eBay

johnnybermuda · ‎07-04-2013

I have just returned to Canada after several years away and was planning to spend many thousands of dollars on ebay purchases for all of the items I need to put my household together. Then I discovered that ebay has begun charging import fees on purchases from the United States, fees that are not only exorbitant, but that appear unjustified and arbitrary. Of the hundreds of items that I have purchased from the US in the past, I have never paid any import duties. Congratulations, ebay has just gone from my 'go to' shopping site to my last resort. From what I have read in the online forums, most of my compatriots feel the same. Ebay owes all of its Canadian members a huge apology.

pierrelebel · ‎07-04-2013

One of the unexpected results of the implementation of eBay's Global Shipping Program will be that many Canadians will buy in Canada instead of going to the USA.

All in all not a bad thing for the Canadian economy, Canadian businesses and Canadian employees.

chimera148 · ‎07-04-2013

Last year the CBSA raised personal exemptions {tax and duty free} on most products to C200.00 if you are in the US longer than 24 hours. It's C800.00 if longer than 48 hours. Maybe that will help.

pierrelebel · ‎07-05-2013

This exemption only applies to importation by travellers returning to Canada.

When importing by mail or courrier, the exemption is only $20 and the following rules apply:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/postal-postale/duty-droits-eng.html#c1

2011limey1 · ‎07-05-2013

Hi pierrelebel - you are my "go to", along with a couple of other sellers for the most precise information, complete witheEbay blogsto read - you STILL ARE! But, although I agree, of course, that I should try to buy Canadian to help with the economy, etc. But there is a but and it's a biggy. In most cases when looking for an item I click "Canada only". For what I am searching for, also in most cases, there is hardly anything, Insome cases, none at all! Also, when found, even then I find some of the shipping costs for even small items are just so ridiculous - I go to another site and usually find something the same or equal for FAR less shipping.

Thanks pierre for all you do!!

pierrelebel · ‎07-05-2013

" I go to another site and usually find something the same or equal for FAR less shipping."

I often do the same.

Reality is that many eBay American sellers (and a few Canadians) suffer from paranoia. They insist in shipping by the most expensive method possible to give themselves the maximum protection against claims. That is their number one concern: protect themselves against scammers.

Why the paranoia? Much is caused by eBay/PayPal so-called "protection" policies.

And no, it will not get any better unfortunately.

reallynicestamps · ‎07-05-2013

Then I discovered that ebay has begun charging import fees on purchases from the United States, fees that are not only exorbitant, but that appear unjustified and arbitrary.

Well, not exactly.

As pierre points out, many US sellers are very paranoid about claims of non-delivery. It is very cheap (less than a quarter) to add Delivery Confirmation to a domestic parcel sent by USPS.

To get a similar service to Canada, a US seller has to purchase a service that starts around $20-$25.

Which upsets the Canadian buyer, who knows that the seller could have chosed First Class International to ship upwards of four pounds of stuff for less than $10. but which offers no tracking.

So.

EBay partnered with PitneyBowes to offer the OPTION of a tracked service which removes the possibility of negative feedback for international shipments. And US sellers get a small break on fees when using it.

Trouble is, the service not only always adds applicable taxes and duty (Canada Post is adorably lax about these charges) but also adds a fee for PB's labour.

There is an answer. Before Bidding, ask the seller if she ships to Canada , how much she charges, if she uses USPS/Canada Post, and if she uses the Global Shipping Program. Then avoid sellers who use the GPS,which is the source of your pain.

powerspcrepair · ‎07-06-2013

To my Canadian friends, I am from the U.S. and I am located approximately 2 hours from the border line in the U.S. I have always accepted Canadian buyers and I have just recently entered into the global selling since ebay had introduced it. I only sell to our closest allies which is of course all of you Canadians, United Kingdom, and Australia. I whole-heartedly agree with all of you on your concerns with the lousy import fees. That just doesn't make it right to charge any of you Canadian buyers. If need be, that any of you plan to draw up a petition to stop the import fees, please let me know and I will be glad to sign my name to it.

In regards to the shipping costs, I always try using different shipping methods that are more cheaper than other methods. However, I do not add any other charges on top of it. I have had quite a few loyal Canadian buyers that was very successful in my friendly transactions with them. I am always there for every Canadians for their needs from the United States. I own two ebay stores that carries just about everything. One is a computer store and the other one carries most of odds and ends which is known as the 'Treasure Trove' store. Both stores have the same setup except the 'Treasure Trove' store which I have not yet set up the Global Shipping to cover all three of our closest allied countries, but I will work towards that very soon. You can contact me at any time if you need to ask me questions. Oh, I almost forgot this important part, I have always provided the tracking numbers, especially to those I had dealt with from your country and they were very impressed!

Finally, we will need to work towards to stop this non-sense import duties or fees and anything else in between so that we can all have a successful and smooth transactions together! The most important thing we need to show is that we are allies!

Godspeed to all of you!

chimera148 · ‎07-06-2013

Actually,

@reallynicestamps wrote:
As pierre points out, many US sellers are very paranoid about claims of non-delivery. It is very cheap (less than a quarter) to add Delivery Confirmation to a domestic parcel sent by USPS.
To get a similar service to Canada, a US seller has to purchase a service that starts around $20-$25.

the last two 1 lb. packages received from the US, with the seller using USPS FCMI with a 16.00 charge, required a signature for delivery confirmation. The tracking was very good. The sellers did not ask for the signature, but it was in the barcode on the CPC Xpresspost label. Maybe something new ?

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-06-2013

Finally, we will need to work towards to stop this non-sense import duties or fees and anything else in between so that we can all have a successful and smooth transactions together! The most important thing we need to show is that we are allies!

I'm a bit confused. You are enrolled in the global shipping prgram but you want to help us "stop this non-sense import duties or fees" If you don't think that we should be paying the import fees, why are you usin the gsp?

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-06-2013

@chimera148 wrote:
Actually,
@reallynicestamps wrote:
As pierre points out, many US sellers are very paranoid about claims of non-delivery. It is very cheap (less than a quarter) to add Delivery Confirmation to a domestic parcel sent by USPS.
To get a similar service to Canada, a US seller has to purchase a service that starts around $20-$25.

the last two 1 lb. packages received from the US, with the seller using USPS FCMI with a 16.00 charge, required a signature for delivery confirmation. The tracking was very good. The sellers did not ask for the signature, but it was in the barcode on the CPC Xpresspost label. Maybe something new ?

Earlier this year, First class international packages started including delivery confirmation.

chimera148 · ‎07-06-2013

@pjcdn2005 wrote:

Earlier this year, First class international packages started including delivery confirmation.

Yes, it's the "Signature Required" coming up on the PO computer when the XPRESSPOST sticker is scanned that has me puzzled.

powerspcrepair · ‎07-07-2013

pjcdn2005,

If you have purchased anything from sellers that are in the U.S that have enrolled in the GSP and if ebay has charged you the import fees in which I have not been aware of, nor any of our U.S. sellers. Although ebay has NEVER addressed this to any of our U.S sellers including myself, then there is a problem! Ebay has done a lot of wrong doing over the years and for us, the U.S. sellers had to fight with ebay to change their ridiculous ways. Did we win? YES we did! If we can do it, so can all of you! At least I am willing to participate on your behalf to fight with ebay to stop this "import fees". What is not fair to all of you here in Canada, is not fair to the U.S. sellers either!

powerspcrepair · ‎07-07-2013

"There is an answer. Before Bidding, ask the seller if she ships to Canada , how much she charges, if she uses USPS/Canada Post, and if she uses the Global Shipping Program. Then avoid sellers who use the GPS,which is the source of your pain."

reallynicestamps,

You shouldn't really avoid our U.S. sellers that uses the GPS! Address that issue to them, make them aware of it! Our U.S. sellers CAN do something about it to help you out with that issue. Many of our sellers have been unaware of this case and yes, pierre is correct saying that many US sellers are very paranoid about 'claims' of non-delivery. This is because U.S. sellers were unaware of this situation that they had chosed to stop selling items into Canada. Again, make our U.S. sellers AWARE of this situation! We CAN make that change! With an issue like this once our U.S sellers are aware of it, they will swarm in BIG time on our U.S Discussion Boards to address this problem to get ebay's attention to start changing their ways! You guys are welcome to join in on our U.S Discussion Boards and be part of it too. Even start a thread there too, for God's sakes!

powerspcrepair · ‎07-07-2013

As of a matter of fact, I think I should hold off on enrolling the GSP in my other ebay store to allow any Canadian buyers the opportunity to purchase without the headaches that ebay has caused with their stupid "import fees" and other carp. I do have the opportunity to opt out of the GSP in one of my store. I just hope that this "import fees" and other carp gets resolved ASAP. I thank those who made me aware of this situation that is causing a conflict.

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-07-2013

@chimera148 wrote:
@pjcdn2005 wrote:
Earlier this year, First class international packages started including delivery confirmation.

Yes, it's the "Signature Required" coming up on the PO computer when the XPRESSPOST sticker is scanned that has me puzzled.

My theory....

It seems that whenever anything with delivery confirmation is sent via USPS from the U.S., it becomes an xpresspost parcel once it crosses the border. Xpresspost USA automatically includes a signature so that's how CP treats those parcels here. I'm not saying that this make sense...but my guess is that's how CP sees it.

Spoiler

chimera148 · ‎07-07-2013

pjcdn2005 wrote:

My theory....

It seems that whenever anything with delivery confirmation is sent via USPS from the U.S., it becomes an xpresspost parcel once it crosses the border. Xpresspost USA automatically includes a signature so that's how CP treats those parcels here. I'm not saying that this make sense...but my guess is that's how CP sees it.

Maybe, the postal workers thought it might be something new.

The sellers used the E-Delcon service for USPS FCPI.

One long time seller replied "I just used first class international, the item was not insured at all nor did we require any signature. This is the first message I had concerning a signature required."

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-07-2013

powerspcrepair - With all respect, you are seeing things in a totally different way then most Canadians see them.

Some background..while the U.S. has a $200 threshold before their government may charge import taxes, Canadians may have to pay taxes and/or duty on items imported that cost $20 +. However, when an item is sent by USPS directly from a seller, chances are very good that we will not be charged anything extra for taxes etc. When a seller uses gsp, we are always charged some form of extra fee regardless on the price of the item or how it was sent.

A gsp seller sends their item to PB who then processes it, uses a shipper of their choosing and then sends the item to Canada or some other country. PB charges for that service...why would they do it for free? Of course it is the buyer that pays. In some cases, PB will be able to charge less for shipping than an invidual seller because PB has the buying power. So in some cases a buyer might actually pay less when purchasing thouh gsp. But for many items, the buyers sees that they have to pay more or that one seller charges import fees and the other ones doesn't...so of course they are going to look for a seller that does not use gsp.

U.S. sellers are not forced to use gsp and even if they have opted in, they can opt out on an item by item basis. Does it not make sense for a seller to opt out of gsp rather than pressure ebay to change things? (btw..I've never seen a user petition change anything at ebay...perhaps you have) Also, I can't see the gsp system being possible unless taxes etc up are charged for up front.As mentioned, PB is only going to do this if they can make money. And..when a seller sends an item to PB there is no guarantee that the item will be sent her by USPS. If they happen to use UPS for a particular item, buyers will have high brokerage fees and taxes to pay when the package is delivered. Trust me, that will not make your buyers very happy. At least when we buy from a particular seller we can make sure that they are using USPS and not a courier service.

I agree that ebay has not informed the sellers very well about how the program would effect buyers. But there are dozens of posts about this on the U.S. and Canadian boards, plus many buyers have contacted sellers and told them about the extra costs. Also, shouldn't U.S. sellers have made sure that a new system was going to work for their buyers before they started using it and/or if it isn't working, shouldn't it be up to the seller to stop using the system?

In my mind, it is now up to a seller whether or not they want my business and whether or not they will use the gsp for some, none or all items. It does make sense for some items to go through gsp but it is up to each seller to decide what works for them and what works for their customers. Now that first class international has delivery confirmation, I would think that a seller would send all inexpensive items direct to the buyer by using first class. But some sellers may prefer to sell internationally only if they use the gsp...that's their choice. Other sellers will feel differently and totally or partially opt out...or never start using it. It's up to you to decide how you want to run your business and not to blindly do whatever ebay tells you is 'better'

Wow...long post...I'll get off of my soapbox now. 🙂

.

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-07-2013

@chimera148 wrote:
@pjcdn2005 wrote:
My theory....
It seems that whenever anything with delivery confirmation is sent via USPS from the U.S., it becomes an xpresspost parcel once it crosses the border. Xpresspost USA automatically includes a signature so that's how CP treats those parcels here. I'm not saying that this make sense...but my guess is that's how CP sees it.
Maybe, the postal workers thought it might be something new.
The sellers used the E-Delcon service for USPS FCPI.
One long time seller replied "I just used first class international, the item was not insured at all nor did we require any signature. This is the first message I had concerning a signature required."

Well it is new. But I don't think that the postal workers decide what is going to come up on the computer.

I have always had to sign for Priority packages from the U.S. even though there is no such thing as signature confirmation for Prioirty international so it looks like CP is treating first class delcon the same way.

powerspcrepair · ‎07-07-2013

pjcdn2005, my friend, I do clearly understand what you are saying here and I know that it is a major concern for most of you on this subject. As you mentioned the USPS First Class Mail, please don't get misled on that one. I just recently had a buyer just north of the Finger Lakes right there in Canada that had requested for USPS First Class Mail and I had explained to him that the First Class Mail cannot be used for anything that is one pound or over, just only in ounces. I know that it sucks of how our USPS operates it.

What has been happening is that our USPS had almost filed for Bankruptcy due to not making enough money to keep them afloat. A lot of our U.S. citizens have been using other alternatives by paying their bills instead of using the USPS money orders and etc. Another thing that has been happening is that our U.S. Government wanted to start implementing taxes on how people use the internet and most of our state governments got away in implementing sales tax online, whenever people purchase items from sellers, even on ebay.

Ebay has been fighting with the government over that by trying to protect small businesses that sells on ebay. Ebay even had sought every U.S. sellers to participate in the fight against governments on sales taxes. I guess that is how this got expanded with what most of you are facing now. I have found it very sickening what our federal and state governments are doing and it just does not make our lives any easier!