What to do when a eBay seller overcharges S&H for classi

[flywheels]

First of all, I always start my items out at .01, almost ALWAYS. That's been a habit of mine since I first started and will continue that way. So if he won 30 of my cd's at .01 each, I suppose I should charge him .30 and what, 5.00 media mail? :roll: Cmon, be real here.

Then don't start your auctions off @ a penny if you want to get more $$$ for each auction!

[tritium]

Well. Now that I've read the spat b/w Mr. Whitley and Melf I have conjured up an opinion.

I do believe some sellers charge too much in the shipping/handling fees. A little is understood, but too much is too much. Thats why I always account for the shipping BEFORE I bid.

Buyer Beware is an old Trade Bazaar saying, and I think it fits here. Unfortunate that some sellers are making a business of ripping people off.

And as for sellers that feel justified in their methods, I'll use my free market vote, and keep my dollar in my pocket instead of spending it on your items.

OH, and Mr. Petewhitley Your not nice.

-Tritium
my ebay name is melviel (my real first and last name) feel free to block my bids if you think I'm not entitled to my own beliefs and opinions.

[Cmosfm]

First of all, I always start my items out at .01, almost ALWAYS. That's been a habit of mine since I first started and will continue that way. So if he won 30 of my cd's at .01 each, I suppose I should charge him .30 and what, 5.00 media mail? :roll: Cmon, be real here

Then don't start your auctions off @ a penny if you want to get more $$$ for each auction!

Well, maybe you don't know this, but an item that is worthwhile usually gets much more if you list it right. Starting an item at .01 means more bids and a higher ending price. You do have sacrifices such as some items ending AT .01.

Anyways, I'm tired of arguing this, cause I see 3 types of people here. Sellers who understand what it's like to be stuck with fees, buyers who lump decent sellers like me into the same category as those assholes who charge 5.99 to ship an NES game just because I don't charge exact shipping, and cheap bastards who think eBay is a garage sale.

We've argued it before, and were arguing it again, its pointless....untill buyers start selling in bulk (100+ items at a time, not 5-10-20 items), they won't understand how hard it is to do this. Wait till you finally do list a lot of stuff for sale, break even, and work your ass off doing so...then come back here and tell me how unfair our buisness practices are.

[jetset516]

Also lets not mistake Ebay as a substitute for a real job. It never was meant as a business venture. Its an online garage sale. You're trying to get rid of some old junk and get a few bucks off it. Sad thing is, there are now tons of ebayers who *do* treat it as a business, and as such they manipulate the system by using excessice shipping charges to cover thier unrelated expenses (ebay/paypal fees, etc).
Sad..like everything else ebay was once a fine place. Greed is helping ruin it.

Actually, no, it's NOT an online Garage Sale, it's an online AUCTION site. I can put Stadium Events on eBay and sell it for about 300.00, but at a garage sale I'd be hard pressed to get 5 bucks for it.

on eBay, you can make money, you CAN make a living off of it. I don't, but if the time comes that I do NEED money, I can make it.

But there are people that think you can just jump on eBay and get something for a dollar or two shipped. Things dont work like that, sellers on eBay are just like you, human beings, we want to make a little money because we need it and you want to screw us out of the little money we DO make because you think this is just some big online "garage sale".

Sorry, it's not, it's a way to make money and provide people with items at the price they are willing to pay. And I don't think a few extra bucks on several auctions you win are going to kill you, but it may be a big deal to us. I sell 10 items and they all end cheap, do you think I really want to take my time listing, packaging, shipping, etc etc etc. just to break even because I charged you actual shipping costs and nothing else?

I'm NOT an asshole, and all my customers are 100% happy and always come back to me. I even have a guy who buys all my media auctions that end at .01 or somewhere around that mark. Last time I sold some items, he won about 30 of my auctions, lots at .01, some at 1.00, all dirt cheap. He knows that I charge 2.99 for the first auction and 1.99 for each additional auction and he wound up paying 50.00+ for shipping and handling. But he STILL got a good deal, and he will STILL come back to buy more from me.

Again, if you don't like eBay, go to Amazon.com, if you don't like a sellers terms, don't bid. If you don't understand an auctions rules, ask questions before bidding. It's all very simple, and thinking you can get something for nothing is foolish and inconsiderate of other sellers.

I believe this topic is over with, now lets all move on with our lives, hopefully Melf learned what to do when bidding next time and hopefully a few people understand the sellers side of things now.

I never said you were an asshole. And I like ebay just fine. It's the crooks who manipulate the system I dont like. I dont think I can get something for nothing either. However, some sellers feel they can charge something for nothing, like sending an item for .83 cents in a 33 cent bubble mailer and charging $4-5 bucks. That's called fee avoidance and in the end when ebay raises thier listing and fv fees we know who to thank.
And you're exactly right, thinking you can get something for nothing IS fooloish and inconsiderate. Guess what? When you list an item for .01 cents, and jack up the shipping knowing it will end at .01 or .02 cents you are doing just that. Ebay makes money off the amount you list an item for and the final value fee correct? So you are getting dozens or hundres of people seeing and bidding on your item for next to nothing and getting profit in return.
Sounds like something for nothing to me.

[jetset516]

and cheap bastards who think eBay is a garage sale.



Oh, and very cute. So if we're smart enough to see through the scam that makes us cheap bastards.
Nice.

[Aussie2B]

I prefer to buy a large lot, cherry pick what I want then ebay the doubles as
a lot. Its the only way I feel to minimize the shipping fees.

That's the path I'm heading down too. I'm finding it harder and harder to get a reasonable price on a single item after you factor in shipping. Most of the auctions I win these days are lots where I break down the value of everything in the lot, factor in the shipping, and determine if it's still a good deal.

[Cmosfm]

Also lets not mistake Ebay as a substitute for a real job. It never was meant as a business venture. Its an online garage sale. You're trying to get rid of some old junk and get a few bucks off it. Sad thing is, there are now tons of ebayers who *do* treat it as a business, and as such they manipulate the system by using excessice shipping charges to cover thier unrelated expenses (ebay/paypal fees, etc).
Sad..like everything else ebay was once a fine place. Greed is helping ruin it.

Actually, no, it's NOT an online Garage Sale, it's an online AUCTION site. I can put Stadium Events on eBay and sell it for about 300.00, but at a garage sale I'd be hard pressed to get 5 bucks for it.

on eBay, you can make money, you CAN make a living off of it. I don't, but if the time comes that I do NEED money, I can make it.

But there are people that think you can just jump on eBay and get something for a dollar or two shipped. Things dont work like that, sellers on eBay are just like you, human beings, we want to make a little money because we need it and you want to screw us out of the little money we DO make because you think this is just some big online "garage sale".

Sorry, it's not, it's a way to make money and provide people with items at the price they are willing to pay. And I don't think a few extra bucks on several auctions you win are going to kill you, but it may be a big deal to us. I sell 10 items and they all end cheap, do you think I really want to take my time listing, packaging, shipping, etc etc etc. just to break even because I charged you actual shipping costs and nothing else?

I'm NOT an asshole, and all my customers are 100% happy and always come back to me. I even have a guy who buys all my media auctions that end at .01 or somewhere around that mark. Last time I sold some items, he won about 30 of my auctions, lots at .01, some at 1.00, all dirt cheap. He knows that I charge 2.99 for the first auction and 1.99 for each additional auction and he wound up paying 50.00+ for shipping and handling. But he STILL got a good deal, and he will STILL come back to buy more from me.

Again, if you don't like eBay, go to Amazon.com, if you don't like a sellers terms, don't bid. If you don't understand an auctions rules, ask questions before bidding. It's all very simple, and thinking you can get something for nothing is foolish and inconsiderate of other sellers.

I believe this topic is over with, now lets all move on with our lives, hopefully Melf learned what to do when bidding next time and hopefully a few people understand the sellers side of things now.

I never said you were an asshole. And I like ebay just fine. It's the crooks who manipulate the system I dont like. I dont think I can get something for nothing either. However, some sellers feel they can charge something for nothing, like sending an item for .83 cents in a 33 cent bubble mailer and charging $4-5 bucks. That's called fee avoidance and in the end when ebay raises thier listing and fv fees we know who to thank.
And you're exactly right, thinking you can get something for nothing IS fooloish and inconsiderate. Guess what? When you list an item for .01 cents, and jack up the shipping knowing it will end at .01 or .02 cents you are doing just that. Ebay makes money off the amount you list an item for and the final value fee correct? So you are getting dozens or hundres of people seeing and bidding on your item for next to nothing and getting profit in return.
Sounds like something for nothing to me.

You see the thing is that I DON'T jack up my shipping, I charge 2.99 shipping plus 1.99 per additional auction whether I'm listing SMB/DH carts or I'm listing Final Fantasy games. My shipping is fair and I believe you are very misinformed about me, making a brasen decision that I'm avoiding fee's based off a few posts.

Actually, I never bother listing items that I KNOW will sell at .01, but that's the thing about eBay, you never DO know, and in the end my shipping is 100% fair AND reasonable. At least I'm not charging 4.99 to ship an NES cart like what is ever so rampant on eBay nowadays...and it's sickening.

[jetset516]

You see the thing is that I DON'T jack up my shipping, I charge 2.99 shipping plus 1.99 per additional auction whether I'm listing SMB/DH carts or I'm listing Final Fantasy games. My shipping is fair and I believe you are very misinformed about me, making a brasen decision that I'm avoiding fee's based off a few posts.

Actually, I never bother listing items that I KNOW will sell at .01, but that's the thing about eBay, you never DO know, and in the end my shipping is 100% fair AND reasonable. At least I'm not charging 4.99 to ship an NES cart like what is ever so rampant on eBay nowadays...and it's sickening.

And you're probably right I am making an assumption which may very well be wrong. Ebay does allow fair and reasonable charges for shipping materials. Of course, once a seller uses the shipping charges to pad thierr profit or worse, offset ebay/paypal fees, that's where the real scam lies...
So, my apologies if you are only charging to cover actual shipping costs. There are a lot of sellers out there who charge beyond that and that's what ruins ebay for all of us buyers and sellers alike.

[flywheels]

Wait till you finally do list a lot of stuff for sale, break even, and work your ass off doing so...then come back here and tell me how unfair our buisness practices are.

I'm not strictly a bidder...I sell items from time to time so I know what it's like to spend hours upon hours listing items, replying to and sending e-mails and packaging and shipping packages. I always charge actual shipping costs to my customers...no matter how much my auction closed for. I understand the tricks to listing items so they sell better, but the bottom line is you aren't guaranteed anything when you list your items on eBay in a normal auction format (if you don't use a reserve). I too usually start items out for less than $1...sometimes I loose a little when the auction only fetches one bid and there are other times I make more than I ever anticipated.

If I have to buy a bubble mailer to ship a small item in, I work that cost into the shipping price (still charging actual costs). If someone wins one auction or multiples from me, I package it all together and weigh it to see how much it'll cost. I usually offer different shipping methods too since you can send the same game via USPS Media Mail for less than 1st Class or Priority and the delivery time isn't that much off. Sure, I could make a killing off of people by charging them $25 for shipping when the actual cost is $5...but I'm not going to cheat my customers.

I know I hate it when I receive a package and the postage sticker on the box is less than what I paid. A dollar or two is OK from time to time b/c I know some sellers don't have a way of calulating exact fees before they list the item, but all of those $1.99 fees for each additional item crap starts to add up. Before you know it, you're paying additional dollars or so for what? All you're doing is padding that seller's pockets. For 2 or 3 items it usually works in the buyers favor, but lets say you buy 15 small items like NES carts. You're paying $3 for the first game and $28 ($2 x 14) for the other 14 games! $31 to ship 15 NES games...that is highway robbery. You could easily pick up one of the free Priority boxes @ the post office and use a little bubble wrap or better yet plastic grocery bags or newspaper and pack all 15 games in that one box. Depending on the ZIP code, that box could easily be sent for $8-10. So where is that other $21 going you paid for postage? Now if they were being sent UPS or FedEx overnight that is one thing, but when they are being sent via USPS 1st Class or even Priority mail...NO! This practice is what I don't agree with.

Sure all of the eBay fees the sellers are charged adds up quickly, esp. when you are using the Gallery Picture option, Buy It Now features and other optional features...but those fees are part of the cost of doing business. There have been countless months that after I subtract all of those fees from the money that comes in it doesn't leave me what I was hoping to get...but that is the nature of auctions. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But in the end, a honest and respectable seller will always win because they'll create a loyal customer base and have repeat business. Sellers are free to do as they wish, I'm not saying you can't practices these shipping methods...I and plenty of others just won't contribute and support your business.

This is the whole reason I started this thread. I wasn't aware that so many people use what I think is a shady business practice. One of the other business practices that this seller that I won the auctions from did was charge an extra $2 for personal check or money orders. I definately will take extra time in reading the fine print from now on. I always have taken into consideration how much shipping will be before I place a bid...guess now I'll really have to be careful.

[Melf]

That's not the end of the story, because you in turn come on this board and bitch about it. Melf, you are part of that group who "got sand in their vaginas" by accusing eBay sellers (and indirectly, the mail-order industry) of "screwing" consumers by charging a handling fee. Myself and others are defending the decades-old status quo from upset people like yourself who need a course in Marketing 101 to understand how "something so stupid" (mail-order) works.

Christ, it's like you refuse to read before you post. In case you didn't notice, the entire thread is about being overcharged on shipping. I came in and opined and you got sand in your vagina and went on some diatribe about me being cheap and uniformed. You are defending the status quo from a seller's point of view. I'm arguing it from a consumer's viewpoint. I said nothing about mail order.

I think that what you do need is a course in human relations because you obviously can't tolerate an opinion other than your own. As soon as I disagreed with you, you got all pissy and blocked me ( LOL ) on eBay. Coming in here to insult people and be a condecending prick does not endear you to anyone as a seller.

But I digress. I'm not lumping anyone here into a category. I simply expressed my opinion. Deal wih it. I'm done with you.

[petewhitley]

Christ, it's like you refuse to read before you post. In case you didn't notice, the entire thread is about being overcharged on shipping. I came in and opined and you got sand in your vagina and went on some diatribe about me being cheap and uniformed. You are defending the status quo from a seller's point of view. I'm arguing it from a consumer's viewpoint. I said nothing about mail order.

eBay is mail order. And you are uniformed, as your belief that it isn't clearly shows.


I think that what you do need is a course in human relations because you obviously can't tolerate an opinion other than your own. As soon as I disagreed with you, you got all pissy and blocked me ( LOL ) on eBay. Coming in here to insult people and be a condecending prick does not endear you to anyone as a seller.

You came in late to the thread, and began insulting myself and others (e.g. screwing buyers, can't read, something about vaginas, etc.). Re-read the thread, and count the insults thrown. I'll wait ... Ok, now who's the prick? It only seems condecending because I've clearly pointed out where you've been talking out of your ass, and you've taken it personally. Now are you really done with me, or would you like to keep sticking your foot in your rather large mouth by talking about stuff you haven't any business discussing?

[Melf]

You came in late to the thread, and began insulting myself and others (e.g. screwing buyers, can't read, something about vaginas, etc.). Re-read the thread, and count the insults thrown. I'll wait ... Ok, now who's the prick? It only seems condecending because I've clearly pointed out where you've been talking out of your ass, and you've taken it personally. Now are you really done with me, or would you like to keep sticking your foot in your rather large mouth by talking about stuff you haven't any business discussing?

Came in late? I posted on page two. Show me where I insulted anyone other than you after you started being a dick.

Let me count them. Here's my initial post:


How you can charge a handling fee when all the packaging items are provided free of charge by the post office is beyond me. Shit, you don't even have to pack it until you get to the PO. You can do it right there.

I live in Puerto Rico, where companies like UPS are almost criminal. Buy 2 CD games? Pay $17 shipping + $10 charge! Oh, and be sure to take the day off from work and sit around the house like an ass, as they never, ever give you any indication of when they might come by. I've had UPS bring me stuff at 8AM and almost at 9 at night. Screw them.

When I sell on eBay, I use the PO exclusively. People pay me with a postal MO which I can cash right there for free, all the packaging items are right there and free, and I can get good, cheap tracking and insurance for the item as well. There's nothing "cheapskate" about it. If you pad you auction with shipping costs, you suck as a seller.

Again, please learn to read. Where are you mentioned? Where do I insult anyone except UPS? Do you work for them? Is that why you got pissed?

I also like how you conveniently omitted where I said it was my opinion and that I wasn't lumping anyone together.

On the other hand, here are some of your gems:


You clearly do not understand anything about running a mail-order business, amateur or professional. Thanks for your un-informed opinion js_confused.gif .

That's your first post.


What's your eBay ID Mr. Hot-Shit Businessman? Mine's petewhitley, same as my forum ID here and same as my legal name. Go ahead and add this illiterate flim-flam seller to your blocked list. I wouldn't want your whining, contract-breaking, cheap-ass to bid on any of my items anyways.

...and here's your second one! Gee, it took you one whole post to run out of ideas and start inslulting. You sure are a shining example for all of us!

..and FYI, I will post where I feel like it and contribute to any discussion that interests me. Deal with it. I'm not going to post what you like to here., as you are about as important to these boards as I am. If you're too immature to discuss something civilly, than ignore me or go chew on a stick.

[petewhitley]

If you're too immature to discuss something civilly, than ignore me or go chew on a stick.

Ok, I'll chew on the stick. Carry-on in your quest to prove the business world wrong. x_x

[Melf]

Look,

I'm not saying the mail order world is evil or that you and other sellers are out to gouge everyone. All I'm saying is that I don't agree with charging multiple fees to the same buyer. Is that the status quo? Yes. Does that make it right? Not necessarily.

I understand that sellers are out to make money. That's the whole point of selling. I also understand what it's like to sell multiple items and have to pack and ship them all (I sold a 5k+ comic collection on eBay about three years ago. Took me a while and I came out losing on shipping sometimes).

But I also understand that buyers are not out to make sellers money. They're out to get the best deal for themselves. That doesn't make them cheap. Shrewd and frugal, perhaps but not cheap. Everyone is out to get the best price for what they want, be it through buying or selling.

There are just different ways to look at this. That's what this thread was doing.

[goatdan]

However, some sellers feel they can charge something for nothing, like sending an item for .83 cents in a 33 cent bubble mailer and charging $4-5 bucks. That's called fee avoidance and in the end when ebay raises thier listing and fv fees we know who to thank.

Where can you get these 33 cent bubble mailers?

The one thing that I *hate* about sending stuff via mail is that everyone thinks that shipping supplies shouldn't be factored in. I used to sell some stuff on eBay and I would always charge $1.00 for a bubble mailer and people would flip and tell me that they wouldn't pay for it. That damn thing cost me $0.69 before taxes and driving around. I'm not sending it to you for only the price of shipping if the item sold for a quarter and shipping is 80 cents.

Personally, I hate all things bubble mailed. I usually ask my sellers to send via Priority Mail so I can ensure I get packages that aren't demolished. And I always factor in shipping before I bid. If I saw a seller (like Cmosfm) with a $2.99 fee for one item and then a $1.99 fee for each item after that, I would factor in what they were and decide if they were worth it. If I wasn't sure, I would email the seller and ask if he or she would consider a lower shipping price if I bid on multiple auctions. If I got a deal I liked, I would bid. If not, I wouldn't bid.

It's that simple. I really don't understand why this conversation has reached three pages, as that seems to be the only result everyone should be able to agree on.

[Griking]

Look,
I'm not saying the mail order world is evil or that you and other sellers are out to gouge everyone. All I'm saying is that I don't agree with charging multiple fees to the same buyer.

Hey, we get your point. We don't all agree with it but we get it.

Can we all just learn from our experiences and just drop it now?

[Griking]

Where can you get these 33 cent bubble mailers?

You can get them cheap by buying them on ebay.

link (http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQgotopageZ1QQsassZthewrappackQQsorecordsperpag eZ50QQsosortorderZ1QQsosortpropertyZ1)

[Bluteg]

I as a buyer do so much mind high shipping as long as its known so I can avoid those auctions. What I do not like is purposely misleading auctions with shipping costs. Auctions I would have never bid on unless I thought I would get the final amount for very cheap is what pisses me off and wastes my time and money.

Once I won multiple auctions (8) for lots of 10 NES boxes each. Each lot ended between $5-8. They did not LOSE money. The seller stated $5.00 for the first item and that they would combine shipping. I thought $15 or so was fair for very light NES boxes. The seller then told me after the auction ended that he would knock ONE FRICKIN DOLLAR off each item shipping cost. So I paid $32 in shipping costs. Around 10 days later I recieved the boxes smashed with a rubber band around then in an envelope that was not even padded. Guess what it had a shitty $2.08 sticker on it.

Yes ebay is a gamble for buyers. BUT it is also a gamble for sellers too, if the seller's item does not sell for what it should then they shouldn't make up any bullshit excuse to jack up shipping or whatever just to cover their ass. You win some and you lose some thats life. Take your loses and move on. This goes for buyers and sellers.

[jetset516]

However, some sellers feel they can charge something for nothing, like sending an item for .83 cents in a 33 cent bubble mailer and charging $4-5 bucks. That's called fee avoidance and in the end when ebay raises thier listing and fv fees we know who to thank.

Where can you get these 33 cent bubble mailers?



Most dollar stores have them in packages of three for a buck. Also Office Depot sells them for cheap as well. You have to look hard to find them for more than .50 cents.

[vulcanjedi]

Whatever happened to buyer beware? Personally I only bid on items with a clear shipping cost policy. If it's too high or unclear I usually don't bid. If more sellers had to deal with 0 bid auctions they would probably rethink things.

I have a 1 bid policy. I figure out how much I want to pay, subtract the shipping cost, and bid and forget. That's a buyer advantage. When there is a bidding war or several people want the same thing it gets like a compitition and then becaomes a seller advantage.

Game on!

[vincewy]

You think $6 for an item is bad, check this out

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62053&item=8152702978

That's just blatant and shameless, $10 for media mail, I simply refuse to bid after all, period, from sellers using low auction amounts as bait to lure bidders, sooner or later, more and more buyers are starting to realize the effects of shipping and will start to take shipping costs into consideration when bidding. I'd rather see sellers putting higher starting amount and charge realistic shipping costs.

One reason I like half.com a lot more, from both buyer's and seller's perspectives.