eBay

pattern-bookstar · ‎01-05-2015

On Jan 12 the shipping cost goes up, when are you putting in the new shipping amounts?

rose-dee · ‎01-05-2015

@dutchman48 wrote:

NOT EVERYONE IS DOING THIS AS A BUSINESS.
None of which has any bearing on CP is jacking up rates (and yes, 70% is jacking and a rip off) which is what I am talking about. That is the area where they are hammering consumers, not just Ebay sellers.

Your seller performance says you're more than just a hobby seller, even if you don't consider it as a business. You must have been making a profit at some point to have hung on this long?

I must admit you do have a point where some CP rates are concerned. The last international Light/Small Packet rate hike (nearly 25% in 2014) just about finished my international sales of paper patterns. There is no way I can sell a $15 pattern with $20 shipping! However, I've developed a line of digital (CD) patterns that cost far, far less to ship, and which I can still subsidize. I hear there aren't going to be any more 25% hikes in international postage rates in 2015, thank goodness.

If you're actually starting to lose money on what you originally paid for the pieces in your collection, and getting too frustrated with eBay and CP, why not try the more radical approach of selling off your collection as a whole (or in sections) and make your profit all in one stroke? (As an aside, I see this is what Pierre Lebel has mentioned he's trying to do with his remaining stamp inventory -- you could ask him for advice on how he's planning to do this).

Another alternative would be to really turn it into a business, and look at the overall picture. Increase your prices, decrease your shipping costs, and hold onto TRS as long as you can.

There are of course also dealers out there in the "real world" who will give you less than you know the collection is worth, but in far shorter time than selling it on eBay. Take a Caribbean holiday this winter and forget the years of struggle on eBay and Canada Post rate hikes.

Honestly, any solution would be better than the backyard one!

dutchman48 · ‎01-05-2015

Feedback and DSR's don't have anything to do with defects.

I got 3 from a Canadian buyer that said my pictures were awful and he could not identify what he got.

I got 1 as USPS could not deliver as addressed and everything was correct with the address.

I go another one doe to a buyer wanting lower shipping costs after the sale and I said no. Now he has filed an INR so he can get it free and not pay shipping. I have reported him to Ebay but have not heard anything back.

To spend hours on the phone with CS who know little and lies or cuts you off is getting to be a waste of time. I also buy a lot on Ebay and have already told them no more. A lot of sellers are also buyers and if one goes away so does the other. That however is a totally different issue and not related to postage.

dutchman48 · ‎01-05-2015

Tokens are not the same as stamps, of which I have a lot as well. I probably have about 30,000 or more tokens and medallions I accumulated and or collected. I also run 2 web sites. Tokens are not purchased as bulk lots unless you are a dealer. Collectors only look for certain pieces or themes.

rose-dee · ‎01-05-2015

@dutchman48 wrote:
Tokens are not the same as stamps, of which I have a lot as well. I probably have about 30,000 or more tokens and medallions I accumulated and or collected. I also run 2 web sites. Tokens are not purchased as bulk lots unless you are a dealer. Collectors only look for certain pieces or themes.

Oh well, I did try to offer some help. It's hopeless then, is it?

With regard to your previous post, FB and DSRs, I would say, are still very important to buyers. Buyers don't see the defects you've accumulated, only the reputation that is displayed on your profile. Yours is stellar.

dutchman48 · ‎01-05-2015

I am retired and moved 10 years ago and brought everything with me. I enjoy what I do but I hate scammers and rip offs and CP is becoming one. Ebay now caters to scammers if you read the US boards as well. They are far more active.I was in a profession far more stressful than Ebay or dealing with CP, so it is not the stress. I just don't like CP and what they are doing or scammers on Ebay, but again, that is another story.

dutchman48 · ‎01-05-2015

It is never hopeless. I do this to keep myself occupied and my mind active. And you get to deal with a lot of great people both buying and selling and on forums.

pierrelebel · ‎01-05-2015

"When are you going to raise your shipping amounts"

I am not.

The majority (more than 50%) of all items listed for sale on eBay offer "free shipping" (shipping included in the selling price). Why? Because that is what buyers want to see. So my listings all offer "free shipping".

The cost of handling, packaging and shipping is looked upon as a "cost of doing business" and averaged overall as a percentage of my selling prices.

While I concede it may not work for many sellers and many items, the reality of online selling (not just eBay) in 2015 is that the majority of businesses selling their products online generally offer "free shipping".

One can buck the trend or go with it. I have decided long ago to go with it.

pjcdn2005 · ‎01-05-2015

I hear there aren't going to be any more 25% hikes in international postage rates in 2015, thank goodness.

Canada post will receive 25% more for light packet USA and 15% on international for up to 200 gr. That's still a huge increase.

pjcdn2005 · ‎01-05-2015

The CDN dollar has gone DOWN more than postage is going up.

Not in all cases. Light packet will be 25% higher this year than last. The Canadian dollar went down about 8% in the last year.

You probably use small packet more than light packet and that will have a .10 - .20 increase per weight category. That's great for you but that's no reason to suggest no one should be concerned about postal increases.