12-09-2024 11:16 AM
last three sales have been ridiculus prices -- ground ship -- normal cp 28 dollars expedited -- now 39.99- u.p.s. grounf ship only
regualar 31 dollars to bc - now 57 dollars fedex-- every sale has been a loss so far -i even upped my shipping to an avg of 33 dollars when (it used to be 24 dollars )and still loss on every sale -- i have discounted all my items 60 % -- so losing money there too and its not increased any sale numbers -- next week if things don't improve i will have to increase shipping to 39.99 on avg and increaseto 65 % off sale had to borrow money just to pay bills this month--to cover all the costs of ebay and storage so things are looking a little grim right now --hope they settle soon ---hope sales increase with sale discount-- increasing sales -- hope the increase in u.p.s. and fedex prices almost 50 % more - don't scare people away -- hope hope hope --- very lean xmas this year -- bought stocking stuffers before strike so ok there -- just no main gift this year for better half
but at least health is ok -- very recent doctor check reveiled iam clear of everything ---- so far ---
12-09-2024 11:26 AM
It is very possible many potential buyers are aware of the Postal strike and subsequently very aware that shipping costs via alternate shipping companies are substantially more expensive so are either putting their buying on hold or are seeking alternate sellers who can still deliever for less in shipping costs. There is very little point now in putting items at a discount...the "big spend weekend" (Black Friday>Cyper Monday) has come and gone and at this point in December, many buyers are done purchasing for this holiday season.
I know for myself I purchased all my needs via Amazon...easy peasy...
12-09-2024 11:59 AM - edited 12-09-2024 12:01 PM
Amazon, Fedex, UPS et al should be sending CUPW a big thank you note for the bounty they have provided this Christmas season. Meanwhile the striking postal workers are making $258 per week IF they picket five days per week for 4 hours each time. And some of the shifts are early morning, late night etc.
The money the workers are making won't even cover rent, let alone food, car payments, car insurance, internet costs, mortgages, property taxes, utilities and on and on, and forget having any spare cash for Christmas stuff.
Everybody but those huge corporations are losing from this strike. Those execs will be getting extra big bonuses from Santa this year. Merry Christmas!
12-09-2024 12:36 PM
@mrdutch1001 wrote:It is very possible many potential buyers are aware of the Postal strike and subsequently very aware that shipping costs via alternate shipping companies are substantially more expensive so are either putting their buying on hold or are seeking alternate sellers who can still deliever for less in shipping costs. There is very little point now in putting items at a discount...the "big spend weekend" (Black Friday>Cyper Monday) has come and gone and at this point in December, many buyers are done purchasing for this holiday season.
I know for myself I purchased all my needs via Amazon...easy peasy...
eBay. The place you go for everything else you can't find or when you don't care about shipping costs and speed🐌!! Too wordy??
12-09-2024 12:50 PM
for myself, it is very very rare to find anything I need or want on eBay....many years yes, but those years are long, long gone.
I do realize and I do agree for many buyers, eBay is still "the place to go..."
12-09-2024 01:05 PM
@mrdutch1001 wrote:for myself, it is very very rare to find anything I need or want on eBay....many years yes, but those years are long, long gone.
I do realize and I do agree for many buyers, eBay is still "the place to go..."
Might be an idea for eBay to focus in on the NOS, used, repurposed, for parts, briefly worn, vintage, antique, collectible markets vs NIB. Hey, just a thought. It was excellent when it started out that way!!! Like above. Everything else!!
12-09-2024 03:08 PM
Why is ebay even offering the buyer Canada Post as a shipping option? If they can prevent (remove) the seller from using it as a shipping option, then why can't they do the same for the buyer? I am getting paid from buyer for Canada Post shipping option ($8), but I (seller) don't have that option and my cheapest shipping offers are UPS at 19 and Fedex at 22. I'm not only working for free, I'm pulling change out of my own pocket to do it. This is ridiculous.
12-09-2024 03:23 PM - edited 12-09-2024 03:25 PM
"I am getting paid from buyer for Canada Post shipping option ($8), but I (seller) don't have that option..."
Buyers can't pay for Canada Post shipping unless the seller has not eliminated that option from their shipping profiles. It is the seller's responsibility to adjust their shipping carrier within their listings, if they are "open for business".....otherwise the choice is there for "Time Away" and not offer items for sale.
12-09-2024 03:40 PM
You have to remove Canada Post from your listings and configure other carriers.
I changed all my listing and tweaked items prices to be able to still offer shipping to my customers without losing money.
Of course, prices will go up everywhere. But this is the market. As a business, we have to adjust. Unfortunately, we might make less profit and customers might pay more.
12-09-2024 04:28 PM
@dobo5250 wrote:last three sales have been ridiculus prices -- ground ship -- normal cp 28 dollars expedited -- now 39.99- u.p.s. grounf ship only
regualar 31 dollars to bc - now 57 dollars fedex-- every sale has been a loss so far -i even upped my shipping to an avg of 33 dollars when (it used to be 24 dollars )and still loss on every sale -- i have discounted all my items 60 % -- so losing money there too and its not increased any sale numbers -- next week if things don't improve i will have to increase shipping to 39.99 on avg and increaseto 65 % off sale had to borrow money just to pay bills this month--to cover all the costs of ebay and storage so things are looking a little grim right now --hope they settle soon ---hope sales increase with sale discount-- increasing sales -- hope the increase in u.p.s. and fedex prices almost 50 % more - don't scare people away -- hope hope hope --- very lean xmas this year -- bought stocking stuffers before strike so ok there -- just no main gift this year for better half
but at least health is ok -- very recent doctor check reveiled iam clear of everything ---- so far ---
If you live close to a Purolator retail outlet, you could try their flat rate boxes for orders within Canada.
12-09-2024 04:31 PM
Helpful thread. I put my shop on vacation mode but was wondering if I should use another shipping service as postal strike is still ongoing after 3 weeks. This clarifies things for me. Will need to wait it out.
12-09-2024 04:40 PM - edited 12-09-2024 04:41 PM
@luv4orphans wrote:Helpful thread. I put my shop on vacation mode but was wondering if I should use another shipping service as postal strike is still ongoing after 3 weeks. This clarifies things for me. Will need to wait it out.
I'd suggest waiting it out if possible until about 2 weeks after CP returns. If that still hasn't happened by maybe mid January (once the alternatives aren't completely overloaded anymore), then it might be worth doing a limited opening for your higher priced items with rural addresses excluded. That of course is assuming you don't have access to Stallion / Chitchats / etc.
You could always put some items up on Marketplace or another local equivalent in the meantime.
12-09-2024 05:57 PM
You need to set up calculated rates for UPS and Fedex, or you need to simply cancel rural orders. Shipping rates are similar to Canada Post, but the ceiling is much higher because they charge very high surcharges to ship to certain rural locations. As in, a bubble mailer that costs $11 Ottawa to Toronto via UPS Standard could be $61 ro $110 to some rural areas.
Is there any reason why you don't ship to the USA? I understand not shipping overseas, but shipping to the USA is very easy. Perhaps if you setup shipments to the USA, that would give you a boost in sales. Our dollar is very weak, so it makes buying from Canada attractive in some situations for USA customers.
12-09-2024 07:00 PM
I agree about waiting even when they come back. The backlog will need to be processed and also all the packages that will be incoming... They will be overwhelmed fast.