Your Advice Please

Hi Crafty,

You've haven't been around for awhile.

Allow me to ask you a question: Why didn't you bring this up before you paid him? Depending on your answer, I'll be in a better position to respond to your question.

But based on what you've said, I wouldn't leave any feedback. I'd hunt him down and hang him by his Rocky Mountain oysters (IMHO).

The way I see it, Crafty, you have only two choices: don't leave any feedback as Rick suggests (suspending by Rocky Mountain Oysters is optional), or leave a neutral with a statement about postage charged and actual postage needed. You can't really leave a negative because the guy was upfront with you about the cost of shipping (wasn't he?).

What would I do? I probably wouldn't leave him any feedback.

... did his auctions, or subsequent correspondence you had with him state ACTUAL shipping costs, or was the always-tricky shipping and HANDLING costs verbage thrown in? I defer the feedback comment based on the wording used.

Rick,

You know how smart I am. I like your answer!

I don't know enough about UPS shipping. His ad stated that he charged $8.67 for UPS shipping but would combine shipping on multiple wins. I figured 1 box weighing maybe a couple of pounds, couldn't be more than about $10 to ship. (I know UPS is or can be expensive.

I also didn't want to risk being reported as an NPB.

I also didn't think about the items being folded but possibly put into a loooooong box. That would have caused an increase in shipping. The box was about 18 x 12 x 4. If that big.

I've also thought about emailing him and requesting at least m partial refund of the shipping or leaving him negative feedback. But by the same token, I can't help but wonder if it's just my stupidity acting up up again.

Thanks,
Crafty

Six inches Lord, that's all I need!

I shipped a Trek bicycle to the east coast from Colorado, using UPS and it only cost me $28 using an oversized bike box. I think this person is stealing from you (my opinion).

Sorry Lisa and Steve. You must have posted while I was still typing.

Yeah - he does have the shipping and HANDLING verbage. The shipping was $8.75 not $8.67. Sorry. This is the item number 2831659437. (i bought 4 from him)

Thanks all,
Crafty

Six inches Lord, that's all I need!

Try contacting him, seems like a reasonable person to deal with after checking feedbacks. That shipping is pretty excessive, maybe you can say you think there's been a mistake or something since it was a combined shipping deal. Great price on those bags though

One more thing, stop referring to your stupidity. You aren't at all, this is a very reasonable problem. I wouldn't have expected such exorbitant costs either!

On a sidenote, does anyone know how to go about finding out what a seller pays to UPS to ship an item? It isn't marked like USPS, there has to be a way to do it.

Crafty;

$8.75 x 4 = $35.

I don't want to be a "devil's advocate", but the shipping cost is clearly listed in the auction.


Lisa;

You can enter the from/to zip codes, weight and what ever, in UPS' site and it will give you the rate. Hopefully I understand your question and didn't make an ass of myself.

If I have never dealt with a seller before and do not see shipping costs clearly stated, I always ask about shipping ask before I bid, by using the "ask this seller a question" feature. Consequently, I receive many e-mails entitled "re: question for seller, item ___."

If the seller does not respond before the end of the auction, I take that as an indicator of the type of seller with whom I would be dealing, and do not bid, no matter how much I want the item. But most of the time I get swift, courteous responses that provide me with a total, and I save these e-mails for future reference. This is why I prefer sellers who set a standard shipping fee and list it in the auction, so I know what my max total will be from the start, even if it is a little high.

Your case was a bit nebulous, as there was the ominous spectre of combined shipping. In that case, I see what the individual shipping is for each item and assume that it will be only slightly less when combined. If I am willing to bid under those conditions, then I set my snipe. If not, then I hit the road, Jack. I try not to ask an unfamiliar seller about amounts of combined shipping (at least not referring to specific auctions) because I do not wish to indicate my bidding intentions on any more than a single item. If I know a seller, then it is different; there are several with whom I deal frequently and they always treat me fairly. In these cases I do not concern myself with such small details.

Finally, I have found that when it comes to extremely inexpensive items (whose totals typically come out to less than $10, or even $5), many sellers realize they will only see a couple of dollars as the winning bid, so their shipping is elevated slightly from the get-go. In other words, the shipping is built into their profit margin. Though I do not prefer this, I have no problem with it--if it is not exorbitant and it is the only way a seller will make a profit on a $1.99 item. Conversely, I have one seller who sells items at $10 BIN and advertises "free shipping," but I know that the shipping is built into the item cost. But I am willing to pay.

That is what it all comes down to--am I willing to pay? If in doubt, I check before, otherwise decide when setting my snipe.

I have noticed the trend in big eBay sellers to hide the cost of their product in the shipping price. That way they save tons in eBay fees by low selling price, no reserve auctions. I myself just purchased 2 items for a total of under $4.00 but the shipping was $16. I figure the total price of $20 was what I wanted to pay.

I don't like this trend as a buyer because it makes it really difficult to compare prices. The shipping costs take a lot of time to dig out of the auctions. I chose to not leave feedback because the seller did everything as advertised, I just don't like it.

Not to argue, or disagree, but don't a lot of mail-order companies make shipping & handling a source of profit, or as a way to hid the cost of their merchandise? I understand that it's not as extreme as Crafty's example, but it's not unique to ebay. I'm not suggesting that because we get screwed by mail-order companies that it's OK to get screwed by ebay sellers. I just thought I'd drop that tidbit into the stew.

I understand your point but don't think the comparison is completely accurate. What we see on eBay is a $2.00 item that costs 75 cents for actual shipping having a shipping charge of $11.00. This was my exact case with a recent auction.

I think the trend for mail order is now the reverse. Stores are using free shipping as a loss leader to get you to buy. Almost everywhere I shop now has free shipping for order sizes as low as $25.00.

I do understand your point. I don’t even think S&H is usually a profit center. I know it costs me about $10 in labor and materials for everything I mail. When I worked for a large corporation 20 years ago, that figure was $50. That was just internal mailing cost, no material or development cost. We gave away product but it cost us $50 in labor and materials just to send it out!

I find that most companies from whom I order pick up some profit in shipping costs. And unlike RhinoBoy, I do not deal with many companies who offer free shipping. All seem to charge something and that amount always seems higher than what the item's actual postage would be.

That is where the nebulous term "handling" comes into the picture. Even defining it can be challenging. I realize the implication is that if you walked into the store and purchased it, there would be neither shipping or handling,though most of the time there would be sales tax, which is absent more often than not in most transactions (as when you live in the same state as the seller). Handling is supposed to include the cost of envelopes, boxes, packaging, as well as the labor and time getting it shipped. That is what most business include in handling fees, and eBay allows as much.

I have no problem with it, as long as it is not too excessive, in which case I do not even bid. As I stated earlier, I like when a seller says in the auction that the item will cost $4.50 to ship (even though the postage is $2), because this way I do not have to ask about it and I know where I stand.

I would leave neutral feedback and state beware of shipping charges ( simple and factual)