I live in a semi-small town. It takes less than 10 minutes to drive from one end to the other. Last night I bought a '64 Kennedy half on ebay for 3.50 + 3.50 s&h. I noticed after I won it that the seller was from the same town that I live in. I emailed him, asking if we could meet somewhere and avoid the shipping and handling charges. Got an email back. He said no. I paid the seven bucks. Is this fair? I can see both sides. Maybe the seller was a kid and worked out of his house. I doubt it though. This guy had thousands of feedback points and hundreds of other items for sale. We could have met anywhere in town and the transaction would have taken less than ten minutes. I also know the ebay game. If the s&h charges are high, the bids are lower. If the s&h is low, the bids are higher, and the prices of both even themselves out. I think a lot of people charge a high s&h charge so they can be guaranteed a price closer to what the coins worth. I think that's what this guy is doing. Any opinions? It doesn't make me mad...I was willing to pay the seven bucks before I realized we were neighbors. But is this good ebay ethics?
I think it is fair. If I was selling on EBAY I would not let someone pick it up at my house or even meet them - simple security measures. Of course you can see how much the shipping actually costs when the coin arrives.
I think it's fair, for the following reasons: 1) You knew what the price was ahead of time, and when you bid, you agreed to it. 2) It's one thing to ask before an auction ends. The seller may or may not agree then, but if you ask after the auction's over, you can't really have any expectations. 3) The time it takes the seller to come meet you, for a single 90% silver half dollar, is overly onerous and burdensome. If the guy wanted to go ahead and meet you, that's great. Maybe you could be coin buddies. But if he doesn't, he has done nothing wrong.
Yep. The more the actual shipping cost is away from the shipping charge determines how far away from 5 stars they get. Just because you agree to the shipping charges by bidding doesn't mean you have to give 5 stars for it. We all know that some sellers pad shipping charges to cover fees. Simply figure that into your bid.
Of course it's fair. You agreed to the terms of the auction by placing a bid, an agreement in a contract to buy if you won the item. The item description allows the seller to check off if local pick up is accepted or not and it is your responsibility to read all the terms and/or to inquire prior to bidding if you wish to negotiate the terms of the sellers listing per individual adjustments. Seller protection/security is another thing, plus they may not wish to waste their personal time going off to meet you or for you to show up where ever a meeting might be made. They may have no personal time, work several jobs or even have an assistant handling the order fulfillment... you have to read the terms before you bid and there's no reason to under-rate the Seller in feedback because you disagree after the fact. It's fair and the terms were explicit... "knowing is half the battle"
Ditto. To me it would boil down to a security issue. Especially with coins. If I were trying to sell a 500 pound piece of furniture then I would probably only allow local pick-up.
First of all just how fast would you be driving if to go from one end of town to the other in 10 Minutes. Remember that at 100 miles/hour, your town could be large. At 1/2 Mile/hour might be really a small town. And too, you didn't mention a car, truck, bicycle, wagon train. :goofer: As already mentioned it is fair due to he posted the amount for postage and the buyer could well have been in a different state, not next door. And the mentioning of security noted is rediculous since the seller would probably have his return address on the package anyway. Also, you already know he lives in the same town so that too means security is lost. It isn't really a neighborly thing though and if your area ever started a coin show or coin club in such a small town, you and he would probably both be there. Again, what he did is fair for buisness purposes but from what I remember of small towns, most people know everyone and what they do and when they do it. Pay what he asks and tell everyone in town what happened.
Security seems to be the main reason, and I couldn't agree more. But like Carl said, the return address will be on the envelope when I get it. I thought living in a small town where crime is not an issue would play a factor. I paid seven bucks which is normal these days for a silver half. I think he ups the s&h so he can get close to what he wants for it. I wouldn't have paid any more than what I did. Thanks, guys.
Talk about bush league !! Who wants to pay shipping when the guy lives Right next store!! Sounds like negative feedback to me!!
That post is either really funny or a little bit crazy depending upon your intent. Adding a smilie to clear it up might not be a bad idea.
Carl: Some people use a PO Box for security reasons and not their home address. They may even use a business address instead of their home. In this case the scenario/relationship would be much different, meeting face to face on neutral ground as opposed to meeting an unknown stranger involving a transaction with money, coins... think about it... neighbors can be strangers too. Then you are living under an illusion of safety and in a past ideal. The world just don't work that way so you better come to terms with it, such as reading the terms of the auction and sticking to them without whining later about this stuff.
I use a po box. I don't think it's ridiculous at all to assume that there could be those out there who are trying to figure out where the hoard of valuable coins is located.
Rusty, Those are some surprising words coming from an online auction dealer such as yourself. Would you show up to meet a total stranger with one or more of your big ticket MPC notes? I'm not saying be paranoid of thy neighbor, but come on already, negative feedback for the Buyers negligence in bidding before figuring out the terms.
I'm not whining. I paid what I wanted to pay. I just wanted to know if this was ethical. Like I said, this guy was an A+ ebay seller who had thousands of feedback points and hundreds of other coins for sale. He knows what he's doing. I thought maybe with a reputation like that he might appreciate a local buyer who's willing to spend money.
I'm not trying to single out anyone for whining... sorry about that. I see no broken ethics, everything was up front and legit. That's a mute point. Maybe now that you have one transaction under your belt with him you can work more closely and develop a local relationship.
Not funny, Just a little bit aggravating why someone that lives In the same town! And a very small one at that wouldnt meet You to give you your merchandise, Who wants to pay shipping Really for nothing!!
Because: Part of this seller's profit is in the $3.50 shipping. Meeting anywhere means leaving the house and spending the time. They might still be in their pajamas. They might have small children to watch after. If driving, that means some gasoline cost. You might not show up. They might be tempted to by an overpriced coffee if you meet at Starbucks.
First of all where not talking big ticket here at $7 !! And i have met Several people for large purchases, Iam not concerned for the following Reasons, First iam a second degree black belt in Taekwondo ive been doing That for the last 12 years, Secondly iam a gun expert, I collect several Different Guns, And am proficient in all, Including my Glock model 23 in .40 caliber which goes eveywhere i do!! Ok, Maybe i was a little harsh on the Negative, How about positive With only two stars for shipping
