Question for the experimented Ebay users out there...

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 12:36 am

Heya,

I'm still a newbie using EBay and I recently purchased an item for 23$US. This person lives in a city close to mine. On the item description it didnt say anything about shipping charges. When I had to pay, the shipping fee came up: 15$US. This is way too much for shipping in the same area, but I was wondering was is standard procedure when no shipping charges are displayed.

Should you ask the seller through messages in advance, before bidding? Can you tell him, when comes to time to pay, that the shipping amount (which was not in the description) is too high? Hu?

I paid for the item because I didnt want to bother, but I would like to know for next time.

Thanks!

Jeferson · Post by **Jeferson** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 12:55 am

Az, shipping costs are something to pay attention to (well, next time, anyway). If you commit to buy something without knowing the shipping fees, you leave yourself open to be charged sky high prices if the vendor wants to nail you.

Best bet is, yes, email ahead of time to let the seller know you are considering bidding and would like to get a firm combien on those shipping fees. No reply = no bid. In this case, it's worth your while to ask if he/she might drop it a bit. You never know!

Jef

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 4:23 am

Don't forget to allow for the fact that shipping is not just the postage cost, but also the cost of the packaging, the seller's time and effort in putting it all together, and walking down to the post office with it.

That said, most honest and experienced sellers will have worked out what they'll charge beforehand, and put that information in the auction.

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 6:10 am

Always ask first-- saves heartache later! Also, you never know what might transpire...
About 6 years ago I sold a bass recorder to a woman in Michigan. She had some questions about the finger reach so she e-mailed me. To make a short story even shorter, she's now my wife!! Seriously! Best online transaction either of us ever made....

missy · Post by **missy** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 6:13 am

Az - charging high shipping is an infamous way of getting around paying eBay fees (a seller pays fees on the selling price, not the selling AND shipping total).

I never bid on an item unless the exact shipping price is quoted in the auction. I always quote a flat rate in my auctions - if someone doesn't like it, they don't have to bid.

You "can" leave a message in your feedback that the shipping seemed high to you, but be aware that the seller can neg you right back. It may or may not be worth it to you to have that negative - depends on how many positives you have.

And, as Martin said - it's not JUST shipping, but shipping and handling - boxes, packaging, running to the post office, etc.

Whistlin'Dixie · Post by **Whistlin'Dixie** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 6:15 am

Good one, Paul!

To add to the topic, I once bought a really low cost item, and paid twice what it cost me, in SHIPPING!

That was back in my crazy-ebay-days.

I rarely go there, now.

M

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 7:36 am

I second Missy's post with one addition. I usually find great steals on ebay motors for my car aquisition business by taking advantage of misspellings in keywords in ads. While you're searching for something, search for common misspellings of the topic, as there are frequently many.
I mention this because when you buy on ebay, the common idea (and often misconception) is that if the price is lower than retail you're getting a good deal, but then you're hit with a sitiuation like that of which you've been unfortunately afflicted with. Misspelled ads often end without any bidders (or low bidders, which can be "sniped," or outbit at the last second if your connection is moderately fast) and can be gotten for pennies on the dollar. This brings us to the rule of thumb that I live by on ebay; Find the best deal available. The reason for this rule is pretty obvious; if you're not getting a deal, why are you bothering with ebay, right? Check the retail price of what you're looking for, and look for something going for half of the retail at most, that way you can factor in the possibly outrageous S&H charges and still come away with a deal. The ideal situation, though, is to find something you can get for pennies on the dollar, that way if you ever get into a rough spot you can liquidate your assests and come away with more money than what you started with. The next best rule to live by is CYA, or Cover Your Ass, meaning, ask all the questions you need to know before you bid, and keep a documented record of the sellers emails to you. That way when you bid (a legal contract) they are under "verbal" contract to you to sell their item to you for the previously agreed upon conditiond, which you agreed to when you bid. If they reneg on what they previously quoted to you they are then the ones in breech of contract and not you, because you have "Covered Your Ass." Ebay can then enforce the contract. Most experienced sellers will not transgress a contract made with a buyer, even if they realize it was a foolish one.
Live by these cardinal rules in ebay-ing and you can stand to save a great deal of money, and you can even stand to make a good bit 'o scratch too.
These are gleaned from my experiences with ebay; YMMV, as always though.
Good luck!

Doug_Tipple · Post by **Doug_Tipple** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:27 am

There are many ways of listing or not listing shipping and handling fees for an item offered on ebay. I like to see a standard flat rate fee which includes both shipping and handling. For example, I have an ongoing auction on ebay. The flat-rate shipping and handling fee that I advertise is $6 for priority mail with delivery confirmation anywhere in the USA. If I ship to customers fairly close to me, I come out ahead on the deal. However, when I ship to California, my actual shipping costs are a little more than $6. It all averages out for me.

Some sellers who really have their act together will include a shipping rate calculator for USPS or UPS with their auction. Just type in your zip code, and the the calculator will quickly calculate the exact shipping charges.

But beware, Ebay is also full of crooks that list auctions with misleading statements and terms of sale. Shipping fees are sometimes mentioned in the fine print at the very bottom of the auction page or not mentioned at all. For example, it isn't hard to find a lighter weight ebay item selling for under $5, where, if you look at the fine print, the shipping charges are $40. However, sometimes you can get a good deal on an item, even when the shipping charges are obviously extravagent, as in the above-mentioned example. One reason for listing high shipping rates is for the seller to be able to lower the selling price of any item. Ebay charges sellers a selling fee based on the opening bid price and a final evaluation fee on the final auction bid price. The shipping fee is not included in the calculation of ebay selling fees. Thus, it is to the seller's advantage to have a lower selling price and a higher shipping fee. With this in mind, you need to take both the selling price and the shipping price in mind when considering whether you want to bid on an auction.

For example, I just purchased a silver flute at an ebay auction. One seller had the flute listed at a buy-it-now price of $150 + $15 shipping. Another seller was auctioning the same flute for $130 + $25 shipping. Even though the shipping rate was higher, I bid on the second auction. As it often happens in the era of auction bidding software, I was outbid on the auction in the last 30 seconds of a 7 day auction. However, after the auction closed the seller contacted me and agreed to sell at my bid price. I came out $10 ahead by bidding on the auction with the higher shipping rate.

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 10:01 am

Thanks a lot folks for your help. So is there any limit on how much a hidden "shipping fees" can be? Ebay really allows 5$ items with 40$ shipping fees?

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 10:02 am

Azalin wrote:Thanks a lot folks for your help. So is there any limit on how much a hidden "shipping fees" can be? Ebay really allows 5$ items with 40$ shipping fees?

definately.
So far as I know, there is no limit to the hidden shipping charges.

fearfaoin · Post by **fearfaoin** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 10:09 am

brewerpaul wrote:About 6 years ago I sold a bass recorder to a woman in Michigan. She had some questions about the finger reach so she e-mailed me. To make a short story even shorter, she's now my wife!! Seriously! Best online transaction either of us ever made....

A marriage based on recorders?!

Amazing!!!

I wonder many whistle-precipitated weddings there have been?

doogieman · Post by **doogieman** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 11:22 am

I recently bought a Waltons Mellow D for $1.35 and paid $6.00 to ship it. All in all the total still made it a good deal.
I used to sell saxophones on eBay and I would get the exact shipping price from UPS and that's what I charged. I usually had boxes etc and didn't charge for my "shipping" time. With UPS I could give the customer a tracking number - I always like to get those when buying.

Chiffed · Post by **Chiffed** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 1:39 am

Great to see all the good input.

For the odds-and-ends I'm selling, shipping varies really widely. Canada Post package rates vary so widely, that just using their rate calculator online is a pain. Hints from Canucks?