Ebay selling for extra disney money from Canada

[jxgallan]

Hi, I noted on the budget board that many DISers sell stuff on Ebay to make money. I have bought stuff from Americans and had no problems with them mailing to me. Does it work as well shipping from Canada to USA?

Juanita (planning my next trip)

 

[Abba98]

Hi Juanita,
I'm an Ebay seller living in Nova Scotia....And I sell to raise US $ for all my future trips to WDW.Just listed another 24 items today!
If you're going to start selling on Ebay,and sell to US,get payment in US dollars,and then you can save for your upcoming trip.The biggest problem is customs (you have to fill out a lot of paperwork these days),and of course,our rising postal costs.Canada Post puts it's rates up again tomorrow which means we have to charge more in shipping costs,or we can lose out.So,if you're prepared to charge the high shipping costs and have lots to sell,then give it a whirl.
Here's a tip,if you sell to someone in Canada,it'll likely cost you more than if the parcel sold to US.So,you may want to keep that in mind too!
Hope you're not getting the snow tonite,we're expecting up to 16 inches here tonite,
Kirsten
Send me a PM if you have anymore questions!

 

[BLBCB]

This is something that I'm very interested in. I have been collecting things, especially Disney things, for years, and we have moved to a smaller house and just can't keep everything. How do you find out what to charge for shipping? Do you have to actually bring every package to the post office and have them price it? Or is there some kind of guidelines to go from? Where do you fill out the custom forms? Is this done at the post office when you mail them?
I also heard that you can't put the US money into a US currency account in Canada? How do you get around paying the exchange rate and having to pay to convert it again when you want to pay for your Disney trip?
Sorry, so many questions, but I've been wanting to start doing this for a few months now, but I guess I'm just scared to try.
Thanks,
Barb

 

[iluvwesties]

Hi Barb,

I also have sold lots of things on ebay to raise $ for WDW trips.

For the postage question, go to www.canadapost.ca and you can select the package dimensions and weight and location that you are mailing it to to determine the rates available by surface, air etc.

I do not send items surface as they take too long and people get upset with waiting.

Hope this helps,
Regards,
iluvwesties (AKA Carol)

 

[BLBCB]

Thanks for the info. What about the US$ exchange thing? Is there any way to avoid converting it back and forth, and just keep it as US$?

 

[iluvwesties]

Hi Barb,

I have not found a way of keeping the US$ without exchange if going through a bank.

The only way you can get US$ is to state that you accept Money Orders (International only) or Cash. I preferred to use PAYPAL as I can transfer funds to my special ebay account at my regular bank. Also PAYPAL offers some protection for items over $25.00.

Wish there was a way of transferring US$ from my US Paypal account to my US$ account at the bank but Paypal have said that by law they have to do an currency exchange to transfer funds to Canada.

What I do is watch the US$ rates and as soon as there is more that US$150 in the Paypal account and the rate is good, I transfer over to my regular account in Canada. This way even if I am paid when rates are low I can transfer when rates are higher. I make sure I Buy US$ when the rates are low.
Hope this helps,
Regards,
iluvwesties (AKA Carol)

 

[BLBCB]

What do you mean by your PayPal account? If this money is in US$, why not just leave it there? Why do you have to transfer it to your bank?

 

[Susan--Ontario]

Can you use your Paypal money to pay for hotels, tickets, etc? Then you could avoid the exchange rate.

Mind you if your selling things you know longer want it's found money. I'm really thinking of doing this because I have bucketloads of treasures around my house. Just wish I had the time to make it happen.

 

[iluvwesties]

Hi Again,

Re: Paypal. If you buy or sell on ebay you should register with Paypal Online banking. This will enable you to buy using a credit card. It also enables you to accumulate US$ from sales in your account. I have heard that there is a debit card that can be issued by Paypal with a pre-authorized amount, but I have not used this method.

Paypal seems to be the most accepted form of payment on ebay as it allows buyers to use their credit card for purchases and it allows seller to accept credit cards.

For more info on Paypal go to www.paypal.com

If you need to know any more info, let me know. Although I won't be online again until later tonight after I finish work (at 8pm) I'll get back to you a.s.a.p
Regards,
iluvwesties (AKA Carol)

 

[BLBCB]

I do have a PayPal account, so that when I buy something on ebay it goes onto my credit card. So you are saying that if I sell things, the money sits in an account at paypal, and I can use it to pay off my credit card? My credit card is in Canadian $, so I would still be exchanging. I would like to know more about this debit card. I remember something about it before, but I didn't save it. Anyone know anything about the debit card thing? It would be a better way to save for Disney, as I couldn't just spend the money here!

 

[iluvwesties]

Hi Barb,

If you have an online Paypal account, you would have to also set-up or have a Canadian bank account to "receive" any transfer of funds from ebay sales.

What I do when I list and sell on ebay is state Paypal only and that payment is due within 3 days of auction end.

Once the auction has ended and payment has been made by the bidder (can be either from their Paypal account or a credit card) the amount I receive is put into my Paypal account (less fee's) example, if I sold an item for say US$15.00 + shipping cost for a total of US$20.00 and the bidder paid via Paypal the US$20.00 immediately, I would receive approx US$18.50. As soon as payment is made I immediately package item and mail within 2 business days.

The $18.50 sits in my online Paypal account. Once a month I also pay my ebay listing fees from this paypal account and anything left in the account can be transferred over to my regular checking account in Canada.

When I feel like I want to transfer some funds, I click on the "Withdrawal" tab on Paypal.com and within 5 days the amount I have submitted is exchanged and put into my Canadian bank account in Canadian funds. I usually only transfer US$150 or more as if you do less than amount this there is an additional fee.

The account I have in Canada is specifically set up to receive funds linked from Paypal. I can deposit or withdraw money from it here, but it is also linked to my Paypal account.

It is from this regular bank account that I can pay my credit card.

A word of warning, I have read on other sites that it is not advised to link your everyday checking account to Paypal, as there have been instances where people's accounts have been cleaned out.
The account I use is just for ebay money only.

If I buy something on ebay, I transfer funds from my Paypal account and never have to worry about credit cards (as long as I have enough in the account to pay for my purchase)

Regards,
iluvwesties (AKA Carol)

 

[iluvwesties]

Hi Susan-Ontario,

I am not sure about paying for Hotels, tickets etc with Paypal.

I know that some online vendors accept Paypal transfers but that is something you would have to enquire with the vendor as to whether they accept Paypal payments.

I just transfer funds from Paypal to my regular account and then pay the bills from it.

I would love to know if there was a way around the exchange thing. I did email Paypal and ask if I could transfer US$ into my US$ account in Canada, but was told No, that they had to transfer funds in the currency of the country that the bank account is in.

Anyone in the banking community, maybe you might know a little more about this?

iluvwesties (AKA Carol)

 

[Abba98]

The Ebay buyers send me US funds (cash,personal check,or a money order) which I in turn take to the bank and convert to US cash.Example,a trip to bank turns a $20US money order into $20US cash.I then save all the US dollars in my safe deposit box,and when we're ready to travel to US,I have US cash at my fingertips.I also use it to pay for accomodations,etc.....This has been the system I've used in 6+ years of selling on Ebay,and it's worked well for me........
Have a magical day!