For a site that seems to have such a small
part of the bidding public the rules seem
just an extra burden to deal with.

Also in listing on their auctions the shipping costs are very restrictive in
scope.

With Heavy items they want you to pre-pack and weigh them and pick a high figure
for shipping costs to put in their slot
and hope for the best.

for someone who ships pretty heavy(10to20lbs.) I need a zip code to give accurate cost to my customers.

I will be gone if I can find a way to get the $9.00 I have left in my account.

Katykatman
 

I'm on the AU site daily and I haven't seen us institute the first requirement for a bidder to see a listing. I just don't understand your first comment.

The best I can make of it, you object to rules? That couldn't be:-) Rules are necessary.

Perhaps you'd like to clarify?

Your second comment, however, is more clear.

Basically you state that shipping costs are very restrictive. You go on to explain that your objection saying it is difficult to state a shipping cost because the items you ship are heavy 10-20 pounds.

First, the amount placed in the shipping field need not be the last word on shipping. A single amount, frankly, does do well when you're dealing with items that weigh under two pounds and can be shipped USPS priority.

The primary objection seems to be that our software requires you state a cost in the shipping cost field.

I understand how this could create a question in your mind... With so many variables, just what figure should you put there?

In these situations what we recommend is that you state, in the shipping type area, not UPS or USPS Priority or what have you, but the term "OTHER".

This puts your "other" statement in the field right above the shipping amount. I use, in such situations, the following:

BEST WAY $+/-

Or you could write $0 in the cost field and say

SEE DESCRIPTION

Then, as you should (or would) in any auction, state IN THE DESCRIPTION of your auction the fact that the item is heavy and shipping will vary depending on the carrier selected and also the weight and distance. You then tell the bidder that the final shipping amount will be determined by the distance between where you are and where they are.

You could get quite elaborate and place an entire shipping cost table in the description of your item. Certainly, the information provided there regarding your shipping policies and expected costs carry more weight than that single "shipping cost" field.

We do use this shipping field to bill a users' credit card in bidsafe transactions.
In those cases, sellers USUALLY enter the "largest" expected fee that would be paid for shipping (farthest zone)in the shipping field. This amount is then charged to the winning bidsafe bidder's credit card. The seller then enters the "actual" shipping charges on the shipping confirmation page after the auction has ended and the bidder's credit card is ultimately credited for the amount. They also would include a similar statement in the body of their auction as part of their "boilerplate."

Some times we do run into a problem when the seller has entered too small an amount in the field and it may take a work around to get full reimbursement for shipping when the seller miscalculates, on the low side, shipping fees required.

But for most items -- those weighing less than two pounds, the USPS fee of $3.25 for priority mail typically covers it.

The bottom line, though, is that the shipping fee amount entered is secondary to shipping fee notices/information contained in the description of your auction.

BTW: Some people simply enter zero in that field and with "Other selected" as shipping type, say "See description"

That makes it just like eBay.

... and I'm glad you asked.

------------------
Neomax
[email protected]

Package 21lbs. to Seattle, Wa 98110
comes to $29.45.

This really gets me a lot of bids, like
people from New Orleans(70112) Which the shipping costs on the same package is $10.70

If you are trying to sell an item for $27.50 and have a $29.45 shipping charge posted you
need not stay up at night looking at your bids.

Nothing personal, it just doesn't work for me.

You are right, some folks would be deterred from bidding on a $27.50 item that costs $29.50 to ship to them if they lived in Seattle. Some in New Orleans wouldn't and presumably if someone could come by your home or business they could avoid all shipping costs, too.

Explaining the shipping costs involved is what descriptions are for.

I suggested a few other ways to handle that but if it doesn't work for you, that's your decision. Good luck with your auctions.

------------------
Neomax
[email protected]