Excessive eBay shipping charges

[G B.]

I've noticed several NCRS members running eBay auctions with shipping charges higher than actual postage or shipping fees. It's sure their right to do so. If you're one of them who won't consider changing that policy, you might want to skip the rest of this post. My sermon will probably just piss you off.

However, if you are willing to consider change, please think about this. Bidders absolutely hate paying more than actual shipping costs. In my auctions on eBay, I've had people request First Class postage when it will cost a few cents less than $3.85 Priority Mail. Really. A few cents. One guy (who is an NCRS member), refused to believe that Priority Mail postage could EVER cost more than $3.85 regardless of weight. His package actually cost $4.90 without Delivery Confirmation. I paid the 45 cents for Delivery Confirmation because he wouldn't. He still grumbled about the $4.90 after receiving the package and seeing the actual postage cost!

In the future I suggest that you other NCRS sellers on eBay just accept the fact that you get the highest bid (in the whole damn country) as enough of a blessing. Leave the profit on shipping to the greedy who try to scrape every last nickle out of every deal. The bidders on eBay remember sellers for that behavior, and it's not a pretty mental picture.

[Rob A.]

Re: Excessive eBay shipping charges

When I see what I consider excessive shipping charges, I factor that into my bid price for the item. Occasionally, when I've sold large items I print out the actual cost from the website of the shipper I intend to use and email it to the buyer so they know I'm not trying to make additional profit on the shipping charges.

[Alan Drake]

Re: Excessive eBay shipping charges

And then there's the shipping cost as the shipper tells the public, however those who do a lot of shipping can get kick backs (legal) which becomes another profit center.

[Pete NCRS # 30998]

Re: Excessive eBay shipping charges

A seller on Ebay had 2 Auctions for 1 "disc brakes" center cap per auction. I already had 2 that I found in a box in my garage so I figured I would get those 2 to make a set. Well I won both auctions (I was the only guy to bid)so I got the total from the seller. $90 for the 2 center caps and $30 for shipping!! I read on the auction that he was charging $15 for shipping per Auction but I figured since I was buying both and both shipped to the same location he would only charge me $15. When I asked him about that he emailed me the shipping cost again of $30 and said that is the cost I am to pay, If I refuse he would post negative feed back on me. I sent him the full payment but I would not ever buy from him again or others that practice that.

Pete

[Garry Barnes]

Re: Excessive eBay shipping charges

Jerry, I experienced it first hand several months ago. I won a new battery tray for $38 and didn't notice that the guy said that he would "establish the shipping AND HANDLING after the auction was over. Well, needless to say he didn't get the price he thought he would get for the item, didn't have a reserve on it and ended up nailing me for $20 s&h. When I made a comment on his feedback as to his shady dealings he had the audacity to give me a neutral feedback as the buyer because as he said "i got a great deal and now I want to bitch about it"! My point is, the shipping is one thing that at least you can compare and know how bad you are getting screwed, the handling is solely up to the seller.......so read their policiies carefully!

[Dave F.]

Re: Excessive eBay shipping charges

I'd like to buy 5 tires ($111 each) from Coker and they want $172 to ship them Ground!

Must be a new special they're running. Instead of buy 4, get 1 free, it's buy 6, get 5.

-Dave

[Dave F.]

Re: Excessive eBay shipping charges

Garry, when I first read your post, I thought $20 is not a bad price to ship a battery. Then I re-read it and realized it was the tray, not the battery. Wow, that is brutal.

I never buy an item on eBay unless I know shipping charge up front. And if it's excessive I just factor that into my bid.

-Dave

[Timothy B.]

Re: Excessive eBay shipping charges

What is amazing to me about this topic is that many folks on ebay are sometimes buyers and sometimes sellers. Sometimes the same people completely forget what it is like to be a buyer when they are selling. As a buyer, they know that they want the lowest and most reasonable shipping cost and they also know that ads where shipping is reasonable are more appealing and bring more bids. Those same people when they are selling morph into a different person and want to rip people off on shipping!! I personally don't understand that, as when I sell on ebay I always put it is the ad that I will only charge actual shipping cost with no fees, and in my experience I think it brings in more interest. I know when I am buying if a seller isn't upfront about shipping and charges are reasonable then I draw conclusions about the seller and their honesty, and avoid buying from them.

Those sellers with thousands of ebay comments are most likely "in the business" and as mentioned they probably get big discounts on shipping. When they charge costs higher than you and I "regular people" can get with UPS, etc. then that REALLY tells you how much you are being overcharged!!

[John Fowler]

[Garry Barnes]

Re: Excessive eBay shipping charges

Dave, take a look at the ebay motors tool section. You will find a bunch of what appears to be good deals on hand tools, power tools, etc. until you read the shipping section where you find that they are recouping their retail price losses on shipping and handling. Take a look at the Craftsman "no reserve" section. The tools are dirt cheap but the S&H sure aren't. I used to look at someones feedback rating as a way to decide whether or not to buy, now I look at that AND their S&H chargers before I even put the item on watch.
Garry

[G B.]

Grating excuses for shipping overcharges

These comments from overcharging private sellers really light up my ass big time:

"I have to pay for boxes, packing paper, and peanuts."

"I charge handling to pay for the time I spend packing and going to UPS."

"I'm recovering my gas money."

"I'm doing you a favor to ship it at all, I could make you pick it up."

Like I said, it should be enough that he's getting the HIGHEST price that anyone is willing to pay on that day for that item. But that still isn't enough money for some.

At least most sellers have stopped saying "Happy Bidding" in their descriptions.

[John U.]

Re: Grating excuses for shipping overcharges

I've asked sellers what my charges will be or an approximation when I consider a heaver item. Few ever respond! I inturn pass on it for the reasons listed above already.

When I sell, I have it boxed/weighed before hand and list how much I will charge (UPS, USPS, FedEx all have websites for this) and who I will use to ship it in my ad. No hard feelings later and 100% feedback!

Later,
JU

[Howard K.]

PREACHER BRAMLETT

Looks like Jerry Bramlett should be pastor Bramlett or perhaps professor Bramlett

[G B.]

A more commonly heard title...

...is "That Idiot".

[Michael S.]

Re: Grating excuses for shipping overcharges

Sit down sometime and package 10 small or medium size items, weigh them, label them and type all the information into the UPS website or in my case my wife's store UPS station. Look at the amount of time it takes. A LOT!

Supplies for shipping, you have to get them somewhere? Fortunately for me it's free since we get 50-100 cartons a day so boxes, peanuts, bubble pack and air packs are all free. Just furnish tape! What if you have to drive to get your free shipping supplies or have to pay for them?

Sure, there are a lot of folks making a killing on shipping. They also can and do spend a lot of time and money shipping these goodies to each of you. FEDEX, UPS etc, they have all gone up on their rates. Shipping to a residence? It cost's more money. Forget to check the residential delivery box and UPS catches me, we get a charge back for much more money than the difference in the actual charge.

You must now also measure the size of the box as this also now effects the shipping rate. Now it's time find the smallest possible box for each item to save the bitchy customer some money on shipping.

Many of the seller's on ebay with small stores/business's can and will have one employee who sole job is packaging and shipping if they are selling any kind of volume. If I had to ship 40 small packages in one day, that would be my full time job!

Shipping is the necessary evil of purchasing on Ebay or from a vendor who is not local. Good reason to buy from a local vendor when all possible. OOOPS! I forgot, none of you want to pay the local sales tax that is charged It's better to pay shipping in a amount that is usually more than sales tax because I do not have to get off my lazy but and go the local vendor's business. I guess I could call him and have him ship it to me but than I pay shipping AND sales tax!

I agree that making shipping a profit center is wrong! I also think that many of you "may think that supplies and manpower are free. They are not! Even if you do the shipping yourself, your time is still worth a lot since it's safe to say that all the folks on this board ain't in line at the soup kitchen or "will work for food"!!!!