posted on October 8, 2001 08:50:44 AM
I'm Christmas shopping this morning-for me!
I don't mind at at saying what I'm shopping for. I collect Dept 56 Dicken's Christmas Village items. Love them!
But it's frustrating. I don't understand using UPS for an item that weights less than 1 lb. I have hundreds (yes I mean hundreds) of these boxes and they aren't heavy! Even the houses-big maybe-but not heavy! But to ask me to pay $10.00 and over to ship an accessory item that weighs less than a pound is crazy! Or no shipping at all. Please, why can't a seller list a cost for these lightweight items? I'm not just bidding on one item-there are several I want. I don't want to fool with emailing sellers and waiting for an answer back.
Also, I want to see a picture. And please don't stand over the top of the house-it makes it look all squaty (is that a word? lol) and you can't see the detail. And please don't say it's mint-except for paint chips-pieces missing blah blah-to a village collector-there is no except. Either it is mint or it isn't! It's not even mint without the box and sleeve!
And don't list an item as retired when it's not! And if you list two or three houses-tell me the name of those houses!! They're not just buildings!
Don't waste you time telling me to hit the back button or not bid-that's exactly what I'm doing. But there are some pieces sitting there without bids that I'd most certainly bid on-but for the above reasons-I'm not. Lots of sellers are talking about low sales-thought I'd give a reason why I'm not bidding on some auctions.
posted on October 8, 2001 08:59:49 AM
I agree with you. S/H should be listed on all of the auctions and I guess if you don't like the S/H you shouldn't bid. I think sellers are starting their bids low and try and make it up on the S/H but even if I want the item I back out because ebay is so big that another one will be along shortly. Good Luck.
posted on October 8, 2001 09:07:59 AM
As Libra63 said,maybe the seller is trying to offer the item at a low enough bid to get some interest and make it up on shipping.
What I would ask is the item worth the offered price with the shipping charge included.If its still a good buy at that then I would bid.
These are the same kind of complaints that I've been having lately while I've been doing my Christmas shopping.
The pics I'm seeing is unbelievable.
I'm seeing S&H overcharges on 90% of the items I look at. And I don't mean overcharge by $1, either.. I'm talking more than that.
I recently won 4 auctions from a seller, as
his auctions stated "will combine auctions". At the end of the 4 auctions, all he did was multiply his S&H amount stated in the auction, multiply it times 4 and deduct 50¢!!! Mind you, they ALL could have shipped for only the ONE shipping charge that was stated in his auction.
I seriously have to wonder how some of these sellers are able to stay in business.
posted on October 8, 2001 09:48:12 AM
I guess you could send some "I'd bid, but.." emails in which you let them know up front you found their auction and might bid but you need flexibility on shipping, a better, photo, a name, whatever.
The seller could well just blow you off but maybe, just maybe, your question would be a wake-up call for some sellers who don't stop to think of these things. I guess that's the optimistic way to look at it, anyway...
posted on October 8, 2001 10:02:30 AM
packrat: I did email him, and he TOTALLY ignored me. He also doesn't seem to be quite "with it". He sent me a "thanks for your payment" email BEFORE I paid him.. then after I paid via Paypal, he sent me an email "Your item has just been shipped". And this was yesterday - Sunday - within minutes after I paid him. Never rec'd a response to my question regarding his "combined" shipping. And he has good feedback too - only 1 neg out of over 500.. so I don't get it.
posted on October 8, 2001 01:13:18 PM
Susan:
I found a place locally that has retired NRFB Dept 56 trees, people, houses, etc.
I don't collect these so I didn't bother scooping them up to take the risk on what will sell. The boxes were in good shape but not mint ~ does that matter?
If you'd like, e-me ([email protected]) and I'll see if I can hook you up!
posted on October 9, 2001 06:48:01 AM
Hi Zoomin, The boxes don't have to be mint but the item does. I only check out Dickens, but if the other Dept 56 Village items sell as well as these do, I'd say it would be worth your time to check it out. Were they on sale? When they are issued, every store has to price them the same. I've shopped many places and the prices are always the same. Hardly ever will you find them on sale. Retired pieces can be very hard to come by and some of them were retired the same year they were issued.
From what I've seen on Ebay, if a seller could find these pieces at a good price, state shipping in auction and not ship a 1 or 2 lb item UPS, you'd do very well! I'm not going to pay $10.00 to ship an item that can easily go PM for $3.50!
posted on October 9, 2001 07:31:01 AM
I wonder if some of the not-too-bright sellers are the same ones that post complaints here that their auctions are closing with few or no bids.
If most of the sellers of these items are doing the same thing, perhaps they are all copying each others practices, figuring if the competition gouges, then why shouldn't they. A friendly email from you to one seller could get them to rethink their terms. Worth a try?
As to the seller who gave a big 50 cent discount on shipping four items, I would give them four negs, plain and simple. Something like:
FB 1 Gouges on shipping. Purchased 4 items
FB 2 Said bid on other items, would combine shipping
FB 3 After items won, gave all of 50 cents off
FB 4 Paid seller $xx.xx, but shipping actually $xx.xx
posted on October 9, 2001 07:57:07 AMAs to the seller who gave a big 50 cent discount on shipping four items, I would give them four negs, plain and simple
WHOA, hold on here. The seller said they would give a discount. They did. It might not have been as much as the buyer was hoping for but the seller did do they said they would do.
There are plenty of sellers who not only won't give any discount but won't combine shipping at all. I don't LIKE what he did and I can certainly understand the frustration but he did live up to his TOS (by a mere squeek).
Now I hate shipping overcharges with a passion but before we condemn every seller as being a gouger, let's take a look at how they are shipping.
Some people send everything priority, including 1oz nothings. Stupid, IMHO, but that's the way they choose to operate.
Some use those darn expensive places like MBE, so they are overcharging because they are paying excessive prices. Again, stupid IMHO but hopefully they'll wise up over time.
Then there are just the ones who are gouging and there's no polite way to say it. I have zero use for them and if I buy from them & get gouged, then that's the last dime they'll ever get from me. But as one now departed AW poster said, "there's millions of buyers out there & more coming on line everyday". That is apparently what some of these people are banking on.
Returning to the combined shipping issue, I wouldn't leave a neg but I would probably leave a qualified positive, something like "nice item, combined shipping MUCH higher than expected".
posted on October 9, 2001 10:48:36 AM
I don't know why people send small items UPS. The shipping is too high. I never ship UPS unless the item is just too big to go through the post office. As our Postmaster told me the UPS does not have its own planes for shipping and they ship everything that goes by air through USPS. That means if you ship a small item you are paying USPS plus a nice profit to UPS. UPS simply meets the mail planes at the airport and loads its truck. Why pay them $10 when you can pay the post office $3.50 to go Priority Mail? I try to keep shipping costs down as low as possible for my customers, but even then they complain it's too high. A seller can't please every buyer it seems.
posted on October 9, 2001 11:15:10 AM
UPS DOES have it's own fleet. The main hub is in Kentucky.
It's the postal service that doesn't have it's own air service.
Maybe sellers ship via UPS because the first $100 of insured value is included in the cost of freight and then, it is only 35 cents per $100 (or fraction thereof) over $100.00
posted on October 9, 2001 11:26:23 AM
Yes, they definitely have their own fleet. The KY hub is where my son worked this summer that I posted about in another thread. He loaded for UPS Air. Those planes are used for charter flights, too, and are said to be the safest in the air. BUT, I could add $1.10 insurance by USPS and still come out a lot cheaper than with UPS.
posted on October 9, 2001 12:30:45 PM
Susan:
I found them at the clearance center for a highend department store. Most of the boxes were in good condition. If you are interested, e-me and I will see what they have left ~ I'd be happy to buy them to ship 'em out for you to sell.
(I'm not interested in another line of collectibles for myself, I have a habit of collecting what I sell and it would be waaaay too dangerous for me to start with Dept 56!)
The Season is among us so LMK ASAP if you need me to run over there!
posted on October 9, 2001 06:25:58 PM
Well, I just placed some bids. 13 items totaling more than $250.00. Here's an example-identical items-one with shipping of $3.50-the other $10.00. Another one, one was $5.75 and the other $15.00. Now, which one do you think I bid on?
Zoomin, as you can see, I have no control when it comes to Dept 56. If I bought a bunch of it, I'd keep it for myself! What state are you in?
