posted on March 3, 2009 09:38:17 AM new
I have quit selling on Ebay for awhile now and have had the need for a couple of items lately and found that the shipping is out of line, double what it costs and just now, had a man double charge me on the shipping, that was okay, I knew the shipping when I bid, but I did need the item, asked him for insurance on a small glass item to be included in the invoice. Well, guess he likes insurance at the $3.00 price.. I did reply back that insurance is $1.50 and I do understand how errors can be made, but to please send me a corrected invoice....I have never overcharged anyone and always combined when possible.
posted on March 3, 2009 10:06:47 AM new
While I don't approve of ripping off buyers, I can understand his motivation. The good old days of selling are gone. It seems everyone is getting into the sellers pocket now, and with no recourse.
posted on March 3, 2009 10:43:12 AM new
I recently bought something from some web site and the shipping & handling was $12.
This was their base shipping cost. As I needed the item that was the price no questions.
It is only on e-bay that nearly everyone expects to get it all for free or near free.
The next thing that I want to bring up is since you have quit selling on e-bay the prices for shipping things has gone up considerably.
The opening rate for insurance is now $1.70 for $50 and $2.05 for a $100.
The fee for selling on ebay runs around 15% +/- A 1st class parcel starts at $1.35 for a 3 oz package and priority is now at $4.95.
These costs can not be hidden in the product any longer.
A trip to the post office can take an hour with the lines there.
A layman thinks that it is 42cts an ounce and your done but that is a long gone pricing model.
Sometimes when i send a single stamp in an envelope with a stiff cardboard insert they try to up charge that.
Between the nonsense of ebay corporate, the post office, and the buyer expectations for rock bottom everything it has become a real bummer to sell on this venue.
[ edited by rpm757 on Mar 3, 2009 10:44 AM ]
posted on March 3, 2009 11:23:14 AM new
Let me explain... I sell on Craigslist and another web site. I know what the prices on ebay have done and the prices for shipping by the USPS. Someone charging for insurace on a $5.00 item should not be $3.00. I don't like bending over! I knew what the shipping charges were before I bid and I am not complaining about that or the item. My *itch is the $3.00 for insurance. That is NOT necessary. My shipping is done by USPS and Fedex on over 4 pounds.
posted on March 3, 2009 11:31:43 AM new
eBay is not the only venue on the Internet where you find inflated shipping costs! I bypassed a couple of sites the other day. I wanted to buy a large bag of packing peanuts. The price was a very reasonable 9.95 on sale. When I got to the checkout page, shipping was over $30! Well, they called it a handling charge. I quickly hit the back button. No way in heck was I paying that!
posted on March 3, 2009 11:42:27 AM new
Can you as the buyer take out insurance with U-PIC or DSI?
I have never done it,but may be someone can shed some light on it.
*
PS.time is money too,and filing USPS insurance claim is a big pain in the ass!
Economic Reform act of Chairman Obama of the socialist States of America :
10 ounces of meat per month,half a yard of cotton per year per adult.
Hellilujah!
[ edited by HWAHWA on Mar 3, 2009 11:43 AM ]
posted on March 3, 2009 12:15:18 PM new
hwahwa, I have an U-Pic account. When I purchase expensive items, I usually purchase the insurance from U-Pic. You have to have an account with U-Pic to insure items purchased from others.
The only problem that I have encountered is with the sellers. I find that most ebay sellers are not that organized, and in many cases do not understand that I need date of shipment, method of shipment and DC#.
To be candid, I dislike purchasing stamps, and other philatelic items from ebay sellers, in that the items are poorly handled, packaged, and there is terrible customer service.
I have received items shoveled into plastic grocery bags, and mailed to me within envelopes that were turned inside out. Or, items which were completely misdescribed.
posted on March 3, 2009 01:40:00 PM new
I do not like over paying shipping as I am sure no one else does.
One of the biggest scams are the items sold as "exclusive items, as seen on TV." I recently got scammed on an item. I should have know better. It was one of those, you get twice as much if you only pay additional S & H. I fell for it, because I wanted to try the product (it did NOT work). The item was listed as $14.99, by the time I was finished paying S & H, my CC was billed $64.00. I learned more than $64 worth from this little transaction. The transaction page did not give the total amount until I had clicked to submit!! I know, I know, I never should have clicked, but I did. I immediately emailed to cancel my order (buyer's remorse) I got an email that they were only the middle men or some crap and gave an 800 #. I called 5 times. The message said all lines were busy and the line went dead. I found another email address and again said CANCEL!!
Long story, the item came, it did not work. I should have disputed it with my CC company, BB, etc, but I decided the lesson was worth $64 and will never, ever fall for those gimmicks again.
Total shipping was $38, item weighed under a pound.
posted on March 3, 2009 02:17:43 PM new
For Merrie,
I have found that Walgreens carries most of the "Only available on TV items" and that once you see them up close, your wish to purchase evaporates quickly!
Jane
posted on March 3, 2009 02:57:15 PM new
Something that i discovered about 2 years ago with my shipping insurance company. Shipsurance (was DSI.) I Discovered that i can insure parcels being sent to me. You will need their name and mailing address and value of goods and shipping cost . But you are covered providing you do it as soon as you know it is in the system.
posted on March 3, 2009 03:49:08 PM new
The "As seen on TV" items have such high shipping because they use fulfillment companies.
Lets say that George has invented the Miracle Egg Separator" perfect for incompetent twits as shown in their commercials whose eggs jump out of their hand and land on the floor when they try to crack it or successfully crack it only to have the contents end up all over the counter rather than in the bowl of little Johnny's birthday cake batter. Being completely convinced by his mother, wife, a drunk neighbor and an inventor service that this is the next coming of The Pocket Fisherman, George spends his life savings on an infomercial, the producers of which convince him that their portrayal will have people buying his "Miracle Egg Separator" faster when Ho Lins Manufacturing can produce them. Georges wife absolutely refuses to turn her sewing room into shipping central and she'll be damned if she's going to park in the driveway in the dead of winter while 50,000 units of that stupid crap inhabits the garage so... George goes to a fulfillment company...
Here are some of Georges charges....
Programming his company and inventory items into their system.
Rental of one of the companies toll free phone numbers.
A per minute charge for all incoming calls whether there is an order or not to cover wages of operators, phone system, etc
Entering and processing of all orders.
Inventory receipt. Whenever Ho Lin ships a new batch, George has to pay for that batch to be counted to confirm quantity, entered into the computer inventory, and then transfered into Georges very own shelf in the warehouse.
Warehouse self rental.
Oh yeah... then they have to fill the order.
Boxes which George has to choose between being supplied by the fulfillment company complete with a 50 to 100% markup or if he supplies them himself, has to pay for the inventory intake process and the additional space taken up storing them.
First item pull charge. Additional item pull charges (additional items may be the free kitchen dish towels, the handy dandy paring knife so sharp it can double as a scalpel or the "free" duplicate item). And don't forget the paperwork insertion.
And then, you add the postage.
Now, you didn't think that George was going to pay all of that out of the profits on his wonder product. That's why they call it Shipping AND HANDLING. Consumer pays.
At this point Georges greatest hope is that at the end of the day, those charges that everyone thinks are so outrageous and uncalled for, actually cover that monstrous invoice that comes every month.
Somehow it never quite seems to and despite that careful receiving count, your monthly inventory on hand count seems to match quantity received minus quantity shipped. And miraculously, the descrepancy is never in Georges favor either.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
People put their hand on the bible, and swear to uphold the constitution. They do not put their hand on the constitution, and swear to uphold the bible.
posted on March 3, 2009 04:16:33 PM new
Not on the original topic but also about As Seen on TV ...this weekend I ALMOST fell for a rotating brush hair straightener - try it now for $14.99..and wait there's more - try TWO for $14.99. I checked it out online - turns out you get to TRY the product for $14.99 but if you want to KEEP the product you pay another $160.00. If you decide NOT to keep the product, you get charged a restocking fee and I guess it is nearly impossible to cancel the order. This is FRAUD! I wonder how many people fall for this? EBay sellers who overcharge for shipping (and disclose accurate S/H charges in the listings) look like SAINTS compared to these shysters!
-------------------------------------
posted on March 3, 2009 04:21:56 PM new
Neglus - now that one is something special... I'm betting there are a lot of returns. And a lot of miserable customer service people on the other end of that 800 line.
I saw one of those commercials and couldn't help but think that it was an asymetrical pain and huge knotted mess inspired haircut in the making.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
People put their hand on the bible, and swear to uphold the constitution. They do not put their hand on the constitution, and swear to uphold the bible.
posted on March 3, 2009 04:28:40 PM new
Thanks guys for all of the examples. I learned the hard way. I saw the item I purchased recently in CVS, and could have returned it when it did not work if I had bought it there.
To make matters worse, I saw the product, many, many of them offered on Ebay for 4.99 + free shipping from foreign countries. Like I said, I paid for the knowledge, not the worthless product!!
posted on March 3, 2009 04:32:33 PM new
AMZN wants your business,if you sell on AMZN,you can ask them to do the shipping.
*
Economic Reform act of Chairman Obama of the socialist States of America :
10 ounces of meat per month,half a yard of cotton per year per adult.
Hellilujah!
