posted on July 10, 2001 08:11:43 PM
Bidders: PLEASE ask for a shipping quote.
I wait around like the Maytag repairman, faithfully checking email and then AFTER the auction ends I get a request for a quote by the HIGH BIDDER. The latest tragedy is a bidder from overseas, bidding on a item too large to be sent by post and the cheapest way I can find to ship is over 100 US via UPS.
Now the bidder has the item and is unhappy with the amount of shipping (and another $60 in duty) and is sending me rotten emails. I do not see one penny of the shipping cost. I do not charge for carefully packing oversize fragile items and yet I am being driven nuts.
I cannot calculate shipping cost for every country and ZIP in the world based on items that are never the same weight or dimensions twice, so I invite potential bidders to email me for a quote and they don't and so on...
posted on July 11, 2001 10:14:11 AM
Turn the seller in for fee avoidance? Please tell us that this was mentioned tongue-in-cheek...
Is $9.00 shipping for a $1.00 item fee avoidance? Not at all. The value of an item has NO BEARING whatsoever on what it costs to ship the item.
This topic comes up on a regular basis and 2 responses always apply:
1) Don't bid on an item until you know how much the total shipping fees will be (and the actual shipping fees may be several times more than the cost of the postage).
2) It is literally impossible for a reasonable buyer to be gouged on shipping fees. If the shipping fees are too high for your liking, don't bid. See #1 above if this seems to be confusing.
posted on July 11, 2001 10:23:42 AM
I didn't say I bid on it. I was simply citing it as a obvious example of someone who is more-than-likely practicing in fee-avoidance.
posted on July 11, 2001 02:40:27 PM
This discussion has devolved into repetitious yammering. Too bad it's not possible to turn someone in for avoiding the point.
