ebay whackos

They jack up the shipping price to take a chunk out of Ebay's percentage for the ending bid amount. It inhibits bidding, yet they still get the money.

David Kennesaw, GA

not from me, they don't.

The trick with eBay is to decide what you are prepared to pay for the item in total and stick to it - don't get drawn into a bidding frenzy.

Personally if I've decided that a total price of $10 is good I don't care whether that is $1 purchase/$9 P&P or $9 purchase/$1 P&P.

Cheers,

Nigel

After paying Ebay $60 for selling about $700 worth of stuff, I see why people do the inflated shipping costs. Then Paypal hits you with an almost identical fee if you use them. I sold a telescope for $500, and paid about $35 in final value fees and paypal fees. That's not including listing fees. The higher the start price, the higher the listing fees. I agree, if your top dollar is 10 bucks, what does it matter how the split works?

Yeah, it's a usable technique considering Ebay has jacked up their rates substantially over the last four years FOR NOTHING! It's real tough to make 50 cents on low buck items. Since ebay doesn't take a cut of the shipping, you charge high on the shipping and low on the initial bid. Bottom line is the same. Cheers,

The Keeper (of too much crap!)

Report people charging excessive shipping charges to eBay. They'll check it out and close them down if the charges are out of line. Usually.

One guy recently was selling a /148 scale resin Predator kit. The bid was $4.95 with a $45 shipping charge. He got away with it.

Ed

Not Fonda Kerry

I quit questioning the shipping charges on most items this year after sending out a few different models (non-eBay sales). One in point was a couple of 1:24 Gemini space capsules in some department store boxes, like you'd get shirts in. (I bought them that way at a 'Con) Anyway, I figured on about five bucks Priority, with a buck-thirty for insurance, so to cover wrapping paper and running around, I charged $7.50. Imagine my surprise when the Post Office wanted $9.95. to cover it. I have since downloaded a table of charges from the Postal website so I can make better cost estimates when I'm selling something. However, that still doesn't excuse someone from charging $10.00 for shipping a CD or a one-page ad from a modeling magazine from the 1960s! Best bet, as you said, is to review the cost of the whole auction, including shipping, to see if its worth doing business with them.

-- John The history of things that didn't happen has never been written. . - - - Henry Kissinger

While the matematics are the same, I tend to want to do business with the seller who is on the up & up and honest in all aspects of the online transaction.

Just a little bit of caution on my part since I have to send my money to the seller. It is a matter of trust with me.

Rob Gronovius Modern US armor at

nigel, if it's a kit that i really want or don't think i'll see again soon, i agree. i have a total and i stick to that. but most time i try to avoid the gougers that have to wring a lousy buck ot two out of shipping. it is often a warning flag. i do stay with vendors i trust when possible.

"Rob Gronovius" wrote

Well, as long as it is clearly stated up front, I'd hardly say it was dishonest or "down & down" (The opposite of up & up?). After all, the seller is "allowed" to charge for his labor in addition to postage, right? The problem (and I'm guessing the only one Ebay would get involved with, as one poster suggested) is people who "bait and switch" the postage.

KL

That may be correct. I bid $1.06 on a Al Abbas missile. I was sure someone else would want it. Guess what? I won it for 99 cents, because no one else wanted it. Then, I looked at the shipping cost. It was $8.00. I've learned a lesson. From now on, I'll only "watch" on things I don't want to win. However, $9.00 is a pretty good price for this kit. Jerry 47

true, ststing it up front is honest. but i consider excess fees by nature dishonest. better to start with a price yoiu are comfortabvle with that gouge on shipping. no one bidding will be a sign.

i guess what really fross my pumpkin if the $10 for a kit from 2 counties over while the actual charge is $3.85. happened once, never again.

Don't trust ebay to do anything. If you don't like the bottom line, don't bid. I'd like to make a buck or two; sometimes switching the amounts is the only way to do it.

Once again, if you're comfortable with the bottom line, go ahead and bid. If not, leave it alone. Do you know how many weasels tried to get that high quality multi-media kit for $4.95 and tried to get the seller to come down on the shipping? All the while feigning ignorance as to the actual cost of a multi-media kit. hth

The Keeper (of too much crap!)