Topic: Shipping from the US via Ebay

[Retro Rocket]

Whats the deal with the hugely wide variation in shipping costs using ebay US, I found a top triple tree I want to buy for my Kawasaki in Florida, the guy has agreed to sell me just the top clamp for the cost of the whotop and bottom le set at 19.95 USD, he sent me a $60 dollar quote to ship it to me..!!! I just had a box shipped from VA that would fit 6 to 8 clamps in it for $22 USD, The seller tells me thats as cheap a quote as he can get, I know it can be done cheaper, I've been doing this for years...!!!   What gives, skimming or just thieving shipping companies being selective with vendors...?   

[Retro Rocket]

All with how it's being shipped. You know how to solve this problem, Mick... 

Being shipped USPS, which is how I get most stuff shipped, It really pisses me off the huge differences in shipping costs, this has happened many times and I've missed out on complete bargains due to it, On the other hand, I've had some quite large parts shipped very cheap...I just don't get it...!!!

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Shipping from here is not cheap. It may depend on the size of the contract the shipper has with the carriers here. I can buy inexpensive things from China with shipping included across an ocean for less than just the shipping alone across a few state lines here. Got us by the gonads!!

[Medyo Bastos]

the rates are out the mawdafawkn planet. recent packages sent to U.K. and OZ. I use to ship to OZ for less than shipping to canada. Not that way anymore...


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[kmb69]

eBay has a pretty good gig if the Seller will use it called "eBay International Express" or some such. I have recently been importing some CB1300 stuff from the UK and the Seller is using that service. The shipping cost are relatively inexpensive, about 1/3-1/2 normal and fast. Been getting heavy parts, cranks, heads, cams, and such in about a week.

[Stev-o]

Tell him to ship it in a USPS flat rate box.

Mick - have you looked into this?


https://www.usps.com/international/priority-mail-international.htm

[754]

 I think some fear that not shipping priority leaves them open to the , I never recieved it scam.. not sure if true or not.
I can remember getting upset at a major supplier  on here for shipping my stuff priority at much higher cost, and upsetting another forum seller trying to get a book sent at a reasonable rate... I think they no longer ship to Canada... its been a big problem..
 Sooooooooo, now mostly I ship to WA state, pay an extra 4.00 per parcel... and drive the 200 mile round trip, often monthly and get reasonable shipping and bigger choice of shippers ( I only used USPS to Canada).
 Wont work for everyone, but handy if near the border..

[Retro Rocket]

eBay has a pretty good gig if the Seller will use it called "eBay International Express" or some such. I have recently been importing some CB1300 stuff from the UK and the Seller is using that service. The shipping cost are relatively inexpensive, about 1/3-1/2 normal and fast. Been getting heavy parts, cranks, heads, cams, and such in about a week.

Yes, I've wondered about that Keith, A business I deal with in the US uses it on their ebay account,  and its relatively cheap, sometimes up to a third as you've mentioned, why more sellers don't use it i'll never know...!!!

Tell him to ship it in a USPS flat rate box.

Mick - have you looked into this?


https://www.usps.com/international/priority-mail-international.htm

Thanks Steve, I'll keep that link for sellers that either don't know what they are doing or the ones that just BS and quote high costs and skim on the shipping, only been caught once like that, never again...

[ekpent]

 If it weighs under a certain amount " First Class International" is the cheapie way but takes longer. I've sent quite a bit of stuff to Australia like antique knives, vintage boat lights etc. Some sellers may also be doing the "Global Shipping Program" through e-bay which sends the item to a third party in the USA and then they ship it. Easy for the seller, very bad for the buyer. Of course the Priority shipping will be expensive down there also but you may get it quicker.

[Retro Rocket]

If it weighs under a certain amount " First Class International" is the cheapie way but takes longer. I've sent quite a bit of stuff to Australia like antique knives, vintage boat lights etc. Some sellers may also be doing the "Global Shipping Program" through e-bay which sends the item to a third party in the USA and then they ship it. Easy for the seller, very bad for the buyer. Of course the Priority shipping will be expensive down there also but you may get it quicker.

I'm used to waiting for parts so speed isn't a factor, I usually use First class international {or recommend it to the seller}, its funny, for  parts from Japan and China, shipping is reasonable, even free at times, but its usually here in 3 or 4 days...

[scunny]

We get the same #$%* here Mick.

[754]

Sucks even more when your counties are touching, and you are 100 mies from the border and less than 300 from Spokane..

[RAFster122s]

If it weighs under a certain amount " First Class International" is the cheapie way but takes longer. I've sent quite a bit of stuff to Australia like antique knives, vintage boat lights etc. Some sellers may also be doing the "Global Shipping Program" through e-bay which sends the item to a third party in the USA and then they ship it. Easy for the seller, very bad for the buyer. Of course the Priority shipping will be expensive down there also but you may get it quicker.

Actually, Ebay's global shipping program was cheaper for a fellow in Canada I sold some old plastic kits to than for me to ship the two kits together in a single box or separately in two boxes.  It was crazy to think they were actually cheaper but they were and they were pretty quick too.  So, Evilbay sometimes gets it right.

[J-Rod10]

USPS Medium Flat Rate is $43 to Canada, shipped Priority International. Anywhere else in the world, outside of Mexico, it is $65.

Those parts from China, I still haven't figured out. You can buy something for $0.99, free shipping. If I shipped it back to them, minimum of $30. Then again, I am not shipping tens of thousands of items a week. Volume makes a big difference. I ship enough to get 20% off of postage costs.

[RAFster122s]

That is the thing...the kits I shipped several months ago were going to cost me $20 to ship to Canada with standard international USPS without any insurance coverage for a package that weighed about 18-20 ounces.  Ebay's international shipping through their consolidators did it for something like $5-6 US. for each kit.

No way I could beat it.  They have some kind of deal with their consolidator to be able to offer that kind of shipping for so little. The packages in my case went to a spot outside Cincinnati (Erlanger KY) that served as a International air cargo hub. 

[J-Rod10]

I have all of my stuff set to ship through eBay's Global Shipping program. I have no idea what they charge the buyer. I get the cost of the goods, plus either a small, medium, or large flat rate. It goes to KY, and gets sent on from there. Don't even have to fill out the customs forms.

[ekpent]

  I'll have to check into the global shipping more, just going by what an antique dealer up in Canada was telling me. I was selling him antique furniture hardware like drawer pulls etc when I found large lots and he was telling me that he cannot buy the stuff off E-bay from sellers that use this program because of the shipping price compared to direct from the seller.  I print all my shipping labels off at home and pay with Paypal so its very easy for me no matter where in the world the stuff goes and I always pass along my USPS shipping discount which can be pretty substantial compared to 'over the counter' prices.  Actual shipping works for me, I won't buy off sellers who are trying to make a big profit on that end when looking for something.

[Terry in Australia]

I have all of my stuff set to ship through eBay's Global Shipping program. I have no idea what they charge the buyer. I get the cost of the goods, plus either a small, medium, or large flat rate. It goes to KY, and gets sent on from there. Don't even have to fill out the customs forms.

Be careful what you send through eBay's Global Shipping program. I needed a good tank for my VTR1000 and the only place I could find one was in Britain for $150, but only $50 shipping through eBay's Global Shipping program, cool.

Two weeks after I received notification that it had been sent, I received notification from eBay's Global Shipping program. "The item was stopped at the Global Shipping Center, and has been restricted from international shipment. The item will not be shipped forward to its final destination."

The reason, I presume, was because the tank had once held fuel. Now it's important to note that the tank had no lid or fuel tap, and the seller (who was just as pissed off as I was) said it hadn't contained fuel in a couple of years, and there were no fumes or even a "stale fuel" smell, like most modern tanks, it was clean and unblemished inside.

So after the tank was sent from Britain to the US (eBay's Global Shipping centre) they decided that it could go no further. They immediately refunded my payment, but the seller lost out, and I had to go find another tank, and the only decent one in Oz cost me $500!

Bottom line is that eBay's Global Shipping program is not fool-proof (in fact, it employs fools who wouldn't know what a "Restricted Item" was if they fell over it) and is slow. I'm particularly pissed off because I'm a qualified "Dangerous Goods Packer and Receiver" and I checked the IATA, USPS and Australia Posts websites to ensure that the tank could be sent before I bought it.

What really annoyed me though, was that when I replied to EBay's message to point out that they were wrong, I didn't even receive a reply. Arseholes.............