Buying golf relates items from ebay.

Hey guys, im canadian and have some questions for you experienced ebay shoppers out there. im looking at buying some used clubs from ebay in hopes of saving myself atlot of cash. I'm curious what charges as far as duty / taxes / etc i can expect to pay on top of the price listed. Anyones experiences dealing with us sellers shipping to canada would be great. thanks

I know that if I purchase things on ebay from Canada, the shipping costs a whole lot more. I'm not sure if its the other way around: from the US to Canada. When I've purchased from Canada, there aren't any taxes, you just pay a lot for shipping!

Here are my experiences:

There are always extra costs for shipping from the US to Canada, but not all extra costs are equal. 1.) The USPS (US Postal Service) is best. It may be slower, but it is cheaper. Look at the shipping tab. 2.) Fed-Ex - there are extra fees, but not too bad. Just be aware that if you're not home during the day, good luck receiving the items. You may have to give another address or the item will be returned to the sender. Often you can't have an item held for pickup because they don't have offices everywhere. Too bad they don't have DHL - oh well. 3.) I'm not down with brown. If the seller indicates UPS, ask if they can use the USPS instead. UPS service is notoriously awful in Canada and there are mucho extra charges (often COD). UPS has such a sh***y reputation in Western Canada, that we never use them where I work. Ever. We have given every vendor written instructions to not use UPS. Btw - regarding the quality of the items - don't just look at a sellers rating (typically virtually 100% positive). Rather, look at their other items for sale, and the individual comments. Sometimes shipping delays, surprise fees, and a general lack of communication are mentioned in feedback, even though the overall transaction was given an overall positive rating. An overall positive rating on a transaction, doesn't mean everything was roses. It depends on your needs - if you're in a real hurry, stick to buying from Canadian sellers - no need to go through customs. If you just want something that's good quality, and you don't mind waiting a month to get it, there's a lot more variety if you include US sellers. I could have waited a lifetime to find the perfect set of Ben Hogan Apex channelbacks from Canada. I've seen 4 virtually mint condition sets from the US since the beginning October (bought the first set I saw - 100% satisfied). Happy hunting!!

I echo this sentiment 100%... if they will only ship via UPS, pass on the auction, the additional "fees" and "customs broker" charges are not worth it.

I've bought quite a few golf related items off ebay over the years... I've never had a problem. If I need it right away, I choose FedEx International Priority (you pay for it, but it's worth it) and if I don't care when it arrives, I use USPS International. As for duties and fees, with USPS or FedEx Air you just pay PST and GST on the value of the clubs or goods. If you ship with FedEx ground, you have to pay customs broker fees, and that can add up... hope this helps

whats the best payment option to use on ebay? what are the pros and cons to each?

I dont have any experince with international orders on ebay. But i can say paypal is the best payment option. Dont buy from anyone that doesnt accept it. As far as clubs go, usually used clubs from an individual and not a warehouse or bulk sellers are best. You have to be somewhat wary about buying new items on ebay, but again, buying from indviduals is usally best.

I like to pay with PayPal...if you have issues, they can help and usually side with the buyer. If you don't receive your item, etc. go through PayPal and they'll help you out! Had to deal with them once because I had purchased a purse that was totally NOT what the description said and I got a full refund :)

100% agree with USPS is the best option into Canada. Duty is oftena crap shoot - somtimes you will get dinged other times - no problemo. I am luck that I live on the border and use a US address and have everythign shipped there - way cheaper shipping and much better luck clearing the items. If you plan to travel to the states in the near future consider haveing the items shipped where you can pick them up in the US>

I've bought 3 sets of irons, 3 drivers, 5 hybrid clubs, 2 putters, wedges and numerous other golf items from the US. I've very seldom paid GST, clearance, etc with USPS. UPS is almost a guarantee that you will get dinged.

stick with the 99% plus feedback and I will disagree with a previous post regarding individuals selling new clubs (fakes can be higher here). A store with a return policy is the way to go.

Do not ask them to lower price for customs, most will take offense. But if you are really nice and write a nice message when you pay, sometimes, the vendor will go the extra mile for you.

My favorite ebay sellers

3balls
Rockbottomgolf
Dallas golf

Many times you will find items at their ebay stores you do not find through a search.

I always offer shipping to Canada in my auctions. The actual cost is generally double the rate within the USA. I'd expect to pay $20-40 depending on whether it's a single club or a full set. I shipped one club to the Vancouver area from Miami several months ago and it was something like $22 American. Perhaps it's more reasonable if the seller is closer to the Canadian border.

As others have indicated, USPS works best and costs less. The seller has to fill out a one page customs form so many sellers don't want that minor hassle, or the price variable, and ship to the USA only. But no harm in asking via question to a seller if you spot something and they list shipping only to the USA.

I always enjoy the gamble and the handicapping of dealing with individual sellers. You can isolate auctions that have not been listed properly and therefore will sell for lower rate than deserved. But the safe route, as mentioned earlier in this thread, is sites like 3ballsgolf and Rockbottomgolf. You can't go wrong with anything listed as Very Good condition, or higher, from 3balls.

I've seen anywhere from $13 to $99 for relatively the same size and weight items to Canada. I think it depends on what local options the seller has and how they prefer to ship. I've had sellers tell me they'll gladly ship USPS and others won't even respond. Ironically, one seller (mctee) who never responded to shipping cost queries at all only charged $5 to ship some Ben Hogan caps - he told me his ad mentioned shipping was included - since I bought 3 hats he included the shipping in the purchase price - score!

A lady I work with buys stuff all the time on ebay. She's always going on about how cheap everything was. When I ask how much the shipping was, she shrugs and changes the subject.

It may be a long shot, but you could try a site like

http://www.ebuyersedge.com (typojoe.com, etc) to search ebay for clubs that have misspelled titles. They won't be seen by most people searching so it should be easier to find a good deal. The site also gives you the option of saving your favorite searches so you get an e-mail when there's a new match. This works best for "Buy It Now"s but is good for auctions too. Whenever you send a question to a seller, use the "Ask a question" link that is on a page of another item they're selling that you're not interested in. Maybe send the seller an offer to end the auction early. All they can do is say no. then sending you an email when an item is listed matching one your saved searches. Snipe any auction that you bid on- either do it yourself or use a sniping service (hidbid.com, auctionsniper.com, etc.)

So I got some callaway x forged irons for around 220 u.s. And am getting them shipped to MI. My fathers friend has a po box he frequents up there. My only last real question is duty. Are Used golf clubs duty free?