guy to get a shipment; I had no idea this was a major faux pas.

ypdc_dennis · ‎12-09-2018

Purolator has a different union (Teamsters) and their dispute was settled in 2017.

http://teamsters.ca/en/blog/2017/04/28/purolator-agreement-ratified-by-members/

Purolator is experiencing the usual seasonal volume delays PLUS additional shipment volume that switched over to avoid Canada Post problems.

marnotom! · ‎12-09-2018

For what it's worth, I just received (yes, on Sunday) two Expedited parcels originating from Mississauga. Electronic shipping information was submitted to CPC on Thursday.

I'm almost as west as one can get on Vancouver Island.