Ebay Canada - Has anyone done this?

[i12go2wdw]

I was just looking at a thread in the Budget board about selling items on Ebay to raise money for a Disney trip. It sounds like a good idea, but most of the posts in there talk about shipping fees using the US postal service. I was wondering if there is anyone who has used Ebay in Canada and has some tips about pricing (do you use CDN$ or US$?) and shipping charges (do you use Canada Post or Fedex?).

Any information that you could provide would be very helpful.

TIA.

 

[grover]

I sell on ebay.ca I only price my items in USD, most of my buyers are from the USA so it works better.
If you are mainly selling the same type of things you will get a handle on your shipping charges. I sell scrapbooking stuff so most things fit in your standard size envie's . Make sure that you also add in the cost for evelopes/supplies to ship into your shipping costs. There is a phamplet you can get from the post office that outlines all shipping costs. I only ship using Canada Post.
Be sure to state in your auction that you are not responsible for the auction item once it is mailed, if the post loses or damages it-then the buyer can't expect anything from you.
It is a good way to make a few extra buckaroo's!!
I found more people bid once I set up a paypal account. Also the USA postal money orders can not be cashed be in Canada-they must pay by international money order if using that method of payment.
Anyhooo-a few tips to get ya started-good luck!
Grover in Winnipeg

 

[getbak]

I'd say unless you're selling things that have a limited appeal for Canadians only, price in US$ - it's pretty much the currency of the internet.

You could put a note in the listing that you will accept CDN$ from bidders in Canada to avoid the double exchange. Meaning, for example, if the current exchange rate is $1.35CDN=$1.00US, your customer would pay more than the exchange rate after the credit card company takes its cut, and you'd receive less than the exchange rate from the credit card company. Let's say the final price was $100US, your buyer might end up paying $136CDN but you'd only receive $134CDN after the exchange. In this situation, you could agree with a Canadian buyer to make the sale for $135CDN, that way you're both benefitting.


For shipping, I would use Canada Post XpressPost, which is cheaper than FedEx or UPS but it is faster than regular mail and it is trackable and insurable. You'll get a package tracking number which will allow you and your customer to track the package online, so you'll know exactly where it is and when it was received. XpressPost will give you guaranteed delivery anywhere in North America within one week - or you can send it "Priority Post" within a day or two.

Make sure that in your listing, you indicate that shipping charges are the buyer's responsibility above the final bid price and give the buyer shipping options. Recommend the insured XpressPost, but also offer to send it regular parcel post (or first class mail if it's small enough to fit in a standard envelope) if the buyer is willing to risk the package being lost or damaged.


Also, if you're going to be doing a lot of eBay selling/buying and using the money for vacations to the States, you should look into getting a US funds credit card. Royal Bank and TD-Canada Trust both have US funds cards (I was looking into doing this and don't recall if CIBC, BoM, or Scotia have them or not - I know RBC and TD were the ones I was considering).

 

[i12go2wdw]

Thank you very much for your information. Just a couple more questions ...

I have heard other people mention that Paypal charges for every transaction if you provide for credit card payment. Is this worth it? Others say to set up a separate bank account and provide cash payments through Paypal to that account. I was planning to set up a US$ account for this anyway so I'm thinking that is the way to go. Does Paypal accept a bank account from a Canadian bank?

 

[lilsonicfan]

I sell on ebay.com even though i am registered with ebay.ca - i'm not really sure what the difference is, since items show up on both anyway (and i always sell in US funds.)

With Paypal, you can have a personal account, which lets you receive money from others who have funds in their Paypal account for free. You cannot receive money if they are using a credit card. If you upgrade to a Premier account, you will be charged about 3% of the amount for EVERY transaction you receive, regardless of whether the buyer is using credit card or Paypal balance to pay. (Sending money is free, of course.)

Many people have two Paypal accounts, and this is actually a smart idea. If the buyer wants to pay by Paypal balance, they are asked to send to the first account (a personal one.) If the buyer pays by credit card, they are asked to send to the second one (a Premier one.) You can then always transfer funds from your Premier account to your Personal account, and thus avoid being charged any 3% service fees.

However - in order to have two accounts, you need to have two separate email addresses and two separate credit cards registered. Also, Paypal only accepts electronic fund transfers from US bank accounts, so a Canadian bank US$ account won't work.

Xpresspost is good - you can also offer Expedited parcel to the US for packages, the cost is lower, but they still get a tracking number. It's not guaranteed delivery, however. Oh, and here's a handy tip: if you use Xpresspost, always check on the date the package was delivered. If it's past the guaranteed delivery date, Canada Post will refund the shipping cost to you. I have had this happen a few times, and I have usually refunded the shipping to the buyer as well.

 

[i12go2wdw]

Originally posted by lilsonicfan
You can then always transfer funds from your Premier account to your Personal account, and thus avoid being charged any 3% service fees.

I'm not sure how transfering the money from one account to the other will save on the service fees. Don't you get charged as soon as you receive the money in your premier account? I'm missing something.

Thanx for all the information.

 

[lilsonicfan]

sorry! i was writing in a daze

you're right, you will get the fees taken off from money sent to your Premier account. i think what i meant to say (heh) is that if you have a strict "credit cards only" policy with your Premier account, then when people pay you by their Paypal balance (to your Personal account) you will avoid paying the 3% fees that you WOULD have paid if they had sent that same amount to your Premier account.

By transferring, I meant that you can use your Personal account as your main one. But of course, it doesn't matter.

Soooooo sorry about that!!