posted on September 1, 2001 08:58:13 AM
As a buyer, I can relate. I recently passed on an auction for a $4 doll with $5.50 shipping. Emailed the seller, told her I didn't bid because of the high shipping, etc. Afterwards, I found the same doll at a drug store. Obviously, the seller was making nothing off the sale. The only profit came from the "handling fee."
As a seller, I object to the buyer mentality because often they are getting the item BELOW wholesale cost, then they gripe about a couple of bucks for handling. eBay fuels this fire by recommending sellers start their minimum below what they hope to receive. In the case of items that receive only one bid (which are many, as in this case), the seller will lose money. Hey, I love a happy customer, but not to the point where I'm paying for their fun. I also believe it's more common for buyers to ignore the shipping and handling stated in the ad, than for sellers to try to hide the info.
Sellers of big ticket items can afford to lose a couple of dollars on shipping. Sellers of $5 items can not. I charge a small handling fee, and it pretty much goes to loss and replacement. Often I pay more for shipping than I charge the customer. If the shipping charges are stated in the ad, the buyer has no reason to complain.
posted on September 1, 2001 08:59:31 AM
Those who are tired of hearing the complaints, please don't read!
I know it makes a difference to me, as a buyer, what the s/h costs are!
I just sold a lot of books,(small pb and one hb) and I put s/h at $2.00 with seller (me) to pick up balance. My start bid was $2 and my end bid was $12.51! Total $14.51, and I am satisfied with that!
I think that made a big difference, as it gave the bidders more freedom to BID without worrying so much about the end costs!!!
posted on September 1, 2001 09:55:16 AM
to each his own,i have seen booksellers who bubblewrapped,taped and taped and bubblewrapped the book to death,how do you expect anyone to remove the book ??
the best is to read the item description,if shipping and handling is stated and it is not to your liking,move on to another seller or dealer.
we have our reasons - i will not ship most items in envelope especially a regualr 34 cents one as anyone who can feel a small hard object inside could think it is something valuable and steal it.
some item such as textile can be shipped in padded envelope but it can get stained and foiled.
posted on September 1, 2001 11:23:49 AMcaptainkirk said:
Of course, obvious attempts to circumvent ebay fees annoy me, since ultimately the other sellers have to make up the difference, but that doesn't apply here.
How do you figure "other sellers have to make up the difference"?
Fee avoidance isn't really an issue of lost inventory that needs to be compensated for. If someone avoids a fee, it could be just as if the item didn't sell---or didn't sell for as much---but to imply that an avoided fee needs to be made up for by other sellers is ridiculous.
posted on September 1, 2001 04:52:12 PM
I charge actual shipping costs, which are roughly 4 times actual postage. And yes, business is good, very good...
It's literally impossible for a reasonable, intelligent bidder to be overcharged on shipping. A reasonable, intelligent bidder will bid on an item if the stated shipping/handling charge is within their "comfort" zone. If it isn't, he/she won't bid.
If the shipping/handling charge isn't explicitly stated in the item listing, a reasonable, intelligent bidder will
a) move on to another auction
b) email the seller for details
In the case of b, if the seller doesn't reply or the bidder doesn't LIKE the reply, he/she will move.
This isn't rocket science. If the total cost for an item is less than or equal to the max you're willing to pay it's a good deal, even if shipping/handling is $100 on a 1 ounce item. And as previously stated, winning bid price and shipping/handling costs are separate and have absolutely NOTHING to do with one another.
posted on September 1, 2001 05:01:13 PM
There is a seller from whom I buy on a regular basis, her shipping charges are $12 per item. When I bid, I figure out my max bid, subtract the $12, and snipe the auction. I don't really care how the seller chooses to distribute the total, as long as my bid + shipping charges is the amount I am willing to pay for the widget, I don't dwell on how much of that amount is for shipping.
**Not Annuta on Ebay**
posted on September 2, 2001 12:04:51 PM
This is a sore subject with me. I ship about 1000 t-shirts a month. I charge what I feel is right: $4/shirt for shipping. Shipping is NOT actual postage cost. It is the aggregate postage PLUS handling PLUS the shipping material. If my priority postage costs $3.50 (which it does) then the additional $0.50 for all the ancillary costs of shipping is probably not enough to cover cost. Buyers that want to harp and nitpick over $0.50 can get in their car, pay for their own gas, drive over to the Salvation Army on their own time and pick up some used clothing there (hmmm...I'm guessing cost is about $10 for this exercise).
Also, shipping costs are generally clear on the listing. If you don't agree, don't bid. But, if you do bid, don't #*!@ about the costs later when they were fully disclosed up front. People like this get their money refunded from me. I simply choose not to deal with them. Life is too short to put up with that kind of KRP over a lousy $10-15 t-shirt (or whatever).
posted on September 2, 2001 12:57:41 PM
rockaroladotcom:
As a seller, I agree with you completely.
As a buyer, I couldn't care less if a seller has to "get in their car, pay for their own gas, drive over to the Salvation Army on their own time and pick up some used clothing there (hmmm...I'm guessing cost is about $10 for this exercise)." That's your problem, and you should learn to be more efficient (ride a bike over, carpool, buy cheaper, whatever). All I want is the rockbottomest shipping costs.
Actually, when I describe ebay to people who've never heard of online selling, they are amazed that the SELLER doesn't pay for all shipping costs! Go figure...
posted on September 2, 2001 02:16:21 PM
Excess "handling" charges should be banned completely. It's just profit padding. I never charge handling fees on my items. Winning bidders pay only the postage and have a choice of Media/First/Priority. It they use the BIN price, shipping is free.
posted on September 2, 2001 03:32:27 PM
>>"It's literally impossible for a reasonable, intelligent bidder to be overcharged on shipping. A reasonable, intelligent bidder will bid on an item if the stated shipping/handling charge is within their "comfort" zone. If it isn't, he/she won't bid."<<
A very intelligent statement about intelligent bidders.
posted on September 2, 2001 04:46:48 PM
You know, handling is a legitimate charge. I hafta buy bubble wrap and mailers and heavy book wrap and tape!
Normally in a regular auction, I do have a flat ship rate, which includes the cost of these items. That stuff has to figure into it somewhere, it is not free and I don't know how to blow my own bubble wrap.
I charge a flat rate of $2.75 s/h for the first paperback and .30 for each paperback thereafter, and $3.00 for each hardback (regardless of size, I have shipped some really large books and they are expensive!) and an additional .75 for each hardback thereafter in the same order/shipment. In the event of a combination of paperbacks/hardbacks, the hardback ship rate of $3.00 is the base rate and there will be an additional .30 charge for each paperback, and .75 for each hardback thereafter UNLESS the item description contains a flat shipping charge. (which means I am picking up the balance of shipment as a bonus/incentive to the bidder)
posted on September 3, 2001 06:19:59 AM
Your friend who thinks the seller should pay all shipping charges needs to get their brain in for a tune-up.
No seller pays for shipping. Be they brick and mortar, click and mortar, or online only. It's either built into the price or a separate charge.
Since we cannot build these valid charges into our item price, they must be charged after the fact.
The bid price is SUPPOSED to be the price of the item outside of any shipping and handling charges. Some people have taken to padding their start bid with their fixed costs, which skews the public perception of what the item is going for.
Shipping is a separate cost TOTALLY and stands apart from the cost/value of the item being sold. In an auction realm especially!
What I'm describing is not just one kooky friend, but the great majority of people - adults from all walks of life - I've described the online auction world to.
About 90% of these people's first reaction was that the seller would, of course, pay shipping. IOW, the "natural" state of things among the great computer unwashed is not automatically to assume that the buyer pays for shipping. (Most of them felt they were doing the seller a considerable favor buying anything online, so shipping should, of course, be free.)
I conclude that ebay, when building this new retailing concept, could just as easily have mandated that the SELLER always pays shipping, and that THAT idea would now seem the logical, natural, always-been-this-way approach that you'd be describing to me (instead of the reverse).
posted on September 3, 2001 05:19:54 PM
I doubt that would be the case. If ebay had declared that, then ebay would have had very few sellers to start with and would never have gotten off the ground.
A competitor would have set up and announced things were done the "normal" way (buyer pays shipping) as it is done everywhere else.
posted on September 3, 2001 06:48:58 PM
One reason I buy on ebay is for the convenience, time and money saved of driving around town to find the item. Even a $5.50 s/h is nothing compared to what I pay buying at a store.
No one said pricing had to be "fair". A hamburger at a nice restaurant costs them virtually the same as Carl's Jr, but the nice place charges twice as much. Compare prices between UPS, USPS and Fed Ex, prices can vary greatly, but is that necessarily unfair?
Remember, you get what you paid for. Low price may also mean shoddy packaging. I always stress that when my buyers complain.
