posted on September 23, 2002 07:58:22 PM new
Wow! This thread has gone on for a long time with no resolving. S/H or just S is in the eye of the seller, if you don't like it don't bid. Today is the first day in the years I have been selling on eBay that I didn't lose to shipping. I jumped for joy. I try and charge actual but with this new USPS pricing it is tough. Now I charge about 50 cents higher than what I think it is and today (I need to mark it on my calendar) I came out on the + side of postage.
As I have stated eBay needs to give a lesson to new buyers and sellers before they let them bid or sell. Just basic things like.
1. Do not bid until you read all the Terms of Service.
2. Can you afford to bid if you add the S/H to the actual auction price.
etc. There are alot more things that can be added then nobody has any complaints and we wouldn't be reading threads like this for over 3 weeks.
posted on September 24, 2002 06:23:59 AM new
intrigueantiques:
That's exactly what I do. I have a table of rates that are based on final auction price that clearly posted in each auction. I state up front that the price is for Priority Mail and that it includes insurance and delivery confirmation. Depending on the item, I sometimes make a little extra off the shipping, sometimes I lose a little. In the end it usually washes out. I've been selling on eBay for almost two years and haven't had a single complaint about shipping cost.
posted on September 24, 2002 06:53:51 AM new
Okay, I ask you. HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT THE $3.00 IS A HIDDEN FEE!!! ASSUMING I GUESS.
.
A Man will spend $2.00 for a $1.00 item he needs.
A Woman will spend $1.00 for a $2.00 item she doesn't need.
[ edited by mlecher on Sep 24, 2002 06:54 AM ]
posted on September 24, 2002 06:54:48 AM new
Most sellers do post what the shipping and handling should be, but some customers do not think that is fair. I had one customer complain that the shipping cost was to high. I charged him $ 7.50 and it cost me $ 7.49. This was a computer system board and was sent via priority mail. To complain over a penny is pretty big.
posted on September 24, 2002 08:43:59 AM new
A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned ... but, I agree that whinging over 1 cent is a little silly. So is charging a "handling" fee.
posted on September 24, 2002 08:47:10 AM new
I think your wrong on the handling fee, it is very common in the computer industry in that every distributor does it, every online store does it, and if it is clearly posted, then the buyer has nothing to whine about.
posted on September 24, 2002 08:57:39 AM new
Someone said Handling fee is stupid--another poster disagreed--this scenario could go back n forth all day long. Personally I could agree that perhaps Handling fee is justified if a seller closes 100+ a month auctions, and has a staff of helpers. Otherwise its a joke to to me. Some sellers ought to thank there lucky stars someone even bid on and bought there "STUFF".
Thats my opinion---and i'm sticking to it.
[ edited by getkicksonrte66 on Sep 24, 2002 08:58 AM ]
posted on September 24, 2002 09:46:27 AM new
I will continue to add a handling charge as it is clearly marked on all my auctions. It is an added cost and I treat it differently than the costs of doing business.
Just because you don't, then hey, not my fault.
As for what the computer industry does, that is what I sell, and a lot of other people do as well.
posted on September 24, 2002 10:50:08 AM new
It is not my sales that would suffer, but it would make it harder for the accountant that does the books. All expenses are itemized under different accounts, lights, electricity, shipping costs, labor, the cost of materials to ship, and the cost of having UPS come and pick up the items.
Here is what I mean, lets say I sell a system board for $ 30.00, and the shipping & handling for the board is $ 8.50. The cost of the board is $ 20.00. Out of the $ 10.00 profit goes into general operating costs. Out of the $ 8.50 on the shipping, we then still have to ship 7.00 - 7.75, depending where we ship, the rest then goes into an account to cover shipping expenses like, peanuts, boxes, and the UPS charge of $ 50.00 a month for pick.
At the end of each month, we then reveiw expenses to make sure that we are not losing money and we are losing money, in which area are we now losing it in. Is it general operating costs or is the shipping and handling and then adjust are prices and rates from there. Usually, the shipping and handling breaks even, the cost of peanuts and boxes has gone up as well as shipping rates.
This also makes it easier for the CPA to do taxes and also to determine where the money is going and then make suggestions on where to cut costs.
We also operate a web page so we break it down the say as well.
posted on September 24, 2002 11:00:52 AM new
There it goes again....add it into the selling price....
I am no fool, I do not pay eBay a portion of my expenses.
Also, why is it so wrong to charge handling, which is the expense related to getting a product ready to be shipped. I do not consider myself a worthless individual so I will charge for the time and materials. However, you may be different.....
Handling is not extra profit, it is to cover expenses WITHOUT paying eBay. So is Shipping. Some of you need to start charging it so you will have enough profit left over from a sale to BUY A CLUE.
.
A Man will spend $2.00 for a $1.00 item he needs.
A Woman will spend $1.00 for a $2.00 item she doesn't need.
[ edited by mlecher on Sep 24, 2002 11:03 AM ]
[ edited by mlecher on Sep 24, 2002 11:03 AM ]
posted on September 24, 2002 11:25:05 AM new
Here's a "clue":
Using your logic, it's OK to include the "handling" fee in the selling price as long as you don't sell the item on eBay.
Duh ....
I don't consider you a worthless individual either. Your time is valuable. How much do you charge yourself when you have to spend time sleeping or eating, or posting to this forum, or do you pass that on to your eBay buyers too?
posted on September 24, 2002 11:37:12 AM new
I do not just charge a handling charge for ebay, I charge one on every item that we sell and it covers the cost of shipping a box out.
And as for charging for the time to eat or sleep, no but the time to box and ship is something that belongs under the shipping account and is consider part of the cost of shipping.
Under your model, you are not just paying a cost of shipping, you are also paying an ebay fee on the cost of shipping. So if the labor and materials (box, peanuts, or bubble wrap) costs you $ .50, now add the ebay fee percent on top of that.
posted on September 24, 2002 12:09:19 PM new
I understand! Add 50.25 cents to the selling price. That oughta satisfy the eBay cut. Better yet, round it up to 51 cents and improve your profit margin
I think we will have to agree to disagree on this, I will say that in the case of a bubble head doll with $ 4.00 in handling, that is kind of excessive and it should have been made clearer to the bidder. When my partner and I sell, we only cover the costs of shipping and handling, not to trying to gauge the consumer.
posted on September 24, 2002 12:41:05 PM new
In fact, I think we do agree on one thing, which is the original intent of this thread. If a TOS clearly spells out an additional "handling" charge, regardless of how much it is or whether the seller wants to justify it or not, the winning bidder does not have a legitimate complaint when s/he is asked to pay it.
My problem is that I do not believe a "handling" charge should be shown as an extra. I have felt this way ever since I was a kid in the 50's when I read the fine print in those comic book ads. I discovered that I could not, in fact, get an X-Ray Camera for only $3.95
posted on September 24, 2002 08:46:23 PM new
Here is a question.....
Why is it ok for mail order or catalog or QVC to charge a handling charge? They should incorporate all costs into the cost of the item.
Also for all of the people saying you should include the cost into the selling price...
Lets say the seller did that, and you won several items from them, would you now expect a discount off the bid price?
Here is another question for you, if seller a has a widget for a dollar and seller b has a widget for 2 dollars, which are you going to bid on, I ask the question that way becuse most people don't read the terms before they bid, they just look at the bid price when deciding.
And I will throw one more at you, if you include your costs in the selling price you RAISE your cost because you now have to figure the additionl fees on your "Handling Cost", you know, the eBay cut....
I am glad you want to support eBay's botttom line with your hard earned dollars but I think I will continue to add the Handling charge and save my customers some money.
posted on September 26, 2002 12:14:20 PM newThe problem I see captian23, is a seller that states (for instance) $5.00 shipping. The item arrives and the shipping was only $2.00. Whether the item arrived in good shape or not is moot. The seller stated the shipping was $5.00 and it wasn't. That's deceptive unless they a/ refund the difference, or b/ state in the auction that $2.00 is for shipping and $3.00 is a service charge, handling fee, or whatever. If sellers were up front about things, we'd never keep repeating this discussion.
The previous paragraph assumes that total shipping charges are equal to the amount paid to the carrier for delivery. This is an incorrect assumption. If you can deliver an item to the customer for the cost of postage only, please explain how. I'm always looking for ways to reduce expenses.
The bottom line is really quite simple. Seller clearly states shipping charge in listing. Buyer reads listing (if he doesn't it is NOT the seller's fault). Buyer places a bid with a complete understanding of the final price to be paid to the seller (assuming the buyer can handle simple arithmatic). Buyers AGREES to the total price by bidding:
Winning bid
+ Stated Shipping Charge
-------------------------
Total paid to seller if
auction is won
Simple.
Straightforward.
Completely fair.
End of story.
[ edited by mrbusinessman on Sep 26, 2002 12:16 PM ]
[ edited by mlecher on Sep 24, 2002 06:54 AM ]
after my last point above.
