USPS Price Increase (especially out of the country)

[thebiggoalie]

Lol. Can we interest you in some coupons to Bennigans?

[dsl135]

Yea, I've never had a problem tracking a package from the US to Canada or vice versa.

I also print all labels at home and just walk in and drop the packages off, no waiting in line or hand-filling out forms.

It's really easy. And the prices for shipping aren't usually by the ounce for Priority Mail, it's usually just a range. If it falls between 1-2 pounds it's one price, 2-3 pounds it's another, etc. And most single jerseys are about 1 lb 8 oz, so it easily falls in that range, no overcharge.

I also use USPS for the free packages that they mail for free. Just go to usps.com, and order up 25 Priority Mail boxes. They're not flat rate, they're just free boxes that can be used to send Priority Mail.

The price increase does suck, though.

[CJ Matthews]

Just wanted to add to this. I went to the post office today to send out a package Priority Mail and when I was looking for tracking slips I couldn't find them. Apparently now tracking is included in all Priority Mail "at no additional charge". Obviously prices increased, but it's not an extra 65 cents or whatever for a tracking number anymore.

[flyhighguys94]

Thats good to hear, i print all my labels online and tracking is always included with that so its good to see they made it free at the post office.

[MountainKing]

Making friends and connections with fellow collectors > dealing with eBay fees and scammers.

To an extent. The problem with trying to sell here or any collectors site is I'm generally aiming to grab top dollar while most on these type of sites want deals. I can often sell something on ebay and even after fees/shipping take home more than I could get for something here. I've had a few sour transactions here, between that and dealing with folks getting pissed at you not taking their low ball offers I'd almost prefer dealing with ebay or even better craigslist.

[PensJerseys]

So I just got done accomplishing absolutely NOTHING at the post office a while ago when trying to ship something to Canada.

At this point, with the price hikes from USPS, is there a downside to a Canadian recipient getting a package shipped from the US via UPS?

I thought I've heard somewhere that packages via UPS are more likely to get nailed for customs charges. True? False?

UPS standard is like $25 with delivery confirmation (not sure if this includes tracking outside of US). Only service USPS offers with any sort of international tracking is Priority Mail Express International which is $65 for a small box or $35 for a padded envelope - padded envelopes that the post office DOESN'T KEEP IN STOCK!! Seriously!?

No wonder USPS is in such trouble. What awful service....

What would be my best choice? Just plain old USPS Priority? The package is going to a member here that I'm sure I can trust, but I simply don't like the feeling of waiting for a week or whatever, desperately hoping the package doesn't get lost along the way.

[cowboys]

thought I've heard somewhere that packages via UPS are more likely to get nailed for customs charges. True? False?

That is True plus brokerage fees

[chow_hound]

As a Canadian i dont accept UPS or Fedex deliveries for 2 reasons.

1) ridiculous brokerage fee

2) guaranteed customs and taxes on everything regardless of contents

Almost as bad is the ebay global shipping program. Absolute joke. You pay above cost shipping plus a fee to broker the package. The brokerage is literally they ship the package to one location. That location then slaps a new address label on top of their address and re directs the package. All this for $11-20 depending on the item.

Only way to accept from the US is USPS who routes through Canada Post. No hassle and faster delivery.

[PensJerseys]

Thanks.

[dsl135]

You may have been dealing with an employee who has no clue what they're talking about. USPS Priority. Mail definitely has tracking. I use it all the time.

[Flyers845]

I just sent USPS priority yesterday came with free envelope and tracking

[PensJerseys]

Ok, thanks guys.

I've just seen a lot of people say their tracking number stops working once it crosses the border, which kind of had me worried.

Thanks!

[hockeyjerseyssuck]

Unless I'm buying a really rare expensive jersey, nowadays I only buy off of eBay if the seller has multiple items I want. It seems like I can get a few jerseys shipped for 30-40, as opposed to a single jersey for 25.

Canada Post also works that way. Where shipping a single item with tracking is extremely expensive. But multiple items can be shipped in the same box for only a tiny bit more up to a certain weight.

If you ship with anything else other than USPS to a Canadian, odds are they will never buy from you again. It's not your fault, but you are ensuring that if they bought a 100 dollar jersey from you, they'll be put in a situation where they either have to pay 40-60 dollars at the door to UPS (aka 's reincarnated), or refuse the package, get a refund from you, and be out the original cost of shipping. You can self clear your packages and avoid the UPS brokerage fee, but then it gets to the point where you ask yourself if doing so is worth your time. (Which depends entirely on how much your time is worth)

Also, if you ship with eBay, ship insured. It's not worth the risk not insuring a package, even if it means you have to declare the exact value. eBay no longer allows you to add an optional insurance cost. It is implied when a buyer purchases the item that an item should be insured. So if you send somebody an item that arrives broken as a result of negligence by the post office, and you didn't go for insurance, eBay will likely side with the buyer if they ask for a refund. Which in reality, they should be entitled to. It's different if it's a private transaction, and they willingly pass on insurance because they are extremely cheap. But on eBay in 2013, the item arriving safely being the buyer's responsibility is implied. This means that if you don't want to potentially get shafted for the cost of the item, it's worth it to up your shipping prices by 1-3 dollars to include the appropriate insurance.

Don't ever ship without tracking under any circumstances. I think it's Paypal transactions over 325 total, including shipping (if you sell something for 310+20 shipping, that's a $330 paypal transaction) must be sent with a form of signature confirmation.

Unless you're selling rare jerseys that have no real set market value, eBay is pretty much useless. If you have a jersey that a consumer would value at 60 dollars, you have to deduct the shipping from that. Meaning, if shipping costs you 15, you can only clear 45 for the item. eBay and Paypal charges you fees based on the total cost. So if it sold for 45+15, you're looking at 9 in fees. Take away a bit for gas+shipping supplies and round those fees up to 10 dollars. Now you're netting 35 dollars. If you're not a power seller, and just seller an item here or there, a listing might take up an hour of your time. This is between editing your template, taking decent photos, editing those photos as needed, dealing with buyer's questions, dealing with the final sale, traveling to the post office, and then dealing with any potential issues (if there are any) after the item sells.

So in the end, for lower priced items, you're looking at only getting half of the item's actual value if you were to sell it in a face to face transaction. And you have to give up your own free time to get that honor. It's only worth it if you're an actual business like Jersey Baron, and the cost of eBay can be justified as a marketing tool.

I still think that guy is not insane for having his own site with a cart that he could use his eBay store to promote. He's having to charge people 50 dollars extra just to do business on eBay. I think Shopify only charges a few percent worth of fees, compared to eBay's 10. He could easily lower the prices of his jerseys via his own personal site, while pocketing more profit, and it'd still be priced lower than eBay.

[tbird107]

Ok, thanks guys.

I've just seen a lot of people say their tracking number stops working once it crosses the border, which kind of had me worried.

Thanks!

It does and it doesn't. Once it crosses the border, the USPS site won't track it. However, if you take the same tracking number and use the Canada Post site, it will work. It will only show when it arrived in the country and when it was delivered. It's not going to show you every transfer it makes while in Canada.

[DC Red Wings]

We need some mules who live near the border on this site, lol.

[mfitz804]

I hate shipping outside the US because of the expense. I sell an item, look up the shipping cost, tell the buyer, and they get upset with ME, like I set the rate. And I'm not one of those sellers who charges extra for materials, "handling", or anything else. I charge the exact number and people get upset with ME.

Actually it happens domestically also. Still out of my control.

[OR68]

People don't realize to ship items isn't cheap anymore. I always tell someone who has issues with shipping go to the post office and get the quote then come back to me and say it's "unreasonable"

[thebiggoalie]

Are there any disadvantages of shipping Parcel Post instead of Priority from the USA to Canada?

[LAK74]

Other than the longer shipping time, I'm pretty sure you cannot track or insure a parcel post package unless you register it. After you add the fees for registering + insurance, it may be close to the same price as sending it Priority in the first place.

[flyhighguys94]

Are there any disadvantages of shipping Parcel Post instead of Priority from the USA to Canada?

Tom, I have always shipped this method but it has primarily been to other collectors who I knew. When using it on eBay the risk of having the buyer say it never arrived is a possibility. However, if you do use this you can enter the customs form number as tracking into eBay. I have done that maybe 2-3 times on eBay and never had an issue. The customs form number gets plugged into USPS.com or Canadapost.org tracking just like an actual tracking number. It is a much cheaper alternative, slightly riskier if the buyer is a turd.

[thebiggoalie]

Thanks, Kurt. This buyer has bought from me before, but I haven't shipped to Canada in forever, and really don't want to, but the cost of shipping vs. peace of mind is definitely a factor, so I have to decide ASAP and send it out tomorrow.

[flyhighguys94]

Thanks, Kurt. This buyer has bought from me before, but I haven't shipped to Canada in forever, and really don't want to, but the cost of shipping vs. peace of mind is definitely a factor, so I have to decide ASAP and send it out tomorrow.

If you've dealt with this buyer before it may not be a bad idea to go with the cheaper method. I always talk to the buyer first, ask them what they wanna spend. The cheaper method costs as low as $14 or as much as $19. Just make sure if you use a brown box the total dimensions aren't over 34 inches or else it has to be priority.

[Kaiser416]

I bought 2 jerseys from Meigray with their BOGO sale. Total came out to be $430 shipped via USPS priority. I was hit by customs fees of $65 + 13% taxes. Bad luck, or expected?

[SnakeOiler12]

Did they ship with UPS or USPS? I am guessing UPS if you got hit with those charges

[TMLFAN]

I bought 2 jerseys from Meigray with their BOGO sale. Total came out to be $430 shipped via USPS priority. I was hit by customs fees of $65 + 13% taxes. Bad luck, or expected?

very bad luck. I've never been hit getting stuff from Meigray before. Wonder if Canada Post is gonna get a lot stricker now with cross border shipments now that they are all in on finding ways to reduce costs.