Is This Too Much To Charge For Shipping?

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[quote name='electrictroy']Ebay/paypal fees *are* handling expenses. Same as when you pay the Credit Card Fee everytime your purchase something.

troy[/QUOTE]

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.
 
[quote name='punqsux']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.[/QUOTE]

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
 
[quote name='electrictroy']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[/QUOTE]

talk about the definition of a petty argument :lol:
 
YOU ASKED - "what places charge a credit card fee?" - AND I Answered - "they all do".



Anyway, 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.

troy
 
Last night while I was bored (watching west wing), I sat down and reviewed my Ebay Invoices. I calculated the Fees for Selling:

Price = $25
=========
Listing Fee = $0.50
Ebay Commission=$1.00
Paypal Commission=$1.00
Ship (Media Mail + Envelope + miscellaneous)
..... = about $2.50
=================
TOTAL = ~$5.00


Price = $50 = ~$7.00

Price = $75= ~$9.00


Selling on Ebay is not a cheap way to do business. The original Seller charged $7.77 for a game that cost him about $7.00 to process. He profited about 3 quarters, which I do not think is excessive.

troy
 
FF7 will cost the seller about $5.00 in shipping/ebay/paypal fees. So "slide" is charging $10, which is about $5 too much for S&H. That's just plain wrong.



Also, why is the seller forcing people to pay for insurance? I don't want insurance.

And, what's the condition? It's a mystery.

troy
 
[quote name='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.[/QUOTE]
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.
 
(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.[quote name='trent82']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 [/quote] 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
 
[quote name='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.
[/QUOTE]
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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).
 
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.
 
[quote name='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. 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[/QUOTE]

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.
 
[quote name='judy'][quote name='electrictroy'][quote name='trent82']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[/quote] You ship games in priority boxes without packing peanuts or foam???[/quote] Did I say I did that? [/quote] No Judy, but if you READ the discussion, you can see I was not talking to you. I was talking to Trent.




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




Aslo 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

troy
 
[quote name='judyjudyjudy']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.[/QUOTE]

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.
 
[quote name='judy'][quote name='electrictroy'][quote name='trent82']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[/quote] You ship games in priority boxes without packing peanuts or foam??? -troy[/quote] Did I say I did that? -judy[/quote] 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
 
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?
 
[quote name='judyjudyjudy']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?[/QUOTE]

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.
 
[quote name='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[/QUOTE]Logical Error - "argumentum ad hominem" (argue against the man). Please don't attack the speaker (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.




We were debating Shipping Costs. Please address the issue. The last thing I said was:
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


EBAY'S 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.
Click to expand...

Agree or Disagree? Why? Please explain. Thank you.

troy :)
 
[quote name='electrictroy']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[/QUOTE]
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.
 
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:
 
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.
 
[quote name='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.[/QUOTE]

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.
 
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?)[quote name='judyjudyjudy']But maybe most of your edits are for typos or formatting or whatnot.[/QUOTE]Bingo. I'm big on making my posts look "just right".




By the way, you still haven't addressed the issue under debate:
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


EBAY'S 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.
Click to expand...
 
[quote name='mykevermin']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.[/QUOTE]

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.
 
[quote name='Blade']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.
[/QUOTE]

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.)
 
[quote name='judyjudyjudy']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?[/QUOTE]

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.
 
[quote name='electrictroy']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:[/QUOTE]
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.
 
[quote name='Blade']Electrictroy, it only costs about $6 for shipping for three video games. [/QUOTE]I'm confused. If it only cost $6, why did you say:

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

Where's the $11 come from?

troy
 
[quote name='wubb']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.)[/QUOTE]

Thanks, I'll do that. Should I wait to get my items first, or do it immediately?
 
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.
 
[quote name='Blade']Thanks, I'll do that. Should I wait to get my items first, or do it immediately?[/QUOTE]

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?
 
[quote name='wubb']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?[/QUOTE]

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.
 
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.
 
[quote name='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.[/QUOTE]

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.
 
[quote name='Blade']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.[/QUOTE]


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.
 
[quote name='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.[/QUOTE]

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
 
[quote name='shrike4242']Which is cause for a debate on that point alone between myself and wubb. :D[/QUOTE]

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...

B0001MMGC2.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg


And I said Special Edition?! Holy :censored:

But in the end :grouphug:
 
[quote name='wubb']Game on![/QUOTE]

I guess you do trust my opinions on some things, since you started using Paypal shipping and bought a laser printer for it. ;)
 
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...
 
[quote name='defiance_17']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.[/QUOTE]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?




ALSO: If the end price was $165, your actual fees were:
Listing Fee = $0.50
Ebay Commission=$6.00
Paypal Commission=$6.00
Ship (Media Mail + Envelope + miscellaneous)
..... = about $2.50
=================
TOTAL = about $13.00

not $8.




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 BG&E 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
 
[quote name='electrictroy']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?[/QUOTE]

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.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']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.[/QUOTE](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
 
[quote name='mykevermin']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.[/QUOTE]

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?
 
[quote name='electrictroy']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[/QUOTE]

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.
 
[quote name='Storamin']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?[/QUOTE]

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!
 
[quote name='mykevermin']My point is that electrictroy is the perfect example of someone who has no hang ups in exploiting his customers. [/QUOTE](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
 
[quote name='electrictroy'](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[/QUOTE]

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.
 
[quote name='electrictroy'](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[/QUOTE]
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.
 
maybe he has to drive 15 miles to the closest post office, thus using precious gas and adhering itself to a handeling fee.
 
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