[Na Horuk]

Meh, I understand why someone in the US would want to restrict the shipping destinations. Makes things simpler, and most of the market on these forums is from there. You can still message them and ask if they can ship to your location. I just wish there were more EU trades going on

Edit: and yes, as Savoche said, sometimes it is cheaper to buy from the US and pay extra shipping than to buy locally here in the EU... American sellers could use this to their advantage, win win for everyone

Edit: oh and one time I bought some accessories from China and it literally traveled for over 6 months. Its surprising that in the year 2014 shipping is still such a complicated thing

[pete-tarmigan]

Personally, there are a lot of people who do not know the world outside of CON US. No offence intended to those here on the forum but just watch any weather broadcast. It may have changed now, but even the main networks did not display weather except for the lower 48. As if the weather magically was different or non existent north of the 49th parallel.

I to have bought a lot from the US. My biggest complaint is UPS. They charge $25 customs brokerage fee to the receiver of the goods even though the sender pays the duty. Talk about double dipping.

Packages received from US by USPS are just fine, come right through the mail, no issue. But yes, it does require somebody to go to the post office.

There are no duties on camera equipment, but UPS uses the excuse that they have to calculate the GST, which must be charged on items coming into Canada.

[Rondec]

I have no problem shipping to Canada (I don't sell very much), but it is more expensive and a little more difficult to figure out what shipping will actually cost. I usually would offer free shipping in the US (just add 10 dollars to my price), but it can be quite a bit more sending gear else where in the world. For some reason, I don't feel as safe sending gear abroad either, but that's probably a personal issue. I've never had someone dupe me, either as buyer or seller, but then again, I always use Paypal.

[pete-tarmigan]

I don't understand that either. USPS Priority Mail service from me in the east to Alaska or Hawaii is one more day than to California - 3 days instead of 2 days.

Now as far as shipping to Canada, I had a bad experience also and just don't want to bother. It seems some folks in Canada do not realize their own laws concerning duty fees (or whatever they call it). I had shipped a fairly expensive lens to Canada where the buyer insisted on insurance. So right on the package was the insurance value ($650). I then get a PM from the buyer just screaming that he had to pay $84 at the post office to pick it up. All worded as if it was my fault. To keep the peace I sent him a refund for half the $84 which made me end up loosing money on the sale.

Since then I have at times offered shipping to Canada. I put an entry like this in my listing:



So I have nothing at all against shipping to Canada if the buyer actually knows what his own laws are.

You`re right that the buyer should know. However, the information to be learned is very simple for the seller to learn and explain to the buyer. There are not duties on camera equipment. Federal sales tax (5%, called GST) must be collected by the Canadian government, so that must be calculated, collected and remitted by the shipping service. Canada Post does not charge a fee to calculate and collect the GST, but UPS and some other couriers do charge a fee on top of the GST. Simple.

[fgaudet]

One thing I noticed, no matter how expensive, when I buy something from the US that falls into our "fair trade" agreement, I will 100% of the time have to pay taxes. When I buy something from Asia or Europe, I have to pay duties and taxes MAYBE 10% of the times. The same is true for non-fair trade items purchased in the USA, I rarely have to pay anything.

[BrianR]

I don't blame any American who doesn't want to deal with potentially irate Canadians who are surprised by the costs of importing items. We have, after all, been sneaking our nasty weather down south for years, so that's an added reason to snub us. And it's cold here, no one wants to send their old camera into the cold, that's just mean. Plus, we're a large market compared to the States using a landmass metric, but a small one using the more relevant potential customer metric.

Canada Post does not charge a fee to calculate and collect the GST,....

Are you sure about that? It's been a few years since I ordered anything from the US via USPS/Canada Post hand off, but there used to be a charge on top of the HST/GST/PST (I also didn't think it was just GST charged, unless you lived in Alberta where the PST was exchanged for oil geysers). It was small, $5 or something, but still there.

The CBSA website seems to say it's $9.95 now:

"To process goods imported as mail that are subject to duty and/or tax, Canada Post charges the recipient CAN$9.95. If the item is duty-free and tax exempt, no amount is charged."

Camera stuff being duty-free but not tax exempt of course. No charges apply for stuff under $20, or when the Canada Post employees are feeling extra lazy.

[johnyates]

What's this trend about sellers at the Market Place shipping "CONUS" only?

It's the seller's prerogative. There's a drop down menu for destinations, and conus is one of them. When a US seller ships internationally, it's extra time at the Post Office.

If you see something offered in the Marketplace with conus as destination, there's nothing stopping you from sending a PM asking for an exception and offering some extra $ for the shipping difference. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't.

If it doesn't work , you'll have to wait until what it is you wanted to buy is offered by someone who will ship to you. And, eventually it will.

Or, you could run a 'wanted' ad.

[p38arover]

It's the seller's prerogative. There's a drop down menu for destinations, and conus is one of them.

Ahhh! Is there a menu item for continental USA. Which would include Alaska and another for just USA so as to pick up Hawaii, too?


EDIT: I just had a look, the dropdown menu doesn't have CONUS. It does have Continental USA - a different thing by my understanding. It also has USA so all bases are covered.

Just to stir our Canadian cousins, we don't have to pay GST or duty on personal imports under $1,000 and I always use USPS. We don't have State, city, or municipal taxes.

[pete-tarmigan]

The CBSA website seems to say it's $9.95 now:

"To process goods imported as mail that are subject to duty and/or tax, Canada Post charges the recipient CAN$9.95. If the item is duty-free and tax exempt, no amount is charged."

Camera stuff being duty-free but not tax exempt of course. No charges apply for stuff under $20, or when the Canada Post employees are feeling extra lazy.

I should have known that free GST calculation/collection wouldn`t last with the Reform party and Mike Harris's ideologues in power. Gotta run government like a business.

[stormtech]

Ahhh! Is there a menu item for continental USA. Which would include Alaska and another for just USA so as to pick up Hawaii, too?

Is it just a poorly worded menu which should say USA only? (I've never advertised in the markets so I don't know. Maybe I had better have a look).

Just to stir our Canadian cousins, we don't have to pay GST or duty on personal imports under $1,000 and I always use USPS.

Here is the list from the drop down menu when creating a listing;

Worldwide
United States
North America
Continental US Only
US, UK, Canada, Australia
Canada Only
Europe Only
Australia Only
Asia Only
UK Only
Other (see listing)

[panoguy]

I usually offer to ship to "US, UK, Canada, Australia" although I have listed and sold things to "Canada Only" (in fact, the OP got my 150-500 this way, mainly because it was a big package and expensive to ship to the US). When shipping to the US, I will drive over the border and save myself and the buyer a headache because, like others, I don't skimp on insurance or total value and the US Customs will charge the recipient on occasion!

I really don't care one way or another. If someone says they will only ship to the US, fine... I'll give them my US address. I can pick up just as well as I drop off. If I lived in Nunavut, it would be another story, but that's part of the cost of living in Nunavut.

[Just1MoreDave]

Why exclude Alaska and Hawaii?

The post office (USPS) rates from the continental states to Alaska or Hawai'i are very competitive. The post office has one issue: their cheapest service goes by boat, which can take 4-6 weeks. Mainland post offices might not warn customers about it, though AK or HI recipients will know. Sellers looking to save a few dollars might have had issues. The boat shipments are complicated by a US law requiring all shipments between US ports be carried on US-built and flagged ships, which is not typical. Also, in Hawai'i, it depends on what island you're on. O'ahu has the main port. The other island shipments get transferred to a barge which may only go 2 days a week, or once a month (Moloka'i). Alaska probably has some other shipment issues.

UPS and FedEx shipments don't go by boat, so they upgrade ground services to air. In Hawai'i. O'ahu is cheaper. Other islands get many less direct flights and often the local airlines are used for packages. Some addresses are too remote, but typically the issue is cost, like 7 or 8 times the post office price.

It's easiest for novice sellers to just pick the first option and maybe change it later.

[p38arover]

The post office (USPS) rates from the continental states to Alaska or Hawai'i are very competitive. The post office has one issue: their cheapest service goes by boat, which can take 4-6 weeks. Mainland post offices might not warn customers about it, though AK or HI recipients will know. Sellers looking to save a few dollars might have had issues. The boat shipments are complicated by a US law requiring all shipments between US ports be carried on US-built and flagged ships, which is not typical. Also, in Hawai'i, it depends on what island you're on. O'ahu has the main port. The other island shipments get transferred to a barge which may only go 2 days a week, or once a month (Moloka'i). Alaska probably has some other shipment issues.

Interesting, especially the requirement to transport on US ships.

[reeftool]

Again I ask, why do you exclude Alaska and Hawaii?

For me, it has never been an issue because I have never had the occasion to ship there or have anything shipped there. I suppose if someone wanted to buy something who lived there and was paying the shipping, I would.

Nobody wants negative feedback in the marketplace or Ebay. Shipping inside the US for us just eliminates a potential problem. I can go the the post office and ship a flat rate box anywhere in the "conus" for a flat rate. It's easy and I'll admit to being lazy. I'll also mention that I haven't ever sold any camera gear. Everything I ever bought I still own or have given away if it still worked. That may change soon because I have a lot stuff I just don't use anymore and when my wife retires in a couple of years, we're moving to a warmer climate and I'm not moving with all of it. I've bought a few items in the Marketplace however and from US sellers. My reason? I don't want a "surprise" tax bill although I have purchased from retail vendors in Canada.

[ChrisPlatt]

We've had this discussion many times before, haven't we?

I will not ship without package tracking and insurance, to protect both buyer and seller.
In my experience most potential overseas buyers will balk at the significant additional cost.

So to avoid the hassle I usually offer items for sale to USA and Canada only.

Chris