eBay Shipping Question

[Mendon]

I haven't bought or sold on eBay in quite a bit of time, so I'm not up to speed on all the changes that have taken place.

 

I was thinking of putting some of my gaming items up for auction and started a listing for a lot of 6 PS3 games. Everything was going fine with creating the listing until I got to the shipping part and the system would not allow me to charge over $4.00 for shipping, no matter whether I used parcel post or priority.

 

I called eBay and spoke to a rep and explained my situation and was told that some categories.... including video games... have a maximum amount allowed for shipping costs. When I explained that when I put all the info into the eBay shipping calculator and it came up $8.63 for an example city (Chicago), why was I being limited to charging $4.00. I was simply told to build my shipping costs into the start price. I asked "But what if I wanted to start my auction at $0.99... how do I build my shipping cost into that?" At that point some static came on the phone and I got a busy signal. Sigh.......

 

Question: I've seen other auctions where shipping costs vary in price for shipping just one game... might be $3.00 in one auction and $8.00 charged in another. How do people get around the $4.00 maximum price level that eBay has built in? Is there something I'm not doing right or not understanding in creating my listing so that I charge more than $4.00 for shipping?

 

I'm not looking to gouge on shipping, I just don't want to be held to charging $4.00 for shipping when the postal service is going to rack me for $9.00 at the window.

 

Thanks for any info/advice!

 

 

Mendon

Edited December 11, 2011 by Mendon

[boxpressed]

Use the shipping calculator instead of the fixed price. It's pretty accurate as long as you know how much your stuff will weigh. Get a good scale and add a couple of pounds for a box and proper packing material. The amount charged has always been spot-on for me, save an extra $0.19 for Delivery Confirmation that the shipping calculator doesn't factor in. I've given up on fixed shipping costs for anything over 13 ounces (the limit for first class).

[Mendon]

Thanks for the info, Boxpressed; much appreciated!!

 

I still don't understand, though, how some eBay sellers are able to circumvent the $4.00 shipping maximum law of eBay. How is this guy able to charge $8.65?

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 380395053900

 

And there was another auction.... can't find it at the moment.... where a seller offered a GameBoy cart with a $12.00 shipping fee.

 

I'm confused.

 

Mendon

[boxpressed]

Thanks for the info, Boxpressed; much appreciated!!

 

I still don't understand, though, how some eBay sellers are able to circumvent the $4.00 shipping maximum law of eBay. How is this guy able to charge $8.65?

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 380395053900

 

And there was another auction.... can't find it at the moment.... where a seller offered a GameBoy cart with a $12.00 shipping fee.

 

I'm confused.

 

Mendon

 

The shipping for that Pacman game shows up as $6.38 for me. So I'm closer to the shipper than you are. The seller is using the shipping calculator and has put in a specific weight (probably 2 or 3 pounds), which is what I do now so that I don't lose out on shipping.

 

The $4.00 maximum applies only if you use the fixed rate, not the shipping calculator. The shipping calculator is the way to go if you are shipping more than one game or one heavy game.

Edited December 17, 2011 by boxpressed