Shipping Charges (1 Viewer)

[tdubel]

This should probably go under what annoys me, but I have found lately on ebay, a lot of buyers who are very rude and indignant when it comes to shipping. I charge shipping, it is a necessary cost on both sides of the transaction when you are low volume and a hobbyist like me. When shipping international, I only use US priority or higher b/c of tracking reliability, I think it is good practice to want to see the item arrive and protects both buyer and seller. So, this morning, I have a buyer in Canada very rudely message me and tell me that $30 for shipping for a Mounted figure is gouging and I am a liar and I am making money off of shipping.......................So, I simply say, you can validate the cost at www.usps.com - goes at the 2lb rate packed - 2 options - by weight $43.60, by flat rate $29.60. I point that out politely and I get another rude message back telling me he is taking his business elsewhere............I reply thank you very much, you are already blocked! I love that feature and I feel fortunate this sale never occurred, can you imagine the conclusion? 99.9% of folks in this hobby are very good people, but the .1% are maddening.

Tom

 

[mikemiller1955]

This should probably go under what annoys me, but I have found lately on ebay, a lot of buyers who are very rude and indignant whn it comes to shipping. I charge shipping, it is a necessary cost on both sides of the transaction when you are low volume and a hobbyist like me. When shipping international, I only use US priority or higher b/c of tracking reliability, I think it is good practice to want to see the item arrive and protects both buyer and seller. So, this morning, I have a buyer in Canada very rudely message me and tell me that $30 for shipping for a Mounted figure is gouging and I am a liar and I am making money off of shipping.......................So, I simply say, you can validate the cost at www.usps.com - goes at the 2lb rate packed - 2 options - by weight $43.60, by flat rate $29.60. I point that out politely and I get another rude message back telling me he is taking his business elsewhere............I reply thank you very much, you are already blocked! I love that feature and I feel fortunate this sale never occurred, can you imagine the conclusion? 99.9% of folks in this hobby are very good people, but the .1% are maddening.

Tom

Tom...

that has happened to me before to some degree...
not really a mad or indignant customer...
but someone who asks me if I can ship it cheaper...

I send them the USPS.com shipping link and tell them to reverse the sending address to mine...Texas, USA 77551...
and then add their address as the recipient...
now he can see what it costs me to ship it...
a lot of buyers don't realize how expensive shipping really is...

also...I don't think buyers understand...
when I sell something on Ebay...
the shipping cost from them that Ebay collects...
I'm billed 12.9% on it in my final value fee...

if it costs $80 to ship it to them...
it costs me $10.32 in my final value fees...

along with that...
I also pay 12.9% on the tax Ebay collects...

then on top of that...
the final slap in the face is the .30 cents for the ad...


on some items I sell...
Ebay makes more than I do...

 

[Warrior]

Oh man, don't get me started on shipping.............................

The costs are out of control, I know there is an easier way to do it, but I put an estimated shipping charge on my items, I always tell people wishing to buy multiple items "If ACTUAL shipping ends up being less than ESTIMATED shipping, I will refund you back the difference."

Naturally, if it's more, I eat it, which happens sometimes.

I use Global shipping for all international sales; what they charge is what they charge, I have zero control or influence over it.

 

[tdubel]

He was just hell bent on first class and I just won't do it anymore for folks I don't know. If I know someone, that is different, but even then it makes me fell uneasy, just too many of them go missing or are delivered 3 months later (even to Canada). Oh, forgot the kicker, his comment on the figure - "Please confirm the figure is flawless". My answer, "Please read the item description, it is a used item that has been displayed, excellent but displayed, which means by definition, it is not flawless.". I always say, you just can't make this up.

TD

 

[marco55]

I've had a lot of international transactions that didn't go through because of shipping. I try to warn people but most don't get it until you show them what it costs.
Mark

 

[tdubel]

Since its a small hobby and I continue to receive threats and had to report this to ebay, might as well put the id out there. I feel like if you want to be a keyboard commando, might as well withstand the heat.
TD

 

[jazzeum]

I recently sold a cd and apparently the PO misdelivered it and recognized it’s their fault. The buyer requested that I send him another cd. My reply was how was this my fault? He then replied that he will settle for a refund. My reply back to him was that we split the costs (shared pain, etc.) but that since the amount is minimal ($12), if he wants a full refund, I will give him one. This happened earlier this year with another cd and the buyer and I split the costs. After this thing is resolved, I will block him, not because he has been less than courteous, but who needs the aggravation.

 

[tdubel]

Since its a small hobby and I continue to receive threats and had to report this to ebay, might as well put the id out there. I feel like if you want to be a keyboard commando, might as well withstand the heat.
TD

Since this was edited, I will happily share the id with anyone who wants it.
TD

 

[Barkmann]

I combine postage and rarely get complaints, but got one few weeks ago, I charged him £8.60 combined postage, down from £25.30 and he said he did not reconise the amount, until i explained,
Postage is actually £4.40, but add on,
1/. Extra insurance costs, as the parcel went 5 times in value over the actually cost covered by the insurance, £50, so paid extra to cover the £253
2/. Ebay fees on the postage costs

We played ebay message for a while with him not happy and then i looked at his stuff he was selling and his postage was higher than what i had charged him, which i pointed out, he replied "so what". Had enough and told him he can do 2 simple things,
Open a case with ebay
Not buy from me
Or bit more complicated, but just adjust your bids to take in postage.

In the meantime i blocked him from bidding, a week or so later he told me his bids on my new stuff were blocked, so i explained life was too short to deal with c**p and i had blocked him. He was not happy and asked me to unblock him as there were 2 items i was selling he wanted to find and it had been years, then he gave me glowing feedback on each of the previous 14 items he had bought in the last few months. Plus sent me a handwritten letter to apologise, so i unblocked him. He won the 2 items, 1 at 23 times more than i paid for it 10 years ago and the other 18 times more than i paid for it 10 years ago. Sent them and he is a happy man. All well that ends well, but could have done without the grief. Ebay has been a mixed blessing for the hobby.

 

[Barkmann]

I've had a lot of international transactions that didn't go through because of shipping. I try to warn people but most don't get it until you show them what it costs.
Mark

Agreed with you Mate, i get so many non-UK collectors ask me about the cost for shipping and i used to take the items to the post office and get them weighted etc and send the cost, not one has won. So now i just give an estimate.

Few complain too high, but i will not send anything outside the UK that is not tracked and signed for, been burnt before.

There are 4 companies in the UK that i know of, as have sent stuff to them, that offer a service which lets you buy from abroad ebay items in UK and you pay the internal postage and then, i assume, a fee to the company who then ship it to you in your country, had a few from China and Russia.

 

[Warrior]

Agreed with you Mate, i get so many non-UK collectors ask me about the cost for shipping and i used to take the items to the post office and get them weighted etc and send the cost, not one has won. So now i just give an estimate.

Few complain too high, but i will not send anything outside the UK that is not tracked and signed for, been burnt before.

There are 4 companies in the UK that i know of, as have sent stuff to them, that offer a service which lets you buy from abroad ebay items in UK and you pay the internal postage and then, i assume, a fee to the company who then ship it to you in your country, had a few from China and Russia.

Those are freight forwarders.

As an FYI, if you ever sell something on Ebay to someone who uses a freight forwarder and it shows up on their end damaged, they are out of luck with Ebay.

If they file a return claim or want you to deduct money for the damage, contact Ebay and they will handle it for you.

 

[jazzeum]

Those are freight forwarders.

As an FYI, if you ever sell something on Ebay to someone who uses a freight forwarder and it shows up on their end damaged, they are out of luck with Ebay.

If they file a return claim or want you to deduct money for the damage, contact Ebay and they will handle it for you.

I always tell buyers using freight forwarders that I’m responsible for damage in the US but that if it arrives in the destination country damaged, that is their responsibility.

 

[Warrior]

I always tell buyers using freight forwarders that I’m responsible for damage in the US but that if it arrives in the destination country damaged, that is their responsibility.

That is 100% correct and that is how Ebay views it as well.