Is This Too Much To Charge For Shipping?

[fwacce]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62053&item=8193188069&rd=1

Charges $7.77 for media mail and requires you to pay $2.00 for insurance. Seller even states that he ships in a regular non-padded envelope for that rate.

[danny-o]

the shipping is a rip-off, no questions about that. Its under 2 bucks for media mail for a cart and a non padded envelope is probably about 50 cents at the most.

[Quackzilla]

Dude, $5 MAX for media mail, and that's with a bubble mailer.

That's outrageous.

It costs about $1.50-$2.00 to mail a game.

[Reality's Fringe]

The SNES HM wasn't even that good.

[CoffeeEdge]

It seems like most auctions these days have inflated shipping...it's obvious the sellers are getting mighty greedy.

[onikage]

Any time S&H w/ Media Mail is over $3.00 you're getting taken. Most sellers won't charge more than $5 for Priority Mail(and they shouldn't).

[slidecage]

umm 70 cents for the envlope
ebay final vaule 2.46
ebay listing .60 cents
paypal 2.01
insurance 2.15 (DC with insurance)
transportion to post 1 buck at least

right there is 8.92 and that dont even include postage or say buck for postage and forget the gas charge


remember shipping includes all handling expenese

[Quackzilla]

umm 70 cents for the envlope
ebay final vaule 2.46
ebay listing .60 cents
paypal 2.01
insurance 2.15 (DC with insurance)
transportion to post 1 buck at least

right there is 8.92 and that dont even include postage or say buck for postage and forget the gas charge


remember shipping includes all handling expenese

That's stretching it, I ship media mail for $4-$5 and it covers most of the shipping, transportation, packagings, and most of the paypal fees.

I don't like to pay for high shipping costs, so I don't charge high shipping costs.

[wubb]

Definitely on the high side, but at least the seller puts the costs in the official shipping section so they'll appear in search results and you can avoid their auctions :twisted:

Media Mail for a cart only SNES game would be a bit MORE EXPENSIVE than 1st class mail, plus much slower. Dumb ass seller IMO. I'm not even sure if the PO would honor an insurance claim for a game mailed in a non-protected mailer...

I think that may be a CAGer's eBay id - I'm actually pretty sure I know whose. Seems familiar from auctions I've looked at from here. But I could be wrong.

I got a kick out of this remark in one of his completed auctions:

"PLAYED IT AROUND 10 HOURS OR SO AND GOT DONE WITH IT (BORED/NO TIME) GREAT GAME"

[slidecage]

Definitely on the high side, but at least the seller puts the costs in the official shipping section so they'll appear in search results and you can avoid their auctions :twisted:

Media Mail for a cart only SNES game would be a bit MORE EXPENSIVE than 1st class mail, plus much slower. Dumb ass seller IMO. I'm not even sure if the PO would honor an insurance claim for a game mailed in a non-protected mailer...

I think that may be a CAGer's eBay id. (Seems familiar from auctions I've looked at from here.) But I could be wrong.


i forgot to add

the auction was mine (at least im big enough to admit it) there was a few mistakes in the listing and i would of told the buyer) i listed this on the 10Cent tueday (the items that did sell 5.77 shipping) everyone who picked media mail was up to First class those who picked first class was refunded the difference. I listed 60 items that night and didnt change a lot of the stuff that is saved in their by ebay,

I charge 7.77 since i was going to be shipping it Prioty mail cause i though a super nintendo cart would be damaged in a bubble envlope. if someone put a bid on it i would of told them that....... I will lower the shipping next time if people feel that Game wont get damaged in the bubble envlope. BUt i didnt want a very rare game to get damaged in the maill

Flame me all you want but At least i was big enough to say its mine unlike some people on this site

[wubb]

i forgot to add

the auction was mine (at least im big enough to admit it) there was a few mistakes in the listing and i would of told the buyer) i listed this on the 10Cent tueday (the items that did sell 5.77 shipping) everyone who picked media mail was up to First class those who picked first class was refunded the difference. I listed 60 items that night and didnt change a lot of the stuff that is saved in their by ebay,

I charge 7.77 since i was going to be shipping it Prioty mail cause i though a super nintendo cart would be damaged in a bubble envlope. if someone put a bid on it i would of told them that....... I will lower the shipping next time if people feel that Game wont get damaged in the bubble envlope. BUt i didnt want a very rare game to get damaged in the maill

Flame me all you want but At least i was big enough to say its mine unlike some people on this site

I thought I remembered your ID. :)

Personally, I think a seller can charge what they want, but that much for Media Mail is high and would keep most CAGers away. It's not so outrageous that I'd call it fee avoidance though.

I ship cart only stuff in bubble mailers and haven't had a problem *knock on wood*. A plastic cart is a lot stronger than a DVD case and they rarely get damaged in a bubble mailer.

Do some playing around with the calculator on usps.com. Media Mail is only cheaper when you get to 6 or 7 ounces in weight and a cart only game in a bubble mailer is only going to be 4-5 ounces generally. I'd suggest you forget media mail for any single game stuff you list. Causes more hassles with buyers upset about long mailing times than it is worth.

Going forward, I'd just list it out as Priority mail if that's what you're going to use to mail it. But that's probably your plan anyway.

[Cornfedwb]

umm 70 cents for the envlope
ebay final vaule 2.46 - Not A Shipping Cost
ebay listing .60 cents - Not A Shipping Cost
paypal 2.01 - Not A Shipping Cost
insurance 2.15 (DC with insurance)
transportion to post 1 buck at least

right there is 8.92 and that dont even include postage or say buck for postage and forget the gas charge


remember shipping includes all handling expenese

You have $3.85 there poncho. And this concept of using asinine shipping charges to cover fees (which in turn makes the auction illegal according to Ebay's rules).. is why I don't purchase from Ebay anymore.

[jennie25]

I think this auction has just ridiclous shipping costs http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=16122&item=6535270207&rd=1 you have to shop for what you really want on ebay or else you get screwed like I keep seein peeps bitch about

[wubb]

^^ FedEx next day is pretty expensive though.

[seamonkeygirl]

Whenever I'm worried about a bubble mailer not being enough protection I double-bubble it: I wrap the game in a bit of bubble wrap before I put it in the bubble mailer, or sometimes I put the game in a small bubble mailer, then put that small mailer inside a bigger one.

Then I usually ship it 1st class since buyers usually opt to save a buck or two. If it's not going far, first class sometimes arrives even faster than Priority Mail does, according to the people I talked to at the Post Office. Some of them actually talked me out of Priority Mail at Christmas time, saying that 1st class would probably get there faster when I was just shipping to a state or two away. Go figure...

I admire slidecage for having the guts to admit that auction was his. And you know what? He can charge whatever he wants for shipping, mistake or not. You don't have to bid on his auction if you don't like it. At least he takes the time to state it clearly in the auction. I charge handling fees too. Maybe I drive away bidders who want cheaper shipping rates, but my choice, as a seller.


Cornfedwb, charging shipping and handling (even if it is to cover your PayPal & eBay fees) is NOT against eBay's rules. As long as it's not fee avoidance (like the guy selling a couch for a $1, then charging $800 shipping), it's completely legal, and I don't think it's outrageous at all. Try to find ANY mail order or on-line retailer who charges you actual postage.

Has anyone noticed how high these NON-eBay retailers' shipping rates are? On-line companies these days aren't even TRYING to pass on low shipping rates to their customers. I bought a bumper sticker and was charged $7 shipping for it cuz the company was too lazy to use USPS and stick it in an envelope (would have cost 75 cents WITH the envelope). They shipped the sticker in a big box via UPS! A couple weeks later, I bought two pairs of gloves from Puma, in two different colors and they charged me $10 shipping because they shipped each different color in a HUGE box of its own!..Yep, 2 huge boxes for two tiny pairs of gloves (we all know it could have cost about $2.50 to ship both pair in a padded envelope).

So...Even though some eBay sellers are marking up their shipping rates by several dollars, it's still cheaper than you'll find at most on-line retailers. And again, it's a sellers choice. As long as they're not springing the shipping cost on you AFTER the auction ends and they're being up front with it, there's nothing shady going on here. You don't like it, don't buy it!

[fwacce]

Cornfedwb, charging shipping and handling (even if it is to cover your PayPal & eBay fees) is NOT against eBay's rules. As long as it's not fee avoidance (like the guy selling a couch for a $1, then charging $800 shipping), it's completely legal, and I don't think it's outrageous at all. Try to find ANY mail order or on-line retailer who charges you actual postage.

Amazon
EBGames
GameStop
Staples
Office Depot
OfficeMax
Dell
ZipZoomFly

Guess I'll stop there.

[slidecage]

You have $3.85 there poncho. And this concept of using asinine shipping charges to cover fees (which in turn makes the auction illegal according to Ebay's rules).. is why I don't purchase from Ebay anymore.


ebay changed the rules i belive that your allow to add ebay and paypal fees into the shipping charges. I think they did this last year cause you are right that it used to be illegal but i belive ebay changed the rules. Unless i didnt read it right.

also I take ebay different from others. I usually dont sell just to sell. I put items up at the prices i would love to get from them. If they dont sell they dont sell and they go back into my personal collection. the auction ended like May 24 if im not mistaking and i will probally not list it again until sometime in june. I dont do this to make a quick buck and hog games. I just say to myself I wonder if this game would grab this price. if they do great if not i keep it.

also you got to be able to charge fees there are tons of stores at ebay that charges 9.99 per game (only list the games at penny) and they dont allow combine shipping. so if you buy 3 Psgames

3 cents for the games but 30 bucks to ship.

[seamonkeygirl]

fwacce, I guess you've got me on some of those (of course there are always exceptions out there), but are you honestly going to tell me that charging "postage only" is the norm in the on-line/mail order world?

[shrike4242]

fwacce, I guess you've got me on some of those (of course there are always exceptions out there), but are you honestly going to tell me that charging "postage only" is the norm in the on-line/mail order world?

As a general rule, most likely not, though a number of the sites above probably do.

[YoshiFan1]

ebay changed the rules i belive that your allow to add ebay and paypal fees into the shipping charges. I think they did this last year cause you are right that it used to be illegal but i belive ebay changed the rules. Unless i didnt read it right.



You are allowed to put the fees in the shipping charges but you just aren't allowed to mention it in the auction. It just becomes a part of the handling fee.

[onikage]

With the exception of an auction where I can get an incredible deal I always avoid sellers that charge too much for shipping. I usually don't even bother looking at their auctions. They may be avoiding fees but in the long run they will likely be making less than if they were charging a more realistic S&H fee.

The best way to ship most types of games is 1st Class in a bubble mailer. It's cheap, pretty fast, and the mailers seem to be very safe. I've never had a single problem sending dvd case, cart, or jewel case games. Using a bubble mailer for PS1 games may be a slight risk, but packages are generally taken better care of when shipping 1st Class than if you were to use Media Mail.

[shrike4242]

With the exception of an auction where I can get an incredible deal I always avoid sellers that charge too much for shipping. I usually don't even bother looking at their auctions. They may be avoiding fees but in the long run they will likely be making less than if they were charging a more realistic S&H fee.

The best way to ship most types of games is 1st Class in a bubble mailer. It's cheap, pretty fast, and the mailers seem to be very safe. I've never had a single problem sending dvd case, cart, or jewel case games. Using a bubble mailer for PS1 games may be a slight risk, but packages are generally taken better care of when shipping 1st Class than if you were to use Media Mail.

First Class shipping whenever possible, I'm in complete agreement there. I'm of the opposite opinion of bubble mailers.

Most of the issues or near-issues I've had have been with a bubble mailer not providing enough protection for an item in transit. Had this issue with something yesterday, and since I had an issue a very long time ago with one, I've reverted to boxes for my shipping, with packing peanuts all around. Had them make the difference between damaged item and intact item more than once.

[Quackzilla]

For a plastic DVD case a bubble mailer is perfect, though. That's what they are for.

[slidecage]

this is a game cart so i would think they could be damage a lot more easier then cds. i can step on a cd case and game might not break BUT if i step on a nintendo 64 game good chance it wont work again.

[YoshiFan1]

I use bubble mailers for everything except for valueable GBA and PS1 games (and the occasional valueable N64 game). For non valueable GBA and PS1 games, I just wrap them in bubble wrap before putting them in the bubble mailer. I have never gotten any complaints about packaging so I guess it works.

[Sailorneorune]

Last summer I sold my copy of Samurai Shodown Warrior's Rage. I shipped it in a medium-size (bigger than the ones made for DVDs) bubble mailer with extra bubble wrap protecting it from harm. The person who bought it was quite pleased.
Bubble mailers are a bit hard to come by in my area, as the stores I go to to get them never seem to get enough in. *sigh*
I charge $3.00 for shipping a DVD or PS2/Gamecube/Xbox game. I hope that's fair, considering how much others ask for shipping. If there are any complaints, down it shall go.

[wubb]

You can get bubble mailers pretty cheap on the net, but you have to buy them in lots of 50 or 100 for the really good prices. I think I paid less than $0.20 each (shipped) for the ones I have that fit a single game perfectly.

There are sellers on eBay that just sell shipping stuff. Many of them have sites outside of eBay that sell the same stuff for a little less.

[onikage]

this is a game cart so i would think they could be damage a lot more easier then cds. i can step on a cd case and game might not break BUT if i step on a nintendo 64 game good chance it wont work again.

I think that it would be much easier to crack a CD than to break the plastic protecting the insides and connector pins of a cartridge. A jewel case doesn't offer much protection.

[Sailorneorune]

One would be surprised how much abuse a Nintendo product can take. My poor GBA was dropped a half-dozen times and still works great. :)

[trent82]

any time someone is selling a small item like a game, dvd, or cd and charges more than $4 for shipping they won't get my business unless the item is rare or a great deal. whenever i sell something i usually charge $4 for priority mail (actual cost is $3.85, i just round to $4). people that intentionally inflate shipping charges disgust me. sure, i've done it accidentally before, but asking for something like $8 for a small item is just lame. the paypal and ebay fees are hardly anything at all when selling something like a used game for $20 or so.

for the average used videogame, cd, dvd selling for $5 - $25:
priority mail box = free
packing = free
actual shipping = $3.85
my time = free
ebay and paypal fees = maybe a $1 or so for the higher end of that range
travel to the post office = free

the thing that a lot of those ebay shipping inflaters don't get is that you can frequently make more money total by offering lower shipping. it's a pyschological thing. some people will see 2 auctions for the same item...like $15 for one with $2 shipping and $8 for one with $6 shipping and they will pay closer attention to the one with lower shipping even though the overall cost will be more.

[slidecage]

First off, it's not just shipping. It's shipping AND HANDLING fees. So add it up:

2.00 actual shipping
0.50 envelope
0.30 cents listing fee
1.00 final value fee
1.00 paypal fee
0.50 miscellaneous (tape, packing peanuts, gas)
============
$5.30 total shipping + handling



So I agree that $7.77 is excessive, but I think $5 is fair.

Think about it: If you sell a game for 0.01 (1 penny), and you only charge $2-3 ship, you are actually *losing money*. You'd be better off to just throw the game in the trash.

Troy

how do you figure
30 cent listing fee when starting bid was 47 bucks
1.00 final vaule fee when 47 bucks its 5% = more the buck
1.00 paypal fee its 3% + 30 cents on 50+

so its way more then 1.00 final vaule and paypal takes more then 1 buck

[punqsux]

First off, it's not just shipping. It's shipping AND HANDLING fees. So add it up:

2.00 actual shipping
0.50 envelope
0.30 cents listing fee
1.00 final value fee
1.00 paypal fee
0.50 miscellaneous (tape, packing peanuts, gas)
============
$5.30 total shipping + handling



So I agree that $7.77 is excessive, but I think $5 is fair.

yeah, if youre a dumbass gamer

shipping (a game, media) $1.42
envelope (dvd of cd sized) $0.05
tape (97 cents for a roll so..) $0.01

your fees should be figured in to your starting price, not your shipping, its shit like that that makes me not buy on ebay.

[alonzomourning23]

If you put the ebay and paypal fees into your starting price you will lose sales, as everyone else puts it into their shipping and handling and you are at a major disadvantage. Seriously though, when you buy from anyplace you pay their rent, employee salaries etc., buying off ebay is the same.

Though in this case it seems to be a mistake. I just shipped to canada and it normally costs 3.50-4.50 to ship, but for some reason it only costs 1.85 this time. I'm just hoping I didn't get a neg happy person since I charged him $7 to ship (I've seen people do that to others, even when the shipping is clearly stated in the auction, as mine was). I always lose money on shipping and handling int he u.s. though, with so many not shipping international, and those that do being expensive, I don't feel bad about tipping the scale the other way, though I still usually break even at best with international.

[onikage]

Ebay clearly states that you may include handling fees in the shipping. Besides, as long as amazon/ebgames keep charging ~$5 to ship a single game (i.e. ship + handling fees), so will I.


Are you saying EBgames.com is charging $5 for shipping? Since when? Saver shipping is $1.99 or free w/ a preowned purchase.

[punqsux]

Ebay clearly states that you may include handling fees in the shipping. Besides, as long as amazon/ebgames keep charging ~$5 to ship a single game (i.e. ship + handling fees), so will I.



Also where the hell did you get an evnelope for 5 cents????? My local post office charges a dollar..... and even in bulk from shippingsupply.com, it's still 50 cents. So where the hell did you get an envelope for 5 cents??????????

I think you made that up. Pure Fiction. Let's not resort to lying to win an argument.

troy

excuse me, but you can publically apologize for that right now. not only did you ask if i was lying, you decided i was.

i do get envelopes 20 for $1.00 from a local store.

i attached an image of one. (the larger envelopes are 10 for $1)

just becuse youre paying too much is no reason to accuse others of anything. sometimes i even pay NOTHING for shipping supplies, its all about how resourceful you are.

im waiting for that apology.

[slidecage]

Are you saying EBgames.com is charging $5 for shipping? Since when? Saver shipping is $1.99 or free w/ a preowned purchase.

makes you wonder how ebgames does that. I got hey you something (pokemon game) was 1.42 and that included shipping. they had to take a lost for that

im too lazy to look for bubble envlopes on ebay can someone post a link Thanks

[Skexis]

fwacce, I guess you've got me on some of those (of course there are always exceptions out there), but are you honestly going to tell me that charging "postage only" is the norm in the on-line/mail order world?

Not when it's up to individuals to decide how much profit they need to be making.

[punqsux]

First Class shipping whenever possible, I'm in complete agreement there. I'm of the opposite opinion of bubble mailers.

Most of the issues or near-issues I've had have been with a bubble mailer not providing enough protection for an item in transit. Had this issue with something yesterday, and since I had an issue a very long time ago with one, I've reverted to boxes for my shipping, with packing peanuts all around. Had them make the difference between damaged item and intact item more than once.

hahaha i once sent shrike a game in a the envelopes pictured and he almost had a heart attack :lol:

[punqsux]

Looks to me like you owe your Buyers an apology, for shipping their games in those flimsy, non-protective envelopes. Half their games must be smashed to pieces by the time they get them.

I spend 50 cents, more than your 10 true, but at least my games are protected by bubble wrap.



Also, to repeat, Ebay DOES allow sellers to include handling fees in the Shipping.

troy

ive never had a complaint in my shipping (ask shrike, while he DID have a heart attack, the game was perfectly fine)

handling defined would be cost to ship an item (as you stated, the bublewrap, tape, envelope, time and gas spent going to the post office) it has nothing to do with fee's incured for using an auction or payment service.

nice attempt of trying to turn the argument around, but i still win.

^^

[punqsux]

Bad = someone who sells goods at a loss, by spending more money ($5 in fees) than he collects (only $3 ship). His business eventually falls into banktupcy.


you can call me bad all you want, as long as bad by your definition mean honest, i wouldnt have it any other way =o)

[punqsux]

working anything that is not shipping + handling into your charges is dishonest, displayed or not.

[punqsux]

Ebay/paypal fees *are* handling expenses. Same as when you pay the Credit Card Fee everytime your purchase something.

troy

what places charge a credit card fee? i know of places (b&m) that have a min. purchace, but ive never heard of a fee for using a card.

[YoshiFan1]

Some Burger King's have a charge unfortunately. In Florida, I saw they accepted credit cards but it was a $0.69 fee.

[punqsux]

ALL of them do it..... the credit card fee is added to the price.

So are advertising fees...
... store rent...
... employee wages...
... et cetera...



You, the customer, PAY every expense incurred by the store.

troy

talk about the definition of a petty argument :lol:

[fwacce]

lol now he's charging $9.99 + $1.20 required insurance. What's the deal slide?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62053&item=8198955122

[judyjudyjudy]

any time someone is selling a small item like a game, dvd, or cd and charges more than $4 for shipping they won't get my business unless the item is rare or a great deal. whenever i sell something i usually charge $4 for priority mail (actual cost is $3.85, i just round to $4). people that intentionally inflate shipping charges disgust me. sure, i've done it accidentally before, but asking for something like $8 for a small item is just lame. the paypal and ebay fees are hardly anything at all when selling something like a used game for $20 or so.

for the average used videogame, cd, dvd selling for $5 - $25:
priority mail box = free
packing = free
actual shipping = $3.85
my time = free
ebay and paypal fees = maybe a $1 or so for the higher end of that range
travel to the post office = free

the thing that a lot of those ebay shipping inflaters don't get is that you can frequently make more money total by offering lower shipping. it's a pyschological thing. some people will see 2 auctions for the same item...like $15 for one with $2 shipping and $8 for one with $6 shipping and they will pay closer attention to the one with lower shipping even though the overall cost will be more.
This is why I've never understood why people charge more than $5 for media mail. USPS Priority is WAY better than media mail. USPS Priority boxes can be shipped to you free, you can print out postage and get delivery confirmation free, and then you just stick it in your mailbox.

[electrictroy]

(1) I don't have a printer, so printing postage is not an option. I still have to go the post office. (2) Media mail is cheaper if you've got empty envelopes/boxes laying around.for the average used videogame selling for $5-25: priority mail box = free; packing = free; actual shipping = $3.85; ebay and paypal fees = maybe a $1 You ship games in priority boxes without packing peanuts or foam??? That's not good. The game bounces around and gets damaged. I always use packing peanuts even with priority mail.



According to my invoices, ebay/paypal fees at $25 are: Listing Fee = $0.50 ; Ebay Commission=$1.00; Paypal Commission=$1.00 = = = = = About $2.50 total. So you end up paying:
$2.50 in fees
$3.85 priority
~$.15 packing peanuts
=========
$6.50.

That's not cheaper. You're losing money on your shipping/handling fees, and don't even realize it.

troy

[judyjudyjudy]

(1) I don't have a printer, so printing postage is not an option. I still have to go the post office. (2) Media mail is cheaper if you've got empty envelopes/boxes laying around.

1) I'd highly recommend getting a printer. They're pretty handy. 2) If you've got empty envelopes/boxes lying around, that means you don't charge for them, right?
You ship games in priority boxes without packing peanuts or foam??? That's not good. The game bounces around and gets damaged. I always use packing peanuts even with priority mail.
Did I say I did that? Of course I pack my items, and it doesn't cost me anything to reuse packing peanuts/foam.

Also, ebay/paypal fees at $25 are: Listing Fee = $0.50 ; Ebay Commission=$1.00; Paypal Commission=$1.00 = = = = = About $2.50 total, according to my invoices. So you end up paying $2.50 + $3.85 priority + ~$0.15 packing peanuts = $6.50. That's not cheaper.

Once again, it's technically against eBay policies to put eBay/Paypal fees in your S&H fees. You're supposed to be putting that into your item price. I fail to see how your Paypal fees have anything to do with your packing and taking the item to the post office. So you can argue all you want about how eBay/Paypal fees go into "handling", but I'm not going to agree with you there. And I'm not saying people don't do it. But if you were to mention anywhere explicitly in your auction that part of the S&H was for Paypal fees, your auction would be closed. It's the same as charging a percentage of the item's final value or asking for a payment surcharge.
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-surcharges.html

And my original point wasn't that Priority is cheaper, just better for the given price being charged to buyer. I'd much rather pay $6 for priority than $6 for media mail (which blows).

[miniarnold]

Since I started coming to this website, I don't buy games off ebay anymore. I can usually get them cheaper with the deals on here, especially when you factor in the bloated auction shipping costs that have been mentioned in this thread.

I charge $2.50 for shipping on games that I sell on ebay. I'm not a business, and not looking to squeeze every possible penny's worth of profit out of a transaction.

[mykevermin]

(1) I don't have a printer, so printing postage is not an option. I still have to go the post office. (2) Media mail is cheaper if you've got empty envelopes/boxes laying around. You ship games in priority boxes without packing peanuts or foam??? That's not good. The game bounces around and gets damaged. I always use packing peanuts even with priority mail.



According to my invoices, ebay/paypal fees at $25 are: Listing Fee = $0.50 ; Ebay Commission=$1.00; Paypal Commission=$1.00 = = = = = About $2.50 total. So you end up paying:
$2.50 in fees
$3.85 priority
~$.15 packing peanuts
=========
$6.50.

That's not cheaper. You're losing money on your shipping/handling fees, and don't even realize it.

troy

What's your eBay id? I want to make sure I don't buy anything from a person who thinks its the buyers responsibility to cover every last dime.

myke.
...I watch S&H like a fuckin' hawk.

[wubb]

This is why I've never understood why people charge more than $5 for media mail. USPS Priority is WAY better than media mail. USPS Priority boxes can be shipped to you free, you can print out postage and get delivery confirmation free, and then you just stick it in your mailbox.

Look into PayPal shipping! For any eBay listing where you accept PayPal as a payment option (whether or not they actually pay via PayPal) you can print a shipping label with PayPal shipping. The created label is pretty much identical to the ones you get at usps.com but you can do all types of mail (Media, 1st class, Priority, etc) And you can still do DC and Insurance. Anyone that does usps.com for Priority Labels should be able to use PayPal shipping with no problem. I love it.

Personally I do 1st class shipping. With DC in a bubble mailer, 1 game is generally just over $2 ($2.07 to be exact) but it fluctuates as the weight varies slightly.

I generally only offer Media Mail when I'm selling something that will tip 1 lb. (Like a bunch of games or a big TV DVD set.) And I always give a faster option for the buyer to choose. Though when I've sold a bunch of books (so the weight is like 7 lbs) the difference in cost will be very pronounced.

I've stopped offering Parcel Post as an option. It runs very close in rate to Priority (especially when you consider DC is free for Priority on e-labels) and is a far inferior class of mail. Most buyers probably don't really know the difference (I know I didn't until I started selling and shipping a bunch of stuff) and I'll have them choose it when it's only like $0.25 cheaper.

[electrictroy]

For the average used videogame selling for $25: priority mail box = free; packing = free; actual shipping = $3.85; ebay and paypal fees = maybe a $1 You ship games in priority boxes without packing peanuts or foam??? -troy Did I say I did that? -judy No Judy, but if you READ the discussion, you can see I was not talking to you. I was talking to Trent, and responding to *Trent's* comments, not yours.




re: FEES - *Trent* is the one who said ebay/paypal fees = $1.00 for a $25 sale. I was merely pointing out to him that it costs ~$2.50, not $1.00.




Also it is NOT a violation of Ebay policy: "A shipping and handling fee can cover the seller's reasonable costs for mailing, packaging and handling the item."

mailing = $1.42 media mail
packing = $1.00 envelope
handling = ~$2.00 it cost me to sell the game to the customer




EXAMPLE: "Listing a DVD with a shipping and handling charge of $25 for standard shipping is considered excessive shipping and handling."

$25 is excessive. $5 is not.

troy

[judyjudyjudy]

People should really make a habit of quoting troy, including the quotes in his posts, because he seems to have a dandy time changing the things in his posts, along with deleting them and reposting them at the end of the thread (which I really don't get).

wubb, I hear good things about Paypal shipping. I don't personally use it because I don't have a weight, but it's not a big deal since I don't do hardcore selling. Does it use the same shipping calculator that's on eBay? Sometimes those calculators seem on the high side, but maybe they include some handling costs?

[wubb]

wubb, I hear good things about Paypal shipping. I don't personally use it because I don't have a weight, but it's not a big deal since I don't do hardcore selling. Does it use the same shipping calculator that's on eBay? Sometimes those calculators seem on the high side, but maybe they include some handling costs?

Oh yeah, forgot about people not having a scale. I have a manual (that might not be the proper term - what I mean is not digital) scale (intended for food) that I used for quite a while. It was actually very accurate, but if it was close to the ounce I'd tend to round up just in case. But just a month or so ago I bought a digital 10 pound scale from usps.com A little pricey (but it was actually a gift), but now I don't have to fiddle with squinting one eye and steadying my breathing to get a good reading from the manual scale :)

I bet you can get a food scale that has marking for ounces and goes up to 3-5 pounds for $10-20 (less if you really look around maybe). That should be able to get you within a quarter ounce of the actual weight.

[judyjudyjudy]

Logical Error - "argumentum ad hominem" (argue against the man)

Please don't attack me.

Debate the ideas, and tear them apart, but don't resort to personal attacks. I did NOT go back and re-edit my previous posts. What you see, is what I originally posted.

troy
You're kidding, right? A lot of your posts show some sort of re-editing. The changes are clear when people (like me) quote you. But maybe most of your edits are for typos or formatting or whatnot. It's just hard to debate points that are no longer there, but this is probably more in reference to other threads. My criticism was only directed to you because you because I notice it most with you. It wasn't meant as an attack; I just find your use of edits frustrating.

[doraemonkerpal]

i have noticed that electrictroy edits his posts a lot. plus, he deletes and reposts the same things all the time LOL. i even quoted him one time b/c i thought he was going to delete it and repost it again a few pages later :D

electrictroy, why do you do that?! :lol:

[Blade]

I bought three games from some douchehole on ebay.

Total of three games = $18.30
Total of SHIPPING = $18.98 (should've been $11, which was still high)

He didn't discount the shipping, and when I asked him to ship it using standard mail so I could save on shipping, he didn't respond. I e-mailed him three times, waited five days, and then decided I should just pay.

Let's just say he got negative feedback.

Oh yeah, and an insurance rate of $2.50 was added automatically for EACH GAME. I had to take three different links to remove the insurance.

[mykevermin]

I bought three games from some douchehole on ebay.

Total of three games = $18.30
Total of SHIPPING = $18.98 (should've been $11, which was still high)

He didn't discount the shipping, and when I asked him to ship it using standard mail so I could save on shipping, he didn't respond. I e-mailed him three times, waited five days, and then decided I should just pay.

Let's just say he got negative feedback.

Oh yeah, and an insurance rate of $2.50 was added automatically for EACH GAME. I had to take three different links to remove the insurance.

You started a thread about a seller who had Dino Crisis 2 on the cheap ($1?), but charged $8.50 for shipping, and $5.50 for every additional item. Is this the same seller? I was considering DC2, but I don't want someone to (1) charge me for the eBay fees AND (2) make a profit on shipping at the same time.

myke.

[Blade]

You started a thread about a seller who had Dino Crisis 2 on the cheap ($1?), but charged $8.50 for shipping, and $5.50 for every additional item. Is this the same seller? I was considering DC2, but I don't want someone to (1) charge me for the eBay fees AND (2) make a profit on shipping at the same time.

myke.

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=gameliquidations&item=8198962840&iid=8198962840&frm=1883&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:SID

Yeah, don't buy from gameliquidations. If you purchase multiple items, he'll redirect you to his site and you have to purchase them from there instead of through ebay.

If I would've known that, I wouldn't have wasted all that money.

Electrictroy, it only costs about $6 for shipping for three video games. He doesn't use Expedited (really, 2 days to process the order, then a week to ship isn't Expedited), even though that's what it says. If you want to remove insurance, there should be a box that you can unclick as you're paying. Either that, or I think you can subtract the insurance cost from the subtotal and e-mail the person.

[wubb]

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=gameliquidations&item=8198962840&iid=8198962840&frm=1883&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:SID

Yeah, don't buy from gameliquidations. If you purchase multiple items, he'll redirect you to his site and you have to purchase them from there instead of through ebay.

If I would've known that, I wouldn't have wasted all that money.


Did he forward you to his site via an e-mail? This is a clear violation of eBay policy. (Offering to sell outside of eBay.) Report his ass and include the e-mails (with headers)

I wonder if they'll do anything to somebody that sells so much? Anyway to report him go here:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/contact_us/_base/index.html

Problem with other members
Problem with Seller
Offered to sell outside of eBay.

Be sure to mention what proof you have. (I imagine it must be an e-mail.)

[shrike4242]

wubb, I hear good things about Paypal shipping. I don't personally use it because I don't have a weight, but it's not a big deal since I don't do hardcore selling. Does it use the same shipping calculator that's on eBay? Sometimes those calculators seem on the high side, but maybe they include some handling costs?

I use the postal scale I scored when I tried Stamps.com for a month. It's the same one that wubb uses, though only for up to 5lb weight. For 95% of the stuff I've done, it's right on the money down to the ounce. Otherwise, it's off by an ounce or so. For free, I can't complain.

The shipping that Paypal does is similar to the ones on the USPS.com website, though it allows for first class and media mail, which is a huge help, since the USPS website doesn't let you do anything slower than Priority Mail.

You click on the Ship button for the person who sent you the Paypal payment, fill in the blanks for type of shipping, weight, if you want insurance on it or not, and then submit it. Pulls the money (plus a small fee, like $0.20) out of the Paypal payments, has you print out the postage (with or without showing the postage cost) via your printer, tape it to the box, and either give it to a postal carrier or take it to the post office.

So convienent, it's worth dealing with the small fee for the use of the service. Especially for first class and media mail packages.

[judyjudyjudy]

Figure ~$2.00 for ebay/paypal fees + $0.75 for listing fees + $11 ship = $13.75... what I would have charged. (How did you remove insurance? I'm buying a game now, but don't see a method to remove insurance?)Bingo. I'm big on making my posts look "just right".




By the way, you still haven't addressed the issue under debate:
By "you", if you meant me, then I think my previous post where I state that eBay/Paypal fees should go into item price, not S&H charges, then I think it's clear that I think $5 for media mail is excessive, while $5 for USPS Priority is not.

And, I would also like to add that your edit to your last post that I quoted shows you added more than just formatting.

[Blade]

Did he forward you to his site via an e-mail? This is a clear violation of eBay policy. (Offering to sell outside of eBay.) Report his ass and include the e-mails (with headers)

I wonder if they'll do anything to somebody that sells so much? Anyway to report him go here:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/contact_us/_base/index.html

Problem with other members
Problem with Seller
Offered to sell outside of eBay.

Be sure to mention what proof you have. (I imagine it must be an e-mail.)

Thanks, I'll do that. Should I wait to get my items first, or do it immediately?

[wubb]

But don't forget shrike, you get a break on the cost of DC to where you actually come out a few pennies ahead using PayPal shipping, even with the 20 cent charge.

It would be nice if USPS.com would start letting you do classes other than Priority and Express. For stuff I trade on here or TGN for example I have to either do Priority or go to the PO.

[wubb]

Thanks, I'll do that. Should I wait to get my items first, or do it immediately?

How did you pay? PayPal I guess?

I guess you could wait a bit, but it probably won't matter. If he pulls a dick move and doesn't send your stuff to you, you can just do a chargeback. I don't think he'd do that as then you'd have a much more serious complaint to go to eBay and PayPal with.

I'm curious, did you end up buying the stuff outside of eBay or what?

[Blade]

How did you pay? PayPal I guess?

I guess you could wait a bit, but it probably won't matter. If he pulls a dick move and doesn't send your stuff to you, you can just do a chargeback. I don't think he'd do that as then you'd have a much more serious complaint to go to eBay and PayPal with.

I'm curious, did you end up buying the stuff outside of eBay or what?

Yes I did. He sent me an e-mail giving me a link to check out with, and then I had to enter my shipping address and info into that site and choose my method of payment. I was going to use ebay, but it said that I wouldn't get discounted shipping.

Also, isn't it against ebay policy to put items up for cheap and then charge lots of shipping? That's what he did. His site didn't discount my shipping either.

[defiance_17]

I charge actual shipping on all of my eBay items. I don't see any point in charging for envelopes or fees--personally, when I pay $6 for shipping, and the label says $2.12, my head almost explodes. $1.00 for transportation to the Post Office? What kind of garbage is that (especially when you're listing multiple items that will likely end at or around the same time)?
And don't talk to me about bad business--I dropped about $8 listing the Seinfeld Gift Set last December and offered extremely discounted shipping. Ending price? $165.00. I've never lost a cent as a seller, and I've never charged anything more than exact shipping costs. Handling fees are bullshit.

[shrike4242]

But don't forget shrike, you get a break on the cost of DC to where you actually come out a few pennies ahead using PayPal shipping, even with the 20 cent charge.

It would be nice if USPS.com would start letting you do classes other than Priority and Express. For stuff I trade on here or TGN for example I have to either do Priority or go to the PO.

Yeah, I forgot about that. I'm more pleased with the convience of it more than the few pennies I save.

And yes, I'm with you 100% if the USPS.com site would just allow me to do first class and media mail. I doubt we'll see media mail on there, since they've been raising a stink about it being a way to cheat them out of money, though I'd just be happy with first class on there. Print the postage, toss into mailbox.

[wubb]

Yes I did. He sent me an e-mail giving me a link to check out with, and then I had to enter my shipping address and info into that site and choose my method of payment. I was going to use ebay, but it said that I wouldn't get discounted shipping.

Also, isn't it against ebay policy to put items up for cheap and then charge lots of shipping? That's what he did. His site didn't discount my shipping either.


Hmm, sellers are allowed to have their own checkout process. (i.e. you are not obligated to use eBay checkout)

I'm not sure this is actually a case of him selling outside of eBay after all. Did he say he'd cancel the eBay auctions? If not, then he still pays his eBay fees and I don't think eBay will have a problem with it.

[shrike4242]

I charge actual shipping on all of my eBay items. I don't see any point in charging for envelopes or fees--personally, when I pay $6 for shipping, and the label says $2.12, my head almost explodes. $1.00 for transportation to the Post Office? What kind of garbage is that (especially when you're listing multiple items that will likely end at or around the same time)?
And don't talk to me about bad business--I dropped about $8 listing the Seinfeld Gift Set last December and offered extremely discounted shipping. Ending price? $165.00. I've never lost a cent as a seller, and I've never charged anything more than exact shipping costs. Handling fees are bullshit.

I'm with you there.

When I put up my shipped price here, it's for the item + sales tax paid on the item + shipping. As I've stated before, I'm not trading on CAG to make money, as numerous people know. The choice I make to spend on boxes, bubble wrap and packing peanuts are my choice on how I want them to get sent and I shouldn't have to pass that back to the buyer. I could easily put it in a bubble mailer and save myself money, though my choice is a box.

Which is cause for a debate on that point alone between myself and wubb. :D

[wubb]

Which is cause for a debate on that point alone between myself and wubb. :D

Game on!

I was all like :twoguns:

And shrike was all :beer:

Until he realized I was :twoguns:

And then he :robot:

So I pulled a :imwithst:

But then shrike was like, Uh, I'm a mod...

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0001MMGC2.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

And I said Special Edition?! Holy :censored:

But in the end :grouphug:

[shrike4242]

Game on!

I guess you do trust my opinions on some things, since you started using Paypal shipping and bought a laser printer for it. ;)

[frostcoma]

If you buy from me you pay $3.85 if you are in the US. I only offer Priority Mail, and everything is boxed. If you want insurance, you pay just what it costs. The nice thing about Priority Mail is that the supplies are free, right down to labels and tape. The USPS will even deliver them to your door.

There's no reason for handling fees. Just set your starting price high enough to cover your minimum amount you want, plus fees. I think it's funny that I charge less for Priority Mail than many charge for Media Mail, and I always ship the same day or the next, and always package well. I guess that's why I still have a 100% feedback rating after years of selling.

Let the buyer beware...

[mykevermin]

Two questions:
- Profit is not just Auction Price - Fees. It's Auction Price - Original Cost - Fees. If you buy FF11 for $80, and sell it for $80, minus Ebay Fees, you've lost money. So, how much did Seinfeld cost you originally?

- What happens if you're stuck with a game, like say Beyond Good&Evil, that bidders are only willing to pay 0.01 for? Do you charge $2 ship, minus $4 ebay/paypal/post office fees, and take the loss?

I think the phrase is along the lines of "tough fucking shit." If that's all people are willing to pay, why are you selling the game to begin with?

What do you do when the eBay fees incurred from a sale price go higher than you expect? In other words, and item sells at a higher price than you estimated, and thus your fees are higher (to the point that you're no longer covering all your fees in S&H)? Do you charge them to cover that surplus, too?

You seem to at least be up front in listing your S&H costs, but that doesn't make you not a prick for consolidating all of your fees in S&H. Plain and simple, it is deception.

As I asked before, what is your seller id? I'd love to make sure I don't buy from you.

You know, I'd hate to think how you'd treat employees if you had any (or perhaps you do), given how you obviously hold contempt for the people who buy from you, since you see them as nothing more than a vessell to exploit. If I could have the world talk to you, they might understand just how right Marx was.

myke.

[electrictroy]

What do you do when the eBay fees incurred from a sale price go higher than you expect? ..... You seem to at least be up front in listing your S&H costs, but that doesn't make you not a prick for consolidating all of your fees in S&H. Plain and simple, it is deception.(1) It's not deception when it plainly states "Ship/Handling = $5.00". People, like yourself, have the choice to *not* bid.

(2) I've had a few customers say, "$5 seemed high for shipping, but you were only charging 99 cents, so I'm happy. That's a good bargain." In other words, instead of having a fit about shipping, they looked at the bottom line price = $5.99

(3) If the price goes above $25, the total fees exceed $5, so I just take the loss. It's only a few pennies.

(4) When I sold Star Trek Collections, which went for ~$100, I increased the S&H to $10.




(5) "handling" is NOT "bullshit". To quote Ebay: " "A shipping and handling fee can cover the seller's reasonable costs for mailing, packaging and HANDLING the item." (emphasis added)

If Ebay allows sellers to charge handling, who are you to say Ebay's allowing handling = "bullshit"?

troy

[Storamin]

I think the phrase is along the lines of "tough fucking shit." If that's all people are willing to pay, why are you selling the game to begin with?

What do you do when the eBay fees incurred from a sale price go higher than you expect? In other words, and item sells at a higher price than you estimated, and thus your fees are higher (to the point that you're no longer covering all your fees in S&H)? Do you charge them to cover that surplus, too?

You seem to at least be up front in listing your S&H costs, but that doesn't make you not a prick for consolidating all of your fees in S&H. Plain and simple, it is deception.

As I asked before, what is your seller id? I'd love to make sure I don't buy from you.

You know, I'd hate to think how you'd treat employees if you had any (or perhaps you do), given how you obviously hold contempt for the people who buy from you, since you see them as nothing more than a vessell to exploit. If I could have the world talk to you, they might understand just how right Marx was.

myke.

Somebody is a little angry. You are a democrat, aren't you? You think everyone should offer their items for as cheap as they can, and not make any profit?

[greendj27]

Looks to me like you owe your Buyers an apology, for shipping their games in those flimsy, non-protective envelopes. Half their games must be smashed to pieces by the time they get them.

I spend 50 cents, more than your 10 true, but at least my games are protected by bubble wrap.



Also, to repeat, Ebay DOES allow sellers to include handling fees in the Shipping.

troy

You can get padded bubble mailers much cheaper than that if you buy in bulk. I get mine for about 17 cents a mailer. Look around on the web, or if you really want, I use mailersandmore.com but there are other cheap ones too I know.

[mykevermin]

Somebody is a little angry. You are a democrat, aren't you? You think everyone should offer their items for as cheap as they can, and not make any profit?

Cute jab. :roll:

My point is that electrictroy is the perfect example of someone who has no hang ups in exploiting his customers.

If he were to state in his auction that all of his eBay and Paypal fees were to be paid for by the buyer (though the cost is already included in the S&H), do you think that many people would be happy with that? Would people bid as much? I doubtless think not. Thus, he has to resort to not telling buyers about it.

It's unfortunate that you don't understand Marx, or else you wouldn't have had a problem with what I said, regardless of your position. It's simply a matter of fact; someone who understands but does not agree with Marx would simply respond "Well, perhaps I am, but I don't care."

myke.
...to the VS. forum!

[mykevermin]

(1) I've only made $30 profit off ebay this year. And *minus* $40 last year (a loss). I don't call that "exploiting", by any definition. (2) You're yet another person using "argumentum ad hominem"..... attacking the man, instead of debating the issue. I ASKED YOU A QUESTION. Instead of attacking me, why don't you try answering the question?




To quote Ebay: "A shipping and handling fee can cover the seller's reasonable costs for mailing, packaging and HANDLING the item." (emphasis added)

If Ebay allows sellers to charge handling, who are you to say Ebay's allowing handling = "bullshit"?

troy

I know what an ad hominem is; don't be patronizing. I'm using Marxist terminology, and it's up to you to be offended or to remain apathetic towards it.

The ambiguity of what "handling" is will make this an issue for debate without resolution. Why doesn't someone e-mail eBay to ask them "Is it alright to include my listing fee, final price fee, and Paypal fees in my shipping and handling charges?" If they say yes, I'll gladly eat crow. Can you do the same?

I'd also like you to try another experiment; try stating clearly in your S&H listing that all eBay and Paypal fees are included in the total S&H; tell me how well *those* items sell.

Having looked back over my posts, I didn't seem to call "handling" "bullshit." Perhaps I did; if I did, it's because it's not the seller's responsibility to pay for how extravagantly you set up your eBay pages. I sent an email to eBay about this; we'll just have to wait and see what their response is.

Also, don't change the subject under the guise of some sort of logical argument, in particular if it means running the fallacy of changing the subject. If you want to call me out on not answering a question, it would have been in your best interest if you did the same thing. This includes the following questions I asked above, which have not yet been answered. Also, you've not publicly listed your seller id here. Don't call the pot black, kettle.

myke.

[judyjudyjudy]

(1) I've only made $30 profit off ebay this year. And *minus* $40 last year (a loss). I don't call that "exploiting", by any definition. (2) You're yet another person using "argumentum ad hominem"..... attacking the man, instead of debating the issue. I ASKED YOU A QUESTION. Instead of attacking me, why don't you try answering the question?




To quote Ebay: "A shipping and handling fee can cover the seller's reasonable costs for mailing, packaging and HANDLING the item." (emphasis added)

If Ebay allows sellers to charge handling, who are you to say Ebay's allowing handling = "bullshit"?

troy
How come everything is an attack to you?

Anyways, as I mentioned before, eBay/Paypal fees do not count as handling fees. If you were to mention that in your auction, your auction would be shut down by eBay. As long as people don't explicitly mention it in their auctions, eBay looks the other way. You can emphasize handling all you want; eBay/Paypal fees still have nothing to do with your physically handling of item.

And your example of the $.99 + $5.00 shipping where your customers say "Shipping is high, but total price is okay, so whatever." is a perfect example of fee avoidance. It's not the extreme example given in the eBay policy (the $25 shipping one), but it's the same idea. You hiked the shipping and kept the item price low. If you had charged $3.00 shipping (which more than covers media mail), the item probably would have gone up $3.00. You are avoiding paying the fees on the $2.00 extra earned on the final price of your items.

Edit for slight clarification.

[Steggy]

maybe he has to drive 15 miles to the closest post office, thus using precious gas and adhering itself to a handeling fee.

[help1]

Not good

[judyjudyjudy]

Also, you've told me what handling is NOT, but you still haven't told me what handling IS. Please define it for me.
I fail to see how your Paypal fees have anything to do with your packing and taking the item to the post office.
eBay/Paypal fees still have nothing to do with your physically handling of item.
To me, handling means packing the item and taking it somewhere to ship it.

[mykevermin]

Also, you've told me what handling is NOT, but you still haven't told me what handling IS. Please define it for me. Marx's theory was a decent theory. But it had one fatal flaw: It depends upon humans being honest & fair, and that will never happen. There are always a few who will lay around all day, doing nothing, and just sucking off the system like parasites. Or else, rise to leadership and steal from the common property. The foundation of Marx's theory is "humans are angels", and that's simply not true.

I'm talking about his criticisms of capitalism, which, if anything, indicates that people are anything but angels; that's neither here nor there, so I'll drop that.

What is handling? That's a good question, and an ambiguous one at best; at the moment, you are looking at it one way, and I another. I contacted eBay to explicitly ask "can a seller include their listing fees, final price fee, and paypal fees in shipping and handling costs?" We'll find out soon enough; having looked at eBay's help pages, I assume that their official answer is "no." However, they seem to skirt around the issue of the large gray area for excessive shipping (and they also don't define handling). They say that $25 shipping for a DVD is excessive; what about $15? $20? $10? They don't say. I think that they are looking the other way when it comes to sellers deceiving buyers, while their official rarely-enforced company line is to prevent "escessive fees." In other words, they've not done a damn thing about it.

Yes, I have. It's obvious. Think about it. As for disclaimers, I have no objections. to adding this to my sales:

DISCLAIMER: "A shipping and handling fee can cover the seller's reasonable costs for mailing, packaging and handling the item." - Ebay policy. Mailing = $2. Packaging = $1. Handling = $2. TOTAL SHIP & HANDLING = $5.00

Why don't you list the individual eBay fees too? You know: "Handling=eBay listing fee: 0.30; eBay final item fee: 1.20; Paypal fee:0.50." Your hypothetical quote above provides no indication that you're making the buyer pay for your costs as a seller, and you're still deceiving them.

myke.

[judyjudyjudy]

Okay, let's look at what EBAY says: "A shipping and handling fee can cover the seller's reasonable costs for mailing, packaging and handling the item." Ebay lists three separate items:
(1) mailing
(2) packaging
(3) handling


You Judy already covered (1) and (2). You say these are reasonable things to charge the customer. But what about number (3)? What is #3? What do you consider a "handling fee"? You keep dancing around, but still haven't answered that question.

troy

How does

To me, handling means packing the item and taking it somewhere to ship it.

not answer your question? I will clarify. I'm talking about the act of actually packing. Your physical labor of putting the item in the box. Also, the transportation of the item to get it shipped. The physical labor of picking up the package and driving it to the post office (which can include gas or whatever). You know, the stuff you do with yours hands, hence the term "handling".

Edited to correct: I mean package, not packaging.

[electrictroy]

As an engineer, I get paid $40 an hour, and it usually takes me all morning to package ~20 items... say 4 hours... to pack & drive to the post office. So $160/30 items = ~$5 per item for "handling fee".

Just kidding. ;-)

Even if I hire some minimum wage teen, it still comes out at ~70 cents per item. Plus $2 / 20 items = 10 cents for gasoline = 80 CENTS TOTAL. Is this what you consider a "handling fee"?They say that $25 shipping for a DVD is excessive; what about $15? $20? $10? They don't say. I think that they are looking the other way when it comes to sellers deceiving buyers...Kinda foolish. Ebay would be losing money, if they choose to ignore the problem. Unless they don't care?




DISCLAIMER: "A shipping and handling fee can cover the seller's reasonable costs for mailing, packaging and handling the item." - Ebay policy. Mailing = $2. Packaging = $1. Ebay/Paypal Handling Fees = $2. TOTAL SHIP & HANDLING = $5.00

Better? Still won't make any difference. People are already willing to give me (and also amazon) $5.00 for shipping books/games. Breaking it down won't make any difference.

troy

[judyjudyjudy]

Even if I hire some minimum wage teen, it still comes out at ~70 cents per item. Is this what you consider a "handling fee"?
If the item requires a minimum wage teen to do it, then maybe. Like hiring people to move a couch... I think that would be considered handling. But rarely does handling require a third party, so if you can do your own packing or whatnot, handling fees are obviously minimal.

Though to be honest, I do charge a handling fee on eBay. Like Trent, I charge $4.00 for priority shipping. The extra .15 cents goes into my soda fund :)

Edited to add: And you edit your post again. I would not consider 10 cents for gas unreasonable handling charges.

[electrictroy]

lol now he's charging $9.99 + $1.20 required insurance. What's the deal slide? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62053&item=8198955122DID NOT SELL. (no surprise there)




Also, I asked Ebay is they thought $5.00 shipping was excessive. They replied: Thank you for writing to eBay's Customer Support. I appreciate the chance to answer your question concerning a shipping charge. Selling a DVD with a shipping charge of $25 is excessive. Selling a DVD with a shipping charge of $5.00 is way less than that amount and not excessive.
Bernardo F.
eBay Customer Support So please stop telling me that $5.00 is "too much". If you don't want to bid on my auctions, that's fine, but don't come here and tell me I'm violating Ebay policy. Ebay has declared I am not.

troy

[judyjudyjudy]

DID NOT SELL. (no surprise there)




Also, I asked Ebay is they thought $5.00 shipping was excessive. They replied: So please stop telling me that $5.00 is "too much". Ebay has declared it is not.

troy
Did you ask if eBay and Paypal fees can be covered in shipping & handling? Did you also mention the actual shipping costs? $5 will not get you shutdown by eBay, but it doesn't mean your buyers won't think your shipping is excessive. Also, I don't know why the eBay rep acted like $25 is some sort of official cutoff, when $20 or $15 is also clearly excessive for a DVD.

$5.00 is still a ripoff for media mail, IMHO.

Edited at add: I didn't see the "way" in the email, so I'm mistaken in thinking he acted like it was an official cutoff.

[judyjudyjudy]

Ebay has sided with me. "$5.00 is not excessive" was their ruling. As far as I'm concerned I've 'won' the debate, and Ebay has declared I'm doing nothing wrong. Case closed.

troy
Nobody said eBay would consider $5.00 excessive for shipping a DVD. So I'm not sure what debate you've "won".

[judyjudyjudy]

Ebay has sided with me. "$5.00 is not excessive" was their ruling. As far as I'm concerned I've 'won' the debate, and Ebay has declared I'm doing nothing wrong. Case closed.



If you think my asking price of $5 ship + 99 cent = $5.99 is too much for a used book or game..... that's cool with me. Just don't bid, and we'll both be happy.

But only *Ebay* can decide whether or not I'm violating their "excessive shipping" policy, and they have ruled I am not.

troy
My point with that example was the idea of fee avoidance. I didn't say that eBay would consider it a violation of their excessive shipping policy.

[mykevermin]

Actually, the extra 15 cents goes to ebay & paypal & their fees.




Since the concept of honesty has been brought into this conversation, I want each of you to take, say, 30 minutes to review this website: http://www.paypalsucks.com ..... Which describes how paypal (and ebay - the owner) routinely swipes money out of people's accounts. Or as my mom would say, "stealing".



What is your opinion of this Paypal/ebay practice?

troy

Speaking of your mother, did you avoid getting in trouble as a child by pointing out that your brother/sister/someone else did the same thing you did? I hope not; so why are you trying it here?

I'm still waiting on my response from eBay; should be in the next few days. I'm curious what the precise wording of your question was.

judyjudyjudy, your responses have saved me a great deal of time this morning. Thanks.

myke.

[electrictroy]

My point with that example was the idea of fee avoidance. I didn't say that eBay would consider it a violation of their excessive shipping policy.If Ebay doesn't consider it a violation of their "fee avoidance" policy, then that's all that matters.

Also, you said yourself that I can charge a handling fee. So here it is:
Ship (Postage+Envelope/Box +Foam+Tape) = about $3.00
Handling (Gasoline + Labor) = $2.00
=================
TOTAL = ~$5.00





http://www.paypalsucks.com ..... Which describes how paypal (and ebay - the owner) routinely swipes money out of people's accounts. Or as my mom would say, "stealing".

What is your opinion of this Paypal/ebay practice?Speaking of your mother, did you avoid getting in trouble as a child by pointing out that your brother/sister/someone else did the same thing you did? I hope not; so why are you trying it here?


I'm not. Two wrongs don't make a right. Instead, I asked a simple question: "What is your opinion of this Paypal/ebay practice?" Why are you trying to avoid answering it?

troy

[judyjudyjudy]

Instead, I asked a simple question: "What is your opinion of this Paypal/ebay practice?" Why are you trying to avoid answering it?
Wouldn't that be off topic?

[electrictroy]

If I was anal-retentive, sure. But in my opinion, paypal's stealing money from accounts is still related to this discussion: Ebay/paypal & ripping off the customer.




Ship (Postage+Envelope/Box +Foam+Tape) = about $3.00
Handling (Gasoline + Labor) = $2.00
=================
TOTAL = ~$5.00

No response to this?




(1) If you're selling your games at a loss, then yes, you're a bad businessman. Don't take it personally. Take it as a lesson learned - Don't sell games at $1 + $2 ship = $3.00 total, when it costs you $5 in selling expenses. That's negative 2 dollars, and not too wise.

(2) I'm not dishonest. My shipping charge is clearly visible, directly under the auction price. Customers are free to bid or not.

(3) I've had many, many games/books where this scenario occured:
- Did Not Sell = $0.99 starting price + $4 ship
- Relisted & Sold = $0.01 starting price + $5 ship

Customers tend to ignore the ship fee, and look only at the price..... so that an item won't sell at 99 cents, but will sell at 1 cent.




And no, it's not petty when you're a Seller and losing money. But that's exactly what some buyers say we should do - ship games for 0.99 cents & $2 shipping, while handing over $5 to Ebay/paypal/post office fees... thereby losing money.

Sorry Mr. Customer, I'm willing to sell you my game, and I sincerely hope it gives you many hours of joy, but I'm not going to lose ~$2 per sale... and gradually fall into debt.



Amazon..... EBGames..... GameStop Bzzzz. All of these places charge me ~$5.00 to ship a single book or game via media mail (standard shipping - no rebates). If they can do it, why can't I?

I'm on ebay to make money (else I wouldn't bother), and the only way that's going to happen is via making sure that "cost of business" gets paid...... even if I'm selling a game for only 1 penny. When you shop at Wal-Mart or Frye's or another Store, the customer pays *all* business expenses - advertising, labor, credit card fees, taxes..... ALL of that is included in the price + fees charged to the customer.

Nothing comes out of the businessman's pocket, because his pocket is empty. He relies on the customer to pay his bills.

troy

[electrictroy]

any time someone is selling a small item like a game, dvd, or cd and charges more than $4 for shipping they won't get my business.


What is the maximum amount the rest of you are willing to pay?

troy

[mykevermin]

If they can do it, why can't I?

:roll:

[shrike4242]

As this thread has turned into an electrictroy vs. all other posters thread, and slide quite a bit OT in that respect, I think we're done here.

Feel free to make a new one that's OT to the conversation at hand, if you'd like.