Sellers: List your Shipping Fees!!

Many sellers are new, or just forgot. Some don't actually know what the shipping cost is until they put it into a box and get it weighed. Of course, there is the occasional rare jerk that wants to charge $10 shipping for a $5 item. One could deduce that the more 'popular' sellers out there just assume that their shipping is the same as their many other items, which a person may not run across, especially, say, if "BillyBob12321" with a rating of 925 sells primarily flowers and flower accessory, but had to get rid of a video board for a computer on the side. Unless you were a rampant flower shopper and decided that you wanted a new video board, you really wouldn't know what this person's shipping is.

Another theory is that the seller only wants 'established' consumers, being those who have already proven that they have forked over the dough on time and under his terms. This keeps any possible NPB's out of the equation for the seller, but raises questions among the 'have-nots' about this person's real credibility.

Some sellers do not list s/h because they do not know exactly how much it is going to be(true), but some other sellers abuse this. I have won some CGC comics for really cheap, so the seller tried to mark up on s/h to make up for the final auction bid price. I believe that is horrible! EBAY should make it mandatory for sellers to post s/ h costs. I sell stuff on ebay all of the time. You can atleast estimate s/h costs, you don't have to be a rocket scientist!

I understand your point about listing S/H, and that would be a great idea...if there was only one shipping method on the planet. I've gotten into the habit of listing Shipping Weights of items, then allowing the buyer the option of USPS, UPS or FedEx, with all flavors of all three available.

I have also angered one or two people who want me to use their FedEx or UPS account to ship. Absolutely not. Why? Because I don't break even on shipping supplies then. I have to get a box and packing material...and for what I ship, those are not free.

That's great IVANA! You must be a great seller. Ya, those cheap buyers should get a life Boxes and stuff are not free!

Hi am a newbie and need to add my 2 cents. I understand not putting in S/H. I normally use buyer pays actual ship costs and since I don't want to get bad feedback if I go over actual amount I rebate back to them. As for boxes I have not yet had to buy boxes since I started selling. I have used a few dollars in gas to pick up boxes from different places but now I pick up when and if I'm at a place that has boxes ready after a shipment. Also I now use USPS for shipping for 2 reasons they are cheaper 90% of time and you can get free shipping materials sent to your door.

I use USPS exclusively! They sent tons of boxes to my door all for FREE! But packing materials do cost if you do not want to use newspaper. It uses up a lot of tape and requires a lot of time to package things right.

My hubby and I have gotten pieces of styrophom (sp?)for free lots of it too from appliance stores and anytime I get stuff in the mail that had peanuts I use them again also the plastic bags from supermarkets seem to work real well too and I always have way more than we can ever use. So far the only stuff I have had to buy was bubble wrap to ship framed pictures. We don't want to ship any framed ark again ugh our best experience was some one who said use our fedex account and sent us a box for the picture then arranged for pick up too. Wish there were more ebay buyers like that!!

I recently won 2 auctions from one seller. The listed shipping was 5.00. I assumed that he would combine the shirts for the same amount. Wrong...He ended up charging me 8.00 to ship 2 t shirts. I placed 2 t-shirts in a box with packing material and weighed it. First class shipping will be 2.76. Why the 5.24 in shipping profit. I actually saved him a box, packing material, tape and a trip to the post office. Some people I just dont understand.

I guess eBay thinks it's OK...so long as the seller lists the S/H amount on the auction page..And the majority of items won are mailed using USPS priority mail....free supplies !!! Quite a nice loophole for sellers who are ...shall we say ... a little greedy I know, no one is forcing us to bid on these auctions...I bid/won on umpteen auctions from a particular seller who had really nice items..(Christmas presents)..and the S/H charges WERE listed...but I really wanted the items..... I finally wised up when I won multible auctions and the seller offered combined shipping...ha ha When the box arrived with all items,the actual shipping was approx. $7.00 less then the combined shipping charge.. So these sellers get around it by stating shipping charges and increase their profits because they HANDLE the item....Now I'm trying to be more selective.

As a (non US) buyer I am willing to pay reasonable handling charges (say a couple of dollars) because there is slightly more trouble involved in international bids. Also I sometimes have to ask sellers to "oblige" me by stating a lesser value to the widgit so I don't get whacked with import tax. In my experience many sellers do not know how to ship internationally (I mainly buy small amounts of textiles which can go as USPS global priority) so I end up telling the sellers how much its going to be and query (you can check up on the USPS site) it if I get a high estimate from them. So I don;t mind paying a reasonable amount over the top.
As a SELLER It's difficult to be exact as the things I sell vary in weight/size but I am able to give a "ballpark" figure in my TOS and a proper estimate to the high bidder at close of sale. I charge reasonable S/H (about $2) to cover my trips to the post office and the time taken in packing the items. No-one has ever complained about this.

I find it sad that people actually may overlook a sellers item because they dont list ship fees. I myself am a newbie to buying and selling on eBay , Just had my first auction last week. Already set up an About me page for my next auction as a policy & shipping page, Directing buyers there in my description field.
I use UPS and simply can't determine shipping unless I have the buyer's address. I also pack items as quickly as possible to estimate a weight for questions on shipping costs prior to auction end, and wait for the address via email.
Afterall....Making easy money online does require some effort on your part!! Just like researching to win via AS!!!!

But, sometimes the shipping is more, and sometimes it is less. I have no way to know for sure until the item is in the box and at the Post Office to be mailed, exactly what the shipping will be.

With some shipping being more, and some being less, it evens out over multiple packages. Some customers may fell it is unfair, but all large companies do almost the same thing. The customer has to keep in mind that with multiple purchases, thier charges will even out also...

I always try to charge a fair amount based on what the item is. I can't help it however, if I sell beads for $1.00, and the shipping is $2.00. That is what the USPS charges...so buy more beads!! I always have plenty to sell!!

I buy a lot too, so I also pay the same rates that I charge my own customers!!

... leaving the boxes open to add last-minute invoices. But I weigh them as they will ship, and leave my town/zip code and another other particulars like oversized box, etc, AND a link to USPS or UPS in the description. A buyer can use the link to figure out estimated shipping to factor those costs into their bidding. In the case of USPS or lower cost UPS items insurance may also be figured in. This has worked very well, however in the case of multiple auctions to the same buyer things get complicated. Buyers are always happy to save on shipping with combined auctions though.

I do quite alot of shipping weekly (Ebay ID: Sum1else) , I only use the USPS. they give me free boxes and tape.
I always list shipping as somewhere between $5.45 and 6.45 including insurance and delievery tracking, and no one seems to mind. If you tell them its gonna be $10, as long as you say "insurance" they will pay it. I usually do that on international shipping... I charge a little more just in case. The rates are differnt for each country... I also combine shipping.

I think that ebay should have shipping rules as follows:

1. Combine shipping for auctions paid for at the same time
2. List all shipping fees as a maximum
3. Always Offer insurance and Delivery tracking (if applicable)

I spend about an hour a day writing sellers asking "total shipping costs including insurance" to my zip code because I have been what I consider unfairly charged for "handling" on far too many occasions.

Just recently, I paid a $2.50 Handling charge, for a video tape AND $1.10 insurance, and the handling charge did not even include proper packaging (video mailed out wrapped in a piece of paper), not was it insured.

I was not aware I was paying a $2.50 handling fee, as the shipping fee stated in the auction was the usual Priority mail fee+ about .50. That is what I get for assuming! The seller spent a little over $1 to mail the tape.

I do not mind paying some type of handling fee (well, I lie, I hate paying any handling fee, but can tolerate .50-$1), but for the fee, my item darn well better be packaged correctly, and darn well better have the insurance that I paid for stamped on it.


I did leave a neutral, and will expect one in retaliation, but I do not care. I wrote to her explaining I realized it was just a $1.10, but I wanted it back as she chose not to insure the item. She never bothered to write back.

This is what I left:

Neutral : Pd4 insur,didn't get,$2.50 handling
4 video-mailed wrapped in paper,not protected.

ALSO....Big problem of late..Sellers thinking that "insurance" is a good enough reason to not worry about packing. I have had two items arrive broken that there is NO way the USPS is going to pay off on those items. I am currently out over $200 for the two items because the sellers say, "Oh, you need to handle it at your end, and they will send you the check". Well, my guess is by the time I get a notice saying the USPS is not paying, there will be no way to get my money back from the sellers, as there there be no record on eBay.

I am not a new buyer, and have been on eBay for years, but this has been the most frustrating year ever.

http://shetlandsheepdogs.org/brat/index.html

I agree totaly. I've had a rash of broken items latly, four from same seller, even after I wrote letting them know that their packing sucked (I did say it nicer). I then have to go to PO and file a claim that I know will be turned down due to crappy packing, but this seller thinks that just because I got insurance they are off the hook.
But what realy gets me is that this is something that has managed to survive a hundred years only to be broken because the seller does not respect the things he sells enough to pack them well.
Burns me up!

robert

I forgot...
Cute dog!!!!

robert

Well, if it has happened to you too, at least I do not feel picked on!

Thanks for the comment on my happy hound

He is just a treasure, and we consider him a blessing. We looked for two years for the right dog (we have always had Shelties, it was just a matter of the next "right" one coming along).

He is a joy to live with, and we are almost ready to compete in obedience, and some of the advanced agility titles (he is great at both, but is what we politely call "handler impaired", which means that I tend to get stage fright and freeze up when competing...leaving him wondering I am sure if he can rent a good hanlder somewhere!).

I cannot even watch him in the breed ring with his breed ring handler...I have to leave the room.
So you can see how difficult it is for me if *I* am handling him, as the options for leaving are limited to the length of the leash!


I was not aware that the web page would be posted with my notes. Interesting feature.

http://shetlandsheepdogs.org/brat/index.html

Won 2 NIB scanners for $10.00 & $10.50 from same seller within minutes of each other - asked seller if he would combine S&H (yeah I know - I ask for alot!) & got a very curt NO! I sent back a polite Thank You w/my payment & I guess he thought @ it cuz a few days later he mailed back that he had went ahead & shipped them together & would send me a check for half the shipping ($15.00 refund). The scanners were perfect (but they got here faster than the check - I'm still waiting on that!). So some sellers do play nice! I think, I hope!

In reference to previous post - got the check! What a nice guy & a nice end to a hard day!

I always consider shipping fees when buying anything. It amazes me how many people pay more for an item than it can be found with a simple search on the web. I think many buyers assume that if it is on Ebay it must be a deal. I was recently look for a 4port router for my cable connection and found new ones at a national retailers web site cheaper than most of the used ones on Ebay. Some people do no apparently know how to use the web for more than Ebay to make purchases. Enough of the soap box

As a seller, I cannot put shipping info on my auctions, as I use Priority Mail for everything, unless it's a large item, then I use UPS. We now have to know the zipcode to where it's being sent to know the cost of shipping.

Also, if the winning bidder is outside the US, then I cannot know the amt, until the winning bidder tells me where they live.

Yes, Priority mail gives you free shipping supplies, but not packing supplies. So there's still the bubblewrap cost, as well as the "hidden" costs such as gas to drive to post office, wear and tear on my computer, electric to run my scanner/computer, cost of digital camera and batteries, my time spent in listing, packing, etc.

What I do, is add $1 to all my shipping amounts to help defray the cost of all those hidden charges, not to mention my eBay fees, paypal fees, etc.

Buyers don't always understand all this, so I don't hesitate to tell them why the extra buck is involved, and I've never had anyone complain after it's explained to them.

Sometimes that buck isn't enough, but other items will end up evening it out, so I just eat the rest.

Also, if you do a search on "html postage" on eBay, you'll find a guy who wrote a javascript that you can add to your item description so that potential buyers can type in their zipcode and get the shipping amount instantly. It's really pretty cool and the guy sells it for $10. Not a big cost considering how many emails it saves you from answering during your auctions. He's also very helpful with setting it up. And he customizes it before he sends it to you via email attachment, for your zipcode of origin.

The real issue here for most buyers is not "shipping" charges but "handling" charges. When a seller says that the buyer will pay "actual shipping" and states how the item will be shipped (e.g., 'UPS Ground, "Priority Mail,"), I don't really need an estimate except for an unusually heavy item. Unfortunately, there is a long history in this country of abuse of "handling" prices to inflate costs, so this word tends to trigger some suspicion when there is no amount or estimate given. Fortunately, the sellers who have posted here seem to be very conscientious about calculating their handling costs. I think most buyers would prefer that handling just be built into overhead, but of course the seller's ability to do that is dependent on the size of the business.