Ebay shipping fees and FREE shipping option (1 Viewer)

[tsukaiban]

Hello Gents and fellow collectors,

A lot of items particularly figures sold in the secondary market. Would like to know among you if you prefer
to choose FREE shipping to be offered to customers who are willing to buy your stuff or would you rather use
the shipping option offered by Ebay.

If so, any body can shed a light on this especially the fees Ebay charge you when you make a sale, your input is much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[mikemiller1955]

this has been discussed a lot in the past on here...

you might research the Ebay threads...

it's mostly been agreed to avoid Ebay's Global Shipping...

due to the cost...

your second question about Ebay's fees...

as a seller...

Ebay charges 10% of your sale...
Ebay charges 10% of your total postage...
Paypal charges 4-5% of their money tranfer...

so it doesn't matter if your shipping cost is built into your total price...
and you offer free shipping...
you still pay 10% of the total transaction...

these are facts...

the Ebay Global Shipping is my opinion...

 

[RISORGIMENTO]

usually I avoid to buy from the sellers who charge 'custom fees' at the source,
really I fear to pay twice these fees, first to the seller/ebay and second to my local custom (eager) office,
I would try but I prefer to not risk, unfortunately many American sellers use this shipping way
Carlo

 

[Phantom Warrior]

I won't buy from anyone, including a few dealers who use the ebay shipping calculator and charge for customs. USPS ships to Canada much cheaper than ebay and does not charge customs fees which can be $20 - $40. The courier companies like FedEx, DHL, Purolater and especially UPS all charge a big customs fee even though very little that goes from the US to Canada needs to go through customs at all. Certainly toy soldiers do not. As far as I am concerned, the courier companies are stealing.

Terry

 

[RISORGIMENTO]

I agree,
really I don't understand why not leave things as they were previously. I presume someone benefits from this behavior (there is no explanation) and some sellers are deceived by clever.
That's their problem as many international buyers avoid to bid on their auctions.

 

[Phantom Warrior]

I agree,
really I don't understand why not leave things as they were previously. I presume someone benefits from this behavior (there is no explanation) and some sellers are deceived by clever.
That's their problem as many international buyers avoid to bid on their auctions.

ebay gets 10% of the sale price and also 10% of the shipping cost. If the shipping cost from US to Canada by USPS is $10, ebay gets 1$. If UPS sends it by their faster service selection and it costs $20 plus a $20 customs fee, ebay getss 10% of $40. That's who makes the money. And so does the courier for providing unnecessary services.

Terry

 

[johnnybach]

I won't buy from anyone, including a few dealers who use the ebay shipping calculator and charge for customs. USPS ships to Canada much cheaper than ebay and does not charge customs fees which can be $20 - $40. The courier companies like FedEx, DHL, Purolater and especially UPS all charge a big customs fee even though very little that goes from the US to Canada needs to go through customs at all. Certainly toy soldiers do not. As far as I am concerned, the courier companies are stealing.

Terry

It has got to the point for me - where I don't even look at anything other than UK - or maybe Europe anymore on e-bay etc., - because of the ridiculous additive costs attached to any purchase from anywhere else in the World.

Say you win an auction ( WIN - that's a laugh in itself - you're paying for it!). You then have to pay the owner - then comes International packing and postage, which can be more than the item you've bought - then comes the inevitable Customs fees - and then our own postal people charge a whopping flat fee (regardless of what it costs - or what Customs are charging), for putting a slip in your letter-box - telling you to come and pay for your goods at their office!!!!

And NO they won't deliver it - despite you having paid for it to be delivered - you have to go and pay for it at their office - before they will hand it over. (office hours ONLY please). By the way, please bring the correct cash - as they won't accept a cheque - or credit card - and they definitely won't have change - and proof of identity and where you live is advisable too - if one of the stroppy types is behind the counter.

International purchases - forget it! jb

 

[GICOP]

It has got to the point for me - where I don't even look at anything other than UK - or maybe Europe anymore on e-bay etc., - because of the ridiculous additive costs attached to any purchase from anywhere else in the World.

Say you win an auction ( WIN - that's a laugh in itself - you're paying for it!). You then have to pay the owner - then comes International packing and postage, which can be more than the item you've bought - then comes the inevitable Customs fees - and then our own postal people charge a whopping flat fee (regardless of what it costs - or what Customs are charging), for putting a slip in your letter-box - telling you to come and pay for your goods at their office!!!!

And NO they won't deliver it - despite you having paid for it to be delivered - you have to go and pay for it at their office - before they will hand it over. (office hours ONLY please). By the way, please bring the correct cash - as they won't accept a cheque - or credit card - and they definitely won't have change - and proof of identity and where you live is advisable too - if one of the stroppy types is behind the counter.

International purchases - forget it! jb

Also jb if you track an item, find it has arrived in the UK and cleared Customs and a note has been added by the RM saying "Attempted to deliver, card left"....but you never received the card....try getting that parcel without a card This happened to me four weeks ago, managed to get it in the end but what a game :rolleyes2:

Cheers

Martyn

 

[johnnybach]

Also jb if you track an item, find it has arrived in the UK and cleared Customs and a note has been added by the RM saying "Attempted to deliver, card left"....but you never received the card....try getting that parcel without a card This happened to me four weeks ago, managed to get it in the end but what a game :rolleyes2:

Cheers

Martyn

Life's too short to go along with all of this crap M. Buy your stuff locally (where you can) - save a bit of cash - and live stress-free, for a bit longer. Which is what our dear Government probably wanted us to do - all along!

And that's why they probably put up all these barriers to free trade anyway.

Aaah! - I feel better now!!

 

[GICOP]

Life's too short to go along with all of this crap M. Buy your stuff locally (where you can) - save a bit of cash - and live stress-free, for a bit longer. Which is what our dear Government probably wanted us to do - all along!

And that's why they probably put up all these barriers to free trade anyway.

Aaah! - I feel better now!!

I'm afraid you are right jb, it's a while since I bought anything from Ebay USA

Cheers

Martyn

 

[johnnybach]

I'm afraid you are right jb, it's a while since I bought anything from Ebay USA

Cheers

Martyn

Over the past three years - I have made three purchases from the USA (castings twice and three used TS which were originally made in GB by Ducal).

Every time the package was delayed in the post and I ended up paying Customs Charges - and then the fixed fee from the GB Post Office on top - for the dubious privilege of collecting my package from their local office, (known as Royal Mail over here). When adding these costs to the original purchase price and International US postal charges - the cost to me, the buyer nearly doubled in all three cases.

I simply don't look at any US sites any more - as I refuse to get ripped off in this way any longer.

Like many people, I also haven't posted a letter in years either - and use e-mails instead.

The British Post Office is now privatised - and still has an £8 Billion deficit in it's pension fund for it's workers - caused by that company taking an 11 year "holiday" from making any contributions into it - despite taking the employees contributions. As I undersatnd it - it's us, the British taxpayer who will eventually fill the black hole!

Any wonder then, that there have been massive hikes in prices for all of it's services over the past few years? As I understand it - this organisation is now back in profit because of the massive hikes in postal charges and other "services" - such as rip-off costs I described earlier for collecting Customs charges - but still has this massive pension deficit black hole in it's funding.

Any wonder then, that I also like to collect my TS castings (whenever possible), in person??

Postage charges are a sick joke nowadays in the UK - which I continue to avoid, wherever possible - though as a continuing taxpayer - I WILL continue to fund them.

Sorry if I deviated a bit from the original intent of the thread - but it feels good to get this stuff off my chest. If it were possible for us to sue successive Government "managers" of this fiasco - we would now probably also be paying for their residences at "her Majesty's Pleasure".

Unfortunately, we can't! jb

 

[nmrocks]

Definately a great business model, give poor service, make it expensive, force the buyer to come to you and is the case in the US make there product Boxes etc. unavailable at the PO, they tell you to order supplies on line 7-10 days.
Don't you wish every business would operate like this???^&confuse
Ray

Over the past three years - I have made three purchases from the USA (castings twice and three used TS which were originally made in GB by Ducal).

Every time the package was delayed in the post and I ended up paying Customs Charges - and then the fixed fee from the GB Post Office on top - for the dubious privilege of collecting my package from their local office, (known as Royal Mail over here). When adding these costs to the original purchase price and International US postal charges - the cost to me, the buyer nearly doubled in all three cases.

I simply don't look at any US sites any more - as I refuse to get ripped off in this way any longer.

Like many people, I also haven't posted a letter in years either - and use e-mails instead.

The British Post Office is now privatised - and still has an £8 Billion deficit in it's pension fund for it's workers - caused by that company taking an 11 year "holiday" from making any contributions into it - despite taking the employees contributions. As I undersatnd it - it's us, the British taxpayer who will eventually fill the black hole!

Any wonder then, that there have been massive hikes in prices for all of it's services over the past few years? As I understand it - this organisation is now back in profit because of the massive hikes in postal charges and other "services" - such as rip-off costs I described earlier for collecting Customs charges - but still has this massive pension deficit black hole in it's funding.

Any wonder then, that I also like to collect my TS castings (whenever possible), in person??

Postage charges are a sick joke nowadays in the UK - which I continue to avoid, wherever possible - though as a continuing taxpayer - I WILL continue to fund them.

Sorry if I deviated a bit from the original intent of the thread - but it feels good to get this stuff off my chest. If it were possible for us to sue successive Government "managers" of this fiasco - we would now probably also be paying for their residences at "her Majesty's Pleasure".

Unfortunately, we can't! jb

 

[johnnybach]

Definately a great business model, give poor service, make it expensive, force the buyer to come to you and is the case in the US make there product Boxes etc. unavailable at the PO, they tell you to order supplies on line 7-10 days.
Don't you wish every business would operate like this???^&confuse
Ray

Ray, baby - regarding your last point - I wouldn't wish that on anybody.

This is a classic case of a former Publicly owned business, run by incompetents for years - with the "helping hand" of Government politicians ( who starved them of proper funding for years - by keeping prices of postage low - to gain popularity). Most of these politicians, of course, never ran a business in their lives - and failed to see what they were doing - and in the end "privatised" it by selling it off.

But here's the classic twist! They sold it for the knock-down price of £28 billion - which they just used to lower our huge National debt problem, caused by the even more incompetent Government before them - BUT assured the new owners that the £8 billion Pension Deficit would be picked up by US - the taxpayers. (P.S. I've used a low estimate of the actual figure - as they won't publish the true deficit).

So......they bought it for a song......with the debt of the pensions of their employees written off (to them - the new owners!).

If anyone else went about "business" in this way - they might very well be accused of something bordering on the non-legal.

And the result is - we - the people that these politicians are meant to serve - end up with a poorer, more expensive, and lower standard of service.

As I said before - the postal service in the UK is a sick joke - and I avoid it wherever possible. jb

(Sorry again for beating this horse - but I do feel strongly about it ).