can you block customers from out ports in labourdor and newfoundland and same with very very far nor

[dobo5250]

 i have been getting a few orders lately which  i lose money on each order  about three a month-  they are always from northern outports of bc outports from lab/nfld/ and a few new Brunswick locations these locations always have even for small packages  faucet cartridges or breakers- 30-35 dollar expedited charges - with the  already high ebay charges  normal and promo induced both these things together spell lost money not profits but bottom line loss

most of the time these customers are good customers but they  only order $40 to $60 items and only one thing a time -

to stay  competitive i have partial shipping costs that i cover- usually half about $4.99 to $9.99 depending - some i have to have free shipping included  to stay in the loop with others  ebayers  selling 

when i send to these folks its like they are scam artists and i lose everything  and then some --they are not scam artists its just they cost the same as them-- but they are good customers  in most cases-but i can't lose $5  below bottom line on that sale and then $10  below bottom line that sale it adds up-- 

is there  a way to not let these extreme locations ebay customers  bid or make purchase-- when i use another site(xxxx) i sell on  i usually 

when this happens before i confirm sale -- i tell  them the extra cost to ship to their extreme location and  they if they want it  the usually through paypal customers send the difference  but here on ebay i can't see how i could that  

i get about two a month on the other site and about three a month on ebay -- is there a way to correct this problem or  is it like when you have a problem with ebay in general with a customer and you just write it off? and  you will lose  no matter what. - any answers or advice would be appreciated 

thanks to all

[ypdc_dennis]

If shipping with Canada Post and listing on eBay.CA  use calculated shipping for the correct cost.

-;-

[msau4301]

I also agree with ypdc and I use the calculated shipping for this very reason. When I realized that shipping the exact same item to different parts of Canada could have a $7 (or more) difference I started using calculated shipping. I sell a lot of low value items so in some cases I would end up at a loss if I didn't.

[dinomitesales]

If you want to use Free or Flat Rate shipping you can set up a Shipping Rate Table to charge buyers in certain parts of the country an additional fee while still offering Free shipping to major urban centres. I don't believe there is any way to restrict shipping to specific locations or postal codes within Canada.

Also I would look into the Flat Rate Boxes offered by Canada Post. You shouldn't be paying $30-35 to send small items anywhere in Canada - the Small Flat Rate Box is $18.49 and goes anywhere in Canada for that price.

[femmefan1946]

Here are the sizes and costs for the Flat Rate Boxes:

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/personal/sending/parcels/flat-rate-box.page?ecid=sem_p...

Using a mixture of Flat Rate for lettermail, boxes when they will fit, and CALCULATED SHIPPING  for anything that doesn't work with the other two should be a big help.

to stay competitive i have partial shipping costs that i cover- usually half about $4.99 to $9.99 depending - some i have to have free shipping included to stay in the loop with others ebayers selling

If you are losing money, you are not competitive, you are just losing money.

If the buyer could find it elsewhere, he wouldn't be on eBay, he'd be at Home Hardwear.

most of the time these customers are good customers but

Are they repeat customers or one-offs?

A buyer who costs you money and only buys once is not a "good" customer. He's honest and charming and a good cook, but you lost money selling to him.

before i confirm sale -- i tell them the extra cost to ship to their extreme location and

We are not allowed to demand more money for shipping once the buyer has purchased.

From the look of your products, you are selling to professionals, who understand (I hope) that you have to make money or you will disappear as a source of product.

BTW- Have you fooled around and checked the cost of mailing to some of those isolated addresses? Remember that every seller they use is faced with the same* costs.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/information/app/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1

You have a scale and a tape measure of course and a Solutions for Small Business number.

*Hmmm- are you near a chitchat office? They have started offering domestic deliveries. Because they ship a lot, they get better rates and pass a part of that discount on to their customers.

[cumos55]

A seller should look at the total cost paid paid by the seller for postage each month....

and then compare this total cost to the the total paid by the buyers.....  

The surprise could be that the total paid by  buyers each month covers the total cost for postage paid by the seller each month

[alexandercleg]

Also you can buy prepaid Canada Post boxes for a little less then $20 if that helps.

They are called flat rate boxes and you can buy them at any Canada Post. You can ship anywhere in Canada for that price as long as it fits in the box.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

Use calculated shipping and also offer a second shipping option that is equal to a Canada Post Flat Rate box (assuming the item fits in a flat rate box). That way, if calculated shipping costs more than a flat rate box, the buyer can opt for the flat rate box. 

Alternatively, you can use rate tables. Which is where you use a flat rate that is different for each province. The downside to this might be if your problem has to do with specific rural/remote areas, and not specific provinces. 

For smaller and cheaper items (below 500 grams, below 2CM in thickness) you can consider offering lettermail which costs about 2-6 dollars anywhere in Canada and usually takes 1-2 weeks (sometimes 3-4). Lettermail does not have tracking, so as a seller you're on the hook if a buyer claims the item did not arrive. With that said, most people will tell you that they don't have many issues with items below $50. Although, that might vary by category. Some categories might be more high risk than others. 

[loc2blue]

Hi Canada Post also has flat rate pre paid shipping boxes , small $18.99+tax medium $23.99+tax and lage box $28.99+tax all three boxes have a weight limit for up to 5 kg this is what I use and it is good for all Canada ........

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

One thing that is happening right now is the Canada Post fuel surcharge is very high. So that might be part of your issue. Either your calculated shipping (if you used it) was somehow out dated, or it wasn't that the specific area was expensive to ship to, you just weren't up to date on the rapidly increasing fuel surcharges. I have not shipped a lot via Parcel this past month, and recently I am starting to notice how high the prices are. 

I used to buy one of each size flat rate box and keep them handy so that I wouldn't have to go to Canada Post if I had an order that was cheaper to ship flat rate than with a label through the Canada Post Small Business discount.  I stopped doing this because I never ended up needing the flat rate boxes. They were never cheaper. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore, so I will probably stock up on them. 

If you ship a lot, you can buy flat rate boxes by the dozen via Canada Post's website. 

[daisydaisy999]

I have gone to a flat rate for shipping for most of my items - I charge the same amount for Canada and US and find that it pretty much evens out. When it goes to more remote places I lose a couple of bucks and when it goes to more populated places or the US I make a couple of bucks - I rarely go with Canada Post though, for most places (except remote Canada when CP ends up being cheaper) - most of the time, UPS through Netparcel ends up being a much better deal!