eBay

usabcman · ‎01-31-2021

The cost of Ebay's Global Shipping Program seriously inhibits the volume and margins of participant sellers. Three times the cost of regular airmail is not unusual. I have always refused to pay it or impose it on buyers. If a seller will not provide alternative competitive shipping rates, I do not buy.

Ebay also currently erroneously promote their shipping rates as competitive with the United States Postal Service -USPS. They further impose a commitment to using their shipping services if you print a shipping label.

In invoking a shipping label print recently, Ebay indicated the "uncompetitive" USPS cost of shipping a 2.60 oz booklet from USA to UK as $15.44. This was far more than the cost of the item! I mailed it by international first class airmail for $3.49. The Ebay charge would have been 442.41% of the USPS rate.

It is well worthwhile for volume Ebayers with existing goodwill to set up their own websites and selling operations. In the future I will be phasing out my Ebay sales and migrating to my own website. This will save around 2/3rds of my current transaction costs ex shipping as well as avoiding their other dictatorial and coercive trading practices and anti-seller policies.

Without sellers you have no buyers.

m60driver · ‎01-31-2021

I think that somehow in the calculations you have mixed up first class letter rates with first class package rates. One normally does not get an option on Ebay to get first class letter rates.

usabcman · ‎01-31-2021

Exactly!

luckythewinner · ‎01-31-2021

In invoking a shipping label print recently, Ebay indicated the "uncompetitive" USPS cost of shipping a 2.60 oz booklet from USA to UK as $15.44. This was far more than the cost of the item! I mailed it by international first class airmail for $3.49. The Ebay charge would have been 442.41% of the USPS rate.

The difference has absolutely nothing to do with the Global Shipping Program. It has to do with the fact that you are comparing two completely different USPS services.

The $15 rate is the USPS International First Class Package rate, which comes with a tracking number. The rate you quoted is International First Class Mail rate, which does not provide a tracking number.

For obvious reasons, the eBay GSP uses tracking numbers so they can verify that you mailed a package, that it was received, and that it has been forwarded. (It will also track delievery, if the country supports e-delcon).

It is well worthwhile for volume Ebayers with existing goodwill to set up their own websites and selling operations. In the future I will be phasing out my Ebay sales and migrating to my own website.

Only if the seller has the means to drive traffic to his site. If not, he will get no sales. But I suppose that means his shipping costs will be zero, too 🙂

powell-memorabilia · ‎01-31-2021

GSP isn’t well suited for all items. On many shipments, I can’t come close to hitting what GSP charges. To be clear, GSP is usually more than my straight shipping costs, if going it alone through the USPS, but that is before i take customs into account.

union-hill · ‎01-31-2021

Many years ago, the USPS decided to eliminate Surface Rate mailing. Consequently, thousands of book-sellers on and off eBay who had an overseas clientele took a shellacking.

I am not that familiar with Global Shipping apart from one experience I had with a seller years ago. I was interested in this modern postcard. The overseas seller listed Global shipping as the preferred method with the fee. She was in absolute shock when I told her there was NO way that I would pay $19.32 to mail ONE postcard.

Lastly, I commend you for moving to your new venture...your own web site. I wish you much success with that. For different reasons, I will be making a similar move.

allthingssurplus · ‎01-31-2021

Another person that gets what's going on. People, eBay is collecting fees on shipping and sales tax. It is to their great benefit to have shipping cost high. Have you noticed if you use eBay for return labels it always offers USPS Priority as the service no matter what the weight. Like we get in our business having our own rates negotiated with all the carriers, we get deep discounts. Don't think for a second that eBay is not also getting those discounts and not passing them on. If I can beat eBay's rates by 40% or more so can you. Its just the MP money grab that's going on.

luckythewinner · ‎01-31-2021

@union-hill wrote:
Many years ago, the USPS decided to eliminate Surface Rate mailing. Consequently, thousands of book-sellers on and off eBay who had an overseas clientele took a shellacking.

They also used to have a service called "small packet air" that could ship a vinyl LP to the UK for under $5.

It now costs $25.

allthingssurplus · ‎01-31-2021

There are First Class package rates. Up to 0.99 lbs is like $4.65 going anywhere domestic.

buyselljack2016 · ‎01-31-2021

@usabcman

In invoking a shipping label print recently, Ebay indicated the "uncompetitive" USPS cost of shipping a 2.60 oz booklet from USA to UK as $15.44. This was far more than the cost of the item! I mailed it by international first class airmail for $3.49. The Ebay charge would have been 442.41% of the USPS rate.

Your method of shipping may not have actually been in line with USPS shipping guidelines.

Did very little international, but the USPS changes ended my shipping via 1st Class envelope to Canada.

chapeau-noir · ‎01-31-2021

Alternatively, one can use a different shipping service. eBay's default is parcel shipping.

It's to be hoped that this booklet shipped as a flat (letter service) did not exceed the 1/4" thick (including wrapping) dimension for qualifying for letter mail, and was flexible enough to be handled through the sorting equipment.

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”
— Alice Walker

#freedomtoread
#readbannedbooks

vintage-car-magazines · ‎01-31-2021

@usabcman wrote:
The cost of Ebay's Global Shipping Program seriously inhibits the volume and margins of participant sellers. Three times the cost of regular airmail is not unusual. I have always refused to pay it or impose it on buyers. If a seller will not provide alternative competitive shipping rates, I do not buy.

Ebay also currently erroneously promote their shipping rates as competitive with the United States Postal Service -USPS. They further impose a commitment to using their shipping services if you print a shipping label.

That's not true.

Sellers (big and small) can buy their postage and print labels from wherever they choose. We have not committed to use eBay's service.

reallynicestamps · ‎01-31-2021

Speaking as a Canadian, I'm on the other end of the transaction.

The differences in cost are:

Canadian duty

Canadian sales taxes

~$5 service fee to Pitney Bowes which handles customs brokerage.

If you ship to me by USPS the book would be delivered by CanadaPost.

If the book was valued at $29.99USD

There would be no duty- we have a $150Cdn duty -free allowance*.
There would be no sales tax- we have a $40 tax-free allowance*.
There would be no service charge- this is normally only charged when duty and tax is remitted.

So the cost would be identical with shipping by USPS, except that you would be shipping to Erlanger KY-- and there your responsibility for delivery ends.

The Global Shipping Program is after all a Seller Protection program.

Now if the book were $125.00USD.

Duty would be $0-- because there is no duty on importing books into Canada. (Which may be why we have almost no large publishing companies left.)
Tax **would vary by province. There is a 5% federal sales tax, but many provinces don't charge provincial tax on books. It's complicated.
There might be a $5 service charge.
If the book had been delivered by USPS/Canada Post there might be a $9.95Cdn service charge if the carrier had to collect any import fees on the doorstep.
You would be responsible for delivery to the customer.

It is slightly cheaper for Canadians to buy through the GSP than directly, because of the Canada Post service charge.

Many Canadians think there is no duty when importing from the USA because: NAFTA. They are wrong and always have been.

The BUYER pays for shipping and for the import fees his country charges. Not the seller.

If you ship through the GSP the buyer sees those charges up front and pays up front.

If you ship directly the buyer pays on delivery.

*As of July 1,2020. This was a change from $20Cdn (~$15US) until that date.

** The sales tax (VAT) in most European countries seems to be ~17%. I'm not sure.

reallynicestamps · ‎01-31-2021

Again, not sure about USPS standards, but here in Canada we can ship Letter Post any papers up to 500gr and 2cm thick. We cannot track letters and the post age cannot be purchased on line.

Personally I use Letterpost all the time, going commando on tracking. Most people are honest and the service is fast.

I just stick stamps on the envelope-- notice my ID and avatar?