Just sold an item and now has to ship via UPS which I don't have as an option on any listings.

[luv4orphans]

I just sold an item this morning and buyer chose UPS as shipping option. I have never had that option on any of my listings because of brokerage fees that we can incur & peeved off customers. 

Ebay enrolled me so I put US back on for shipping to. This was my first sale to the US since the tariffs kicked in and then the postal strike. When buyer paid the UPS & Fedex option popped up and buyer chose UPS as it was the cheapest.  EIS never popped up as an option. I called ebay to see what was up and was told that this item did not meet the customs requirements so the other 2 popped up. Its an alpaca cardigan, a finished product. Not an alpaca animal or just wool?

Can anyone let me know why those 2 popped up at all then if not included in my shipping policies. That's the answer I got from ebay. Because EIS not allowed the other 2 showed up? That doesn't make much sense. A glitch of some kind?

I am not sure either why I can't ship a wool cardigan to the US. What's up with that? I tried to look under the tariff codes and didn't find specifics for cardigan, only wool by the weight and ya a lot of restrictions on that or hard to figure out all those codes. Goes by weight, blah blah.

[byto253]

That is rather disturbing that eBay is auto populating options you did not select.  I would ignore the UPS option and ship by Canada post/Zonos.  Not sure how the costs compare to UPS at your end though.

Just to add to the confusion, I went on .com, put a US shipping destination zip code and it showed this as the shipping method:

Canada Post Tracked Packet - USA

Estimated between Mon, Dec 8 and Thu, Dec 11 to 13669

Shipping: C $20.10 (approx US $14.26)

[intimewithmusic]

Hi @luv4orphans 

  Spotted your question as I was signing off. 

"Ebay enrolled me so I put US back on for shipping to. "

If I understand you right once eBay enrolled you in EIS you went into your old previous shipping policy that uses UPS for Canada as a backup if C Post strikes. Then you added the USA back into your Excluded Countries list. In effect you have enabled UPS  (and any other services included in that business policy) to American buyers. 

If that's what happened you need to disable the USA from your own business policy. eBay has the USA automatically enabled for EIS.  Business policy exclusions operate  independantly from the EIS enabled countries.

sorry If I've misunderstood your post ...my bad!

[luv4orphans]

Ya that's odd. She checked for me and could see from my policies that I didn't use those shipping methods. If I ship that way I would need to pay the tariffs if any prior to shipping no? 

[luv4orphans]

No when there was a postal strike I went on vacation mode. When the tariffs came on I just cancelled US altogether. When I was offered EIS I went back to shipping to the US. I have never used UPS or Fedex to ship. Was always worried about brokerage fees and screaming buyers plus I live a block from the post office. Much more convenient for me. I never had that option on at any time  on any listings.  

Ebay rep checked and she couldn't see it anywhere in my policies and I double checked myself and nowhere do those 2 show up. 

[sapphyres-designer-jewellery]

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@luv4orphans wrote:

Ya that's odd. She checked for me and could see from my policies that I didn't use those shipping methods. If I ship that way I would need to pay the tariffs if any prior to shipping no? 

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If you ship with Canada Post (and use Zonos) you do pay tariffs up front.

I would message the buyer and tell them you're using Canada Post, not UPS because UPS will charge excessive fees on delivery. The buyer will appreciate that.

Now the other issue is that using Canada Post means you need to pay tariffs before you ship... that's another problem.

C.

[byto253]

Yes, you pay everything up front so that there is no risk of the seller refusing delivery when UPS hammers them with not only tariffs but their own fees.    Not sure the County of Origin for the coat - if US then no tariffs.   If it is a high tariff country it may not be a feasible option.  

Really comes down to if the buyer is even aware there are tariffs.  Perhaps contact them and let them know that UPS will charge them on delivery and if they are not ready to pay that they can cancel.    It's pretty ugly if they refuse delivery as from what I read UPS will charge you the import fees they could not collect from the buyer.   

[luv4orphans]

Ya I get that with Canada Post & Zonos the tariffs has to be paid in advance. I stayed away from shipping to the US until EIS rolled in. Read too many horror stories on it. Couldn't see myself adding those into shipping costs or price of the item as some suggested. Sales have been slow as is, without all the extras costs.   

I would message the buyer and tell them you're using Canada Post, not UPS because UPS will charge excessive fees on delivery. The buyer will appreciate that.

I did contact the buyer earlier today. She understands and is okay with paying the tariffs. No clue what they will be and I never thought of the brokerage fees at the time. It could add to a bit, who knows. The buyer didn't see the EIS option on her end as this item does not meet customs requirements is what the ebay rep told me. So the other methods of shipping which I never signed up for popped up and she chose UPS. 

How does an alpaca wool sweater not qualify. There's about 3 pages of regulations or tariff codes when it comes to wool by the pound on the tariff site. I couldn't find anything under finished product.  

[luv4orphans]

Really comes down to if the buyer is even aware there are tariffs.  Perhaps contact them and let them know that UPS will charge them on delivery and if they are not ready to pay that they can cancel.    It's pretty ugly if they refuse delivery as from what I read UPS will charge you the import fees they could not collect from the buyer. 

I contacted the buyer earlier today and she is now aware of the tariffs. She says she is okay with those but might sing a different tune once the item gets there. I have no clue how much and neither does she. Nor do I know where this sweater was made so what do I put. Do I put Canada? Is this item is exempt under CUSMA? Who knows. Also UPS charges brokerage fees. I read horror stories on that also and then the seller is stuck footing the bill and return shipping if we want the item back. 

I have never used UPS since I became a seller on ebay. When I first started as a buyer, someone from the US shipped me an item and there was almost as much duty & taxes on the item as what I paid for it. $18.00 duty on a $25 item plus what I had paid in shipping costs, I did not know about brokerage fees back then.  Nor the difference between USPS & UPS but I learned fast. Any seller that used UPS, I stayed clear of after that.  

It also comes down that if I am to send this item UPS I have to drive 30 minutes away from where I live tomorrow to go drop this off at a depot. If not, item will be late if shipped on Monday.  

[jtg204]

Did the buyer select UPS, or is ebay showing you UPS as the default shipping option when buying a label on ebay?

The listing has Trakced Packet USA, but ebay labels does not offer Trakced Packet USA labels still...so the label purchase page will only give you the other options to choose from.  You would have to get Tracked Packet USA through Canada Post or Netparcel (cheaper) and use Zonos to prepay any duties.

[luv4orphans]

The buyer chose UPS as a label. I don't have that option on my shipping policies. Never did. I quit shipping to the US after the de minimis was removed in August (I think) until I got enrolled into the EIS program. Too much of a hassle I found.  Then when ebay enrolled me in EIS I put shipping to the US back on. 

What I was told by the ebay rep is that this item falls under a customs restriction and therefore EIS wouldn't ship it and that's why buyer probably chose UPS. Buyer said they never saw the EIS program on their end.  Where's the roll your eyes emoji. Lol.  I am not sure why a wool cardigan has a customs restriction on it and I couldn't find any info.  I sold a very similar one on Etsy about 4-5 months ago and item shipped without a problem.

This might just be some kind of glitch but I now don't feel comfortable shipping this item that might never get past Customs if its restricted. Never to be seen again and seeing I was told beforehand, I'm the one that would be on the hook for it all. Item, tariffs & shipping whether its UPS or not. Is what I'm thinking at this point. 

[mrdutch1001]

"I sold a very similar one on Etsy about 4-5 months ago and item shipped without a problem." 

That was then >BEFORE August 29th...This is NOW and the Trump Tariffs have to be dealt with as per Trump Law, and shipping to the USA is now a whole different game to play...

[intimewithmusic]

@luv4orphans 

Hi. Thank you for clarifying.  Sounds like you did everything perfectly!

It was probably a "one time gliche" that won't reoccur as long as you exclude the USA in your biz policy and not the EIS list of enabled countries which is in your seller account.  You did what you could to satisfy your customer. I'd move on. 

That said here are a couple things I would  do differently;

• I would start a CHAT with eBay. I would not PHONE them.  If you chat with an agent eBay will send you a chat transcript for future reference.
• You didn't say how you contacted your customer. I notice you sell beautiful clothing.  I'm guessing your packaging top notch professional.  In the order eBay gives you the customer's phone number.  It;'s necessary to ship but also can be a great customer service tool.  In the past eBay told me to call them.  I get that some folks aren't comfortable talking directly to customers.  It's rarely necessary. After being on a slaes floor for a very long time I enjoy calling them especially if my reputation is at stake. I've found it makes a wonderful personal connection similar to speaking to a salesperson  in a high end clothing store.  I've always found the bond stronger after a call.  You might also get a "I shouldn't  ship this" red flag but I never have.  Just a suggestion. 

   Like you I've heard bad things can happen with shipping with unpaid duties.   I have a liason in the US using those services regularily. He says it takes about 7-10 days after the shipment arives until he gets a bill for import fees. He's not happy about it and doesn't blame sellers or eBay or UPS. He wants the items so he orders them.  In the event a bad buyer causes trouble with acceptance eBay's policy  is supposed to  protect us against loss and/or bad feedback. 

  I don't think Zonos is the "one size fits all"  solution for sellers selling a variety of sizes and values of widgets.  It may be a partial solution for smaller lower value items if you're comfortable raising prices in your store to account for it.  Unfortunately that also raises your prices for ALL of your non US customers too. 

  Unless something changes in the di minimis threshold I'm going to re-activate UPS to the United States  in the new year for my larger more expensive items. I've used UPS for decades without issue. You can phone them and talk to their sales rep if you want to.  I have a UPS droppoff close by. In your case I think Canada Post would be better for most of your items except for the problem competing in the clothing niche by including Zonos' import charges which can be massive.  I don't think we are quite there yet but most Americans are coming to expect import charges. I need UPS for some items. For the expensive ones I'll phone my customer ahead of shipping them.

   In the meantime EIS might be a "band-aid".  It's evident it has category rejection issues, location side effects and other things wrong yet to be worked out.  It  doesn't create sales for me yet but it soes give me renewed US exposure. and it gives me an item by item illustration of the importscharges albeit both Zonos and EIS seem glichy if you sell a variety of unlike items.

  A favour to ask. I have a genuine 1960s women's mink coat in great condition to pass on. It was my mother's. What does one do with a widget like that? 

   Please help!

IT

[sapphyres-designer-jewellery]

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@intimewithmusic wrote:

  A favour to ask. I have a genuine 1960s women's mink coat in great condition to pass on. It was my mother's. What does one do with a widget like that? 

   Please help!

IT

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Does it have a tag saying where it was made? Or has that been removed? Zonos only requires information on country of origin, if you go by the tag, you should be good. It's only Chit Chats and Stallion that would want the name and address of the factory that made it.

C.

[intimewithmusic]

Hi. Thanks for the input! Oddly there's no tag. I remember my dad buying for mom in Nelson BC in the earlier 60s. It's a town of only 10K but there were some nice ladies wear shops there. I guess it's possible he got it through Sears or Eatons but my mom would have left the tag on. 

  Lotz suggested a vintage consignment shop. There are a few here.  The Okanagan can be somewhat "ogopogo activist". 

  Here's some fotos. A repair needs to be done to the elastic that retains the button. Other than that I don't see any signs of wear in the neck or the sleeves. It had to be a real big occasion in 1963 to go out in Nelson and wear this.  The wide collar flips up ala "Marilyn"  and is mink on the underside as well. 

The 3rd pic of the back is the tru color. 

Thank you!

[sapphyres-designer-jewellery]

@intimewithmusic 

Cool coat. Odd that there's no tag, but maybe that was more of a thing 50+ years ago (especially if it was like a custom made item, I didn't put a tag inside everything I made on my sewing machine at home).

I live in Waterloo and there's a few consignment shops here, but they don't deal in real fur. I think it's a bit controversial (I'm in Southern Ontario where no one really needs a fur to keep warm, although I have a raccoon fur coat I inherited, it also needs repairs and is vintage).

If there's something like MP in your area, that might be a good place to post it (if the consignment shops won't take furs). Not sure you'd want to post that on eBay, they have all sorts of rules about "animal products", don't know if that includes furs. Some animals are farmed in Canada for their fur.

You'd probably have a bit more luck selling locally than shipping it to the US, since probably 80% of the country doesn't get weather cold enough to warrant wearing a fur.

C.

[intimewithmusic]

@sapphyres-designer-jewellery 

Thanks very much. I've asked my daughter's if they would like it but so far no takers. LOL It's possible dad had it custom made. I remember it being a pretty big joy for my mom to receive. 

As far as the rights activists are concerned I think it's fine they did what was necessary to save animals. That being said in the world and time my dad gave this mink jacket to my mom half of the meat on our table came from his hunts and that could be said for most of Nelson back then.

It's a shame some folks think destroying vintage artifacts could change the necessary routines and the innocence intentions of the time. Even in my 70s I clearly remember my mom and dad returning from a winter gala and the joy of buring my face into her ice cold mink coat with a scent of perfume on it. 

There was nothing like it.  I don't have to tell you where this is going... 

Thanks for the advice!

PS If you have any questions either about Canadian music or residential master painting I'd be happy to help. 🙂

[jtg204]

I assume you had dimensions, and it calculated a rate on that, but if you were to ship via UPS did they charge the buyer enough to cover the UPS label (without duties)?

[sapphyres-designer-jewellery]

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@intimewithmusic wrote:

@sapphyres-designer-jewellery 

Thanks very much. I've asked my daughter's if they would like it but so far no takers. LOL It's possible dad had it custom made. I remember it being a pretty big joy for my mom to receive. 

As far as the rights activists are concerned I think it's fine they did what was necessary to save animals. That being said in the world and time my dad gave this mink jacket to my mom half of the meat on our table came from his hunts and that could be said for most of Nelson back then.

It's a shame some folks think destroying vintage artifacts could change the necessary routines and the innocence intentions of the time. Even in my 70s I clearly remember my mom and dad returning from a winter gala and the joy of buring my face into her ice cold mink coat with a scent of perfume on it. 

There was nothing like it.  I don't have to tell you where this is going... 

Thanks for the advice!

PS If you have any questions either about Canadian music or residential master painting I'd be happy to help. 🙂

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My mom wore her raccoon coat in the 1980s. As a child (which I was in the 80s) I liked the coat a lot. She gave it to me 25 years ago but it didn't fit well then, and I'm a bit bigger now and it certainly doesn't fit. I didn't have a good place to send it so I kept it in the event we loose heat, it works very well as a blanket. I used it once before when my house was 5C for the day while waiting for the furance to be fixed.

Thanks for the offer on music info. I'm actually a huge fan of German Goth music (Project Pitchfork being one of my favourite bands). 

C.

[luv4orphans]

Strange. Upon rereading our emails she said she never saw UPS as an option and she didn't choose that. That's what I saw at my end when I went to purchase the label. 

Not sure how the EIS works but if I printed that label no way it was going to the hub.