posted on November 6, 1999 02:39:36 PM
Just finished reading all the posts . I sell on yahoo and e-bay and I charge for shipping handeling and insruance. I say that in all my auctions I have set fees in usa its 3.50 . When you get your order you see the postage on it for 1.29 yes its only first class mail gets to most places in 2 -3 days. Now I'm in business to make money of why else would I be doing this. I ask you realy is 2.21 to much to charge for the following time it take to do this picking packing mailers labeling driving to post office standing in line for 20-45 min .
Now its not like I'm slaping two stamps on a envelope and putting it in a mail box now I have that hapen to me and that gets me mad.
But if my fees are stated in the auction then there is nothing wrong with that. If I was to pay a person mim wage to do this hell it would cost more than 3.50 the sellers here are trying to just break even ! Maybe you would be happy if we added the cost into what we are selling and say FREE SHIPPING! now who's the disonest seller ! Do you realy think when you see FREE SHIPPING you arent paying for it ! come on get a clue
I'm realy tired of this type of complaint! Get a life
posted on November 7, 1999 09:39:08 AM
In response to the issue about shipping charges. I deal a lot in glassware and other breakables. I do charge a handling fee. BUT I also state this in my description and have never had any problems but once. The deal fell through because the person wanted it shipped one way that would of cost more and still pay a lower price. (I couldn't make her understand this)Anyway I only charge handling because when I pack breakable items I double wrap them in bubble wrap and then over stuff with popcorn. This is the only things I figure into the price. Only had 2 things get broke out of 100's. I charge about $1-2.00 (depending on the size of the object) for this and only because these things cost me. Actually, most of the time I'm only getting a little of my money back on these things. I think this is only fair to do though. But I always tell people in my description that I charge handling and then again in my letter to them. Honesty is the best way to do it. You should never assume anything but the way they worded their description sounded as if they had it all factored in there too. They should of stated all the facts not just part of it!!!
posted on November 13, 1999 10:50:20 AM
I think anyone that overcharges shipping or puts in those added handling charges are just trying to recoup their auction fees and deserve the feedback that they overcharge. I recently won a 1 lb. item at ebay for $8.00. Shipping for this it $3.20 without insurance. The seller immediately notified me that shipping and handling was $10.00. Did I just win with a bid he didnt want to accept? I emailed him back and asked him if he was sending it by taxi? He was only 200 miles away. I have over 2000 feedbacks with ONE negative (retaliation feedback) on 5 action sites. In my mind, I decided that this seller at ebay is a crook and will never receive my payment as I am totally disgusted with overinflated shipping and handling charges. I now email sellers before I bid and ask the exact charges for shipping. When I find that some high shipping charge is the case, I respond with "too high, sorry I really wanted the item, but I feel your shipping charge forces me not to." Then if I feel real spiteful, when the auction closes, I email them stating "I am sorry your auction closed at that price, I was willing to pay more".
---
posted on November 24, 1999 06:43:59 AM
Most of the time I use an estimate on shipping charges, because I send a lot of my stuff book rate and I don't know where to look this up. If I undercharge, that's my loss. If I overcharge by more than $1.00 I return the money. I tape an envelope to the package and I slipp in stamps or a check for the difference before taping it shut. Of course I e-mail the buyer right away to alert him of this fact. So far it has worked out very well for me. Some buyers are very positivly surprised by this.
posted on December 8, 1999 09:57:39 PM
Sorry for those of you who are bored by this topic, but here's my two cents (or $4.25, with handling and insurance).
First, one writer didn't know where to look to estimate shipping. Try:
http://www.usps.gov/consumer/domestic.htm
You have first class mail (13 ounces or less) and Book Rate (Special Standard Mail) which cost the same no matter where in the "U.S." it is sent(including Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Armed Forces addresses). As to Priority Mail, the rate is dependent on weight but NOT on zone until you get above 5 pounds; then it gets complicated. I have even created a spreadsheet "roughly" breaking it up by zones (based on zip codes) to 50 pounds (the last couple of sections are in increments of 10 pounds) so that I have an idea of estimated shipping.
Second, in your estimate, remember to include weight of box and packing materials. A 5 ounce item might end up over a pound if you have to pack it securely.
Third, sometimes you have to estimate box cost. It's usually between 25 cents and a dollar if you buy in bulk, but often you can use boxes that you received other stuff in. As to inside-out folded priority boxes, I believe this is actually a federal crime. You can order Priority boxes (FREE) from the post office's website at http://supplies.usps.gov/. You get sizes that even the local offices don't carry. But you also see the warning that misuse of these boxes may be a violation of federal law. Either buy the box, or send it Priority.
Fourth, as to insurance, it might be nice to explain to a purchaser about self-insurance. But it still won't take. I spend the money to insurance via the USPS (when I don't use UPS, which includes up to $100 with every package). That little "INSURED" stamp makes me feel a bit better, and I hope it does the same for the customer. And I simply will NOT ship anything uninsured (it's not worth the potential hassle).
Finally, I prefer to state, in advance, the cost of shipping, handling and insurance, based on which method is used. For example, I might say:
Book Rate: $2.00
Priority: $4.50
UPS: $4.75
The customer knows the cost up front, prior to bidding. Even after winning, it is their choice as to the selected method. I don't feel the need to itemized for the customer (box cost, packing, fee to have the item picked up, etc...), and they haven't complained yet. But I'm new to this, so I'm sure they will. All I can do is give them the most information in advance, and let them decide their actions from there.
posted on December 10, 1999 06:53:22 AM
I love this topic. As to using Priority boxes, inside out - not legal and hints of shady business practices.
As to self insurance - many companies do. USPS insurance is extremely expensive. If you pack properly, self insurance can be a cost effective way to go. Do you need a statement from the company that it is "truly" self-insured?
1. Check their feedback - have their been any complaints about not settling a damage claim? If not, nothing to worry about.
2. Why do you care if your package arrived safely? You agreed to the price so that must have been a fair price to pay for the item given that it arrived safely and as described. It's not like you paid for something and didn't get it. You have no reason to believe it was not insured.
As to being overcharged for shipping. You cannot be overcharged for shipping if the shipping price is stated in the description. The only thing that can come into play is the ethical issue of fee avoidance if the product is "free" and the shipping is grossly overstated. But the ethical issue only applies to eBay. Otherwise it doesn't matter if shipping is 90% and product is 10% or vice versa. If the total is acceptable, what's the beef?
I posted the following in the other thread on shipping charges but it more appropriately should have been posted here. It had to do with where material costs should be covered, if at all. I believe the answer is obvious - shipping and handling costs are always covered and are always paid by the buyer. Read on.
I am certainly confused. Lissaluvsyu states that you should build the handling charges into the starting price
and only charge actual shipping. That sounds like a retail sale, definitely not an auction. If you are truly
auctioning the item in a no-reserve format there is no way to "build" any costs into the starting bid unless
you set your minimum bid at an artificially high level that has a profit already built into it. But doing that
results in much less bidding interest in your item - "driving away bidders" - which clearly is not what you
want. I would concur with lissa in a retail environment but would add that if that is what you want to do, open
a storefront in an emall and sell retail. I thought ebay was an auction site. That said, I have the following
questions and comments:
If an item is worth $20 to you does it matter if you pay $15 for the item and $5 shipping or pay $18 for the
item and $2 shipping? If so, why? Isn't it still $20? Neither scenario has any hint of fee avoidance so there is
no ethical issue either.
If total shipping charges including insurance are clearly stated in the description how can you be ripped off?
My belief is that you can't! Simply factor the shipping into your bid price - doesn't everyone do that anyway?
If not, why not? It only seems to make sense. If the shipping charges aren't stated, ask.
Another belief, which is really fact: You pay shipping and handling charges on everything you purchase. I
would love to see just one example where you don't. Perhaps the point is that you feel better when you do
not see that actual charge. I can understand that feeling but it doesn't change the fact that you are always
paying for shipping and handling.
Now, some facts:
We sell 60 to 80 items per week on ebay with an average selling price of $75 in the categories of antiques
and collectibles. Approximately 80% of these items are consigned from the general public and other
dealers. They are, with extremely rare exception, offered without reserve and starting bids under $10. The
shipping amount is clearly stated in the description and is borne by the buyer. The consignor pays a fixed
commission rate. The consignors understand that even though the buyer pays shipping it clearly will affect
the selling price but the consignor is really only concerned with what he gets in the end - if our shipping
amount is too "high", the consignor will rightfully insist on a lower commission rate. If the shipping is too
"low" we can insist on a higher commission rate. But it really doesn't matter. We are in the middle and have
to please both the consignor and the buyer - they each have to be happy. But let's understand that
"someone" is bearing the full cost of shipping and handling and that can only be the buyer. If it is us, we
could not be in business. If it is the consignor they quickly would stop consigning goods because their
margin would become unacceptable. If there isn't enough demand to sustain an acceptable selling price
neither of us will be in business.
What are you really paying for shipping and handling?
As stated above, we quote a fixed rate in our auctions. That includes insurance and is based on the weight
of the package, estimated selling price, and "average" destination - about a zone 5. Example: nice Roseville
columbine vase, about 5 pounds packed properly, estimated selling price $200, going to Texas - shipping
cost $8.50 in the description.
So it sells for $190. Buyer pays $198.50. Consignor gets his cut and everyone is happy.
Now for the bad news: How much was shipping and handling, really?
We ship 250 packages a month. We pay a person to do our packing. She works part time and is paid, on
average, $650 per month. $2.60 per item, average. The box costs for the vase are $2.00. We buy our boxes
in large quantities but boxes are still expensive. This piece needs to be double boxed. Bubble - .$30 for the
vase. Peanuts (we buy them in 15 cubic feet bags) and miscellaneous - $.25. UPS shipping charge - $6.75.
Total - $11.90. Who paid it?
The buyer did. I didn't - I am still in business and not operating at a loss. The consignor didn't - he got what
he wanted.
If you bought the item, you paid ALL the shipping. In fact, you paid all the labor for packing, all the other
time spent on the item including writing the description and answering emails, and all the time we spent
simply drinking coffee. You paid the rent, you paid me, you paid UPS.
YOU obviously were "ripped off" big time.
Bottom line: $198.50 was acceptable to all parties. You knew the total cost up front and received exactly
what you ordered. You could have cut out all the "middle men" and purchased directly from the consignor for
$125 or so, but you opted not to for a variety of reasons. It was worth an additional $73.50 to you to buy
from the comfort of your own home and not spend the time trying to track it down cheaper. You freely chose
to do this.
In fact, what makes this country great is just that. The freedom to choose - just as you did.
posted on December 10, 1999 11:58:56 AM
"As for insurance, The USPS WILL NOT insure your item for its insured value unless you have a actual Sales receipt from a buiesness. It's like a postal scam, my sister works for the postal system & she will even tell you so! UPS is about the only company that will honor your claim without too much hassle."
****************************************
Alternate insurance handles claims with less hassle than any carrier.
Just wanted to add another option to insurance, alternate insurance. Alternate insurance is available to all sellers and buyers alike. Purchased directly from your home, you never have to go to the PO, even for International shipments. There are no minimums and claims are paid within 5-10 days from filing date. Rates are 50-70% less than any carrier and there is no forms.
As a seller, this would assist with lowering handling charges, as I hava read alot of handling is for PO visits, lines and filling out forms. In addition, if you ask the buyer to simply go on line and purchase insurance if they want it per package or you will and add to the total fee - there is very little extra to do.
Buyers can request alternate insurance or buy themselves, which lowers their costs and eliminates extra headaches from sellers.
Hope this gives both buyers and sellers another option.
Have a great holiday season
[ edited by packageins on Dec 10, 1999 12:00 PM ]
[ edited by packageins on Dec 10, 1999 12:01 PM ]
posted on December 11, 1999 10:53:39 AM
I live in Canada. We have postal outlets that are a joke. Someone trained may be serving you or it may be the janitor who has decided that the other person needs a break and takes over. I have gone to the postal outlets here several times and each time get a different figure for postage.
It depends on which way they plug it in their computer. One day, I was told by two outlets that postage was 3.85 (it was a movie) and when I went back after it sold it was 5.15. This happens a lot.
So some you win some you lose. Stating a shipping flat fee ensures that in the end it will all work out. THOUGH, I tend to get rave feedbacks when I charge say $8 and spend $21. On top of this in Canada we pay tax and insurance which IS NOT STATED on the price that the sticker is.
I hope anyone buying from a Canadian seller will see this and realize our position.
posted on December 12, 1999 09:52:40 AM
Ok, folks, I have read these until I can no longer contain my own opinion (imagine that!)
I am primarily a seller on eBay. I do a fair amount of auctions/shipping each week (20-30 items shipped). I am an individual, not a retailer, so most of my packing materials (bubble-wrap, etc) are purchased retail. I state a set shipping fee, and I try to estimate as closely as possible. I do not yet own a scale, but will soon to avoid problems like this. Do you realize that priority and first class are generally only 5 cents different if the item is not too light? I will choose priority if that is the case, but if a seller chooses first-class, he really isn't bilking anyone. The real bilking is probably done by the USPS, since priority and first class will generally arrive in the same amount of time.
I agree with many who say that if you are not happy with the shipping terms, don't bid. I have had a buyer email me before bidding and state that she felt the shipping was too high. Know what? I agreed, and adjusted my shipping rate for her, should she win the auction (and would have adjusted it for anyone who won the auction.) I also had someone complain to me that she had paid $3 for shipping and that postage was only $2 something. I try to recycle, also, but in this case, it was in a brand new bubble envelope that cost me $1.80. I refunded her the entire $3 to keep a customer. But I shouldn't have felt I had to.
My time is valuable. My costs are significant to me. My auction prices are very reasonable, and I rarely have a reserve. I do this to make extra money. Please don't squabble over a few cents (or even a dollar or two) if shipping is stated clearly and if the packaging was appropriately and well-done.
By the way, I like this self-insure business. I might try it in the New Year!
posted on December 12, 1999 11:39:38 PM
Calmarc:
Im a fulltime and long time seller at Ebay.
I post s&h charges in every one of my auctions.
Generally that amount covers my postage fees (mostly priority mail service or UPS service) I sell hundreds of auctions so I dont have time to weigh and check the zone on every item so I post a fair
upfront cost.
I have to pay my wholesale suppliers a s&h or postage fee to get the items to me so I can sell them to you. Yes I could raise the prices thru the ceiling to cover my cost or I can post the fair fee upfront which may include a buck extra or 30 cents extra on a $3.20 priority box shipment that I charge $3.50 flat fee for.
It helps cover my expenses such as that shipping cost to get the items, tape, time, gas, and other misc business expenses.
I often even insure or put tracking on items going into questionable hands or rough areas of the country so I have proof of loss or can recover from a loss.
The idea is indeed to be fair though. I also bid and if I see a item that I know costs $3.20 to ship and they want $6.00 I simply dont bid on it. The final not is Buyer Beware. Self insurance is a good Idea for a buck, but I have not done that myself yet due to people feeling cheated. Even though I am personally taking the risk of loss. Now I post if you dont insure it for .85 cents then you take the risk of loss or damage. But I do make sure the post office stamps it as insured so you see it on the box.
If you agreed to the posted shipping and the final cost, you really should not be mad. But you may also choose not to do business with that seller again. As for back end costs, its sometimes necessary to stay competitive with the new ebay fees for reserve auctions, and comissions. Dont try to do the sellers business for him, rather do what your comfortable with. Again, if you dont like the upfront and posted fees, simply dont bid.
Just my opinion.
posted on December 21, 1999 05:34:03 PM
Have browsed this "overcharged"discussion and will add my two cents.I have bought and sold for about 6 months now
mostly on Ebay.There arethree kinds of sellors. The folks who either are doing this for fun(probably just cleaning the attic or 'garage selling).Generally little problems here. and those who are making a full time career of this.The latter CANNOT GET A PRODUCT to sell so he buys import goods from a jobber. Guess what? everybody is selling the same stuff at the same price! soooo
..he makes it up on shipping and handling(overhead he says) sure there is no profit elsewhere or he is selling the same furbies, cards,tools,or whatever as the rest.
These vendors are easilly identified by VERY high feedbacks generally.Another catagory is a store,shop or busness that is expanding to the net(not exclusively the net)
to liquidate stock or broaden client base. These are rarely a problem vendor ex.pawn shops, doll stores,antique stores,wholesalers,distributors etc...to them the net is like adding another salesman to the staf
f.If one analizes all the gripes it generally comes from the same type of operation.
A guy who stays at home and wants to run a flee market or a discount dollar store without any overhead, only profit.
These folks have not found a 'nitch'.
Personally auctions are FANTASTIC for nitch market items
e.g. small,specialized,relatively pricy and rare but needed by about 5% ot the population.
Have a good day.
posted on December 22, 1999 03:49:02 PM
Shipping and Handling Fees.
I am an auction seller and here is something I would like to offer about shipping and handling. This is an area that often can get sticky with customers but hopefully one can try to understand where sellers have to build in shipping and handling fees.
Auction are very competitive and risky for sellers. The amount of risk loss for professional sellers runs about 25+ percent. Credit card fraud, bad checks, stolen money orders, refunds, customers whom claim they never receive the product and etc., & the never ending credit card and bank fees. To be competitive in the price market of internet auctions we must offer my items at a price that competes or beats other sellers. I can not afford to absorb major losses. Lets say your local department store sells you an item. They have already built the loss into the price, member fees and etc.. This I can promise you, I spent 8 years in retail management.
We as auction sellers can not do this because the nature of an auction is that most people are looking for the absolute best bargain price or they would be shopping at their local dept. store and internet auction would not be the fastest growing business in the net.
Some time many buyers seem to think we sellers are like a local department store where they can return items if they use it and decide they don like it 2 months later. We sellers can not simply afford that. So many people want a free ride.
One way that we try to recover losses, YES losses! Is through handling charges! I am talking reasonable handling charges depending on the product. Average is around 10 percent of sell price. Just because you see a postal package with $3 shipping cost, does NOT mean that is all that is cost the shipper to send this to you. Consider the losses mentioned above, cost to take to shipping carrier, packing material, LABOR cost, and lot's of other cost that buyers just simply don't see.
So please buyers give us a break. I feel most of us sellers are really trying very hard to bring you the best product for the best price. Many of us are either trying to earn a living or part time income and would like to have a little understanding in this new field in buying merchandise. Remember this is not your local department or outlet store.
posted on December 25, 1999 09:59:15 PM
The last few items I have bought on ebay involved overcharging for shipping. I was charged $3.20 priority mail but shipping was about $1.00, the rest went into the sellers pocket. The last time this happened, I sent an e-mail to the seller stating that I thought it was poor business practice to overcharge and discourages repeat customers. If I state priority mail when I am the seller, I only send priority mail, and yes, sometimes I have to eat the extra postage. I consider it "cost of doing business".
posted on December 31, 1999 09:20:22 PM
I JUZ GOTTA COMMENT!
As a buyer soon to turn seller, I am appalled at the "explanations" for excessive s/h charges. I don't have a problem with being warned in the listing...at least then I am able to make an informed choice to bid or not. There are several sellers that I avoid due to their BLATANT overcharging. One "dealer" charges a MINIMUM of $10.50 per item. Let's see; win a $4.00 matchbox car auction and pay $14.50 to get it??? Maybe Burger King could try this ploy....sell hamburgers for 19 cents but when its placed in front of you it is now 99 cents due to the paper wrap and the bun! ???? hummm??
But I digress....as a buyer do us all a favor: STATE THE AMOUNT IN THE AD! GIVE US OPTIONS! Don't run
"actual shipping charged" ads & then "bill" us for your box and tape and time. I would rather bid on an auction that tells me $3.20 PRIORITY MAIL & $1.50 handling than be told AFTER the close that s&h will be $5.00 for a light item.
You talk about YOUR expenses...just maybe WE SELLERS factor in expenses to our bids? At least you know what yours are....we find out too late to do anything except risk p*ssing off a seller and risk FB problems.
As a collector who is spending several hundred dollars a month on various items, I dont think I should HAVE to email sellers to get clarification on unstated charges.
I will say I am glad to have found this thread so that I can learn from you experienced sellers before I take the dive.
posted on January 1, 2000 01:07:11 PM
I've been buying and selling on Ebay since Aug 1997. I have to admit it would upset me to win a Mercury Dime for 75 cents and be charged $2.50 S&H (and it would arrive in an envelope with a 33 cent stamp. So as a suggestion, here is what I do:
1) If the S&H is $3.00 on an item I know takes less then $1.00 - I don't bid on it.
2) I don't bid on an item where the S&H is not clearly posted (if I am really interested in the item I email the seller and get the S&H before I bid).
3) If you do get burned for a couple of dollars - get over it. Life is too short to go around fretting about someone overcharging you a buck or two.
Let me say that the areas where I buy & sell (coins and tobacco cards) the S&H charges have been coming down in the last year.
I also don't buy the argument that the extra is for time, effort and gas to go to the post office. Unless you live in Iowa, how far away is the post office. And in many cases I've found the same people who charge an extra $3 for packing materials end up taking priority mail packing materials from the PO and turning them inside out and mailing it book rate. If there are really extenduating circumstances, why not be honest about it in the description.
Happy Bidding!!!!
posted on September 21, 2000 05:09:15 AM
ok, I'll get blistered here. We do charge "handling". We state it "up front", (No surprises here), and we look at it like this:
Ebay charges us for selling the item... (no problem here), but they don't help us pack the item. If we include the cost of packaging into the price of the item, we wind up paying ebay fee's on our packing materials. (In our case we go thru about $150.00 worth of bubble wrap a month, a slew of padded mailers, about 10 rolls of tape, ect.) Why in the world should we pay ebay fees on this stuff? We seperate it from the sale price by charging "handling".
Having said that, I'll say again, we are "up front" about it. You know what we are chargeing, and can take it into consideration when bidding. figuring your "total cost" is simple because we make it simple. Those where think this is a "rip-off" don't have to bid. We have a large number of repeat buyers, so the few (but vocal) people who want "postage only" shipping can go elsewhere to sellers who want to pay ebay fees on the bubble wrap.
posted on September 24, 2000 05:42:51 PM
As a seller and a buyer I list my shipping costs as what it costs me to mail it priority and a tiny amount more for the packing materials. I sell mostly clothing and I carefully wrap items in tissue paper and ribbon for protection and presentation. The tissue paper is not free to me and because I make only a dollar or two on each auction usually, I cannot afford to absorb the cost of the wrapping materials. Most of my feedback states they appreciate the way I have packaged the items and no one has complained about the costs. If a bidder buys more than one item, I will box them together and refund the extra shipping whether they ask me to or not as I feel this in only fair and honest. I too have declined to bid on items when the shipping was out of line for instance a ring had $15.00 shipping and it was listed as $12.00 for the bid. Even priority only would be $3.20. So I felt if they would overcharge so much on the shipping then they possibly were not very honest and I could not trust the item to be as described. But it is the buyers responsibility to ask before bidding, and I always do. That way I have it in "writing" so to speak (email writing). And, I too dont hesitate to tell them I am passing due to the shipping costs.
posted on September 27, 2000 09:24:34 AM
Hi. I'm a new buyer on ebay and hopefully in other auctions. After spending hours looking at sellers pages, I've gotten this down to a quick review on the item. First I check the asking price or starting bid...then I go immediately to the shipping and handling costs. I then take another good look at the item. If the shipping and handling costs knock the price out of wack, I don't bother. If the seller doesn't list the s/h costs, I may not bother either because unless I REALLY want the item, I just don't want to take the time to write email to get the s/h costs, or dimensions, etc. I have noticed that some sellers seem to have high s/h charges, but thats their choice based on whatever their circumstances, as its my choice whether I want to pay the impact charge to receive my bidded item. I'm just happy when the person delivers the item as promised, in good shape, on time and is nice enough to give feedback so other sellers will feel confortable doing business with someone they don't know.
posted on September 29, 2000 09:18:20 AM
Has anyone taken into consideration the cost of fuel? It's not going down here in NY. $1.70 a gal in most parts and I hear that's cheap... Add that to a hidden cost of delivery.
posted on October 6, 2000 12:25:03 AM
I charge shipping and HANDLING !
It's amusing when someone complains that I only spent 55 cents to ship them the CD, or 3.20 to priority mail the package, yet I charged $7.99 shipping. I sold them the item for a buck ! Why did I do that, because that is what the CD and mailer costs me! Because the auction gods charge me a precentage of what I sold it for. I would rather sell it for a buck and collect my fee's in the S&H fees which is clearly stated.
posted on October 11, 2000 12:39:09 PM
I am a Buyer and Seller and can see both sides. I have been burned many times on shipping by trying to be fairon my shipping charges. When the item sold for $2.00, and hte shipping you charged is $1.00, and when I bring it to the post office it ends up being about $1.75, it hurts. Here is an example that happened to us in the last month. We sold a Dollhouse for about $10, anthe shipping/handling we charged for the large item was $13.00. When we brought it down to UPS they charged us about $11.00. I had to use a van to bring it down to the UPS depot because it wouldn't fit in my car and packaging the dollhouse was difficult, so I didn't think I ripped anyone off. The next time we sold the same type of dollhouse, when new about how much the shipping was going to be and the distance it was being shipped was less. The item was won at $10.00 and the shipping/handling we charged on that item was $11.00, as we were trying to be fair. We got down to the UPS depot and they told us that the Shipping charge on that box,...for the same size/type dollhouse we shipped less than 2 weeks before, was $18.00. We showed them a reciept from the previous shipment, which had the same weight and the lower charge. They claimed that must have been a mistake and we got a good deal on the the first shipment. Fortunately the bidder was understanding and sent us the difference.
We don't expect to make any money off shipping/handling, but want to cover our rear end also. We use the cost estimators online to try to determine shipping. If for some reason what we charged for first class is more than actual cost when we get down to the post office, we ship it out Priority, even if it cost us some out of our pocket, just to assure it gets to the customer fast.
posted on October 13, 2000 06:50:00 AM
E-Stamp and a good quality postage scale!!! Sellers - DON'T use a bathroom scale. They are notoriously WRONG! I have two. One says I weight 105, the other 110 (and the doctor's scale says yet another number) and they are both set at 0! What I truly weigh is a mystery! Go figure!
As for insurance, I always opt for it when buying. I do prefer the USPS insurance, however. Even though it may take longer to get your money back at least you know who you are dealing with. I have had to use the insurance one time. Thankfully, I had it. Seems a postage truck was broken into and a luck would have it (my luck), my item was inside. When I have opted for the USPS insurance, my package was always delivered by my postal worker and I had to sign for it. If you didn't sign for it, it wasn't USPS insurance.
If you paid for your item using your credit card, sometimes you are covered by them if you didn't receive your item or received it damaged. Check with them. My Capital One card protects me in this event.
posted on October 13, 2000 08:06:25 PM
Turning Prioity shipping boxes inside out is Not ALLOWED. Report it at USPS.COM...... all users who have priorty boxes shipped to them have to SIGN a statement that explains the PROPER use of there Supplies... and Turning them inside out is a NO NO.
I have deleted your post because it contained a link to the ebay auction and identified the Seller in question. There are several steps that must be followed before you can post identifying information (that includes auction numbers, ebay IDs and email addresses).
For more information, please read the Community Guidelines, linked below.
I have again deleted your post because it contained the auction number and ebay ID of the Seller. You CANNOT post ebay IDs, auction numbers, links to the auction or anything else that will identify the Seller without following the steps below first:
1.You must email an invitation to the Seller to register at AuctionWatch.com in order to join the discussion. The Moderator ([email protected]) should receive a CC of the invitation email, and the invitation email should contain a link to the
thread and to the Guidelines. The Seller should be urged to read and understand the Guidelines prior to posting.
2.The Seller must be given 24 hours in which to respond before discussion can proceed - the thread will be locked for that 24 hours. If the Seller has not joined the discussion within 24 hours, the discussion will then be allowed to proceed without him/her.
3. You must have your full name, address, and phone number on record at AuctionWatch.com. This information must be email to the Moderator ([email protected]
Please DO NOT post any information that will identify the Seller again if you have not followed the steps outlined above.
posted on October 22, 2000 10:43:12 AM
Over shipping costs!!!...I had to jump in and tell my story of over charged. I mostly sell on ebay, but I was asked to find an item as a gift for someone..it was a mickey mouse watch..(and a very nice one)from a seller who's business on ebay is selling nothing but watches...the shipping cost was $ 5.50 shipping & handling...okay,so when I got the watch it was sent in a bubble envelope..the postage of .55 CENTS!!! It was in good condition with a sales slip.(that was good...but as a seller myself and knowing what the shipping costs are I felt a bit betrade by the way of shipping costs...and I'm sure the seller enjoyed the fact that he mades a little extra. It makes me think about my charges on shipping and sometimes I'm off by .40 cents when I send items First class and sometimes I have to pay an extra .40 cents because I didn't figure in the shipping weight right.
posted on October 24, 2000 06:46:17 PM
I am a buyer and Seller with a feedback rating of 150 (no neg). I charge 3.00 handling + actual ship, this seems fair as it covers the packing, time & sometimes the miscalculated shipping. The postoffice seems to have scales in their favor and .01 over means a extra $1.10.
I have bought a monitor that the seller published "Actual shipping" and was quoted $65 (ouch) They said that they skid the item, lots of packing yada yada.. No skid, min packing and a damaged box. I'm just glad the item was not damaged, but this is a real case of shipping overcharge.
Another one just from the other day had "See description for shipping charges" Nothing in the AD gave away what the shipping would be. Well I took a chance since the item was a little under bid, shipping was quoted at $8 for a $3.20 item. I complained that it should have been published, but was chastised that I was getting a bargan. I must say that keeping a clean slate on the feedback takes some restrain because if you do complain (give neg feedback), then you in-turn will get a black mark too! Not exactly fair. Oh-well thats the game we play.
posted on October 26, 2000 09:48:00 PM
I just received an item on which I was the high bidder, and the TOS advertised shipping at $5.00. The item arrived, and the shipper had sent it priority mail w/ delivery confirmation at a total cost of $3.55. Am I upset? ABSOLUTELY NOT! I knew going in exactly what the cost would be, and based my bid on that. What I DO object to, however, are sellers who hide behind the blind phrase "buyer pays shipping", or some such nonsense as that, giving them the opportunity to adjust the shipping charges to make up for whatever they feel they've "lost" to a low final bid. Unless the seller states his/her exact shipping charges up front, I move onto the next.
After well over five hundred successful online auctions, I just received my first criticism about my shipping fee. Even though my fees are very clearly stated in each of my auctions, the buyer felt compelled to send me a nasty email note regarding my "very high" shipping charge. Hey folks, if I state it up front and you don't like it, do us both a favor and DON'T BID! The time to raise a question is before you win the auction, not after.
[ edited by kramerfamily on Oct 26, 2000 09:49 PM ]
