Shipping to Canada question

jay0791

I'll put this question out to the experts. Thank you in advance.
When ebay items are shipped to Canada they cannot go regular usps and get tracked/insured without registered I believe.
I think that service starts at about $14 or so.
On an item over $250 to win a PP dispute you must have sig confirmation. Right? on below that regular DC is not available.

I always package so securely nothing ever gets broken so I would be dealing with lost item or a scammer saying he didn't recieve item.

Question: Is it ok to have buyer say he waives the extra shipping costs of tracking/ins ? If so would I legaly be protected if there is a problem and PP claim?

Can I say Canada buyers have that option on ebay

No problems yet. I sold a card for $160 and charged $4 for shipping (that would be normal costs)
Do I need to send registered and can I ask buyer to do registered. Description did not say extra shipping for canada.
thanks jay

favoritethings

For more expensive item(s) I would definitely suggest insurance/signature. For less expensive items, you can offer the buyer the option to have the item shipped first calss "at their risk" offering the option of an insurable/trackable alternative. I don't know what your recourse is with paypal or in a more formal legal sense. I have shipped and received from Canada for 12 years happily with no issues to report (insured and uninsured). Hope that helps.

-Howard

bbuckner22

About a year ago I told a buyer that since I cannot send with DC to Canada I would not ship there. He told me no problem, he will take the risk. A few weeks later I thought when he filed the Paypal claim that I was covered, because "he took all the risk". Paypal didn't see it that way, so I was out cards and the cash. I'm sure 99% of the Canadian buyers are legit, but there is always that one out there. Now if I ship to Canada, I tell the buyers up front that everything (even cards less than $250) must go registered mail at their cost. To cover yourself, need that proof the package got to it's destination.

jay0791

Thank you.
Never had one problem. Hoever there is alwas the 1st time.
That was my question. A buyer has written and taken responsibity for any lost item and wanted just regular shipping to canada w/o tracking.
So even with that PP would rule against me if I had a problem...

divecchia

Unfortunately if you don't know the buyer, shipping to Canada is a risk. No offense to Canadians. It's just too easy to file a PP claim as there is no proof of delivery without DC or Signature Confirmation. I personally would not take the risk unless, I at least know them or someone I know has done deals with them.

Donato

ezyshooter

I live in Canada. Thankfully i live next to Detroit so i opened a P.O.Box in Detroit for my purchases and of course sales as well. Canada Post really does suck. I hear people complaining in line at the post office in Detroit. If they had the service we have in Canada they would be screaming murder. I sent a package insured and signature required. Well package showed up delivered but there was no signature. Person claimed he never recieved. I did everything to the book. Showed paypal the tracking number with signature required that i paid for and he still won his paypal dispute. Paypal tried taking funds out of my account. My account went negative because funds were already taken out. Then they charged my credit card. I called the credit card company and told them i did not authorize this transaction. Credit card reversed the charges.
Steve

cards651

Not to bring politics into this discussion but the thing that I hate about shipping to Canada are the requests to indicate on the custom form that the item is a 'gift'. This somehow makes it easier to evade the GST tax which is a pretty hefty percentage. Canadians love to harp about their wonderful healthcare system yet they all seem to enjoy evading the taxes that help support it. Anyway, enough bashing of the Canadian people.

blacklab

I no longer ship to Canada. Under the present rules, it is just too expensive & cumbersome. If a prospective bidder from Canada contacts me, I tell him he must be able to supply a US address for shipping purposes. Surprisingly, this has never been a problem. I buy from only one major dealer in Canada. Even though I am an established customer, I pay huge shipping charges to have material sent to me, since my guy in Canada says it is the only way to insure not only that the package will actually arrive, but that I will get it in a timely manner. In my view, shipping both to & from Canada is nothing now but a nuisance.

JMDVM

Paypal and Ebay both hold the seller responsible for the arrival of the sold item. However Ebay changed their policy where you can no longer add insurance to the invoice after the sale. So now the seller is forced to factor in DC or insurance up front. I started doing this and I either lose money on shipping or else I don't get 5 stars in my feedback. You can't win.
In regards to Canada, no one with a cheaper item is willing to pay the insured/registered fee plus the Canadian buyer is always asking me to declare the item as a gift to avoid the 30% duty fee. It would be nice to avoid selling to Canada but what do you do if you are selling hockey cards? Another issue that a friend of mine ran into was that even though he insured the item, the Canadian PO claimed it was the fault of the USPS and the USPS claimed it was the Canadians. He got no reimbursement. Another time his buyer received an open package that had no hockey card but a plastic shower cap......

jay0791

Sorry to hear all the problems shipping to Canada.
The real problem is paypal and ebay. If they always didn't side with a scammer buyer then all this might stop.
I'm in the process of selling 100's of cards so when done I will be glad...can't stand selling. With all th ebay fees and the fact that to avoid
scams I have to send DC for everything...even a $5 card you lose money. When done I can Kiss both goodbye.

vbellier

I can certainly understand the frustration from the sellers, but as a Canadian buyer who lives in Australia I can say that after over a thousand cards purchased over the last 3 years I haven't had any shipping issues. As an overseas buyer, I certainly understand and accept the extra cost. I factor it into my purchases. No vendor should ever be penalized in the ratings for shipping charges -- when they're disclosed.

My biggest pet peeve is when vendors agree to ship and then jack the shipping fees after the auction is over. If you tell me upfront that it's going to cost me $30 then I can either bid or not.

Still though, I've never had a problem with a legitimate vendor. Only twice have I had to charge back a seller, but both times I never got a reply after waiting two weeks for delivery and then emailing numerous times. I've heard the stories about scammer buyers and those pinheads ruin it for all the good ones.

Griffins

Unfortunately too many risks shipping to Canada, so I block any non US bidders. Besides the paypal issues there are the constant requests to mark it as a gift, which precludes insurance.
I figure if someone wants something bad enough they'll pay for it with a confirmed US paypal account.

vbellier

Unfortunately Paypal being Paypal (complete bunch of wankers IMO), they don't offer confirmed addresses overseas and so when vendors only ship to the US I'm left out of the action. Hasn't really hurt me though. It seems to mostly affect more recent cards and all the auction houses are great to deal with.

I imagine the bad experiences and scam artists end up ruining the party for the good operators. To each their own.

jay0791

Vince
As I have recently shipped to you in AU......I have no problems at all. Cost was higher but knew it wasn't cheap to begin with....and your estimate was reasonably close.
You are well known and respected in the close knit HOF RC family so nobody worries about you.
I have had no problems at all with Canadian buyers and am glad to have them and do thank them.
Most have had decent ebay feedback. Last guy bought a $400 card, paid registered mail fee and left 5 stars...so The issue really isn't Canadian buyers...it's PP and Ebay.

alnavman

I recently sent a package to Canada flat rate priority large box and it cost almost $35.....the buyer didn't mind paying it but shipping costs a fortune. Is there any cheap way to send items to Canada??

blacklab

No there is not and when you put up a hi $ shipping fee (even though I've still undercharged!) ebay throws up sign on the screen that your shipping rate is excessive and your item listing is subject to being pulled. Give me a break!

JMDVM

<< <i>No there is not and when you put up a hi $ shipping fee (even though I've still undercharged!) ebay throws up sign on the screen that your shipping rate is excessive and your item listing is subject to being pulled. Give me a break! >>


You are spot on. No way to ship cheap and I hate that "excessive shipping" note. One other point:After receiving a less than 5 star rating for shipping (its 4.8 and they flagged me!) I called Ebay to complain and they suggested I offer free shipping. When I suggested they drop THEIR fees, I was met with silence......

cardbender

<< <i>

<< <i>No there is not and when you put up a hi $ shipping fee (even though I've still undercharged!) ebay throws up sign on the screen that your shipping rate is excessive and your item listing is subject to being pulled. Give me a break! >>


You are spot on. No way to ship cheap and I hate that "excessive shipping" note. One other point:After receiving a less than 5 star rating for shipping (its 4.8 and they flagged me!) I called Ebay to complain and they suggested I offer free shipping. When I suggested they drop THEIR fees, I was met with silence...... >>



That's a good line to the ebay crooks Joe.

I've never had a problem with Canadien buyers before and I've shipped well over 500 times to our Northern neighbors. I love those hosers.

I typically just mail the cards first class air mail in a padded mailer and attach a customs form. Most buyers from Canada understand the customs issues/delays involved and won't drill your dsr's either.


I guess there's always a first time getting scammed by someone to change your opinion, but to be honest I've had more problems with USA buyers than Canadien buyers.

vbellier

Thanks Jay.

In the end the problem lies mainly with eBay and Paypal and how easy they make it for a buyer to scam a seller. Shipping should be fairly easy and although not cheap, everyone knows what is involved. When I hear a buyer complain about paying $20 for a $10 card I always wonder why they bother. Either get the delivered to a US address or stop whining about the fees. I do understand the request about reducing the declared value because in Oz, the gov't will try and get 15% for duty and then another 10% for GST. Couldn;t care less about the delays but on some high $$ orders it can add huge costs.

Of course I wouldn't expect someone I've never dealt with to agree with that request every time. I've had some "beautiful" customs bills -- and I say that with gritted teeth. It is what it is.

cardboardjunky

I buy 99% of my cards from the U.S and have had 2 issues in 5 years. Both resolved with refunds from sellers. 1 time the item arrived months later and i re paid the seller. I send thousands of items to the U.S as well and have had 1 item go missing. Things just don't get lost/stolen in the mail system. The $$$ I save with shipping with reg mail easily covers items that may go missing. Ins is like buying an extended warranty. 99% of the time it's useless. Don't get caught up with the postal scams. Pack well. Put tape over addresses etc and send reg mail. Only deal with people with great feedback and who communicate well. Most people are honest and not out to scam you of your cards.

vbellier

Hear, Hear! I also self-insure and have saved thousands over the years.

mike22y2k

I sell about 100 cards and sets a year to Canadiens. Only once did I have a problem with the delivery. Someone opened my set and took out the Lafleur. Boy they know their hockey. I've made many friends and have never had a bad experience. They understand it may take longer due to customs and don't even mind paying extra for shipping. I love shipping to Canada regardless of cost because I know they have the same interests in cards as I do.

I love Canada but USA is still going to beat your A-- for the GOLD.

KbKards

They're also great too because they insist you declare the full value of the order for everyone's protection and don't mind at all paying brokerage, sales tax, and GST fees. Another added bonus is they all speak English like us, except for the ones pretending to be French.