Some sellers have all the nerve.

[EdisonSquirrel]

Brian,

I would never have taken the time to initiate a thread dealing with shipping charges. However, since the topic had already been introduced, I thought it would be interesting to comment on it.

Personally I have little energy on the issue as I carefully examine all aspects of an Ebay listing prior to submitting a bid, and I avoid bidding when I am uncomfortable with a seller's stipulations.

I should note that I have been pleased with the majority of my Ebay transactions. I've had few negative experiences, and those were due primarily to disappointment that records were incorrectly graded. Unfortunately, this comes with the territory.

Then there was the time I received a shipment of rotten acorns...



Rocky

[bart1927]

Fortunately, most sellers I have dealt with on Ebay were honest. Some of them just sort of guess the shipping costs so sometimes I pay too much, sometimes I pay too little.

If I notice a seller charged me much more for S&H than the amount of postage on the box (say, a difference of $ 10 or more) I ask them for an explanation, and most of the time I get the difference back.

Of course I understand that sellers want to be reimbursed for the time they spent packing my items, the money they paid for the shipping materials, and the gasoline they had to buy to drive their car to the Post Office.

But I think these sellers should include all these costs in the price of their records. Now I get the idea that they keep their prices artificially low, and at the end bring in all these extra charges. One time I had to pay like $ 8 for the packing material, which, in fact was nothing more than a previously used cardboard box and some crumpled newspaper. I told the seller that $ 8 was a little expensive for this material, and he told me he had rented a storage room to store his packing stuff, and that the rent was included in the S&H fee.

I think this is a very strange way of doing business. If I go to the bakery and buy a loaf of bread, and the price tag says its $ 2 than I expect that's what I have to pay, nothing more. I want to give the baker his 2 dollars, and he says "Now, wait a minute. I have to charge you 50 cents extra for the plastic bag, 1 euro to help pay the rent on my bakery, and another 50 cents transaction costs." If that would happen in real life you'd be really surprised, yet in the Ebay record selling business it happens all the time! That the shipping costs can't be included in the price of the records is logical: they depend on how many records you buy, which shipping method you prefer, where you live, etc. But I don't see any reason why all the other costs couldn't be included in the price of the records! (Other than to make your records look cheaper than they are).

[gramophoneshane]

One time I had to pay like $ 8 for the packing material, which, in fact was nothing more than a previously used cardboard box and some crumpled newspaper. I told the seller that $ 8 was a little expensive for this material, and he told me he had rented a storage room to store his packing stuff, and that the rent was included in the S&H fee.

That's hilarious!
That has to be the best excuse I've heard in my life. The guy should get a prize for originality lol.

I totally agree that this type of charge should be added into the record, and instead of a starting bid of 99c it should be $8.99 to cover his... charges, OR it should be stated in the listing that an $8 handling fee will be added to postage & packaging costs.
It's really just a scam for smooth talkers to make the item look cheap & to squeeze every possible dollar from the buyer.
Obviously making a healthy profit/income that's tax free isn't enough for some people

[mold]

On several occasions I've had the misfortune of having to return cylinders to the buyer because they simply weren't moldy enough for me.

Mold

[bostonmike1]

My opinion in summation is this---1.) if one cannot afford the item for sale do not bid on it (including shipping)-----a gun is not held to anyone's head 2.) if one wins an auction on ebay of which the shipping costs are not clearly stated, then avenues are provided to legally cancel the contract (there was no "meeting of the minds"---see Uniform Commercial Code that dictates all contracts and validity thereof)----and in my humble opinion, why would anyone enter into a contract or agreement without knowing the final cost. Simply put, that is why in a grocery store, prices are placed on the shelves. You see it you like it you put it in your cart because the price is agreeable to you. Here in N.Y.C. one has the option to go to the checkout line and pay for goods purchased and for a fee have them delivered home. The price of delivery is clearly posted where one would expect or reasonably expect to see the posting. If when your groceries are delivered, if you so deemed them to be, and the price of delivery, in your opinion, is too lofty---too bad! You VOLUNTARILY into a contract by submitting your cash, credit/bank card to the cashier. The store LEGALLY has your money. One knows "or should have known" the final RESPONSIBILITY of a transaction entered into which is the purchaser. Which leads me to the last and possibly most important part of this discussion. 3.) TAKING RESPONSIBILITY for one's actions----I will not use the analogy of "a gun to one's head" again but it is apropos to the discussion on this thread. If in my opinion, one is not satisfied with the transaction entered into--- the person has only HIMSELF/HERSELF to blame. To me it is very troubling that it is always the "other guy's" fault. What I find comical and in some perverse way, the people who use ebay for their own financial gain yet complain and disparage "the hand that feeds them". I do not sell on ebay, or any venue, since the nine machines I own will never be for sale since money is not an issue and this is only a hobby. If one deals with ebay my only advice to you all is if you think you are getting burned, as BRAD said vote with your feet. Michael

[blacknwhite]

I never assume a seller will combine shipping on multiple items unless they state it in their auction or I email them *before* bidding and they say yes, BUT...

As for him coming back and asking $3 more:

A seller should NEVER come back and tell you they needed more money than what was originally published on their auction page, for shipping or otherwise.

Also as an eBay member (buyer and seller) since 1999, I've found a couple of times, as a seller, that I under-estimated shipping, once by $15; I just "ate" it because it was MY mistake, and never told the buyer about it. Both times, I "guesstimated" shipping on the victrola's due to time constraints (needed the cash from the sale pronto!), and I took on the risk associated with that.

My 2 cents.

- Bob

[Neophone]

Folks,

An interesting discussion-if a bit heated.

...A seller should NEVER come back and tell you they needed more money than what was originally published on their auction page, for shipping or otherwise...

Well said, Bob, I haven't sold anything through my own account on the 'Bay, but I have helped a friend and he has eaten extra shipping charges a number of times.

......Larry, there are only two options at your disposal to avoid unwarranted shipping charges. The first is to read the shipping instructions carefully and bid accordingly; the second is to make your purchases from well-known, trusted sources....

I agree with you, Rocky, that is all any of us can do, we can still get the occasional burn, but it's less likely following your options.

....I understand your gripe, Larry. I've often refrained from bidding on records due to excessive shipping charges. An honest seller will seek only to cover the cost of postage and materials in his shipping charges, while a dishonest seller will intentionally inflate the numbers to increase his profit....

Shipping and handling is only legitimate if it covers and is applied to the costs associated with packing and mailing an item-it's not that complicated. The boxes and bubble-pack cost money too. IMHO the "cost" of one's time to pack and mail the item should not be passed on as a "charge" time is the cost of doing business, any business it should be built into the original cost of the item.

.....Now days I keep a little book with the names of sellers that have ripped me off, and I'll avoid buying from them unless it's something I desperately want, and even then I wont bid quite as high as I normally would because I know they will overcharge the next time too.
I also make use of the star ratings for postage costs, and mention in the feedback text that I was charged far more for postage than it actually cost....

Shane, I have always kept a double ledger for my E-Bay purchases. Any seller who I feel wronged me gets a red mark and it's my own fault if I get burned by them again!

...I also agree that some sellers' postage charges can be excessive. but complaining or ranting about it after the fact doesn't seem to accomplish anything, which is why I just don't get these threads...

Brian, I remember complaining to my mother one time about something and she angrily told me there was nothing she could do about. Without even thinking about it I said to her I didn't want her to do anything about it, I just wanted someone to listen and care-call it a compatriot placebo.

if you can't afford it, you can't afford it, and if you don't agree with a seller's charges, philosophies, whatever, on principal, then just don't do business with him/her.

All things being equal-I agree with the above 100%, Brian.

In this instance it certainly seems the seller was either trying to get as much as possible out of Larry or he/she was having difficulty with the E-Bay system. (I had a seller who had a very difficult time adjusting the shipping costs when to new PayPal only set-up first can into being. It took both of us to figure it out.) I'm pleased to hear things are getting straightened out Larry.

A bit off topic, but I've always been a bit shocked at the amount of sellers who use Priority Mail envelopes and boxes as a source of free packing material.

My friend Stan just picked up a Priority package at the P.O. Upon opening the box we saw the inside had "Priority" printed on it as well. No more recycling Priority boxes I guess! ...

So it pays to ask in most cases.

Right you are, Larry-It never hurts to ask!

Fortunately, most sellers I have dealt with on Ebay were honest.

Ditto, Bart, all in all I've had a wonderful experience on the 'Bay. I've found some fantastic sellers who take care of their customers. (In fact one of them is a member here-not that I want to drop any names.......

Michael, If only E-Bay were run like a supermarket! It is more reliant on the honor system than any legal brick & mortar business that I have experienced.

I think we need to remember two competing aphorisms when we discuss E-Bay, Craigslist, &c.;

Caveat Emptor


&


The Golden Rule

Regards,
John

[bart1927]

My opinion in summation is this---1.) if one cannot afford the item for sale do not bid on it (including shipping)-----a gun is not held to anyone's head...

Well, that's not really the issue here, at least not in the cases I encountered. I live in Europe, so I know that shipping boxes full of records from the USA to here is very expensive (especially since USPS canceled standard airmail and is only offering Priority Airmail now). The problem is, how can I know that I've been overcharged before I receive the goods? I can't. So it's not about paying more than I can afford, it's about being lied to about the actual costs of services!

I'm willing and able to pay $ 60 S&H for a box of, say, 14 records, but when I get the records and see there's only $ 45 worth of postage on the box, I'm not going to be happy.

This happened more than once to me, and while the sellers usually refund the difference I have met some of them who simply refused, and said this amount was for the handling part of the S&H. And I think $ 15 is pretty expensive for a cardboard box and some crumpled newspaper.

[EdisonSquirrel]

Somewhat off-topic but Ebay-related... Over the weekend a seller accepted my "Best Offer" on a "Buy It Now" listing for a dance band record. I was surprised to see the transaction appear under my "Didn't Win" summary. I was unaware that Ebay's automated system was capable of such an error. At any rate, no harm was done.



Rocky

[estott]

I never looked into that, but when the seller accepts your best offer he ends the auction early- maybe it appears as if no one won. Who knows? Ebay is rather mysterious.