posted on December 30, 2000 08:46:57 PM new
Hi all,
While I've been a lurker the past few weeks, this is my first post here...
Had a bizarre back-and-forth email exchange with this seller over the past couple of days over his "shipping and handling" charge. I was possibly interested in bidding on a paperback book he was selling, but saw that "shipping and handling" was $4. No other shipping info.
I thought hm, maybe a bit high, but let me email to ask about this first. So I sent my question -- what is your ship method? -- and awaited a response.
A day later, I got an email back with the answer that he ship using whatever method is "most affordable" (cheapest). And since his auctions only begin with a one cent bid price, that it's still a great bargain.
So I politely write back letting him know that I was actually looking for a clearer answer, that as a buyer, I like to know what method is used so I can figure out what I'm getting for my $4, etc. And his response? More of the same, with the only additional info being that the item wouldn't be shipped via First Class or Priority without an extra fee.
Am I the only one to think it *extremely strange* that this guy just wouldn't up and tell me his shipping method? Maybe it's Book Rate, or maybe it's something else (non-USPS), but I sure as hell would have liked to have known!
Needless to say, I didn't feel like continuing to try to drag this info out of the seller, so I declined to bid on his auction. And the happy ending is: I looked and found the same book on half.com today -- and for a cheaper price.
posted on December 30, 2000 09:03:33 PM new
Excellent!
There's usually a REASON seller's are reluctant to disclose specific shipping information.
Let's face it, if you're intelligent enough to list an item on eBay and set up a PayPal account, then visiting usps.gov to give a potential buyer an informed answer is NOT a chore.
posted on December 30, 2000 09:14:18 PM new
Good Job Mayflypaper! When a Seller doesn't want to give you a straight answer to your question, then it is definitely time to forget them and move on. Even if the bid is only .01 and the shipping $4.00, it will probably cost the Seller only $1.13 to ship a paperback bookrate, so he still made a profit and avoided paying Ebay their fee on his profit. High shipping really ticks me off, even when the bid price is really low. I don't know why this is. I would rather pay a higher price for the item and get cheap shipping rates. Go figure!
posted on December 30, 2000 09:16:37 PM new
I would estimate this to be the run down on his S&H:
$0.80 actual postage cost
$3.20 for the privilege of having him handle
your package. Bid accordingly or should
I say don't bid. Like he said, the $3.20 is not going for priority mail.
posted on December 30, 2000 10:19:02 PM new
I dont really think that shipping gauging is to avoid ebay fees..I mean I'm sure it is to some degree, but it has more to do with that most other bulk sellers do it,and if one person doesnt (even if the total amounts of cost+sh are the same), he will lose business. So its just soemthign that has to be done
posted on December 31, 2000 05:45:52 AM newmost other bulk sellers do it [gouge on shipping], and if one person doesnt, he will lose business.
??
IOW, if one seller gouges on shipping, all will have to or they'll "lose business"??
Yes indeed, if I saw 2 sellers list the same item, and one charged $4 shipping and the other $.50, I'd certainly bid on the auction with the inflated rates....
If you can't sell your product except by seriously undercutting the competitor on opening bid and making up the difference in outrageous shipping - hmm, maybe you should find a different product.
[ edited by HartCottageQuilts on Dec 31, 2000 05:47 AM ]
posted on December 31, 2000 07:24:04 AM new
Geez you guys are rocket scientists??
Does it really matter what the S&H fee is? Are you all not smart enough to add the bid + S&H fee to come up with a number you can live with or not??
I know I do?
Some sellers on ePAY are basement folks just selling off a few odds and ends. Some are dealers and some make their livelyhood. Fees are different based on whom you're buying from.
If you're a small company you have to pay STAFF and all sorts of other expenses that a person clearing out their junk doesn't.
Nobody puts a gun to anyone's heaad. You're not obliged to bid on an item. You can even email a seller and let them know that you're not bidding on an item because you don't like their S&H fees.
But sitting like an ostrich with its mouth open in the rain and crying about the S&H fee of $4.00 for a book that lists at .13 is a bit loopy to me!
I bid and sell on the net and frankly am amazed at how many folks complain about this??
posted on December 31, 2000 07:47:17 AM new
As a frequent seller/sometimes buyer I always resent being diddled by the BS that some sellers post for shipping/handling. Worse, in this case, is the less than forthcoming answer from the offending seller.
Could their response be any more self-serving?! Wake up sellers with bs TOS, phony shipping/handling terms, your days are numbered. Find something else to do-with any luck you'll soon be driven from the auction marketplace.
posted on December 31, 2000 01:30:13 PM new"Wake up sellers with bs TOS, phony shipping/handling terms, your days are numbered..."
Based upon what I'm seeing on a large number of auctions, the above statement may not be accurate. With all the new and increasing fees, more and more sellers are doing likewise [some on the creative level].
There was a time when even TWENTY FIVE-CENTS was considered excessive - and nobody would bid. Now one can charge up to a dollar and be in the norm...
Morgantown
PS. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
[ edited by morgantown on Dec 31, 2000 01:33 PM ]
posted on December 31, 2000 01:44:05 PM new
Once had a delusional seller demand $8 to send a Cross pen via first class. The postage WITH the case is 57c. How he remains in business defies all logical belief.
posted on December 31, 2000 02:25:42 PM new
canvid13, you write:
"Does it really matter what the S&H fee is? Are you all not smart enough to add the bid + S&H fee to come up with a number you can live with or not??"
Of course I factor the S&H fee into the overall amount. But to determine whether or not it's a price I want to pay, I need to get the whole picture. Because in this case, while I do think $4 is generally a bit much for shipping a PB book, I would likely have bid on the item it that covered Priorty Mail, and would have possibly done so if it covered First Class shipping. But for Book Rate? Nah.
The above are the type of things that buyers weigh when making a purchase, kind of like being willing to pay a bit more to "Buy It Now" and get the item quickly.
BTW, I have no problem with a seller factoring in some kind of handling fee as part of the shipping charge. I just want to know what I'm getting for my money -- merchandise *and* service.
-mayflypaper
[ edited by mayflypaper on Dec 31, 2000 02:30 PM ]
[ edited by mayflypaper on Dec 31, 2000 02:31 PM ]
