Can't Ebay have a REAL FINAL COST calculator built in?

[Anthony1]

I just got into Retro Gaming in the last couple of months and I have been using Ebay quite a bit. Probably too much.

Anyways, I wish that Ebay had some kind of REAL FINAL COST breakdown for people that have fixed shipping charges in their acutions.

That way, when you are looking at all the different items cost, you don't even have to go and click on that particular auction to see what the true price is.

Obvisoulsy this would only work for auctions that have fixed shipping costs.

But, for auctions that don't have fixed shipping costs, what they could do is use your Zip Code and their Zip Code and do a UPS Ground estimate with the current bid on the auction to give you an estimated real total.


Does any of this make any sense?

Or am I crazy?


I just hate looking at hundreds of listings, trying to determine what the real price is.

Let's say that I'm trying to buy Dungeon Explorer for the Turbo Grafx 16. Well, right now I will check the ones that have a starting bid of $0.01, and see what the fixed shipping is. Most of them would have a fixed shipping price in the 6 bucks range. So I know that this game is going for basically 6 bucks. At the moment, anyways. (We all know that in the last hour or so, the bids will get up to $3.75 and somebody will end up paying $9.75 for just a loose HU card of Dungeon Explorer) Then I have to keep looking, because somebody might have one with a starting bid of $2.50 and they only charge 2 bucks shipping. So that game would really cost $4.50, at that moment.

But the thing is, you have to check every single auction to really determine what your take home price is, if it is even determinable at that time. It seems like Ebay could help people out, by having all the fixed shipping auctions show the "Current Delivered Price".

[Gamereviewgod]

That is one hell of an idea. Unfortunately, I see an uproar from those who try to take advantage of high shipping costs. Thos bastards will bitch and moan all night long until it's changed back.

[Anthony1]

Well, yes they will definitely bitch about it, but it will just cause them to have starting bids that are appropriate and to not try to trick people who aren't paying attention to the shipping and "handling fee's".

Yeah, ya gotta love those "handling fee's".


I won an auction for Virtua Fighter 2 for only 50 cents, but I didn't notice the 2 dollar handling fee.

Still, the grand total only came out to $3.92 with shipping and the handling fee's.



But getting back to the topic at hand, I think it would be a good move on Ebay's part to be more customer friendly in trying to help people determine their TRUE Final Price.

I know that I would end up buying more stuff, if I could determine the final prices faster, and make my buying decisions faster.

[Achika]

For me atleast, shipping charges are sometimes the last determining factor. Example:

Seller A charges 2.00 shipping on a CD, media in a padded envelope, has no or low feedback, and no pictures of what he's selling.

Seller B charges $6.00 shipping on a CD, boxed priority, and has about 50+ positives, no picture of what he's selling.

Both theoretically end at $5.00. I'd rather get it in 3-5 days from seller B for $4 more, rather than get take the higher chance of not seeing my money again from seller A.

Doing it with the costs outside the auction listing is pushing the thought of completeness, mintyness, etc. down the list of important determining factors on which auction you bid on. :hmm:

[Darth Vader]

(Feeling Philsophical)

Kind Sir Anthony:

You are full of deep thoughts and fine ideas. :D Your addition to the DP roundtable has raised the IQ here by at least twice the amount it was before. :D

(Back to normal)

Seriously, it is a good idea to have, but the fixed costs can be entered when you list a product. Then they are displayed clearly at the bottom of the screen. I really don't see how ebay can do much more than what they are, given the vast amount of items on their site.

Later...............

Danny

[punkoffgirl]

I think perhaps what he is suggesting is a mandatory fixed costs total, at least on certain types of auctions. I imagine for heavier items, shipping costs will most definitely vary on locations, etc. But I think this would work out spectacularly for items such as clothing, video games, books, that are typically around the same amount to ship every time. Too bad the eBay feedback system is so dreary to navigate, this idea is a worthwhile one to suggest to the Powers That Be.

[hydr0x]

this is impossible imho, how do u want to do it? no serious seller can give a fix rate, even if it's only because he also sells to europe

and that system with giving your zip-code would be a lot of work and only represent what it would cost with ups, but you can't force the seller to use ups. and it would be nearly impossible to do it for all other countries, even if it would be possible to do that it would be A LOT of work

[Anthony1]

yeah, it wouldn't really work for Europe. But for all of us here in the U.S., it would be great!


Plus what I"m proposing, is that it would be an ESTIMATE!!!!!


It wouldn't necessarily be the actual true final price, but it would be a heckuva lot better than seeing something selling for $0.01 and then find out that there is a $3.50 handling fee, and that shipping anywhere in the US, would cost a fixed rate of $17.99


What this calculator would do, in a situation like this, is say that the Estimated Final Price is......$21.50