complaining about shipping

[tededfred]

What is with the high shipping costs. Almost every auction you look at the seller is ripping the buyer off when it comes to shipping. I've done a bit of selling and I know what it costs to ship games/dvds. Lets look at some numbers:

Most loose games or games that come in CD/DVD style cases are shipped in bubble mailers. Where I live a bubble mailer is $0.66 when not on sale. But I can almost always find them for $0.33 (big or small). But lets pretend they are $0.66 all the time.

First class is often the cheapest way to ship, or the best deal for speed. Media mail/parcel post are sometimes cheaper. But lets say they always use first class. I have a receipt in front of me from where I shipped a DVD, in a bubble mailer, from WI to CA. It cost me $1.29 first class.

So so far we have a total of $1.95 and this is considering they couldn't get a good deal on bubble mailers and they used first class shipping.

Now lets say they need to cover their gas cost to run to the post office. So bump it up to $2.50. Unless they are one at a timing it or live really far from the post office, this $0.50 per package should easily cover it.

Now lets say they want to be paid for the trouble of preparing your package. Ok so bump it up to $3.00 and we've given them $0.50 to spend 2 minutes (if they take their sweet time) to write on your bubble mailer and take it with the rest of their packages to the post.

BUT

so many people are charging $5.00 or more for shipping 1 loose cartridge. They're making at least $2.50 profit to write on your package and take it to the post. If they do 10 packages a day and it takes them an hour to get to the post, ship the packages, and get home. Thats $25 per hour, to go to the post office! I personally know I can ride my bike the 2.5 miles from my house to the post office, ship 10 packages and bike back and be home within a half hour.

Paying more than $3.00 shipping (for a loose cartridge or CD/DVD cased game) is outrageous. Boycot sellers that rip people off on shipping. Profits should be made from reselling the items not charging people that might not know any better too much for shipping.

[Jibbajaba]

Well I'm sure that some people who sell stuff on eBay are going to post and disagree with what you are saying, but I for one agree with you 110%. Often for me, the shipping cost will make or break me bidding on an auction. More than $3 shipping for a single loose cart, single complete jewel cased game, or single DVD / DVD cased game is too much unless they ship priority mail, which in my opinion is a waste of money for something so small, because they will get to their destination at about the same time.

So I am with you; boycott auctions where the shipping is too high. In fact I'll take it a step further. I've thought about e-mailing sellers who are selling something that I want but are charging too much shipping. Something like:

"Hi. I would like you to know that I was very interested in your item (insert item here), but I did not bid on it because you overcharge for shipping. I look forward to bidding on your items in the future if you ever decide to charge a fair and reasonable amount for shipping. Thanks."

But that's just my opinion, which we all know is wrong.

Chris

[jonjandran]

We've been through this so many times before. :roll:

Just figure the total price for the item and if it's alright, buy it. If it's more than you want to pay then don't buy it.

[Achika]

The excess funds for high shipping usually goes towards eBay & Paypal fees and whatever extra for their time at the PO.

[chaoticjelly]

eBay and PayPal fees are stupidly high,

I've noticed a lot of people on EBAY UK up their postage costs, presumably due to the rule that you cannot surcharge for paypal payments (and I would say 80% of people pay via paypal now...)

Just my two pence...

[SoulBlazer]

Although it's a violation of both EBay and PayPal to charge people extra for those fees. They should do what I do, just suck it up and charge a honest shipping price. Of course, that will never be enforced. :roll:

[Sniderman]

Do what I do:

Everything goes out Priority Mail. No exceptions. Small item? $4 flat rate. Bigger? Here's the weight and my zip code. Punch in your zip and the actual shipping charge pops up. U.S. only (and let's not dredge up THAT topic again :roll: ) because that's the extent of Priority Mail.

Badda-bing. BAdda-boom. Badda-done.

[Flack]

eBay and PayPal fees are stupidly high

I don't think eBay's fees are stupidly high. eBay's fees are usually cheaper than running an add in the local paper, and seeing how millions and millions of people all over the world have the opportunity to see my ad, I'd say it's a pretty good deal.

If you don't like PayPal fees, don't use it. Mail cash or money orders around the country.

[musical]

Where I live a bubble mailer is $0.66 when not on sale. .... It cost me $1.29 first class....So bump it up to $2.50.
BUT
so many people are charging $5.00 or more for shipping 1 loose cartridge. They are making $2.50 profit.
$2.50 profit
- ebay fees
- paypal credit card fees
=======
$0.00 profit.

I don't charge gas (1 mile to office=/1/30th a gallon), but I do charge ebay commission fees & paypal credit card fees. I know you'll disagree, but I think the BUYER should pay these. Else, items that only sell for $0.01 would be a loss on my end.

And, $1.29 first class???? Not where I live. $2.00 is typical (which is why I use cheaper media mail).

And, I agree with you. If you think my $5 ship/handling fee is too high, please don't bid. That way you'll be happy, and I'll be happy not to hear your complaint or negative feedback.



IMHO $5 is in-line with what other places like amazon.com or ebgames.com charge, so I don't see anything wrong with it. I used to ship at $2, but when I realized I was actually losing money, I decided to raise it. I sell stuff for profit, not to go deeper into debt.

[kevincure]

Priority mail w/ printed DC from Paypal: $3.85 under one pound, more over one pound. I charge exact shipping fees Priority. You would have to be nuts to sell on ebay w/o some type of delivery confirmation, especially on anything of value.

That said, I only sell things worth decent value (sometimes 10-20$, usually $20-200). First class mail with DC is almost certainly better when you're shipping out single NES carts, for example.

[Cmosfm]

We've been through this so many times before. :roll:

Just figure the total price for the item and if it's alright, buy it. If it's more than you want to pay then don't buy it.

that's the plan! I'd pay 10.00 shipping for a PS2 game I wanted if I could buy it for 1.00


The excess funds for high shipping usually goes towards eBay & Paypal fees and whatever extra for their time at the PO.

As much as it's frowned upon, I know I like to cover ALL expenses when selling an item. including eBay fees, Paypal fees, packaging, time, etc...not to mention overall hassle it is to sell on eBay.

I usually charge 3.00 shipping on NES games, they cost 1.29 to ship most of the time. This is only because I have a large surplus of manilla envelopes and backer cards to use. I just buy bubble wrap. Otherwise I'd charge 4.00.

Selling on eBay is hard work, and I'd like compensated for the fees I have to pay on an NES cart that sold for a measly 2.00. Catch my drift?

[Azazel]

eBay and PayPal fees are stupidly high

I don't think eBay's fees are stupidly high. eBay's fees are usually cheaper than running an add in the local paper, and seeing how millions and millions of people all over the world have the opportunity to see my ad, I'd say it's a pretty good deal.

If you don't like PayPal fees, don't use it. Mail cash or money orders around the country.

The only kind of problem is if you don't take Paypal is a you'll lose a lot of sales as 80% to 90% of people only will pay with Paypal.

Actually where I live it's also $1.29 for first class shipping. Media mail actually cost more than first class. The only advantage to Media Mail over First Class is you can get delivery confirmation unless the pacakge is of a certain size.

[petewhitley]

Most loose games or games that come in CD/DVD style cases are shipped in bubble mailers. Where I live a bubble mailer is $0.66 when not on sale. But I can almost always find them for $0.33 (big or small). But lets pretend they are $0.66 all the time.

Where do you live, Mexico? Aside from what everyone else has already stated, $0.66 for a bubble mailer is unheard of in my neck of the woods. Why don't you email Amazon.com and every other internet retailer to complain while you're at it ...

[-hellvin-]

Do what I do:

Everything goes out Priority Mail. No exceptions. Small item? $4 flat rate. Bigger? Here's the weight and my zip code. Punch in your zip and the actual shipping charge pops up. U.S. only (and let's not dredge up THAT topic again :roll: ) because that's the extent of Priority Mail.

Badda-bing. BAdda-boom. Badda-done.

That's what I do. If it's a dvd/cd case game or nes cart or boxed game, 3.50 dolalr flat rate no matter what. If it's a large package, I weigh it and put a calculator in.

[Daria]

Most loose games or games that come in CD/DVD style cases are shipped in bubble mailers. Where I live a bubble mailer is $0.66 when not on sale. But I can almost always find them for $0.33 (big or small). But lets pretend they are $0.66 all the time.

Where do you live, Mexico? Aside from what everyone else has already stated, $0.66 for a bubble mailer is unheard of in my neck of the woods. Why don't you email Amazon.com and every other internet retailer to complain while you're at it ...

Yeah they're $0.75 at Target. :P Big ol' 9 cent difference.

[petewhitley]

Yeah they're $0.75 at Target. :P Big ol' 9 cent difference.

I understand that they can be had cheaply at select retailers, but I'm not going to drive across town for envelopes when I can buy them at or near the Post Office for $1.29 each. Overpriced? Maybe. But I've been charging $4.99 shipping per game for a couple of years with only one complaint.

[TRM]

I hate when people over charge for shipping. Quite frankly, as both a buyer and a seller, it pisses me off greatly when I pay $5 shipping and the game/whatever comes to me costing $1.50 to ship. I bid on goods if the shipping is within reason (not like $50 for 2 games or something to the extreme), however it doesn't mean I like it.

[Azazel]

You can get a 6 pack of bubble Mailers at Office Depot for $3.00.

[Griking]

Or you can purchase Bubble mailers on ebay for a lot cheaper.

Just one Example (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=16267&item=5109909280&rd=1)

[Necrosaro420]

Shrug, I sell all my stuff priority USPS...so min will be 3.95 on that.

[musical]

it pisses me off greatly when I pay $5 shipping and the game/whatever comes to me costing $1.50 to ship.

$1.50
+$1.00 envelope
+ ebay fees
+ paypal fees
=========
~$5.00

Why do people always ignore the extra costs? Shipping/handling is MUCH MORE than just the number on the stamp.

[SoulBlazer]

As I said in my previous reply here, EBay and PayPal fees are NOT SUSPOSED to be included in shipping. It's aganist their policies. And I never do it.

I usually charge $5 for Priorty Mail, which is right about right. Priorty mail plus bubbler is almost $4, and then confirmation and sometimes insurance protection brings it up to $5.

[musical]

If I sell something for $3.00 or less(which happens often), and I don't include ebay/paypal fees in the shipping price, then I lose money. That is an unacceptable situation for me as a seller.

Vice-versa, if I do include the fees, then I can sell items at only $0.01. I'm happy because my expenses are covered, and the customer is happy to get a cheap item for only 1 cent.




EDIT: To me "excessive" is not applicable until the shipping exceeds $10 for one game, book, whatever. Then I complain.

[SoulBlazer]

Funny. Again, another reason why I buy and sell most of my stuff on Amazon. LOL Lower fees, less hassle, instant payment.

[dreams]

If you're concerned about losing money if your item doesn't sell for enough, then the best solution is to put the starting bid at the point at which you do make money. It's not the buyer's fault that enough people didn't bid on an auction to get the bid high enough.

Using the Levi's example, I will agree that company's mark up items to make a profit. The difference is that mark up is always on the sticker price. It's not some extra fee that's added on at the end when you're checking out. More often than not (unless it's an online sale only), the price of the item in the store where you pick up the item in person and the price in the online store before shipping and handling charges are the same.

I realize that a lot of people already build these fees and other things like time and gas money into either the starting price or the shipping and handling. All I know is that I would rather do business with someone who doesn't try to make profit on shipping. I would bid on an item at a higher price with low shipping than an item at a low price with higher shipping, even if they both ended up at the same price. Just a matter of principle I guess.

The biggest problem I have with it is that ebay doesn't count the shipping price when calculating the sellers' fees. A lot of ebayers now are trying to circumvent fees in this manner.

[musical]

If you're concerned about losing money if your item doesn't sell for enough, then the best solution is to put the starting bid at the point at which you do make money.

If I did that, instead of selling a book at $0.01 +$5 ship, the book would be $3.00 + $2 ship, and get NO BIDS. The difference is the customer's perception:
- $3.00 sounds like too much to bid, and therefore no sale.
- $0.01 sounds like a steal and my book sells.

I'd rather have a 1 or 10 cent sale, than have no sale.

(And yes, I know from experience. It's happened like that many many times.)




As for amazon.com, I used to sell stuff there, but I was annoyed that they only gave me $2.00 shipping, and it cost me $2.50 at the post office. I was losing money.

That's when I moved to ebay.

[TRM]

$1.50
+$1.00 envelope
+ ebay fees
+ paypal fees
=========
~$5.00

Why do people always ignore the extra costs? Shipping/handling is MUCH MORE than just the number on the stamp.

The reason people (like me) "ignore" these extra costs, is because they are not supposed to be included to begin with. I understand why one would charge a bit for a bubble envelope. However, making the buyer pay ebay fees and paypal fees is not supposed to be part of the deal.

I would rather pay $5 for an item with $2 shipping then $3 for an item and having the shipping cost $4. If a person really wants an item, they will be willing to place a bid no matter what the starting price is. Another thought:

We have three buyers, A, B, and C. Buyer A places a bid on said item, listed at .01 cent. Buyer B later comes along and places a bid, raising the price to $0.97. If buyer C wants the item, does he let the higher price deter him from bidding on the item or does he bid anyway?

[Azazel]

Plus with the Paypal fees if you have a Premier or Business account you get charged the fees regardless even if the person doesn't pay with a Credit Card.

[petewhitley]

I realize that a lot of people already build these fees and other things like time and gas money into either the starting price or the shipping and handling. All I know is that I would rather do business with someone who doesn't try to make profit on shipping.

With that logic, you're going to run into problems doing business with just about every internet or catalog merchant. The handling bit of "shipping and handling" is there to cover ANY associated costs the merchant deems applicable. Thus, the longstanding tradition of overcharging from postage and packing materials alone. It's ridiculuous that anyone would expect eBay merchants to be more generous than the umpteen thousands of internet and catalog merchants out there. It's not against eBay rules (look it up folks...), it's not against any business laws to speak of (in fact, using the term "handling" very specifically allows this very practice). If you have a problem with it, more power to you, and your purchasing dollars may reflect that. But I for one am sick of hearing complaints over something that is inherent to the very concept of mail-order. x_x

[musical]

Why do people always ignore the extra costs? Shipping/handling is MUCH MORE than just the number on the stamp.The reason people (like me) "ignore" these extra costs, is because they are not supposed to be included to begin with. ..... I would rather pay $5 for an item with $2 shipping then $3 for an item and having the shipping cost $4. If a person really wants an item, they will be willing to place a bid no matter what the starting price is.

Sadly, not true. To repeat myself:

Instead of selling a book at $0.01 +$5 ship, the book would be $3.00 + $2 ship, and get NO BIDS. The difference is the customer's perception:
- $3.00 sounds like too much to bid, and therefore no sale.
- $0.01 sounds like a steal and my book sells.

I'd rather have a 1 cent sale, than have no sale.

(And yes, I know from experience. It's happened like that many many times.)

[Griking]

With that logic, you're going to run into problems doing business with just about every internet or catalog merchant.

Amen to that. Have you ever been a member of Columbia House or BMG's music club? I just received 6 CDs in the mail which was shipped to me via media mail and I was charged $20.72 for shipping alone. Shipping thieves don't limit themselves to ebay. :angry:

[number6]

Other than ebay I personally usually only buy from online merchants when they have free shipping deals. A lot of online discount computer resellers offer free shipping and the price of the product is as cheap as other sites that charge for shipping. So to say that all online merchants make a profit on shipping is just not true. On ebay though it seems the norm.

High shipping and handling costs is just one of those things you have to deal with if you really want an item on ebay. A lot of the things I want on ebay simply can't be found where I live so I am willing to pay a lot for shipping sometimes. As others have said just factor in the shipping cost to the total amount you are willing to spend on the item and bid accordingly. The way I look at it is who am I to argue with the seller as far as shipping is concerned especially when it is clearly stated in the auction? That's the price they are charging and you can either accept it and bid or disagree and move on to someone else's auction.

[SoulBlazer]

I can think of several great mail order companies that charge resonable shipping -- Amazon, Newegg, and Joe here at DP. :D

[Azazel]

I can think of several great mail order companies that charge resonable shipping -- Amazon, Newegg, and Joe here at DP. :D

You can also add Deep Discount DVD to that list.