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Reply to "Shipping charges---ebay says UNFAIR???????"

quote:
Of course, that all depends on what the item is. It's certainly conceivable that a penny auction could be for something that costs $20.00 to ship. The cost of the item has nothing to do with the shipping.


I totally agree - here is a good example of an experience I had. I had an old laser disc player that for some reason I could not get to work. It would power up and the LCD would light up and physically it looked to be in perfect condition. It was complete with the box, manual, remote control, everything. I got an estimate from a local repair shop to fix it which was about $50.00 to $100.00 depending on what it would take to repair it. It wasn't worth it to me to spend the time or money to do this. I listed it for a penny as an item for repair and not in working condition assuming it would be worth something to someone who knew how to fix these things. I just couldn't bring myself to simply trash after contemplaing doing so for such a long time. I compared the same model to used but working condition laser disc players already listed on eBay selling for $300 to $500.00. It was taking up space and I just wanted to get rid of it as I had no use for it. It didn't sell as a live auction so I went ahead and listed it in my eBay store for a penny (like I said I just wanted to get rid of it). The item sold within an hour after relocating it to my store. One of my shipping options was express delivery for $50.00 which was an estimate based on my own experience of selling items of a similar weight - it crossed my mind that it may actually cost more for this option since it was quite heavy but I didn't think anyone would actually choose such an expensive method for a penny item (I DID offer several other cheaper options). I was wrong and the customer chose the express shipping option, paid immediately, and sent me an e-mail thanking me for listing it so cheap because he was positive he would be able to fix it since his electronics knowledge was extensive and he had success in the past reparing laser disc players (He went into more detail than I really cared to know.) The actual express shipping cost ended up being $52.50. The sale of this item actually cost me money out of my own pocket but I was just glad to get it off the shelf. After the transaction was completed this same customer complained to eBay about the excessive shipping costs. Did I already say it cost me MORE to ship the item for the option HE chose and the postage tag on the package clearly indicated that ? Did I already say I offered several other much cheaper options ? I received a warning e-mail from eBay regarding the transaction. A few days later the same customer who purchased the item from me listed it in new working condition (I assume he repaired it) and charged $50.00 for Priority delivery - not express! You bet I reported it, and received a standard form-letter e-mail from eBay indicating they would investigate but could not divulge the results or action taken due to privacy issues. The auction ran the course and the item sold for $350.00, $100.00 over the price he listed it for. I had no issue with that as I assumed someone would purchase it with the intent of repairing it and reselling it. It was the whole thing about him agreeing to the terms and him complaining about it when the actual cost of shipping was more than he paid. He never left me feedback of course and I didn't leave any for him either because there was no way I was leaving him positive feedback and you KNOW he would retaliate. I am sure all of this was more detail than any of you cared to know, but it's a good example of why someone may list an item cheap and the shipping may be expensive. I think a good example of excessive shipping cost abuse would be sellers who use product like new popular DVD's or CD's priced at a penny or 99 cents to lure customers into their stores when 90% of the product they sell is electronics or some other type of merchandise, and they charge $12.95 Priority shipping when it costs less than a third of that. That is a blatant example of abuse and I'd like to see them start with that if they feel they have to regulate shipping cost abuse. How about $19.95 to Priority ship a 100-Pack of blank DVD's or CD's with an incredibly low selling price ? TWO 100-Packs can be shipped in a flat rate Priority box for $8.10! In the end, I think it's a customers choice to decide if they want to pay such a high shipping cost (for those who actually read the ads and pay attenton to the details). If you don't agree with the excessive shipping, shop somewhere else, right ? Obviously eBay is going to take a stand on this issue and in the end it could result in a better market place for all of us, but if they feel they have to regulate it the excessive abusers are quite obvious and way too easy to identify. I've rambled, ranted and raved enough for one day. Just wantd to share my thoughts and experience with you guys and gals. Hope every one has a great weekend !
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