The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

How does ebay calculate shipping costs for any particular auction? In the ebay/craigslist section there was a link to a $200 "buy it now" Edison Standard. It sold quickly and looked well worth the price. I also noticed that "expedited delivery" was calculated by ebay to be about $12. How do they determine that amount? I just mailed and Edison Standard from Oregon to Texas by USPS. It was well packed in two cartons and the cost, not including packing, was close to $53.

To answer my question I used the search feature of our Forum and looked under "ebay shipping". There were numerous threads containing these words but I couldn't quickly find a thread that answered my question. If anyone finds an old thread that answers my question, would you please also give a quick tutorial on how to best use the search feature?

Thanks, Jerry Blais

I am sure that the shipping amount was a mistake however with the buy it now the seller required instant payment . I have sent the seller instructions on how to disassemble and package it for safe arrival and will expect to pay at least another 40.00 in shipping charges. Stephen

The seller has to enter the correct weight and size of the item into the listing before it goes up for auction. This requires larger items be packed first or the weight and box size will be off. Once this information is provided to eBay they then calculate the shipping cost according to the sellers preferred method of shipping and their zip code and yours. Some sellers are inexperienced, or lazy, they guess the weight, they don't have a scale, or don't want to pack something that might not sell. Guessing the packages weight and size can screw the buyer or the seller, guess light and the extra cost comes out of the sellers end, too heavy and the buyer is paying excessive shipping costs. Most small sellers simply do not understand how to ship, or pack. Packing and shipping a phonograph is a lot of work if it's done right, and people who are not phonograph collectors tend to have no clue how to ship one so it will survive intact to the seller.

On the other hand some sellers who want to move something fast might list a heavy item for $12 and then eat the extra shipping cost themselves. These guys will not ship outside the US unless it's going by eBay's global shipping program, then the item just ships to Kentucky ( eBay's third party shipper)

Jerry, did this Edison Standard include the horn? I wonder how Ebay would calculate the shipping on something that requires multiple boxes to ship? I know shipping a Standard morning glory horn is quite large and expensive.

The USPS cost for shipping one Edison Standard with the mechanism in one carton and the cabinet in another. There was no horn and the total cost for the two cartons was $53. Jerry

I've shipped horns before, which are fairly light, but the dimensions are what get you. I think it costs about $60 to $75 to ship a horn the size of a Standard morning glory.

eBay's calculated shipping- much like anything else eBay- is prone to serious glitches that are often "patched" but never permanently fixed. As usual, the hapless seller winds up paying the price.

So much stuff on eBay is a complete and utter mess it's not even funny.

Another thing I have found, at least for shipping from Michigan. Shipping to the west coast is very pricy unless you can get the item in a flat rate box. I wonder if the same is true for people on the west coast shipping to the east. The shipping cost seem to double and triple when the item goes west of the Mississippi river to the west coast. Its almost as costly as shipping out of the country.

Best Regards, Larry