Shipping to Canada? Rates....upset customer

[thebaercave]

Hi all, so I’ve been selling for about 6 months and every now and then someone is upset about shipping costs....but that goes with the territory, I’ve shipped some large items like train sets....this week a customer from Canada got really upset with me insisting that I was scamming him for the $60 it was going to cost to ship a train set from Oregon to Quebec, insisting that he’s gotten thee other sets off eBay from the US and Never paid more than $30 in shipping.....I asked him to see an invoice to see how they shipped and see size and weight of packages and distance but haven’t heard back....Is there something I’m missing about shipping to Canada and I’m charging too much or is he just being difficult ? Thanks! Steve 

[richard1rst]

Based on my experience $60.00 to Canada would be for a package weighing about 10 pounds going by Priority Mail (Too heavy for first class). Is that what you had?  $30.00 would be for a package weighing less than 4 pounds by first class mail. Apples and oranges.

If you are absolutely certain that you have calculated it correctly and are not adding in an excessive handling charge then, once they start to complain, there is no answer you can give they will like

My standard response is: "Rates are set by the post office and we have no control over then." They don't like that answer either but if you say anything else that leaves any room for an argument they will continue to haunt you.

I can offer one other possible explanation for a cheaper shipping cost. Roughly 85% of what I sell I offer as free U S shipping. Now we all know that "free shipping" is a fiction and the shipping cost is buried in the selling price. HOWEVER to be fair to international buyers I discount the international shipping cost by the amount already buried in the product. As a result my international rates are cheaper than someone else selling the same product and charging post office rates.

[nocoolnamejane]

If I looked at the correct listing (plastic train set the size of a board game), it does look like it could have shipped First class intl package for $30.

Now, of course, as a seller, you dictate your shipping costs and are entirely free to tell your buyer to take it or leave it but you’d probably get more sales and happier buyers with a more appropriate shipping costs.

[thebaercave]

Thank you, yes it was a little less than 10 pounds but a big set.....

[thebaercave]

It’s not listed as it’s still waiting for payment, it’s about 19 pings and the box is about twice the size of board came width and length and about 6 inches thick, I was sending it in a 30x24x6 box.

[soh.maryl]

I don't exactly understand the buyer's problem.

Didn't he see the shipping cost before he bid or bought?

I don't know how other buyers handle it, but when I am shopping on eBay and the shipping cost seems too high to me, I simply do not bid or buy.   I assume this buyer also had that option available.  

[disneyshopper]

You are shipping from Oregon to Quebec.  West coast to east coast.  I bet some of those other purchases by the Canadian buyer were made from sellers who lived closer to Quebec.

Years ago, the USPS had one shipping rate to Canada from the USA.  Then it all changed where the cost is now determined by distance and weight.

[2015mhfashions]

Your shipping costs are spot on even not enough in fact regarding Paypal / E bay fees you still have to deduct from your costs, I calculated your package using your weight and dimensions and bearing in mind I'm on the east cost and it came out just over $60, i would assume therefore your cost could even be higher.

Put the ball in their court, if they are as astute as they seem to think with the shipping costs give them the weight and dimensions and both zip codes and see if they come up with a better shipping cost.

Simply looking for a further discount, as other posters stated they knew the cost of shipping beforehand, don't like it - don't buy it.

[fossil_diver]

I would spell out the shipping cost for them so they know exactly why the shipping cost what it does. Then I would block them. 

[thebaercave]

Thanks for all the responses!  I relisted once the unpaid case closed and it sold right away!  Appreciate the feedback all!  Happy selling!  Steve