E-Bay

[Jack H.]

Plus...

commercial carriers like FedEx and UPS provide volume discounts to their shipper customers. These discounts can run up to 45% off the 'rack rates' you see when you use the carrier's web site to compute time and cost...

That's why all of my auctions on eBay provide a modest handling fee ($1-2) and quote freight at COST. I pass along carrier discounts to the buyer and my handling fee covers time/$$$ to take the package to the carrier's nearest drop-off location and save the buyer pick-up charges.

But, even so, I get maybe 5% of my eBay bidders asking me to quote S&H charges before they bid... Probably because they've been 'burned' by other eBay sellers. It's a PITA because I have to go pack & weight the darned thing to be a responsive seller and frequently the buyer I quote S&H to doesn't wind up being the winning bidder!

[Brad K.]

Re: E-Bay - How to report excessive shipping

I have been a victim of "excessive shipping charges on E-bay" as well. For me...a solution to this issue is VERY SIMPLE.

DO NOT BID on items that do not have clear shipping charges understood beforehand. Move on....Ignore it.....forget about the item. Do not let your desire for a "cheap" item out-weigh your ability to pay for it. Remember the "Buyer Beware" warning that E-bay warned you about? No amount of follow-up by E-bay will return the excessive charges to you. I hate to say this, but....There is no substitute for common sense. Be smart and DO NOT allow yourself to be sc**wed by a small number of fruitcakes.

[John M.]

Re: E-Bay

Im now shipping small parts USPS, what a savings in shipping charges...UPS $8.00 First class package $2.00, I have found USPS takes a little more time ( a trip to the post office every day ) I feel much better about the shipping charges. I buy alot on ebay and dont like to pay some of the shipping charges, most sellers would get better prices if the charged little or no shipping at all. Ebay is a great place to buy but you need to ask some of the sellers lots of detailed questions, I won two dated 1967 shocks early this month, I found the date had been ground out filled with putty and a new date scratched in, I have sent them back and the seller he has not refunded my money back yet, Ebay seems to only want there money they are not on the buyers or sellers side.......Thanks John Meissinger

[Howard Nardick]

your wasting your time!!

please...like ebay cares...the ONLY (I REPETE ONLY) thing ebay cares about is collecting fees...I recently sold a 71 chassis for $1200 via "buy it now"...the guy backed out and lied about having to spend money to get his truck fixed (actually he didn`t have the balls to contact me he had his lying wife send an e-mail promising to pay my fees which they also lied to ebay about), he lied to me and he lied to ebay, the next week he bought a truck for $2500 and another frame for $1800...both on ebay (gee I was told they didn`t have any more money)...I caught him red handed in a lie and proved it to ebay and they did absolutely NOTHING.....except charge me the listing fees, after all it did sell, they refunded the final value fees only....HN

[mike cobine]

Re: your wasting your time!!

This is why you will notice I emphasized the "Circumventing eBay fees" on the checklist. When it is something for you, eBay could care less, but when someone has their hand in eBay's pocket, then they do something.

I've seen several auctions dropped as a result.

[mike cobine]

Re: Plus...

I agree it is a pain to figure shipping for every person who comes along, but the solution is not the shipping calculator they have. It won't add in my delivery confirmation charge we deem mandatory (too many claim it never arrived) and often is just plain wrong.

And it automatically gets inserted in the billing, so you can't give them an actual amount if you are using the shipping calculator as a courtesy estimate only.

So my solution has been to pop up three points - LA, New York, and St. Louis. I usually drop the item in a box, toss some packing around it loosely or just add a pound to the weight to get an estimate. Then I list shipping to those three in the auction, state this is an estimate only, that the actual will be figured based on their actual address at the end of the auction, and that we use actual charges, no padding of charges. This has usually been fairly close.

That usually gives them enough to see if the shipping is going to be too high or still in their budget.

[Randy S.]

Re: E-Bay

Rick,

I understand how you feel. But at least you are dealing with a seller who quotes shipping cost up front. Factor your perceived excessive costs into your max bid.

It's the sellers who don't state a shipping charge that are a PITA.

My 2 cents

Randy