eBay Auction Listings

I don't see anything wrong with giving an honest rating. If the surveys ask if the shipping cost is reasonable and it isn't, the seller is profiting from it, I don't give the negative feedback nor a positive since that would not be an honest ranking. It is not my job to police shipping costs if people are honestly charging what it costs to ship the item or profiting from it or using it to cover fees. I am not going to give a positive feedback when they put a stamp on envelope and charge $1.99 for it. Some do charge what it costs, I got one package marked $1.80 shipping and that is what I was charged, as far as others though I have no way of knowing if the method they are using is charging what they charge. Whether you charge more for shipping or start your bid higher is on you but when people see a stamp on an envelope when you charged $3 they are going to respond and you shouldn't ask people to lie for you to keep your rating up. If you don't want the feedback, don't charge more than the max it will charge you to ship. It isn't really honest to charge more for shipping to make sure you get the amount you want. In the case above since I added the shipping to the cost, I probably won't rank shipping cost at all but will certainly not give a positive ranking for it. It really doesn't matter since most are going to get out their calculators but new bidders may end up making a mistake, which I already did but the seller cancelled my bid. Some are just unaware of the shipping manipulation. In my view though, since Ebay deducts fees from the shipping, it is best to start the bidding higher and give an honest shipping amount. You could add a little more to cover the fees on shipping. Paypal also charges fees on shipping don't they? I know though that on low cost items, the fees can be outragous. I sold one wheat cent for $1.04 plus a stamp and Ebay and Paypal took 46%.

 

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Buddy, have you ever purchased a coin from a major auction house ? What do you think of their shipping costs ?

 

What really hurts is that in the books category, the S&H is limited to $4. Postage alone is over $3, so there is not much left for packaging. I now list an item once, then donate it if it doesn;t sell.

 

No, I haven't. I did place bids at that auction site advertised here trying to get some silver eagles on the cheap but that didn't happen. Of course on those auctions you have to subtract the buyer's fee and the shipping if the shipping was high from your max bid. I only have bought from Ebay, brick and mortar shops, and a show. The rest of my coins are coin roll finds or my grandfather's. I know with one seller who I was satisfied with the coin and transaction I did give them a neutral feedback for a dollar shipping when they put a stamp on the envelope. I did regret it and he lost a corner of one star but I did give the feedback. I did give an overall good feedback though. Now though that I am aware of this I will subtract shipping from my max bid and won't take into consideration the gas I saved. As far as reasonable shipping I just won't even answer that question.

 

Buddycat.. just my opinion here, but I think you'll find yourself blocked from "collectors" selling one at a time giving that type of feedback..
In my experience, my "best" value buys have "always" been from collectors on the 'bay selling off a piece of their pie,,, with excessive postage.

... Powersellers and Dealers will give you free shipping all day long, but at 20%+ markup on the item.

 

They may be doing me a favor, you can block me if you want. There are other people and other sellers to buy from but if you are looking for me to lie on feedback just to keep your precious ranking up, you might be better selling to someone else. Selling on Ebay is not for everyone and if you are not looking for honest feedback and expect someone to lie for you than you may try selling elsewhere. I pay quickly and give honest feedback, if that is not for you than you could sell your coins to someone else. I am not going to lie and say your shipping rates were reasonable when they weren't. In my opinion, you are looking for inflated feedback when nobody's perfect and they are always room for improvement. I may be doing them a favor. I left a nuetral feedback to one seller because I can't pay them because there is no Paypal account for the email they have listed. If you are looking for an inflated feedback and not constructive, I think selling on Ebay may be not for you. Those that offer free shipping if you notice always get more for their auctions. I don't buy "buy it now" items since they tend to be overpriced. There is a local coin shop and monthly coin show I can go to. Nobody has to buy your coins, there are plenty of other people to buy them from. Whether I click the "reasonable shipping" start or not, my ranking is the same. If you inflate your shipping to make a profit on it, that is not reasonable shipping since shipping cost is shipping cost, not something you tack on to ensure you get the right amount. That is a reserve or starting bid.

 

Buyers want their items fast.
Postage for a USPS priority mail in a small box or envelope is $5.15. Signature confirmation is another $2.10. Total postage is $7.25. Then you have to add insurance.

On a $250.00 item, you're looking at a minimum of $13.00 total postage.

Why do ebay buyers feel they are being taken for a ride if a seller charges any amount for shipping when they are willing to pay the price charged by other web sellers?

 

That may be the cost to ship your items. From what people are saying on this thread though, it isn't always the case. I have never given a negative feedback for shipping costs, just neutral since I considered the shipping cost inapplicable since I deducted it from my max bid. You are right, nobody likes waiting that is why I got all these "fast payment" comments under my customer rankings. I want them to send it fast.

 

I don't think anyone is promoting the idea of "lying" when you give feedback. However the expectation that a seller should structure their auction in a certain way or you leave them neutral is kinda wierd sounding to me. Meaning you freely bid in the auction, get an item, are happy with the item, and then ding the seller because shipping wasn't structured as you think it should be... lol. Kinda like going into a bar and drinking a beer, then complaining to the bar maid about the all those excessive bubbles in the draft even though they were right in plain sight.

I always consider shipping costs when I bid, and I think most others do also.. pretty simple math. And I can say that i have 'never' checked or added up the postage of the item upon receipt nor worried about if the seller actually spent every cent of the shipping cost on actual shipping expense because each seller will have a different total landed cost that is inclusive of more than just postage.

Silly subject and a silly thing to worry about imo. As has already been stated, try to buy from an auction house, or Amazon, or anywhere else on the web and you'll most likely find shippingn costs added in to the total... and in most cases it will be more than the actual postage and packing. So you can either change your expectations, or not shop on any online outlets, or be happy being unhappy most of the time.

 

I think that a seller SHOULD tack a little extra onto their shipping. PayPal takes off 2.9% + $0.30. eBay charges 9%. That is 12% you lose off of your shipping charged, and that is not including the price of envelopes or gas to take the package to the post office. I could honestly rather care less about how much a seller charges for shipping, it doesn't matter to me if I pay $1 and $7 shipping, or $8 and free shipping.

 

You can do what you want really and charge whatever for shipping on Ebay. If you charge someone $3 for stamp, you probably going to get a ding for "reasonable shipping". People aren't going to try and figure out why. Mistakes also are made due to inflated shipping, especially with new buyers and they just won't pay you so you might have to deal with that. You can open an unpaid case on a new person but Ebay will just wipe it out when they realize their bid was a mistake. Feedback can be constructive and you should take it as that and not expecting it to be perfect all the time. You should be happy someone wants to buy your coin, there are plenty of other options. It is certainly not their privilege.

 

Relax, buddy. I agree with bahabully. If you don't agree on the cost of shipping, then you are free to avoid the auction. Purchasing something from someone while fully aware of the price/shipping costs and then "dinging" them for it, is not the nicest thing a person can do. You are free to buy somewhere else. If the seller hides the prices/fees and then surprises you with it in the end, then that is a different story.

Anyways, thanks for all the help and information guys! Also, the auctions (all 18 of them) ends tonight! (See signature.)

 

I'm not saying that it is fair to charge $3 for a stamp. You can buy an envelope for about 5¢, add the 45¢ for a stamp and your up to 50¢. If someone would charge 70¢, they would cover the fees on shipping and their packaging. I think charging 30¢ extra on shipping us reasonable ( on this low of shipping), but $2.50 is not. If your charged $3 for a stamp, I could see not giving him full stars on shipping, but if it is only a little over, I believe it is understandable.

 

How are my suppose to tell which auctions are charging just for shipping or adding to it for a reserve or to cover their fees? Do the sellers mark that? I just got a package today, the shipping tag says $2.80. They also could have just put a stamp on it or stick it in regular mail and pay under 50 cents. It is not on me to figure out who is inflating shipping and who is not and what each shipping carrier charges for shipping before bidding. On the other hand, if you want to inflate shipping to make a profit or cover fees and don't like that you are dinged, you shouldn't list on Ebay and sell them somewhere else where the shipping price is fixed. I understand some think that it is privilege for people to buy their coins and think that everyone should like everything that you do. I just think some people really shouldn't be selling on Ebay because they do not provide adequate customer service and think the buyer should have to figure out everything on the own. You ever hear the saying, "the customer is always right"?

 

Yes, not everyone thinks that way, to subtract shipping to your max bid since if you would go to a brick and mortar shop, you would burn gas. The local coin show around here will cost you $3 something for a gallon of gas at least and running the air, more. I did get one package that said 54 cents on the shipping when they charged $2. They got a positive rating but a neutral on the "reasonable shipping". Look around at some of the ratings, those that maybe have inflated shipping have dings on their reasonable shipping star. That is just how it is and if people don't like it and think it is unfair they can always not sell on Ebay. You could rent a table at a flea market and maybe add a surcharge for the cost of your table or own a brick and mortar shop and add a surcharge for your rent and utilities.

 

I think this whole shipping thing is getting blown out of proportion. The only circumstance where it could matter is in the event of returning the item if the seller's return policy states he won't refund shipping expenses. But in the case of a Buyer Protection claim, FeeBay refunds the total cost, including shipping.

So, here's an example. What if a guy lists a circulated $10 bill with no numismatic value? I'd be willing to pay up to $9.99 for it. He has a return policy that states he'll accept returns but that he will not refund the shipping expense. It still doesn't matter to me if he lists it for $9.99 with free shipping, or $0.01 with $9.98 shipping. Why? Because if the item is as advertised, it's worth $10. If not, it's eligible for a Buyers Protection claim wherein I would be refunded the price I paid including shipping. The only thing I would be out is the return shipping, which I would be out either way.

One thing that I do find mildly annoying about auctions that charge high shipping costs or don't offer free shipping is sometimes I like to search for items with a current price of less than $1, and auctions at $0.99 with $10 shipping will show up. If I limit myself to items that are listed expressly with free shipping, I miss some items with reasonable shipping costs that I might have been interested in. (For example, a $.01 item with $0.50 shipping).

 

I also wonder about people like Buddy16cat, who complain about $2 shipping when the postage was only $0.54. Postage isn't the only expense in shipping. The other main expense is packaging, but at $0.54, I suspect it was a small envelope. What about labor? What about labels, toner or ink, electricity, gas, etc. You factor in the cost of gas when going to a coin show, would it not be fair for a seller to calculate that into his shipping cost too? Maybe they're a small time seller and he made a trip to the post office just to ship your item.

 

An envelope and a a couple pieces of printer paper including one with the shipping info don't cost a $1.50. As I said though, charge what you want for shipping since Ebay allows you to. If you get a ding on your feedback and don't like it or don't like any feedback at all you may want to not sell on Ebay. I do understand their fees especially for low cost items can be outrageous and you may not want to sell these items on Ebay. You could sell them here. If the price is low, people will probably give you a chance. I left feedback today but didn't ding their shipping since it was very close to what was charged but I do think the seller needs to use a different method. It was two Kennedy halves which could be sent using a stamp. After shipping and fees, the seller was lucky to get a little over melt for one coin. I got them for 8 cents over melt including shipping (15 cents under now since silver went up).

 

So how many people have to chime in before you realize that you are wrong? It is called Shipping & HANDLING! You conveniently remembered that the price of gas is $3/gallon if you travel to a B&M shop or local show, but refuse to allow E-Bay sellers to charge you a fee for the gas they need to get to the post office.

But as others have pointed out, top rated sellers are not going to risk a negative or neutral or low star rating from people like you. We simply offer free shipping in order to avoid the issue all together and preserve the top rated seller discount. However, if the seller uses the E-Bay postage system, they have the option not to list the price of postage on the shipping label. That would solve the problem as well.

 

Well you certainly up on your people skills and maybe customer service is not for you belting out that I am wrong. On the contrary, its sellers like you they can do without since they have their reputation to think about. If you want to use your shipping and handling cost to cover your fees and make a profit go right ahead. If someone dings your shipping cost too many times, you may want to rethink. Just because group think occurs doesn't mean that I am wrong because I am not. Your auction so do what you want, your shipping cost, if someone dings you that is on you. Likewise, buyers have the right to leave whatever feedback they want. They have that right. If you don't like that than don't sell on Ebay.

My point really is that if shipping fees are what sellers say they are, people may pay over what the coin is worth considering they would have spent that on gas to get to a show or shop. If they spent the money on gas the cost of the sellers table rental or rent and utilities is not tagged on to their gas. If you offer free shipping you will get more for the item, if you overcharge for shipping you will get less. Sounds to me the solution is to offer free shipping if you want a 5 star with no ding on your shipping cost ranking.