What's new

Still deals on Ebay

Ya know, there are good deals still out there.
I search Ebay Canada, because I live in Canada (gee whiz, that's usin' yer noggin').
Not a lot going on there. Some good deals.
But when I search Ebay (US version)
Dang! good deals to be had.

I wish I didn't see that. Make that my bank account wishes I hadn't seen that.
 
I search Ebay Canada, because I live in Canada (gee whiz, that's usin' yer noggin').
Not a lot going on there.

Yes, options seem to be slim here. And if we order from the States, it looks like shipping automatically changes to $25 as soon as it crosses the border?:thumbdown
 
Yes, options seem to be slim here. And if we order from the States, it looks like shipping automatically changes to $25 as soon as it crosses the border?:thumbdown

As a frequent ebay seller I' ve often puzzled at why it costs me more to ship things to Montreal (I could ride my bicycle there from here) than to say Japan or Australia, or Italy, or pretty much any place. It also takes a lot longer to GET things from Montreal than say Japan or Australia. I could walk across the border and pick it up and walk back home in the time it takes to get things mailed from Quebec. What's the holdup?
 
I sold a guy in Canada a Fatboy and it took 4 weeks to get it and it was in a priority mail flat rate box! I don't understand it either. I can get razors to Norway in exactly 7 days every time.
 
Yes, options seem to be slim here. And if we order from the States, it looks like shipping automatically changes to $25 as soon as it crosses the border?:thumbdown

I've had luck scoring razors from the States with low postal charges. I just won a Tech which shipped for $5CDN. You just need to watch the vendors. Some will overcharge.
 
I've had luck scoring razors from the States with low postal charges. I just won a Tech which shipped for $5CDN. You just need to watch the vendors. Some will overcharge.

Postage for a first-class parcel to Canada is not much more than the same package sent within the states. This week I mailed a razor on Monday afternoon to a gentleman just outside Montreal. The postage cost was $3.05 . . . adding third-party parcel insurance and a modest handling charge (to cover packing material cost) I charged him $5.55. (The postage charge on the same package in the states is $2.26, plus insurance and handling.)

Compare that to using Priority Flat-Rate small box (plus insurance) to Canada. For that, I spend $14.45!!

What does one get for the difference in price? My customer received his package in time to leave me feedback on Thursday morning at 10:15 . . . so transit time is not an issue!

International First Class is not an option on eBay shipping; I have to manually type out an address label, fill out the customs form by hand, and stand in line to buy the postage. Since I live in a small town, that isn't as bad as it would be at a "big city" post office. Pretty easy to deal with . . .

I have shipped to Great Britain, Germany, Australia, and Russia as well using the same service. Transit times are reasonable - in fact, somewhat surprising! All for a much lower cost!

Some sellers do overcharge on shipping . . . I don't bid on their auctions!
 
Postage for a first-class parcel to Canada is not much more than the same package sent within the states. This week I mailed a razor on Monday afternoon to a gentleman just outside Montreal. The postage cost was $3.05 . . . adding third-party parcel insurance and a modest handling charge (to cover packing material cost) I charged him $5.55. (The postage charge on the same package in the states is $2.26, plus insurance and handling.)

Compare that to using Priority Flat-Rate small box (plus insurance) to Canada. For that, I spend $14.45!!

What does one get for the difference in price? My customer received his package in time to leave me feedback on Thursday morning at 10:15 . . . so transit time is not an issue!

International First Class is not an option on eBay shipping; I have to manually type out an address label, fill out the customs form by hand, and stand in line to buy the postage. Since I live in a small town, that isn't as bad as it would be at a "big city" post office. Pretty easy to deal with . . .

I have shipped to Great Britain, Germany, Australia, and Russia as well using the same service. Transit times are reasonable - in fact, somewhat surprising! All for a much lower cost!

Some sellers do overcharge on shipping . . . I don't bid on their auctions!

I don't sell on fleabay, but if you sell a lot, I would get a Stamps.com subscription. $15.99 a month plus prepaying postage and you can print out postage anytime you like at a claimed average 15 per cent discount for packages (sorry, letters are still 44 cents). If you ship Priority or Express, you can also have the postman pick the package up from your house. I still have my account from when we had a business and I don't plan on giving it up anytime soon.
 
I don't sell on fleabay, but if you sell a lot, I would get a Stamps.com subscription. $15.99 a month plus prepaying postage and you can print out postage anytime you like at a claimed average 15 per cent discount for packages (sorry, letters are still 44 cents). If you ship Priority or Express, you can also have the postman pick the package up from your house. I still have my account from when we had a business and I don't plan on giving it up anytime soon.

For me, $15.99 a month doesn't make sense as I have enough available time to wait a few minutes in the post office.

Also, in my previous post I was slightly incorrect. I had my buyers mixed up . . . the service isn't quite THAT fast, but is still very acceptable. From what I have gathered, the major holdup is with Customs and not the actual transportation time. International First Class is a wonderfully affordable option.
 
\

Some sellers do overcharge on shipping . . . I don't bid on their auctions!

I just recently paid $10.50 for shipping on a Gillette travel set that I won for $10.00. The set arrived at my door thrown in a $4.95 USPS flat rate box with nothing else in it to act as padding.
 
Lol

What about "handling"?

He had to fold that little box and drop it in a mailbox.

Seriously though. I've won $100++ items that were mailed on a bubble mailer or charged $$$$ to get parcel post.

Shipping shouldn't be a profit center. Period.
 
Top Bottom