Mod update :  This thread is for all non-technical questions about shipping on eBay and other marketplaces.

 

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I am relatively new to utilizing the eBay shipping tool. I like the convenience of it for sure. To those who have used or still use this tool, who do you normally ship with (USPS or FedEx)? I seem to find that FedEx is the cheaper of the two, but I see people referencing USPS as a cheaper option regularly. When I compare the (inserting package dimensions and weight) I might see $15 for FedEx and $36 for USPS Priority Mail. Am I missing something?

I just found out about the CapitalOne Shopping widget.

I got an offer today in my email for 30% back on some oddball set on Lego.  I clicked through but ultimately didn't want that item.  But now the widget shows 30% on every on Lego.com.  Is this normal?  What the timeframe for having the Cash Back approved for CapOne?

Appreciate any input/ insight for those that have been using it.

On 8/2/2022 at 11:01 AM, redcell said:

I looked at this issue years ago when I was buying more from overseas sellers.  I cannot recall the specifics, but I do know that I never worried about import duties and ordered from overseas pretty freely.  The largest orders I placed were in the $4k-$5k range and I was never assessed any import duties.

 

anyone have any further experience with customs fees? what to expect? when you are actually assessed fees? trying to understand this myself. i cannot find much info nor a calculator. is there some sort of threshold? 

On 1/21/2023 at 3:31 PM, scratchdesk said:

I just found out about the CapitalOne Shopping widget.

I got an offer today in my email for 30% back on some oddball set on Lego.  I clicked through but ultimately didn't want that item.  But now the widget shows 30% on every on Lego.com.  Is this normal?  What the timeframe for having the Cash Back approved for CapOne?

Appreciate any input/ insight for those that have been using it.

Pretty sure you mean 3%, not 30.

If you click on the extension on your browser it will take you to the Capital One Shopping website. There you will see: "Today's Featured Offers"

Then you'll see offers based on the company:

After you create an order from one of the site and have activated the offer the money (3% in this case) from the sale will be added to your Capital One account. You can use that to purchase gift cards to the offered companies. Rakuten is another 'must have' extension.

 

5 minutes ago, ISO8T0 said:

Pretty sure you mean 3%, not 30.

 

No, I mean 30%. Generally these are emailed the day after you view the item on Lego.  I don't know how long they last or much about the cap1 shopping widget at this point, still in the learning process.  

13 hours ago, MotorCityMuscle said:

anyone have any further experience with customs fees? what to expect? when you are actually assessed fees? trying to understand this myself. i cannot find much info nor a calculator. is there some sort of threshold? 

This is all from memory so could be incorrect but here goes.

I have ordered from Canada shipping to the US with Fedex (not entirely sure it was Fedex) and got charged customs fees. Got a call from a border agent. If I had to guess off the top of my head, the fees were roughly 35% of the shipping costs so I would just expect that. I think import taxes are free up to a certain amount though....would could potentially be exploited.

I bought a lot from Dutch sellers this year. Never got charged import taxes, even though I think I was supposed to. I was expecting the import taxes to be about equal to the shipping costs. I think most shipped DHL.

I would just experiment to be honest, and be careful about buying from Canada.

7 hours ago, cmartin33 said:

This is all from memory so could be incorrect but here goes.

I have ordered from Canada shipping to the US with Fedex (not entirely sure it was Fedex) and got charged customs fees. Got a call from a border agent. If I had to guess off the top of my head, the fees were roughly 35% of the shipping costs so I would just expect that. I think import taxes are free up to a certain amount though....would could potentially be exploited.

I bought a lot from Dutch sellers this year. Never got charged import taxes, even though I think I was supposed to. I was expecting the import taxes to be about equal to the shipping costs. I think most shipped DHL.

I would just experiment to be honest, and be careful about buying from Canada.

that's helpful. I see US doesn't charge VAT, but obviously state sales tax, so I'm expecting that. i just cannot find anything that says what i should expect to pay in customs. would be nice if there was just a flat percentage of incoming products. 

How do you manage shipping to a new buyer? I'm selling a set for $1200 and it makes me nervous that the buyer has an account that isn't even an hour old and it is shipping to a business office . . .

1 minute ago, jmdt said:

How do you manage shipping to a new buyer? I'm selling a set for $1200 and it makes me nervous that the buyer has an account that isn't even an hour old and it is shipping to a business office . . .

why would a business office make you nervous?

It's probably because it is the first set that I have sold at this price. Any suggestions (beyond insuring and documenting) that I should take?

You didn't give much details, but follow all the requirements per the platform you are using and require a signature.  If something feels fishy cancel the transaction.

It's through brickowl. I have had good experiences there so far (knock on wood). They would either pay through paypal or stripe.