eBay shipping costs

I just bought a coin off ebay, a cheerios millennium cent. I paid 7.50 plus 2.50 shipping. When I get the package I see that it was shipped in a standard size 10 envilope with $0.41 worth of stamps. So... when I fill in the feedback for the auction I give the seller positive feedback but I say that I was charged 2.50 for shipping and the shipping only cost $0.41.

Today I get this message from the seller.

"HI
not for nothing but it cost me.41 cents to ship? lol it cost me $3.00 in gas to get to the post office and 1/2 of my lunch hour lol"

Am I expected to pay for this? Whats next, are they going to start charging for use of the internet to take the orders?


David

 

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Seems Fair

$2.50 shipping is pretty fair actually. Look around, that is less than most. Seller then should offer a discount for multi purchases. You saw shipping cost before you bid, then you gripe after in the feedback. Please, do not buy anything from me.

 

First of all, I assume that you knew what the shipping was before you bought it. i do not understand how someone agrees to the auction terms (and that includes shipping) and then has a right to complain about them. If you do not like them, don't buy it. However, sending it in a plain envelop MAY be another matter. Technically, it is against USPS regulations to send coins in plain envelops. Still, I think for single coins, I might just as soon have a plain envelop. Which do you think would be most likely stolen - a regular plane envelop or a bubble mailer announcing "I have something in me"?

As for the $2.50;
1. It is probably below average for sending coin. $7 to $9 is not that uncommon.
2. I calculated my costs for such a mailing. Including supplies (printer, ink, paper, etc.), mileage (I only live 0.5 miles from the post office), stamps, et al, I came to about $1.30. I believe that was mailing them 4 at a time.
3. Would you rather they only mail priority and charge you a minimum of $5.00?

 

2 dollars - chances are that you lose that much change in a year.

And yes, I've been charge $10 international shipping only to find postage stamps of 86 cents or something where I expected registered mail or at least priority global mail.

 

s&h = shipping and handling

 

Lairson,

Please don't bid on any of my auctions. I charge $3.50-5.50 depending. You obviously are either very new to ebay or you don't know what it takes (the many costs involved) to run an online business.

If you don't like the price of shipping that a seller indicates, don't bid on the auction. It's that simple.

 

Since when did we start nickel-and-diming people for everything related to selling? Isn't it the seller's responsibility to cover costs in the selling price? When was the last time Walmart charged you for gas to cover shipping the goods to their store, and for customs for importing goods, and for the staff wages to stand there and not be able to answer your questions, and for the utilities they pay for the B&M store, etc., etc.

You should cover those things in the selling price of the goods. It's called profit margin. If you don't make enough margin, then you are setting your reserve too low, or paying too much for them in the first place. The only reason people charge like this for shipping and handling, is to avoid ebay fees, and to pad their profit. Plain and simple.

 

You pay all of that and more every time and for everything Walmart sells. Always was and always has been. It is called overhead. Without doing that, there would be no Walmart. They would not make any profit. The only difference is that they do not they do not list it separately. However, do not kid yourself. It is built into everything you buy from them - has to be, has been from the start, and will be as long as there is a Walmart.

 

Or mine.

I perfer to say that as "If you don't like the price of shipping that a seller indicates, adjust your bid appropriately."

Experienced auction buyers (internet, mail or live) calculate their maximum bid including all premiums and charges.

If I think something is worth $19, what earthly difference does it make to my bank balance whether the cost is broken down as

• $10 with a $1.50 buyers premium, and $7.50 S/H
• $15.49 with a $3.10 buyers premium and 41¢ postage; or
• $19 with no buyers premium and "free" shipping?

Using the handling charge to effectively set a reserve isn't restricted to EBay sellers. How many commercial firms advertise "Free, but you pay S/H significantly more than postage?" I recently received some music CDs from the largest CD seller in America. The package had <$3 in postage, but I was charged >$15 in S/H.

 

I happen to be in the minority, apparently.
Handling?
Gimme a break.
The idea of selling something is to make a profit on the sale of the item.
Do you charge handling if someone walks into your shop?

Sorry, but I agree, the handling charges are getting out of hand (no pun intended).

However, in this instance, I would have accepted the $2.00 additional, without gripping too much.

Still, ya gotta admit that where does it end? Hmm...I put this coin in a 2X2, so that is 2 cents for the holder, .2 cents for the staples, and $3.00 labor. So, jack up the price by $5.00, gotta cover overhead.

 

Like many of you, I also buy and sell coins using e-bay. Seriously, it is ultimately the BUYERS responsibility to make sure they understand the wording of the auction BEFORE they place a bid. That includes the part about shipping and handling.
It does not matter if the seller is planning to go buy gum drops with the money he is charging, if you do not like what the seller is asking, shipping and handling included, PLEASE do us all a favor and don’t bid.
To have someone post unfavorable feedback of any kind over details that were forefront, clearly stated and known before bidding is ludicrous.

 

My shipping is $2.50 as well and it is far less than most. Please keep in mind that we have to pay for packaging as well...not to mention gas expenses to get to the PO. He has every right to be ticked off by the feedback you gave him especially since you knew exactly what the charge would be before you bought it.

 

It's a sellers market on Ebay, not a buyers market. If buyers don't like the setup, the price, or the seller, there is no obligation to buy there and they can look for their stuff elsewhere. I don't always agree with the shipping terms and prices myself, but if I want it bad enough, I pay it without griping. It's always been buyer beware there, and this is just one of the reasons why.
Guy~

 

That's exactly my point. Factor those things in when you set your price. I don't care that it costs you $2 to drive to the Post Office. You are the one choosing to go there to mail it, that should be factored into your starting price, or your reserve. I'm not charging you for my drive to the Post Office to pick it up, am I? Maybe I should. Come to think of it, I may need to take a day off work to go there and get it too.

I take into account any shipping and handling fees when I bid on something on ebay. If you have an outrageous shipping fee (or none listed), I won't even stop to see what you are selling. If it's reasonable, I'll look, but I'll take it into account. I'd like to see ebay list items by "total prices shipped", so we can compare apples to apples. I'm also not thrilled with people that think charging $2.50 for a $0.01 envelope and a $0.41 stamp is reasonable. I have no problems paying for reasonable charges, but $12 to ship 5 coins from Quebec to Toronto? Get real. I can ship 500g of coins to the US for almost half that price (I've actually done that!) I can send 30-40 coins to Europe or Asia for almost half of that! (Done that too) Is it too much to ask that sellers keep shipping costs reasonable?

 

I think the problem is that people do not agree on what is reasonable.
When shipping domestically, I like to use Priority Mail. ($8.95)
You don’t like Priority mail? 6x4x3 self locking box = $1.47 ea. Plus the cost of postage.
Signature confirmation = $2.10
Shipping Insurance = $1.65 minimum
Do you want that order wrapped securely? Bubble wrap is .11 cents a foot.
Zip lock coin bags are what? .03 cents each?
Should the seller be expected to absorb the cost of S&H?
I believe the phrase for someone who loses money on every transaction is “Broke and going out of business.”

 

What difference does it make WHERE it is? On an auction, the seller does not set the final price. Incidentally, do not bid on any major auctions if that is you attitude. Heritage charges 15% ($9 minimum) on top of your bid and then about $7 minimum for shipping. That is similar or LESS that other major auctions.

Now that I agree with that. Again, if it is factored in, what difference does it make where the charges are if it is the same total.

envelop .05 minimum, paper for note .03, address label .02, return label .02, printer ink .20 and up, etc. By the way, none of this stuff shows up at my house for free. I either have to go and buy it or pay postage on top of the above. I suspect that this seller came out ahead, but not as much as you think.

 

I wouldn't charge a handeling fee if someone came to my shop because I wouldn't have to handle it!!
No bubble mailer or box, no tape or shipping label, just pass it across the counter.
That said, I do not like it when a coin arrives in a plain white paper envelope, with an inflated shipping cost.
I hate to see a coin in a plain envelope period.

When I shop on ebay I don't buy from people with shipping that is completely rediculess like $10 for a single coin. especiall when it's a low value coin.
I also realize that without a little padding on shipping, low cost items could not be sold on ebay without losing money.
Like has been said before, just include shipping cost into what you want to pay.
The other alternative is to go to a dealer or show and pay no shipping. But in my case that means a minimum of $9.00 in gas

 

J.Cordeiro

Aside from the fact that the post office boxes are FREE, I agree.

 

I have no problems paying reasonable shipping costs. If the item needs a box, i'll pay for a box, if it needs bubble wrap, I'll pay for the bubble wrap, that sort of thing. But when did it become acceptable to pass of overhead as shipping and handling? I did know that the price of shipping was $2.50 before I bid, and I paid it willingly, almost happily at finding somewhat reasonable shipping rates. But I think I felt a bolt pop in my brain when I say those stamps for $0.41.

Look, I gave the seller positive feedback, and 5 stars on everything except shipping. I didn't say that people shouldn't buy from them, I've been an ebay member since 1997 and I have slowly watched shipping cost climb to the point where they are out of control. This has got to stop. If someone knows that they have set costs that will be charged on every item like labor or gas (know matter who or where they sell the item, those costs will still be there. It's not like they had to make a special trip to the post office for me) they should be factored into the price of the auction. These are people who are trying to make extra money off ebay whithout paying the fees.

 

Let's not leave out of the discussion the fact that eBay charges the "final item value fee" on the price paid before the S&H charge. S&H fees aren't subject to the eBay Final Value Fee and it's commonly understood that this setup incents the use of S&H as a profit center.

Although eBay also has an "excessive shipping charges policy" ( http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-shipping.html ) that prevents ridiculous charges-- although that's certainly in their stockholders' interest as well as the customers.

I personally do feel taken advantage of when a shipping cost implies something more safe and secure than an envelope and a postage stamp. My response to that is simple: chalk it up to experience, state the facts in the feedback (if I leave any at all), and don't use that seller again. It has always been my policy to figure S&H into the bid, so no worries there.

In terms of the world view of merchandising, plenty of the cost of a product is its distribution. In my other hobby (model railroading), it's commonplace to see items that cost cents to produce costing in the $10 and up range.