posted on October 26, 2010 12:09:21 PM
Until a few weeks ago I have never had any problems with Canada deliveries.
This month I have had two say they have not received their purchases.
If I have to give them their money back --it will be over $100 out of my pocket.
posted on October 26, 2010 05:21:19 PM
If an item doesn't get delivered, there is a 95% chance (rough guess) it will get returned. Because of ebay's policies, I've seen a very sharp increase of buyers claiming they never received an item. For higher priced items, tracking or delivery confirmation is a must.
For foreign mailings, your items could simply be stuck in customs, which happens on occasion.
posted on October 26, 2010 05:51:18 PM
yes,it can stay in customs for days !
An Express mail package to Canada was in customs for 2 days !
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on October 26, 2010 06:08:25 PM
The USPS is bleeding cash. If the USPS charged extra per package, to track a package to customs, and then when it is released from customs, there would be a benefit to buyer and seller.
That extra income is just waiting for the USPS. I know that I would gladly pay to at the least know when a package has been released from customs.
That way, we could assure the buyer that the package is in customs, and that the package has left customs. At the least, we won't appear to be thieves.
The USPS is behind the times. When you go your local post office, are there more letters or packages being mailed?
I bet international sales would increase, if we had a decent system to track First Class International packages. As it is now, you may just as well throw your money out onto the street.
posted on October 26, 2010 08:44:44 PM
they don't want that. they want you to ship using usps priority mail... and not the flat rate.
i have had many people email me and ask why it costs $28 to ship something other sellers ship for $10. I explain to them the difference in the service. Flat rate gives no proof of shipment, no proof of delivery and to protect both the buyer and seller we choose the method with DC. 8 of 10 don't buy, but every now and then they understand and still want the item.
I simply don't take the risks any more. It was a Canadien that ruined it for me many years ago. I just don't go down that road.
posted on October 27, 2010 06:07:49 AM
for first class overseas mail,slap that green form on it whether you need it or not,there is some tracking,better than nothing.
Once I noticed a package to China,it tracks all the way.
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on October 27, 2010 06:08:13 AM
shagmidmod: There is tracking with priority flat rate boxes, just not SMALL flat rate boxes, which to me are pretty useless anyway since they are soooo small. You get tracking with medium and large international flat rate boxes. It tells you when an item arrives in Customs, etc.
posted on October 27, 2010 09:55:25 AM
deur1, did you save your post office receipt? you can send a scan to your customers to show that the items were mailed.
posted on October 27, 2010 10:00:55 AM
sorry, i misrepresented that. normally the items i am selling internationally tend to be shipped at 1 or 2 pounds and fit in the USPS Tyvek envelope. Some can fit in the flat rate envelope or small box... but can't track it.
Hence the $10 vs. $28 issue. Once it hits the medium to large FR boxes... the cost is better to ship it non-Flat Rate unless you are shipping something small, but weighs a lot. How often does that happen? For me, very rarely.
posted on October 27, 2010 10:03:15 AM
I ordered FR boxes about 2 years ago and have used probably 2-3 since then. I have rarely been able to justify the prices. It only helps me when shipping Portland to East Coast and the item weighs 4 pounds or more... Internationally, I have never shipped anything flat rate b/c the rates are higher than shipping it by weight rate for my items.
[ edited by shagmidmod on Oct 27, 2010 10:04 AM ]
