eBay

thebarterersdog · ‎02-22-2013

I'm sure it's on a board somewhere but why have all the shipping gone up drastically by US sellers? Just saw an item lot 3.99 item, 59.99 shipping.... it was jewelry and not a lot of it.

Janet and Paul

gilliankehler · ‎02-23-2016

I think eBay's calculated fees aren't always accurate. Sometimes I see an extravagant shipping charge and I contact the seller to double check, and they're horrified to hear what eBay had been asking! Usually they will ship it for a fraction of the cost listed if I send them a polite message.

hlmacdon · ‎02-23-2016

@sequinsnvelvet wrote:
I think eBay's calculated fees aren't always accurate. Sometimes I see an extravagant shipping charge and I contact the seller to double check, and they're horrified to hear what eBay had been asking! Usually they will ship it for a fraction of the cost listed if I send them a polite message.

They are as accurate as the data that is entered. Occasionally sellers will set shipping services, dimensions, or weights wrong, and in some cases I've seen ebay flip the listing from cm to inches or vice versa when relisting the item, likewise for kg/grams and lb/oz. For me the bigger problem is how calculated rates handle cubing with calculated shipping. It really isn't setup for multi-item shipping.

cumos55 · ‎02-23-2016

Sometimes.....

US sellers want international exposure... but without international sales.

High postage rates are deliberate... preventing international sales

USPS Rates... US to Canada, can vary dramatically... as already indicated here...

pjcdn2005 · ‎02-24-2016

@cumos55 wrote:
Sometimes.....

US sellers want international exposure... but without international sales.

High postage rates are deliberate... preventing international sales

USPS Rates... US to Canada, can vary dramatically... as already indicated here...

I've been pondering this but can't see what benefit international visibility would be if they aren't going to sell there anyway. It doesn't give them any benefit on search on .com.

I tend to think that it is fear and/or lack of information which makes them list using the more expensive services.

majestyk · ‎02-24-2016

I don't buy that international exposure either...that only works with international sellers.

In any case, it's possible the US sellers don't even know their shipping rates are too high. Maybe calculate it yourself (with approximate weight) and contact them.

Last week I wanted to buy a package of cheap $4.00 RadioShack test clips. The seller originally wanted $29 for shipping because he wanted tracking. But I talked him into shipping it First Class for $9.00. I mean it's just a $4.00 item that insurance would easily cover.

hlmacdon · ‎02-24-2016

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
@cumos55 wrote:
Sometimes.....

I've been pondering this but can't see what benefit international visibility would be if they aren't going to sell there anyway. It doesn't give them any benefit on search on .com.

I tend to think that it is fear and/or lack of information which makes them list using the more expensive services.

Many aren't aware of the e-delcon program for first class, especially with it being an online only option. They default to priority mail thinking this protects them with tracking.

wmlkelley · ‎03-08-2016

There is a large majority of sellers who pad the shipping costs to make it cover the Ebay and Paypal fees. What really **bleep** me off is the "Free to US" and $50 to Canada **bleep**. Now THAT is a scam.

seeweed82 · ‎03-24-2016

i definitely agree that these canada/US shipping rates are out of this world ridiculous now. and with the canadian dollar that has plummeted to 75 cent US range, plus paypal's stupid exchange rates, it's generally not worth buying anything from the US anymore.

like right now, i asked a seller how much would shipping to canada be for multiple sega genesis cartridges that literally weigh like feathers, he gave me some ridiculous rates.

so now, i always look for stuff from canada or the asian countries.

dark_phoenix9273 · ‎03-24-2016

High shipping rates are a result of the insane amount of precautions sellers have to take. We have to make sure the package has tracking and signature required because it's very easy for buyers to scam sellers these days. It's just a necessary cost of doing business in the current eBay model.

hlmacdon · ‎03-25-2016

@seeweed82 wrote:
i definitely agree that these canada/US shipping rates are out of this world ridiculous now. and with the canadian dollar that has plummeted to 75 cent US range, plus paypal's stupid exchange rates, it's generally not worth buying anything from the US anymore.

like right now, i asked a seller how much would shipping to canada be for multiple sega genesis cartridges that literally weigh like feathers, he gave me some ridiculous rates.

so now, i always look for stuff from canada or the asian countries.

A sega genesis game weighs a bit more than a feather, according to some references without packaging weighs roughly 1.9 ounces, 5.9 ounces with packaging. Assuming shipping bare cartridges without packaging, a US seller will have to pay around $10 USD to ship up to 8 ounces (figure 11 bucks to adjust for ebay FVF on shipping + packaging). You would be able to squeeze 2 cartridges, possibly 3, after which shipping jumps $5 roughly to cover up to 2lb. You will probably get some sellers who don't realize they can get tracking on first class and instead quote priority rates around $35. With the increases to epacket rates for HK, buying from Asia typically isn't that much cheaper once you buy several items at a time. If the cartridges will fit via Canada Post lettermail you'll probably find some guys shipping that way and save money there. There are some rare categories where buying within Canada makes a hell of a lot more sense, selection permitting of course.

reallynicestamps · ‎03-25-2016

If you look on the USPS website Priority Mail is described with pictures well up on the page.

First Class International is two lines lower, white on blue text only and requires the reader to scroll right to find the equivalent of Light Packet rates.

So I don't entirely blame the seller who is being bamboozled by USPS.

seeweed82 · ‎03-25-2016

but it's still ridiculous. we shouldn't have to pay this much for something so small. i get why sellers have to charge so much. i don't have to agree with it though.

hlmacdon · ‎03-25-2016

@seeweed82 wrote:
but it's still ridiculous. we shouldn't have to pay this much for something so small. i get why sellers have to charge so much. i don't have to agree with it though.

I'm sure we would all like lowered shipping costs, that much anyone can agree to...my inbound freight bill last year was enormous. On the other hand there is a cost associated with it. At least we didn't get hit with the same degree of increases that countries outside of North America got hit with for outbound USPS international shipping.

dark_phoenix9273 · ‎03-25-2016

Well if Sellers were protected better, we wouldn't have to use so many expensive features on the packages, personally I hate having to charge so much to buyers, I wish i could do free shipping, I only charge the shipping rate and thats it, I don't go in for this "handling fee" **bleep**.

pierrelebel · ‎03-25-2016

Take a look at 191625777234. That British seller appears to have "stolen" your photo from your listing.

dark_phoenix9273 · ‎03-26-2016

Cheerleader, how is the relevant to this discussion? Shipping rates are high because sellers have no other way to protect themselves but to use expensive shipping features.

canajun_eh · ‎04-14-2016

I have made purchases from China, Australia and EU and they manage to sell without charging $50 to ship a 1 oz $5 item. Only a majority of US listings are like that. I don't care why. I just wish eBay would let me filter out US listings.

i.am.vivian · ‎04-14-2016

@canajun_eh wrote:
I have made purchases from China, Australia and EU and they manage to sell without charging $50 to ship a 1 oz $5 item. Only a majority of US listings are like that. I don't care why. I just wish eBay would let me filter out US listings.

You must be looking at Global Shipping Program listings. Unfortunately there is no filter to screen those out but lots of US listings do not have that and ship at cost (which is still not cheap).

hlmacdon · ‎04-14-2016

@canajun_eh wrote:
I have made purchases from China, Australia and EU and they manage to sell without charging $50 to ship a 1 oz $5 item. Only a majority of US listings are like that. I don't care why. I just wish eBay would let me filter out US listings.

Sort by price + shipping lowest first. Job done for all intents and purposes.

pjarmstr1 · ‎08-29-2016

I recently began the process of selling some items on Ebay, and to get an idea of what the shipping would be, I packed up the items and took them to my local Post Office, where they were weighed, and I was given my options.

I gave them a zip code on the other side of the US from me, to prevent the possibility of advertising a certain shipping price in my Ebay ad, and then paying more to ship it because the buyer was from farther away. (I didn't even bother dealing with "international shipping".

Anyways, according to the post office, it was going to cost me $12 to ship one fairly light object, and $26 to ship another heavier object. (a few pounds). The way they calculated it, it didn't make much difference whether I shipped it ground or priority mail; the prices were nearly the same, but the priority mail would get there a lot faster.

When I went back to my computer, I realized that other people were offering the same items, SHIPPING INCLUDED, for less money than the USPO was telling me it was going to cost me to ship them. At that point, I said, "What's the use?" and decided to simply give away, or throw away, the items, because no one is going to buy them from me when they can buy the same produce for less money on Ebay.

How do people sell things with shipping fees of only six dollars, eight dollars, when the post office is telling me it's going to cost me $12 or more to ship the same thing? I don't get it.