Seller with absurd shipping price is this a scam?

[seanzhu1990]

So i was looking at an item from an ebay seller with 0 reviews who recently joined. They're selling a lot of pokemon cards and state they are all in brand new condition and the post seems pretty legit with many pictures of the card. I looked online to see if those pictures were taken from other posts and so far they look legitimate. However, the seller is listing the lot as an auction and starting at $10 but asking for $125 shipping within Canada. They also refuse to send any additional photos of the cards when asked about their condition. Does this sound like a scam? I'm interested in bidding but what happens if they're less than what is advertised. With that shipping cost do I lose all my money if I were to open a dispute with ebay? 

Any thoughts would be welcome

[15westcoast]

To start with I would send him a message and just ask why is the postage so high within Canada ?

That you would like to bid but find the postage amount prohibitive.

Is the postage  justified with the weight and size of the cards ?  Express post with a signature would be nowhere near that amount.  Check his Feedback as well.

[15westcoast]

Sorry, "O" Feedback.  Nothing to check.

[maximus7001]

Run away don't walk. Trying to complete a transaction like this is just asking for it.

[mrdutch1001]

possible typo error. No harm in asking the seller about the shipping costs and if that is an error.

[seanzhu1990]

Here is the link. I’ve asked him to take more pictures but he refuses and says don’t bid. Anyway here is the post

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.ca%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F124031476605

[ypdc_dennis]

Xpresspost is not cheap, especially to remote areas of Canada, but it does seem he is building some of his profit into the shipping. I see $150 shipping to my location for the listing you linked.

Looking at his other items, comes across as an inexperienced seller looking to unload some stuff for big bucks on eBay.

Bid only if the total price (with shipping included) is reasonable.

-..-

[terence427427]

canada post’s parcel rates vary from around $17 to $60 for a small parcel, depending on options like, signature required, express delivery etc. l recently was quoted about $500 to send a box 24x24x40 inches weighing 15 lb. so no, $150 bucks does not surprise me at all.

[reallynicestamps]

@terence427427 

You might have received a better quote if you used metric.

Canada Post went metric in 1974 and all other measurements are guesswork.

The chosen service and the destination also make a difference.

[reallynicestamps]

Definitely a newbie.

Selling by Auction.

Doesn't know actual value of cards.

Doesn't know how to realign photos.

Doesn't say how many cards the buyer gets.

Doesn't know that both Regular and Expedited parcel are available and cheaper than ExpressPost.

Using Flat Rate rather than Calculated shipping.

Shipping cost to US is lower than to Canada.

If the auction ends lower than his dream price-- watch for him to cancel the sale and get a Defect.

He might even post here with angry words about eBay scams, fees on shipping, and all the other complaints we see from low information newbies.

I would avoid this unless you are willing to put up with a hostile seller with little understanding of online commerce.

[luv4orphans]

Are you serious? $500 or $50. Just checked with those dimensions on Canada Post website and getting no where near that website. From Ontario to BC the highest was $110.00 Xpresspost. If a signature is required its a bit more but not $400.00

[femmefan1946]

Yep.
https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e2s1

[kahur8]

Not sure about trading cards but high shipping prices are very common in the video games section of Ebay. Honestly to me it comes across as a non-brainer that his shipping price is to compensate for his low selling price. I've seen a video game being sold for 100$ with free shipping and the same game being sold of 1$ with 100$ shipping, the first thing that came to mind is he's being sleazy and his intentions are obvious. To me it goes into "duh" category. 

[femmefan1946]

Very much "duh".

This kind of "duh" is why eBay has for some years charged 10% FVF on the cost of shipping.

At one time sleazebags pulled this one to cheat on their eBay fees.

And.

While some sellers get reduced FVF on sales (TRS, some categories, special promotions), the shipping FVF is always 10%.  So he may be paying MORE to be sleazy. "Duh".

While it makes sense to look at the bottom line* when deciding whether the transaction is a good deal, this kind of messing tells me that the seller is either dumb or ignorant or crooked. Possibly all three.

And I don't need to deal with people like that.

*Which is cheapest?  A $1 item with $100 shipping? A $100 item with $1 shipping ? Or a $101 item with Free Shipping?

Which seller would you trust the most?

[kahur8]

Hey femmefan1946, perhaps I should've been more clear but with "duh" I meant compensating low selling price with high shipping is used as a marketing scheme, but you are obviously more experienced in selling items  so you know if the seller's attempt to save money would fail or not. Don't get angry with the "duh"  😉 

[reallynicestamps]

I liked the "duh"!  So many posters think that selling is easy and customers are dumb.

I hope I did not give any offense. If I did, I apologize.

[ddawson108]

You will see this many times on Ebay, sellers offering things for cheap with ridiculous shipping costs. I would just walk away. This is a ploy used allot and I refuse to deal with people who find this an acceptable business practice. In my opinion those people are just hoping that you will jump on the low price item and not pay attention to the shipping cost.

[mrdutch1001]

I believe in some cases, one needs to look at the seller profile, feedback and take into consideration whether an experienced seller or newcomer.

Take into consideration if a new seller; as often times newbie sellers don't yet have a handle on how to work out their shipping costs.

[femmefan1946]

And sometimes the high shipping cost is actually legitimate.

Not everything is worth selling (or buying) online/by mail order.

A pound of feathers for example would cost more to ship than a pound of lead (or gold) because of volumetric shipping rates, which charge by the cubic foot as well as by weight.

But I digress.....

[roadie16]

I would steer clear of this one. As the saying goes ; "if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck......................!!!""