eBay shipping calculator is off

[lady.stark]

I really think the eBay shipping calculator is off... when listing items in US$ with calculated shipping: a buyer just paid $2.97 for a Light Packet item and when I go to PayPal to pay and print the label... US $3.06!! Are they kidding me? The buyer paid less than $3 and *I* have to pay MORE than what he paid?

[pierrelebel]

"print the label... US $3.06!!"

US$ 3.06 ???

Are you sure it is not Cdn$ 3.06 (Canada Post uses Canadian postage!) on the label?

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

That sounds close. Buyer sees the amount in US $. We see the amount in Cdn postage.

The greater concern is that 9¢ is gonna break you.

[lady.stark]

Yes Pierre, I am sure it is US $3.06 and $3.04 in Canadian funds. Why does eBay charge less than what I will have to pay... it doesn't make any sense! 😞

[lady.stark]

"That sounds close. Buyer sees the amount in US $. We see the amount in Cdn postage"

Nope, that is not the case. PayPal charges me $3.04 in Canadian funds and $3.06 in US funds. Yes, $0.09 is not a big deal if you ship just one item, but when it concerns lots of packages, those hard earned pennies do add up pretty fast!

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

Are you working in the 3% currency spread? Paypal buys currency at a discount and sells at a premium, just like any bank.

[pierrelebel]

" print the label... US $3.06!!"

Back to that.

Do you actually mean US$ 3,06 was printed ion the postage label?

or do you mean something else? Canada Post does NOT use labels with US currency.

[lady.stark]

"Do you actually mean US$ 3,06 was printed ion the postage label?"

No, the amount paid doesn't print on the label. It was the amount PayPal was charging me to purchase the label when it should have been US $2.97 or near that. I should add that my funds were in US dollars and not in Canadian dollars, so no need for them to go back and forth between currencies.

[pierrelebel]

"so no need for them to go back and forth between currencies."

Disregarding the fact we are dealing with what you perceive to be a $0.09 difference,

 the fact remains you are purchasing postage in Canadian dollars - that is what Canada Post sells.  Then the transaction is converted by PayPal and charged to your US$ balance.

Why not maintain a Cdn$ balance to pay for your postage?

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

You charged in US dollars. You are using Paypal shipping which shows in Cdn dollars. Straight exchange, $2.97 US converts to $3.03 Cdn.

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

Pierre, I'm getting tired of having an "original" thought, composing, posting, then coming back and finding you have sniped me with the exact same thought.

[tobyshitzu]

Your light  packet listings show the rate at US2.99.  so if you paid US$3.06 that is exactly the 2.5% paypal charged to convert to CAN$ to fund the CP label

SInce light packet is flat rate the calculator isnt doing anything, you could use flat rate and add 2.5% or any amount you want.  Or list in CAN$.  Or fund labels from a Can$ source.  But regardless of what you do with the money, if you take in US$ in paypal and move it to CAN$ you'll be out the same 2.5%

[lady.stark]

"Why not maintain a Cdn$ balance to pay for your postage?"

I wish I could. I just don't sell enough to maintain a balance in my account. LOL! All the money I make selling is already spent on purchases.

What I find frustrating is that the buyer pay for shipping. EBay should charge the buyer what it really costs me to ship the item to him. But that is not the case, and in that sense, the calculator is off.

I guess I'll have to add a handling price to all my calculated listings and refund any overcharge to the buyer. Or just calculate it myself and put in a flat rate instead. 😞  I once sold in CAN $, and my sales dropped significantly. So I'm not going back to CAN $ again.

[pierrelebel]

"But that is not the case, and in that sense, the calculator is off."

No.

The problem, as clearly indicated by all posters on this thread, is not the shipping calculator but the fact you have to pay a conversion fee whenever you convert from one currency into another.

It could be eliminated by maintaining a balance in Canadian dollar, but that is not something you wish to do.

There is nothing anyone can do.

[lady.stark]

If the buyer buys shipping himself on the Canada Post website (let's say it's availabe even if it is not at the moment), he will pay US $3.06. So why does he only pays US $2.97 to me?

I guess we'll just agree to disagree on this...

"but that is not something you wish to do"

Well, I do wish to do it, but I cannot. Big difference. 😉

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

Because you are paying a third party who is charging for the service of currency conversion.

Paypal shipping is an American site. Yes, you are buying Cdn postage from Nebraska.

[tobyshitzu]

If the buyer had been able to buy postage directly from CP, CP would charge their same CDN$ rate regardless of how the buyer paid.  If the buyer funded their payment with the US$ paypal debit card, or a US$ mastercard from chase that doesn't add an fx markup they'd be out US$2.99.  If they could fund it with US$ in paypal directly they'd be out 3.06.  if they had other US$ credit cards it may cost them that or more.  Its irrelevant to CP what currency converting the buyer chooses to do and pay for.

Its worked exactly the same way the entire time paypal has had shipping labels

[brandeentertainment]

Ya I use light packet all the time 50-100 grams is $2.99 and 100-250 grams is $5.53 .. I get paid in Canadian and pay in Canadian ..

I would not use Caculated shipping if I was you not for light packet as there is not enough sizes and weights to use a caculator for the light packet ...

[brandeentertainment]

Correction ..

I would not use Caculated shipping for light packet

[lady.stark]

Thanks everyone for your feedback and for taking the time to respond!

I think I won't use calculated shipping at all from now on. Not long ago, a buyer from France bought a script from me. EBay charged US $17.69 to the buyer for Small Packet Air Mail, but it cost me over US $18 to ship it. I guess calculated shipping is OK if you list in Canadian funds. If not, avoid it. That's how I see it now. :^O