Ebay Sellers

[NinjaWarrior]

i'm getting annoyed at sellers selling small items like Radios at low price like $15.99, but charge like $18 to ship

 

I call them out, And there excusse is, It waighs like 2 lbs..or something like that

[Tanooki]

Part of it is them, but I've noticed some really heinous bs from ebay this year since I started using it again a bit limited due to the moderately raised cap.  They iced first class mail and use this bs garbage called ground (dis)advantage.  You pay like a lot more, and it takes an extra day or two (plus?) to go the same distance.  I saw what I did just last year on a few items for like first class mail, same weights, and the prices depending on distance doubled or more.  I would not be surprised if a 2LB package did cost damn near $18 if it went across the country.  I've noticed usually now the heavier an item I've put up, the buyers tend to be far closer, the lighter stuff goes further so buyers are getting uncomfortable/pissed about it too.

 

A simple gameboy game/bubble mailer at 3-4oz (min weight) was maybe about $4 tops in 2023.  Even closer by it's over $5 and going 1000+mi out it's closing and exceeding over $6 which is ridiculous.

 

Now if I do buy something and I see what they charged in shipping, and the package (people can opt into it) has the postage they paid and it's obviously off... I'll report it to ebay and get my shipping refunded out of their hide as that's theft.

[jeffgamer]

I get your frustration, NinjaWarrior, and some people definitely double the shipping and go way overboard.  On the other hand, the weight thing is real, too.  I just listed an item on ebay...a Marx TV Tennis game...for $15. It doesn't work, and I plan to bring it to the recycling center if nobody bids on it. I don't expect anyone to buy it because of the shipping costs. Before listing it, I put it in a box, weighed and measured it, and then listed it. The shipping costs are three times the listing price. But that exorbitant amount is the automatic shipping calculator, not something I selected...it really is what shipping costs, and it will unfortunately likely deter any potential buyers.  I'm not sure what the radio you're bidding on weighs, but some of my old handheld radios had heavy (relatively) parts inside and easily weighed two pounds...that would surely increase shipping costs far higher than a similarly-sized videogame that weighs under a pound.

[jetset]

On 3/12/2024 at 11:52 PM, NinjaWarrior said:

i'm getting annoyed at sellers selling small items like Radios at low price like $15.99, but charge like $18 to ship

 

I call them out, And there excusse is, It waighs like 2 lbs..or something like that

Yeah I'm with you. This has been a long time complaint of mine. Ebay seemingly *tried* by including the shipping cost with their fees. Unfortunately it did little if anything, sellers are, to this day ripping people off. Ebay needs to show somewhere how much the actual shipping cost is versus what the seller charges. When an item says $16.44 shipping, that means the stamp cost that much, with a buck or two for....whatever reason. But that's hidden. This "shipping and handling" bit is crap. Boxes are free everywhere. Everything is delivered to your home anymore whether it be Walmart, Amazon, etc...tape and ink are cheap. I always been ok with a buck or two, but making the shipping cost 2-3X what it should be is a joke. US post rates really aren't all that terrible. I have 2 2600 units packed and ready to go for someone. The shipping from S Florida to New York is $11.53 for UPS delivered in 4 days, USPS is $11.54 for 5-7 day. No need to rip anyone off.

[bfollowell]

That's why I always list my items to include actual shipping costs. I don't feel it's right to charge someone fifty miles away the same price it costs to ship something across the country. At the same time, a lot of people don't like to bid unless they know what shipping costs are going to be. The only way to list it ahead of time is to check 3-4 locations in the country far from you and get an average what it's going to cost and make that your shipping cost. It's a double-edged sword. The buyer either wants to pay pretty close to actual shipping cost or they want to know what it is before they bid, but they can't have both unless they contact the seller and ask how much it would cost to ship to this or that address.

 

Also, it depends on what shipping companies a seller has in their area. In my average size town, it's USPS, UPS, or FedEx, and that's about it. I'm not driving all over town wasting my time and gas looking for some little Mom & Pop shipping establishment to save $1 on shipping. 

 

I agree that there are sellers that gouge on shipping to try and make a few extra bucks, but there are just as many unreasonable buyers that have unrealistic expectations. Most ebay sellers aren't Amazon with Prime Two-Day Shipping, and they're never gonna be. Buyers need to adjust their expectations a little as well.

 

[jeffgamer]

16 hours ago, bfollowell said:

That's why I always list my items to include actual shipping costs. I don't feel it's right to charge someone fifty miles away the same price it costs to ship something across the country. At the same time, a lot of people don't like to bid unless they know what shipping costs are going to be. The only way to list it ahead of time is to check 3-4 locations in the country far from you and get an average what it's going to cost and make that your shipping cost.

 

 

 

I think what you wrote would only apply if you try to come up with one flat fee across the board on your own instead of letting their shipping calculator do the work FOR you. When I list, I place the items (along with a shipping box) on a shipping scale I have in my house, get the weight and box measurements, and then enter that information into the listing tool. I select three shipping options...domestically, USPS Priority is my top option (because it's just easier to use the USPS premade boxes, it ships faster, and it allows for more weight for the same price) + I include two other options (usually UPS and a land-based USPS); internationally, I pick the least expensive two services on the list. When potential bidders look at the listing, they will see the shipping costs for THEIR address based upon the weight and measurements. Because eBay adjusts its estimates for each bidder based upon their own home location, I don't have to figure it out...it's giving the exact estimate. The only add-on I include is a small $1.50 shipping/handling charge (domestically...a bit more internationally) in order to mostly (though often not fully) cover extra expenses (ya gotta buy the bubble wrap and styro bubbles) and to also adjust for the fact that eBay, in a move that irks me, calculates their percentage based upon the sum of both the selling price AND the shipping costs. I understand why they decided to include shipping in their estimate of the fees they charge the seller...because they wanted to get around sellers who used to charge $1 for the item and $50 for shipping to get around eBay's cut of the profits...but that penalizes all the sellers who don't try to game their system...they shouldn't (IMO) be making a profit off of shipping costs, but they do.

Edited March 25 by jeffgamer
typo

[bfollowell]

12 minutes ago, jeffgamer said:

I think what you wrote would only apply if you try to come up with one flat fee across the board on your own instead of letting their shipping calculator do the work FOR you.

 

 

You're right. I don't sell very often. It's probably been a couple of years since I sold anything and I can't recall ever using their shipping calculator.

 

[+bent_pin]

On 3/24/2024 at 6:51 AM, bfollowell said:

The only way to list it ahead of time is to check 3-4 locations in the country far from you and get an average what it's going to cost and make that your shipping cost.

That's not the case if you use calculated shipping. Ebay takes their fee off of the full sale price, including shipping, but if you ship USPS ground advantage, you get 25% off the list price. I add $1.25 onto every listing, but that's only added once, no matter how many items you buy in an order. The rest is based on size and weight, and ebay calculates it pretty accurately. I find that it never shorts me and usually gives me a surplus of $2. On the very rare occasion where there is a surplus greater than that, I just refund it to the buyer.

[+bent_pin]

On 3/12/2024 at 11:52 PM, NinjaWarrior said:

i'm getting annoyed at sellers selling small items like Radios at low price like $15.99, but charge like $18 to ship

 

I call them out, And there excusse is, It waighs like 2 lbs..or something like that

When I see something that's expensively shipped, I contact the buyer before completing the transaction. Most of the time I can argue off a few dollars. Sometimes they are rude about it and I just don't buy it. Occasionally, they offer a discount in the form of a refund and then never send it. When that happens they get two messages and if they don't fix it, they get negative feedback.

 

On the flip-side, if a buyer completes the transaction then demands a shipping refund, I usually cancel the transaction.

[+OLD CS1]

1 hour ago, bent_pin said:

Occasionally, they offer a discount in the form of a refund and then never send it. When that happens they get two messages and if they don't fix it, they get negative feedback.

Oh, that reminds me, I need to refund a little bit of shipping for someone...

 

1 hour ago, bent_pin said:

On the flip-side, if a buyer completes the transaction then demands a shipping refund, I usually cancel the transaction.

This pisses me off.  It has only happened to me once, and I adamantly refused.  My shipping charges are what eBay calculates.  Period.  If someone does not like the charge, they can contact me ahead of time so I can explain, or they can just pass on.  The only time I ever charged more to shipping was international, which I no longer do, because of the amount of time it took for customs forms and that I had to stand in line at the Post Office to ship.  I have no idea if that is the case anymore as I stopped shipping internationally a long time ago (except to the Great White North.)

[+bent_pin]

9 minutes ago, OLD CS1 said:

I have no idea if that is the case anymore as I stopped shipping internationally a long time ago (except to the Great White North.)

eBay has an international program through their ground advantage shipping. If the seller sees a rate, then I ship to them. No form other than a customs code from the harmonized terif.

[bigfriendly]

I have been running and managing an pretty large eBay side hustle since June 2020. I had driven a commercial vehicle since the 90s but I had a horrific injury to my right ankle in 2018 and it was damaged to the point that I simply can't drive a big truck anymore. That's how I ended up doing what I currently do and I've learned quite a bit about eBay and the shipping options since then. Because of the items we sell which are large commercial items like huge circuit breakers and fuses and lots of other stuff. Thank God for eBays current and ended listings as I often knew little about these items. Anyway, I typically offer USPS Ground Advantage and USPS Priority Mail on every listing. PM is fantastic because of the flat rate options they have which are the same across all 50 states and the US Territories. Plus you can order all of the different size PM boxes from the PO for free and they will ship them to you for free also. 

[Dopeyman06]

Bid accordingly

 

 

[jetset]

Well...not a fix but something they (ebay) should have done YEARS ago. Printing shipping through ebay is discounted, but now they're going to show the ACTUAL shipping cost on the label. Automatically. So when these scam artists charge $15 bucks to send something ground delivery for $7 bucks you'll know and can leave feedback appropriately. A few bucks to cover...tape, ink, or whatever sellers were trying to justify a 100% increase on shipping will be essentially disclosed now. Yes, blahblahblah only bid the highest you're willing to pay but I've said it many times, if the shipping is $10 bucks, you can't justify $20 to ship it, even if it comes out to the same price with free shipping. Regardless of the "net" you're being deceived by the seller. It's about time!

[Tanooki]

Yeah I saw that, and it's fine by me.  I gave up using flat rate after the USPS got greedy and started to do zones because the values between them make utterly no sense.  You can ship (if you live on a zone edge) to the next one over...say an hour away, or to the other side of your own zone many more hours away and the short drive costs more because...stupid.  Formerly I would just do a flat rate based on the weight of the package and I'd round up to the next dollar if the other dollar wasn't pretty close to cover my printing/supplies, packing/supplies, and tiny 5min drive in the wrong direction to the post office.  No one cared, I always had high marks on it.  Now with that garbage I just let ebay deal, and 99% of the time they don't foul it up.  Before the lame virus, pre-zoning they'd goof up bad, I'd end up having to call them if I did let them handle it with combined packages or accidentally hit that because it would say...hmm $3something shipping, and it would cost me like $7 and I'd be pissed, so I'd get them to credit it back which stunk going through their phone hell zoo.

 

I used to nail people to the wall for the shipping, sometimes I'd do it intentionally because the item was a good price and it worked.  I'd buy the item, let them charge me double or triple for shipping.  When it arrived and I see what the post office put on the thing, or what they stupidly shot themselves in the foot over on the sticker I'd just call it in to ebay, get a shipping refund, leave them negative feedback for stealing shipping, and ebay put them on a watch list and I'd see a few cases where it seemed to be someone who did it a lot they'd get nailed for it.  It may not be nice financially catfishing a catfish, but screw them, it's theft.  And their shitty theft is why that greedy FVF exists now which does actually steal some of your postage money so some of your actual 'profit' eats a shipping charge that's hidden too which is crap.

[jetset]

9 hours ago, Tanooki said:

I gave up using flat rate after the USPS got greedy and started to do zones

100% true and I agree, but in truth, EVERYTHING today is designed to separate you from your dollar (not just the post lol). Now get off my lawn!  😁