Shippos new interface, Oct 13, thoughts?

[valuestore]

Woke up yesterday to the 'new improved shippo',  

My thoughts so far

1) Selects wrong default shipping option 100% of the time (selects regular instead of expedited)

2) Refund option no longer an option past one day

3) Reprints no longer available past one day

4) Not retrieving package info reliably, have to 50% of the time select manually. 

5) Have to refresh page after I purchase a label, it generates and displays 3 customer entries, one with endless spinning thinking thing, one says buy, one that shows completed..  

6)  Customs info not shown until after you press the buy button, leap of faith.

7) It  now takes me nearly twice as long to generate a label.

😎 I was not given an option to opt out.

9) I was not to my knowledge given prior notice of the changes

It works, but Im struggling to see how its an improvement.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@valuestore 

I used yesterday for the first time. I found it a bit clunky. Takes some time to figure out exactly how it works and making sure you haven't missed anything.

Other observations:

• HS code does not accept xxxx.xx. Format is xxxxxx
• Printing prints sets vs individual pages. My quantity requirements vary depending on situation per page
• Agree about the default for shipping options.

If you see anything else please pass my way. Thanks.

-Lotz

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@valuestore 

There was an inbetween version but very different from this release. I found out  about it by accident but at the time was still able to revert back to standard easy peasy version. I wish it would save HS codes to database. The measurements for me always get entered in manually. Final packaging often varies. They have corrected the packing slip after several requests to have the math(US orders) on packing slip to include the tax in the total vs not including it as a line item but as part of the final total. It was messy math for anyone at customs to understand and make sense of. Also it appears the unit weight still is revising itself for the final printing to not match precisely what was entered.

-Lotz

The other thing that is still missing is a preview screen similar to Snapship before printout. It could add barcode tracking after that step. Would make it easier to determine if you have made an error along the way and save voiding.

[pjcdn2005]

Yesterday was the first time I used and I also found it very clunky  and had to hunt to figure out how to do some things.  I haven't yet run into some of the things that you mentioned but the program doesn't sound very user friendly. I prefer the original interface.

When I printed the label it automatically printed a second page with a commercial invoice which I assume I am supposed to put in the labelope behind the label.  I believe one poster here has recommended Lotz of times to  always including a packing slip/invoice on the outside but in the years I have sold here, I've never done that and it does to be a waste of paper.  Is there a way to stop that from printing on a permanent basis?

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Shipping Internationally:

Putting a packing slip on the outside of the box can be a risky proposition when shipping internationally. Customs can/does remove thinking it is for their use or just disposes. They will rarely ever reattach. If you want to include a packing slip at your discretion, it's best inside the box and mark Customer Copy. For high value shipments sent by courier internationally a 3)packing slip is included with 2)commercial invoice and 1)WB(Bill of lading.) Quantities  of sets of documents vary per courier, country. Even documents in specific languages may be required for shipping to some countries. Information available at Canadapost/Couriers websites. The procedures I quote/have quoted in the past are based on years of selling a variety of high value items using many carriers/couriers and mail, worldwide many requiring priority delivery to go perfectly.

As for using the new Shippo Interface, I always include 1 copy/set (label + Invoice) for shipping small packet US air. Same as the old CN. 2 copies/sets for Tracked/Expedited/Xpresspost USA. One is for the driver....2nd copy can be for the customers records if they require for business purposes. 3 copies/sets when shipping Internationally. Shippo states for anything International 3 copies but maybe overkill and waste of paper. Another reason for a second copy is if an item requires inspection, removes a change of the forms being matched to the incorrect parcel. Things are much more streamlined now with Electronic Customs Processing but still accidents can happen due to the volume of shipments processed.

Electronic customs clearance replaces all written customs declarations and administrative files with electronic messages. This simplifies, automates and speeds up customs clearance and processing. These rules affect all companies that import or export goods.

-Lotz

PS. Spotted the "Lotz of times" reference. 😉

PS2. In olden days, Pre GSP etc someone receiving a package with Canadapost from a foreign country would get a hard copy of the customs invoice as proof of payment. Required filing for discrepancies and/or business records.

PS3. For Courier shipments or high volume shippers a Nafta Certificate of Origin for each item type is either included with the documents/ or put on file on a yearly basis with customs for shipping to Nafta Countries. I used to have to update at the end of each year and submit to the multitude of couriers we used.

https://www.cbp.gov/trade/nafta/nafta-certificate-origin

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Recurring observation.

Quite often eBay's procedures are NOT backwards compatible to shipping especially when shipping from Canada. Throw Shippo/PayPal and the imaginary new system announced in the Spring Updates it gets even messier.
Many similar applicable observations from US sellers.

-Lotz

[valuestore]

The way I have always done it is print thermal label  4x6 (zebra),  it just prints the label nothing else.  Packing slip is there as a downloadable or printable pdf option. I  personally rarely use it,  unless its a manifest multi item order, mostly I just sell single items.   

[pjcdn2005]

As I said, I’ve never included a commercial invoice with a package and I suspect that’s true for the majority of Canadian ebay sellers.  Since I’ve never had a problem doing It that way, I don’t plan on including one now.  I am just wondering if there is a permanent way to shut off that option since it printed automatically with the label yesterday.  I realize thatEach time I can set it not to print that page but I would rather turn it off permanently if possible.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

I'm going to do some testing and see what else is hiding inside the new Shippo. If you are selling low value items you should be okay. I just got in the habit years ago  dealing directly with customs. And with it so easy for a customer to say something is late, eBay's iffy transit times, I do everything to make sure there are no issues. That is why I include the detailed customs form.  And I sell a variety of items all with different HS codes from many different countries with customers that require on time delivery. Below is the basic blurb from a quick search.

-Lotz

Your shipment will be accompanied by a commercial invoice if it's over a certain value, generally $500, or it's going to a destination country that requires one. If needed, the commercial invoice will be one of the declaration forms Canada Post includes when you create a shipping label.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@pjcdn2005 

The only way I can see to not print the customs invoice page would be just to select page one when you go to print. Then print the number of copies - 2.

-Lotz

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

As I said, I’ve never included a commercial invoice with a package and I suspect that’s true for the majority of Canadian ebay sellers.  Since I’ve never had a problem doing It that way, I don’t plan on including one now.  I am just wondering if there is a permanent way to shut off that option since it printed automatically with the label yesterday.  I realize thatEach time I can set it not to print that page but I would rather turn it off permanently if possible.

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Another reason for including a commercial invoice would be to give yourself the option to either have your product returned or destroyed if it is refused by the consignee. Something someone would consider if the item is of very low value and its really not worth the return shipping costs.

-Lotz