Ok, seriously.
I would like to know why all the bullshit over shipping to Canada from the USA. The price difference without tracking is like... negligible. If you want tracking, charge people the extra for it.
Why?
I don't want to have to drive to the post office.
I don't trust Canadians, they have flapping heads and beady little eyes.
Cost of shipping is too great.
I don't want to have to fill out a customs form.
I can't locate Canada on a map.
I have been burned too many times by evil canucks.
Ok, seriously.
I would like to know why all the bullshit over shipping to Canada from the USA. The price difference without tracking is like... negligible. If you want tracking, charge people the extra for it.
Why?
Comments welcome, as well.
I do ship to Canada, but instead of tracking, I use Sent Confirmation ($1). If it gets lost or the person tries to screw me, I've got my receipt and the S.C., I'm set. I have found the cost to be only slightly higher, I just wish the tracking was better.
PS, it works both ways: If you buy an NES game off eBay from Canada, you are looking at $8-$12 to ship to the US. Rip.
It would be faster to tell you what games I don't have.
I never knew about that sent confirmation. I always use tracking now, and to do that, it costs like 13 dollars to ship to canada .
I don't trade w/ canadians anymore.
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I've never had a problem shipping to Canada. For single games, airmail is most times cheaper than domestic priority... re: reluctance to ship to Canada; some ppl are nutz.
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I send stuff to Canada all the time. Buy my stuff. I like Canadians.. they're cool (though not quite as cool as "Brits"). My grandfather was exiled to Canada.. they took him in (It's a long story.). Hell.. if it weren't for the Canadians.. our people might STILL be sitting in the embassy over in Iran.. still being held hostage after 20 years (Oh wait.. I just forgot who's president right now.. we'd be in WW III).
But getting serious now.. I've never had any problems shipping to Canada. Sure it costs a LITTLE more; but if you're seriously talking that taking 3 minutes out of your all important lives to fill out a customs form is a hassle.. then you're actually probably either an idiot who can't write.. or seriously lazy.
I'd like to hear more about this "sent confirmation" as well. My local PO has never mentioned such a thing to me. When I send to Canada.. what I'm currently doing for the recipent in lieu of a DC # is giving them the customs form #. My local PO tells me that while it can't be used for tracking.. it CAN be used by them to locate a package if it's hung up in customs. If there's a better alternative for only $1 more.. I've never heard of it.
Granted.. high-speed trackable methods can be costly (I've never used them.. nor had anyone ask for them) but air parcel isn't much worse than our domestic rates. Pricing can be a little "goofy" at times though and I don't understand how the two countries split the revenue.. since BOTH of them are putting out. Take just today.. for example.. I sent off one Genny game to Canada (among others). Postal clerk asks "how?". I said.. "anything except that damn slow ground." He throws the package on the scale and says "yeah.. you don't want to do that." I ask "why?". He says.. "Look". Cost of ground with 4-6 weeks delivery? $4.35. Cost of Air Parcel w/ 4-6 days delivery? $2.20. Go figure.
Customers forms, no tracking, takes for ever to arrive wich i get complaints about, lost items during transport. I hate canadian mail. Unless I trust the guy on the other side I'm not dealing with it.
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You must deal with the wrong people. In ALL of my years of eBaying and sending items to Canadian members here on DP.. I'd estimate I've sent about 50 packages. Not one has ever been lost.. ever. I think the longest wait was 4 weeks.. but most Canadians KNOW they're postal sevice sucks. From what I understand and hear from them.. they go on strike every other month.. so all of my customers take that into consideration.
There ARE ways of tracking through the postal system.. but global priority is outrageous. A little known secret? IF you're shipping a "costly" yet semi-light item to Canada and want tracking? Go United Parcel Service.. it's a lot cheaper than the postal system in most cases (again.. go figure). I recently sent a Megaman GCN controller to Canada and went UPS.. from So. Oregon to Vancouver took only 3 DAYS! via UPS. I swear.. the truck must have skipped customs.
There's no way to get around the forms (even with UPS) but seriously.. it's NOT a big inconvenience. But then again.. I also think we Americans are the biggest, fattest, laziest-assed slobs on the face of this planet.. and don't really deserve to live on it.. so I understand .
I don't have any problems with Canadians, but every time I've shipped something to Canada it's always been a huge hassle so I avoid doing so unless someone asks me privately and I'm feeling nice. You see, I have to deal with complete incompetence at my local post office, and doing anything involving a different country is a nightmare (even getting an IPMO). Having to fill out custom forms makes it that much worse. Plus, I never have any clue what the shipping cost will be, so I have no idea what to tell my buyer in advance. It pretty much always ends up being more than I expect.
I also avoid buying from Canada too. The shipping fee is usually way too expensive, and it takes longer than I'd like. I actually have an easier time ordering stuff from Japan, even without EMS.
I do ship to Canada, but it scares me because without delivery confirmation there is nothing that stops the buyer from taking my item and my money if they use paypal. I now require good feedback or ask that they contact me for a UPS shipping quote. I also charge more since I have to go to the post office or UPS and queue up, which I've pretty much eliminated for US sales.
Most of the time I do not ship to Canada. Out of the 30 packages I have sent to Canada, 10 of the buyers complained to me of how long it took to get there. Its not so much shipping to repeat customers, more or less new ones. I ship from my work so it never takes more than 2 days for me to get something out. And I almost always send a e-mail to let the person know I shipped the item. And I do not blame them either for getting worried about getting screwed. Because I am a new person to them. IT is just natural to get jumpy 2 weeks after getting a e-mail that your package was sent and you have no way of tracking it. If the postal service gets a little quicker about shipping to Canada, I would have no problem including them in my US shipments.
I asked an "idiot's question" about this quite some time ago and got answers. Like I said.. most Canadians know THEIR postal system is slow.. they KNOW the employees are lazy and spoiled (US postal workers.. although the postal system is no longer ran BY our government.. STILL CAN'T strike) and MOST have to live with that.
Another thing you can explain to them.. or they need to realize.. is that despite the fact that OUR postal system is populated by people who could "snap" any minute.. they work hard and efficiently. I believe we enjoy one of the BEST postal systems on the planet.. especially for what we pay; but when shipping to Canada.. they HAVE to realize that our packages probably get to the border as quickly.. at worst.. as a package crossing the length of the US. Once it hits the border.. that's where it stops.. and Canadian entities take over. A package going INTO Canada is then handed over to Canadian customs.. not ours. Likewise.. a package THEY send us.. passes through OUR customs. Which is why it takes even LONGER for their packages to reach us in most cases.. we have all of the 9/11 paranoia-mongers to thank for that.
Once you explain all of this to a Canadian.. they usually understand.. if they still whine.. then congratulations.. you've just sold a game to a whiney-assed, impatient, teenaged ingrate.. live & learn.
In the past few months I've had many a Canadian thank me for sending them the customs form #.. especially after I explain what it is to them. Most have never even heard of it because I'm the first American to take the time to e-mail it to them. I have my little, friendly and efficient local clerks to thank for enlightening me. They explained to me once that IF a package gets hung-up in Canadian customs for a few weeks (a distinct possibility) after a reasonable waiting period.. a Canadian can "bother" their own customs service to "go look for it". I've never known of anyone to actually validate that supposition.. but it's usually enough to reassure them.. if nothing else.
I guess what I'm trying to say in a nutshell is that ANY delay or slowness in the shipping of a package to Canada.. is most likely due to their OWN system.. not ours. If they're an adult and know that already.. all the better, but if you go the extra inch to explain that to them if they don't.. ahead of time.. they usually never complain when it happens after that. The same can be said for OUR system. I don't get my panties bunched up when a Canadian mails me something until about the 6-week mark.. seriously.. but I've NEVER had to wait that long either.. except once.. and it was OUR custom's fault.. not the mailer's.. I'm certain. I know the months of the year, and I can read a postmark.
I'd just like to thank everyone that is willing to ship to Canada.
Me, I have no problem shipping to the good 'ol USA
I've shipped to Canada 3 or 4 times and never had any problems.
I ship to Canada. As someone else said if you are shipping single games then letter post is just as cheap as first class mail. Also I have never been burned by a Canadian buyer while I have been burned several times by U.S. buyers.
I don't ship to Canada because:
1) It means I have to go to the post office. I normally do not have to go to the post office because most games I send out are under the 1 pound limit. I just weigh the thing at home and drop it in the mailbox on my way to the Metro. I can't go to the post office Monday-Friday - as the one near my house is only open 8am-5pm - and I am at work. So this means I have to go on a Saturday, shich is a pain and delays shipment.
2) I will not falsify customs forms. This is usually a deal killer. Many people expect me to BS the forms and report the game I just sold as a "gift" - which I won't do.
3) Canada post has a bad habit of taking forever to actually deliver the stuff - leading the buyer to get pissed thinking that I didn't send the thing out.
4) The added shipping costs usually make the game more expensive for the buyer.
I refuse to accept PayPal payments for anything that I cannot track. (I'll make an exception if the item is cheap and I'm in a gambling mood). The only real way that I can track a package shipped to Canada is by shipping via UPS which is just too expensive to be worth it. The only people who would bid on an item when I quote UPS international shipping are the people who don't pay attention to my shipping quotes and I really don't want to bother with them anyways.
However I have no problem shipping to Canada if you pay with cash. If i'm supposed to trust you and ship without tracking them you should be able to trust me and pay with cash.
Last edited by Griking; 04-05-2007 at 05:32 PM.