ebay shipping for DVDs - shipping cost drives away buyers
Let me go back to a previous situation first: It used to be, several years ago, that I could easily buy DVDs on ebay from the USA and have them sent to me, in Europe. After all, a DVD is nothing but a heavy letter.
But this has changed and now it's no use. Ever since ebay started taking care of the shipping, it costs at least $18 to ship a single DVD internationally. So I don't buy them because I'm not paying five to ten times the item price for postage.
Similar for other small items like spare parts for laptops. I sometimes ask the sellers, but they all say it's out of their hands.
This means, that international buyers will almost never buy DVDs (or CD or bluray). In other words, ebay's shipping cost formula is throttling these sales.
I want to buy one or two DVDs from North America and I can't be the only one who has this problem! It's been like this for several years and I really wish they'd realise this and change these rates.
Possibly I should try to contact ebay directly, but I despair of how to get through to them. Everything's so automated, that I really fear that my suggestion will fall between the cracks.
mudshark61369
·2 years ago@junivos,
You have been given examples of the postal rates which should help you understand why shipping costs are high.
However, Please, what ever you think do not compare items shipped from China to shipments from other countries. First off the Chinese government subsidizes international shipping for its sellers. China based sellers also benefit from The U.N's. Universal Postal Union (UPU) which grew out of an international treaty established in 1874 known as the Treaty of Bern.
The idea behind the treaty was to give underdeveloped countries lower international, and domestic final delivery rates, so that shipping their goods abroad would not make them too expensive to buy in destination countries, thus allowing them to grow their economies.
Some how the U.N. still sees China as an economically underdeveloped country as part of the Asia Pacific Region, instead of being judged as a separate country, that has the second highest Online economy in the world. However, the U.P.U. still lists China's economy as being as low as many African nations, so they get some of the lowest postal rates in the world. When they ship items to the U.S. that aree delivered by our postal service, the USPS, or the private services, they lose money on those deliveries. That causes them to have to increase costs for their outbound international services to more developed nations and domestic delivery rates as well.
junivos
OP2 years agoActually, no, I've not seen that many examples apart from "off the cuff" estimates which proved my point.
This isn't about China; that simply is a different topic. I myself wasn't referring to China-to-US rates, although they're probably quite similar.
But it is about other countries in general, or how it just seemed to be possible in the recent past until ebay started handling this.
For example: If I was to send a disc TO the USA, it'd cost me $9.39. - HALF the price.
Admittedly that's without any duties (but including the 'amaray' case).
house*of*paws
·2 years agoHi @junivos
While a DVD may be 'nothing but a heavy letter' ... it must be sent with tracking for the seller to be protected against an 'item not received' dispute, which automatically adds extra bucks to the shipping cost.
eBay's previous Global Shipping Program (GPS) ... and the current eBay International Shipping (EIS) ... put much of the risk of shipping internationally on the buyer. That has led to many sellers being willing to ship to foreign countries that previously shipped only to the US.
The cost of the GSP and EIS programs are particularly expensive to Canadian buyers. I recommend you contact a seller before buying to see if the seller is willing to ship a less expensive way. If they are ... I believe they will have to relist the item with the new shipping method. [Once an item is listed with EIS ... then ALL international buyers are required to go through EIS.]
junivos
OP2 years agoIf you read carefully, I've already covered this. Sellers tend to say "it's out of my hands". Also, they may not be willing to spend a lot of effort on a relatively small sale.
Besides if sellers are able to do it after all... then ebay could too. (So then, ideally, ebay should help, because it all leads to more sales.)
kalyoth
·2 years agoSo what is your postal zip code within your registered country with ebay? I can get you a snap shot of shipping in the US just by our post office service, via the Boston MA end of the country. However, I hope you are not expecting it to be the same prices of a decade ago. What you are buying is a parcel. Flat doesn't matter as it is not a letter. The EU regulations for import duties & environmental justice that have come into effect will also play a role.
I sell dvd's frequently internationally upon request, normally do not ship via ebay's internal shipping & have a postal scale. I also have never been sought for under charges on postage. So I can get you a very accurate price. Let me know ^^
One question - are you only purchasing the discs or do you also receive the case etc.? That would impact packaging.
nobody*s_perfect
·2 years ago$18 sounds about right for a very light USPS First Class International package to the Netherlands. As you noted, there's no way to ship a DVD as a letter or a flat.
junivos
OP2 years agoAha! Can you perhaps tell me, what's your average international shipping, if you've got a few recent examples?
Or say it's to 1015CS, the Netherlands?
nobody*s_perfect
·2 years agoUSPS rates for international postage are based only on the nation, not on specific location within each nation (exception: Canada), so specific postal codes for the US or the other location aren't needed. Here are the USPS Commercial (i.e., online) rates for First Class packages. Netherlands is in Price Group 3.
http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/notice123.pdf
junivos
OP2 years agoOh yeah, but Kalyoth asked for the zip code (and sometimes you can't calculate it, if you leave fields empty, depending on the website).
It would really be so much better if they also offered that list in the metric system. But that's another topic.
Well, if these are the cheapest options, than the problem is not within ebay. But nevertheless, compared with other countries, it's quite expensive. Even if I chose the parcel format I'd only spend 12.88 on sending a DVD from here TO the USA.
kalyoth
·2 years ago1 pound large envelope (counts as parcel) to Netherlands with defined customs contents of DVD sent slowest service via our post office:
First-Class Package International Serviceâ„¢**
Rolls: Min. Length 4", "Max. length 36". Max length and twice the diameter combined 42"
This is the normal retail pricing I would face to ship to you. This service would not have tracking guaranteed once it entered customs for your country. Very few nations fall under that service for our parcels for our postal service.
With some variation, falls under the above chart. So yes, it's not cheap to ship internationally anymore across the globe.
junivos
OP2 years agoIs that Canadian or USD?
I just said this in another reply but the problem may not be ebay, but North-America then. It's definitely cheaper the other way round.
I still think of this is a "problem", because it's become more difficult than before, and it's making it harder to buy/sell.
frankenhobbit
·2 years agoIt drives away sellers too. If the shipping cost for that DVD was $18 and they pass that on to you, they would pay $2.99 in fees on the shipping alone. More if the shipping was taxable. That pretty much wipes out anything they may have made in profit on the DVD, even though the buyer paid for the shipping.
Low value items just don't make sense any more, especially overseas.
junivos
OP2 years agoFees on shipping - don't get me started on that...!
simba6
·2 years agoA DVD is not just like a letter, it does not bend. That can cause problems and jams in postal machines.
junivos
OP2 years agoPeople can send stiff material by post. As long as it fits.
house*of*paws
·2 years agoBUT DVDs cannot go through postal equipment (rollers) without breaking, so sending them in envelopes is unwise.
junivos
OP2 years agoOh? It works fine whenever I do.
As said above, I've sent entire VHS tapes by letterbox post; and sellers from China don't seem to have any problems with this when they send small parts for stuff.
I don't know where this idea comes from, unless it's a new thing and specific only to the USA.
And h-o-p PLEASE don't mark this as solved... That is not up to you.
house*of*paws
·2 years ago@junivos
I’m not sure I understand what you mean. I haven’t ever marked someone else’s question as ‘solved’ intentionally.
[Unfortunately, it’s much too easy for a mentor to click or swipe the Best Answer button inadvertently … but I’ve always undone the action whenever I’m aware of it.]
Please PM me if you see that happening … and I’ll undo it. It’s definitely NOT intentional. I prefer OPs to choose their own BAs.
junivos
OP2 years agoSide note: Yes, please forget what I said about marking as solved. It SEEMED that way in an automatic notification... But I don't really see any difference here.
nobody*s_perfect
·2 years agoStarting in about 2018, USPS postal regulations changed: First Class International letters and flats (AKA Large envelopes) my only contain documents, not merchandise.
https://www.usps.com/international/first-class-mail-international.htm
junivos
OP2 years agoInteresting. So a book (a small one) would also be out of the question?
nobody*s_perfect
·2 years agoYes. Merchandise is merchandise. The maximum thickness for a letter is 1/4 inch, and flats (AKA Large envelopes) must be flexible, so those services wouldn't even work domestically for a book.
junivos
OP2 years agoSo is this a relatively recent USA thing then? I can send letters of over 3cm thick - I can send a VHS tape by letter post and I've done so in the recent past (inside the Netherlands). It needs an extra stamp or two but that's it.
Other countries don't seem to have this problem, look at the stuff you can order from China.
nobody*s_perfect
·2 years agoEach nation sets its own postal criteria. In the US, the maximum thickness permitted for a letter is 1/4 inch (0.635 cm). Any item that's 3 cm thick would have to be mailed as a package.
pjcdn2005
·2 years agoThe eBay International Shipping (EIS) can be expensive but at times it is the same or even less than using USPS. Even USPS international rates have gone up in the past few years. If a seller shipped directly from the US to Europe using USPS, a 3 ounce (85g) package would have a minimum cost of $18 with tracking. Apparently there are services such as Asendia that are less than that but as they aren't available through eBay, most sellers don't know about them, or prefer not to use them. Plus, a lot of sellers will only use the EIS as it offers much more seller protection than shipping directly does.
It is very frustrating but even if ebay wasn't involved in shipping, it would probably still be expensive. I'm in Canada and although we are right next door to the US, the cost of shipping can often make the cost of buying something from there cost prohibitive.
junivos
OP2 years agoCompared to 5 or certainly to 10 years ago, yes the postage would have gone up anyway. But 20 USD or more seems excessive to me.
But if you wanted to send me a DVD, in the Netherlands, what would it cost you if you sent it today? Let's say, you had a rare film I wanted to see, eventually (but nut urgently).