Canadian Star Seller Program Issues - Discrimination against Canadian Sellers

[BreitJewelryDesigns]

I have a successful Etsy shop with many items under $50 that I ship within Canada without tracking. Tracking within Canada is very expensive and customers are not willing to pay $18 for tracking when regular mail is only a couple of dollars.

Insisting on having tracking numbers for Canadian sellers to qualify for star seller status is discriminatory as we simply do not have cheap tracked service like the US. This means that we can never qualify for star seller status unless we start charging HUGE shipping on our items or stop selling within our own country.

I would love to get an explanation from Etsy on this matter. What this ends up doing is putting all US sellers at an advantage that us Canadians can never have. 

[TickleYourWitch]

I am also a Canadian seller. I'm at 98% on this metric because I use Etsy labels. Only sometimes with tracking. I have it linked with my Canada Post small business account. You don't have to have tracking if you use Etsy labels. I wish they would solve the local pickup problem though. 

[VogueVixens]

The OP is shipping some jewellery as Oversized Letter, which only costs a few dollars.  You cant buy online labels from Etsy for that service.  Even CP doesnt offer it.from their website.

[PysankybyTracy]

I’ve entered local pickup under my shipping method and some random numbers in the tracking number field and I sit at 100% on shipping. 

[EstaraDesigns]

Yes, but Etsy labels starts at how much compared to a stamp? That's my issue.

[VogueVixens]

@EstaraDesigns 

For domestic shipping Etsy offers labels for Expedited parcel, Xpressport and Priority. 

So there cost difference starts at about $10-$11 more, to send an item with the same size and dimensions as an Oversized letter (100 gr).  You get tracking and $100 insurance coverage (for some items) for Expedited parcel.

Expedited parcel is only available to those with a Canada Post small business account, or if you buy labels from a business like Etsy, Go Shippo, etc. What you get if you just go to a post office as a regular person (no CP business card) is Regular parcel.  It has tracking, but you have to pay extra for insurance

[EstaraDesigns]

I know you can put in random numbers into tracking but we shouldn't have to.

[anythinggoeshere]

Putting random tracking numbers can disqualify you from the stat program permanently.  Check the Star program badge terms of use for the rules against this practice.

[artbyLucie]

Sorry for the late reply, I have been searching for this matter in the forum for some time. BreitJewelryDesigns, I totally agree with you.  I do have the same problem.  I sell magnets and I do not use tracking service or Etsy shipping labels for my magnets, I ship them as "lettermail" Canada Post, with stamps.  With this new Star Seller program, as Canadian sellers, we get discouraged to sell small and cheap items. My customers are often buying 2 magnets per order and the total is over $15.00 with shipping so I am penalized!!  The $15 max amount for Canada should be raised to much higher amount or even removed!  Etsy, please change this!

[MyLittleWorkbench]

Anyone figure out how not to get penalized if shipping small items from Canada to the US? I may have to stop selling to the US. Kinda frustrated. Thanks,

Nancy

[anythinggoeshere]

Don't do that just to get a star seller badge.  It is so unimportant at this point.  Get the sales and forget the badge.

[TickleYourWitch]

If you’re shipping over the border you are not supposed to use lettermail for anything other than paper. I use mostly small packet without tracking, with Etsy labels. This lets you keep your star seller. Within Canada you just have to decide if SS is more important or keeping costs low for customers. So far, shipping costs have not been a deterrent to sales for me but I’m in a niche category. 

[mailordervintage]

I use ChitChats for my sales to the US and it works well.   Canadian sales that fit through the slot I send with no tracking...and its true, no Star Seller badge because of it.

[TreeTreasuresCanada]

@MyLittleWorkbench   If you use Etsy labels to ship from Canada to the US (Small Packet), you aren't penalized for the Star Seller metric.  Goods being sent out of country cannot be sent by letter mail.

[SmilingBlueDog]

I'm in the same boat. I sell small items and use Etsy labels for all my orders, except the domestic (Canadian) ones (unless it's a Rush order).  I just have to accept the fact that I will never get the Star seller label... because I ship Canadian orders by regular mail to save my customers on shipping. It's more important to me that they have affordable shipping, than having to spend way more, just so I can get a star. I don't check that status anymore, it's just upsetting. 

[HotOffthePressbyMarj]

I am in the same boat... Canadian, shipping t-shirts, laying flat, they fit through the slot. Shipping is $5 instead of $20 for a parcel. I refuse to charge customers an extra $15 shipping just to get a badge!!
Unfair for us Canadians. 

[BootifulLabels]

The difficulty of reaching Star Seller is not limited to Canadian sellers.  Here in Australia tracked local shipping is also expensive compared to US pricing, and shipping overseas with tracking is nothing short of prohibitive, we are talking $28 for a small satchel weighing no more than 500gm. If you need to send parcels they can easily go over $100 if they are several kilograms in weight.  

It is what it is.  What it isn't, however, is discrimination.  Nothing in this world is exactly the same everywhere, we must accept that there are downsides to living anywhere.  I don't expend energy trying to get Star Seller, I just accept it on the rare occasions it happens and resign mself to the fact they will be few and far between.  In my experience, it makes no significant difference anyway.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

USA and Canada are the ones NOT discrimintated against here

In most of the world, Tracking is expensive.

however, the Canadians are second in the advantage stakes,

with the cheapest payment processing fees alongside the USA for domestic
AND calculated shipping.

USA and Canada are the ones NOT discriminated against here

[EtsyForumsTeam · Accepted solution]

Hi all, we're closing up this older thread. Please do not bump old threads with newer content, as it can cause confusion for those viewing the thread later on. Thanks!