Shipping in eBay

Even more weird, he is not the only one to do that. Another here recently posts he also *informs* sellers when he thinks they are charging too much. (why ?) Must be an ego thing, where they just have to be heard. I dont understand since they were/are never going to buy the item, or from the seller in the first place !

The way it has been throught human history............

In these cases I do fault the buyer more than the seller. No one *needs* the stuff they buy off eBay, yet they act like it is a crime for others to make $$ off of them when they do decide to buy off eBay....

AM

Well all I have to say about it is this; Shipping too high....don't bid! There will be another to come along. Jees, no body is twisting your arm to buy it! Mike

My thoughts on eBay shipping are as follows: The seller has the right to charge whatever they want for postage/shipping, insurance, handling fees, shipping material, etc, etc. While most folks (myself included) seem to believe that items such as postage and insurance are not supposed to be additional profit generators. However, there is no rule that the seller can't set whatever opening bid or charge whatever he/she wants for Post/ins/handling. Many sellers provide their postage cost on the auction page and some indicate if there is an additional handling fee but some do not. It is up to the buyer to ask any questions he/she might have about an item, postage, insurance, and handling fees BEFORE placing a bid on an auction item.

The bottom line is pretty simple. Never, ever bid on an item unless you know in advance, what the postage/shipping charges will be (or at least a good-faith estimate from the seller. Make sure you know whether or not there are any other charges such as handling fees, insurance charges above and beyond what USPS (or the shipper of choice) charges beforehand as well. If these are satisfactory to you, place your bid. If not, simply pass it up.

"Bill Woodier" wrote

Many people just can't get their arms around that idea, Bill. Note the people complaining that a kit should not cost $X because "petroleum prices haven't gone up that much." I just read a post on another site where a guy was mad that the same kit sold for less in Hong Kong than in Europe and the HK outlet wouldn't sell to the EU. The word "discrimination" was actually invoked. I seriously doubt the bugger would've said a peep if the EU got the low price. It's the knowledge that *somebody else* is getting a bargain that really sets people off. . .

KL

"Stephen Tontoni" wrote

Sending an email to the seller *when you are the buyer* is fine. Sending emails to people with whom you do not have a current buyer/seller relationship is weird, arrogant, undoubtedly annoying to the recipient, and unlikely to produce any result. I don't see any evidence that you make that distinction.

KL

Hear, hear!

If I'm the buyer, sending an email to complain about the high shipping is too late. A bid is a contract, and I'd already agreed to the excessive shipping arrangement.

But your point is well taken; my sending that sort of email will have little effect. I agree with you 100% on that. If many of us were to do that, however, it may have a sobering effect.

It doesn't matter, since what a seller "loses" by charging a lower shipping rate, he will gain in the auction amount, in most cases. Everyone knows that you have to add shipping cost to the bid amount before you bid, so if the shipping is high, your bid must be lower.

I believe that the seller can get *more* from an auction the deeper they can set the hook at the beginning. So a low shipping cost will get more people interested in the first place, and hopefully cause a bidding war, driving the auction end higher than otherwise.

The worst that can happen is the item will be sold for a decent amount, and the shipping will be at cost. That's all I'd ever expect anyhow.

--- Tontoni

How ??

What ?????????? (lower sell price+higher shipping fees = more $$ for seller)

You cant be serious here ? (the only people who get into bidding wars are idiots)

In your opinion.....................

AM

My take is a bit different; if the seller doesn't care to post the shipping and handling charges, then I can't be held to have agreed to them, can I? Mind you, I'm not unreasonable. If the person charges a few bucks over and above the precise postage, I won't bitch. But if they're going to hit me with $12 shipping and handling for a standard ERTL kit box that they didn't dislose beforehand, I don't think a court would convict me of breach of contract if I said I didn't agree to that. Of course, for the record, that's never happened; all the ridiculous shipping/handling costs I've seen have been clearly advertised up front. Maybe they think along the same lines I do.

"Stephen Tontoni" wrote

If you *agreed* then it must not have been *excessive*, and there'd be no reason to complain. You see where I heading here? On the other hand, you could send a message after the transaction was complete, sort of a BTW.

Sobering alright. If I got one of those messages I'd ban you from buying from me. If I got two, I'd forward the messages to Ebay.

Oy gewalt. . .

How about just letting people charge what they want and incorporating the info into you choice of max bid, doing nothing else, and getting on with life.

KL

what are you, some kinda hippy?

Oh brother! And some of you guys wonder why I don't use e-bay. Trudge through the above.

I sell my excess kits and stuff here and at the occasonal IPMS contest. When accept a deal here I box it up and check with the PO for the postage amount. I e-mail the total to the buyer and hold it until the payment arrives.

Handling expenses? I must be lucky. I pick up the right size boxes behind Borders, save some of the boxes that I receive from many trades here and from Europe. Ditto the packing peanuts and bubble wrap. A dozen bags of packing peanuts in the attic make great insulation. I thnk that they breed up therebecause the amount of space that they take up never seems to shrink.

In the last dozen years of trading here I've had exactly one deadbeat. It was an expensive desk model and I put it aside all boxed and padded for a couple of years, forgot what it was. Sold it at a local IPMS contest for exactly what the deadbeat had been offered and got to see the look of delight as he carted it off.

Of course if someone finds the Disney Peter Pan Capt.Hook Pirate Ship from Revell on e-bay and would like to pick it up for me I'll be happy to pay them a fair price plus actual postage and maybe a small tip, er, I mean handling charge. :-)

Tom

Not everybody that sells models on eBay is an asshole, Tom...

"Al Superczynski" wrote

Really. As with most things, it's a few particular people who are the problem.

KL

I think the vast majority of sellers and buyers no ebay are honest characters. There's a few who spoil it though.

Al, you're great to buy from, by the way. Fair prices, shipping, and excellent communication. All the right stuff.

--- Tontoni

His panties are knotted a bit too tight?

Thanks - I just try to treat people the way I'd like to be treated.

Actually, yes, you can. You *could* have contacted the seller and asked how much shipping would be *before* you placed your bid. I always do. Bidding without knowing how much the seller will charge for shipping is just plain foolish.

Depends on whether the seller can convince the court that the amount was reasonable, by documenting how much it would cost him to buy a good sturdy shipping box, bubble wrap, postage, insurance, and proof of delivery, and the time it takes him to get to the nearest post office.

snip

And, of course the buyer should then calculate HIS cost for bidding, pro-rating the cost of his computer, buying food for his pets, mental anguish and anything else that he can think of that affects his cost of doing business as a buyer.

-B