Shipping Charges

[Rick S.]

I have noticed lately that more E-bay sellers are adding exceptionally high shipping charges for rather small items. An example of high charges are 2 oil drain pan plugs, one has a $8.00 charge and the other is $6.50. Is this becoming the norm or am I being overly critical?

Rick

[Jerry Kozlowski]

Re: Shipping Charges

Your being overly critical!!

[Mike E.]

Re: Shipping Charges

Just to balance things out--it's becoming the norm. Shipping did go up with gas prices up (and didn't come down when gas did)--the cost of getting little things out continues to inch up--BUT--many are trying to make extra money off of shipping.

[William B.]

At least there is no surprise!

I like knowing the shipping charge, before I bid. If you think the charge is too high then don"t BID.

[Rick S.]

Re: At least there is no surprise!

Bill,
I agree about knowing the charges up front and not to bid if I think the shipping charges are out of line....but $8.00 to ship a bolt? I thought the Dept of Defense was crazy on what they pay for some things. Maybe the seller of that bolt lives in CutBank, Montana and has to drive 100 miles to the Post Office.

[Harmon C.]

Re: At least there is no surprise!

To sell a $10. item on E-bay and get payed through Paypal costs 2-3 dollars plus USPS priorty shipping at $4.15 the seller is adding all costs including a box and charging it as a shipping charge.

[G B.]

Sellers who grossly overcharge for shipping...

...are cheap, greedy *****s. It's that simple. Avoid them if you can in life. They'll cheat you in other ways if at all possible.

I tried to reason with one on eBay. He wanted $10 to Priority Mail a package that cost $4.05 in postage. He said the extra $6 was for his "handling". I told him no fondling was necessary; just put it in the FREE box from the USPS and then set it on his porch for the mailman to pick up. What a jerk.

[Kevin M.]

[Rick S.]

Re: Sellers who grossly overcharge for shipping...

Jerry,
I like your style.....no fondling necessary. LOL

[Michael M.]

(Message Deleted by Poster)

Message Deleted by Poster

[Michael M.]

Re: Sellers who grossly overcharge for shipping...

I agree many will severely rip you off on the shipping. I bought a midyear console from a seller in my homestate of North Carolina. It sold for 177.00 so I didn`t steal it. He emailed me that the shipping was 70.00 ground UPS. I refused to pay. I did send him the purchase amount so He wouldn`t give me bad feedback for not paying. A week later the console showed up... I measured the package and got the weight off of it. Actual shipping was 11.85. I thought maybe the guy didn`t know what the shipping would be and guessed high[I still hope people will do the right thing]so I emailed him and told him to let me know what it cost and I would send the money. He emailed back and said 25.00 would cover it. I waited a week and gave up and sent the 25.00. Was still ripped off. This is becoming commonplace on E-Bay. If someone wants a certain price ask it up front don`t steal it in shipping. E-Bay use to be a great place but one had better tread causiously now. There are still good sellers but its getting to be a harbor for con artists and crooks.

[Donald T.]

The Real Crooks

A few extra bucks for shipping and handling doesn't really bother me. I think you can make a justification for cost box, packing materials, etc. not to mention the cost of gas to the post office. Some may even be accounting for their time to pack and ship.

You don't have to look too far to find the real crooks on ebay. Check out auction #180064863430 trying to pass off a set of Chevy II / Nova hubcaps as a set of corvette knock offs! Of course asking $3,000 and getting it are two different things.




Ebay #180064863430

[Timothy B.]

Re: Shipping Charges

When I sell on ebay, I put it in black and white that I only charge actual shipping and no handling fees. Its the golden rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I have found that I get more interest and bids when the bidder knows I won't cheat them in shipping. This approach works better and in my opinion is more honest.

Also, when I am the potential buyer I make note of those sellers with reasonable shipping and I am much more likely to bid. Generally, reasonable shipping = honest seller in my opinion.

[Steve G.]

Re: Sellers who grossly overcharge for shipping...

This is a good example of why sellers list a set shipping price ahead of time. I will not bid on an item that does not either have a stated shipping price or an email telling me what it will be.
I always post a shipping cost; always. I try to guess a reasonable amount when I ship, but I often lose money in shipping items to the coasts, or when I have to use a ton of packing and that expensive plastic tape, plus time and driving to the PO or UPS.
And don't hand me the crap about the on-line "calculators." I used a UPS calculator last week on a clumsy item. It said $62. After I received payment and took it in, it was $80. Another loss.
People scream when you charge $10 to ship something that they calculate costs $6 to mail, but it's real funny that you don't hear anything when you post $20 for shipping and it ends up costing $32.
Difficulties in shipping costs are not necessarily always indicative of a shady seller. Some buyers are jerks, too.
At least when I post a cost the buyer can just choose not to bid. That's better for both of us.

[William C.]

Re: Shipping Charges

I look at the shipping as part of the total cost and just factor it into my bid. When selling, I try to use a figure close to the actual cost and I've been under on some and over on others, but I don't think it is an issue as long as the cost is disclosed and the bidders can (should) take the shipping cost into consideration.