posted on September 2, 2000 08:06:49 PM
Against my better judgement, I bid on an auction from a brand new seller with 0 feedback. She accepts Billpoint, but is not sure yet how it works. This is a set of dishes so I asked that be mailed UPS and to please give me that rate. She emails me today and tells me that shipping for my package would be $150.00, the price of the items were $30.00, bu that it seemed "kinda high" so I could back out if I wanted. I emailed her back and she replied saying that she did not know how this was supposed to be sent. I did a quick cost of the UPS website, and they gave her the overnight delivery cost for this item.
She has not got a clue, and admits that, I am holding her hand trying to put her through every step, but she is still lost. I copied and pasted the rate quote from the UPS site for her. I just now got an email saying she "thinks" it weighs 35 pounds, she must be a really good guesser. Any suggestions on how to make all this work? I really want the items, good investment, they were terribly listed and she identified it as Porcelain insted of Pottery. Heather
posted on September 2, 2000 08:14:49 PM
warning: i've never done this myself, but i've had others do it for me. i believe you can have ups deliver a box and pre-printed label to her doorstep. all she has to do is pack the dishes as carefully as she can (hopefully she is capable of buying some styrofoam peanuts all by herself... sorry to sound rude), call ups back, leave the box on her doorstep and then ups will be by the next business day to pick the package up. everything will be paid for by you, so you could just pay her the price of the auction and take care of the shipping yourself. this is also kinda neat because it protects you from outrageous handling fees. sorry i can't give you any phone numbers or links to help you out, but try this one out.
posted on September 2, 2000 08:28:46 PM
One problem with that, she really has no idea how much it weighs, I know what you are talking about, it is called a Call Tag, but I have no idea what to pay for on the weight. I think asking her to get it weighed would be a disaster. Heather
posted on September 2, 2000 08:35:53 PM
since the item is great enough that you're willing to take the chance with the new seller, you probably have an idea as to what it should weigh (give or take ten pounds) and about how big it is. just send a generously sized box (but still within reason) and ask her to stuff all of the empty space with crumpled newspaper, styrofoam, bubble wrap, lint, wash rags, favorite pets, whatever she's got in the house. i think if you just give it your best guess, ups will look the other way if you're a little off in the weight.
posted on September 2, 2000 08:36:36 PM
I think you better walk her through the packing process or your $30.00 investment is not going to be worth much. From the information you have supplied I doubt that this seller knows how to pack.
Insurance won't help much if the items are worth much more than you paid for them. I don't think I would be brave enough to bid on a set of dishes from a new seller who does a horrible listing. But hey, you never know!
posted on September 2, 2000 08:45:19 PM
What I am leaning towards now is telling her what it really is, helping her to re-list it and let it become someone else's problem.
I discovered it in going, going, gone, and only had two minutes to make up my mind, I wish I had checked her out better. She has never even bid on an auction, she had 10 listed at the time, mine was the only bid. I should have passed it by, but I do give her credit, she is trying really hard, but just does not know what to do. Heather
posted on September 2, 2000 08:50:21 PM
Heather
Would it be worth it to you to have her take it to a professional packing service & arrange to pay the service directly? I know how outrageous the charges can be, but it might save in the long run if the dishes arrive in good condition.
posted on September 2, 2000 08:54:34 PM
vargas, thought of that also, but with the shipping cost as it stands, I estimate about $15-25, I will only double-triple my money back, if we have it professionally packed I will make very little if any profit off of them. Heather
posted on September 3, 2000 05:03:17 AM
Heather -
Have her get a partitioned "dish pack" box from a moving supplies store. If bubblewrappep, packed in this, and then double-boxed, they should survive.
As to weighing ... if she weighs herself on the bathroom scale, then weighs herself with the box (after packing), the difference is the weight of the dishes.
posted on September 3, 2000 05:54:45 AM
At the very least, give her the suggestion as to getting a dish packing box or instructions on how to pack the dishes, even if you choose to let it become someone else's "problem". I'd hate to see someone else get stuck with a set of broken dishes, and that sounds pretty likely in this case.
Can this woman not pack the dishes up, take them to her UPS shipping point and have them weighed, and then communicate the shipping charges to you? I know that seems extreme, but it seems to leave the least room for error (and speaking as someone who has no bathroom scale, I can see why that's not an option ). Just be sure that she knows to specify "UPS Ground".
BTW, I think you deserve a round of applause for your hand-holding. This woman could very well become a successful part of the Ebay community because you've taken the time to teach her and shown her how the GOOD Ebayers interact. If you get the dishes, and they survive shipment, give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back.
posted on September 3, 2000 08:21:10 AM
Perhaps you could do this: Estimate how much it would weigh for the 35 pounds she "thinks" it is plus a few pounds for the box and packing materials. Offer to make up the difference if it actually costs more to ship.
posted on September 3, 2000 09:00:31 AM
Well, it has been kind of entertaining. I still cannot believe her quote, "shipping will be $150.00, but that seems a little high."
Her emails from this morning are also funny. She weighed the box, I did not know she had it packed on her bathroom scale. She does not know how accurate it is. That was a good idea having her weigh herself and then weigh herself with the box, I will suggest that. I was getting awful tired of this, I am not going to pawn it offon someone else. We can make this work, it may take awhile, but I think we can get it done. Thanks for all the suggestions, and let me know if you think of anything else. I am going to ask her how she has packed it. Heather
posted on September 3, 2000 09:19:28 AM
Heather> well I once had to send a whole set of dishes and here is what I did. I got 3 VERY sturdy boxes. I took each and every piece of dishware and double bubbled it, plus made sure none of the edges of the dishes were near the corners. I added shredded newspapers top, bottom, and sides as well. I taped the boxes, (3), took them to the post office and had them tell me all the possible ways to send them. Then I got back to the buyer and listed the choices, and left it up to her. She chose regular mail, it cost $54.00 and I insured them for $50.00 on each package so add $2.55 to that, and wrote FRAGILE all over the boxes. They got to her in wonderful shape and it took about 6 days. ope this helps and it is great you are helping her like this. *BRAVO*
posted on September 3, 2000 10:21:40 AM
I have to ask how many dishes were in this auction? I have sent and received a lot of dishes, and 36 pounds is a lot of dishes, or they are made of the really dense clay stoneware.
Even if you walk this person through sending you the dishes the odds of over paying a lot for special boxes, packing and shipping, are pretty high, plus the odds of damage. Not to mention the time and aggravation of dealing with a seller trying to get the dishes shipped safely.
I would run, not walk, away from this deal. Unless they were something I had been looking to find for a minimum of 20 years and had word from my Doctor that I had less than a month to live with no hope ever finding them again.
I would offer to reimburse fees to the seller and wish s/he luck. BTW: I sent a full service of dinnerware for 6 to England for $90.00. They were well packed and arrived with no damage. Was the $150.00 for hand delivery by messenger service? I am convinced that selling on eBay is not for everyone.
posted on September 3, 2000 10:41:36 AM
smw: It is a partial set of Homer Laughlin that she had listed somewhere in the Porcelain category. I do very well buying Homer Laughlin on ebay and then re-selling it. There is a lot to know about it, and most people do not take the time to try to find the shape and/or decal. The auction was for 13 plates, 13 soup bowls, and a serving bowl. Just a set of 4 plates can cost $6.50 Priority Mail. Most of the Homer Laughlin is pretty sturdy stuff.
The newest in this is: She accepts Billpoint, I asked to pay by Billpoint E-check, but she still has not got this figured out. I even sent her an invoice from the auction page to help her out. I do not mind helping someone in the least. If there is a pattern in Homer Laughlin that is listed and I know it, if I am not going for it myself, then I always try and email the seller and tell them what they have.
You know, back in the "old days" she could probably have made it very well on here. Half of her auctions have no photos, and they all have one line descriptions. She has had one transaction before me, a bidder with 4 feedback, I bet that transaction was a comedy of errors also. I just cannot imagine why someone would not take the time to bid on a few auctions and learn the ropes first. Hell, I had 70 feedback before I started selling and you can bet I knew what was going on when I started. Heather
