eBay Buyer Rant....

[Garet Jax]

<RANT>
I wish people would read the entire auction before asking the seller questions. I use fixed price shipping for all my auctions because I do not want to waste my time finding actual shipping costs before the end of the auction for every nook and cranny of this entire country.

Well wouldn't you know it. Some loser sent me an email asking me for actual shipping for parcel post and priority post to some zip code. I told him I had no idea. He said that he wouldn't bid until he knew the shipping. I told him it didn't matter because shipping was fixed. Waiting to hear back.

1 of 2 things is true about this guy:
1) He doesn't read the entire post. This is bad because I described the signs of wear and tear on the item for sale in the auction.
2) He thinks I was joking about the fixed shipping and thinks I will charge him actual shipping.

Either way this is bad because I see a negative coming my way if he decides to bid. I think I will be cancelling his bid unless he says something smart in his next email.
</RANT>

 

[DurocShark]

LoL.

This is why we try to trade in the ATFS forum first.

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Yea I had a recent eBay bidder that didn't frickin' read the gdamn description. He gave me a positive but his description is as close to "fvck this guy" as you can get without actually saying it.

I'd go ahead and cancel his bid. It's not worth the trouble to have your feedback scarred by a jackass who thinks it's his way or no way at all.

 

[rudeguy]

I wouldnt worry too much, if its clearly stated in your auction then he wont have any reason to leave a negative. He is probably just trying to work you over on shipping costs....tell him to beat it!

 

[Garet Jax]

<RANT Continued>
This guys responds with:

You'd charge me $10 even for Parcel Post???

I have this in the auction:

Auction price does not include $10 2-Day USPS shipping charge (Hawaii and Alaska extra)

This guy is a real numbnuts. Where does it say anything about parcel post? WTH is parcel post anyway?
</RANT Continued>

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: Garet Jax
<RANT Continued>
This guys responds with:

You'd charge me $10 even for Parcel Post???

I have this in the auction:

Auction price does not include $10 2-Day USPS shipping charge (Hawaii and Alaska extra)

This guy is a real numbnuts. Where does it say anything about parcel post? WTH is parcel post anyway?
</RANT Continued>

USPS IS Parcel Post.
Live,
Listen,
Learn......
He's no numbnuts if YOU don't know what Parcel Post is.....

 

[RabidMongoose]

Just be happy if the guy isn't from freakin Romania or something. I say that I only ship within the US (sometimes if they ask nicely I'll ship to Canada or the UK), but so many times some international person will buy it and act as if it isn't a problem.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: AlienCraft

Originally posted by: Garet Jax
<RANT Continued>
This guys responds with:

You'd charge me $10 even for Parcel Post???

I have this in the auction:

Auction price does not include $10 2-Day USPS shipping charge (Hawaii and Alaska extra)

This guy is a real numbnuts. Where does it say anything about parcel post? WTH is parcel post anyway?
</RANT Continued>

USPS IS Parcel Post.
Live,
Listen,
Learn......
He's no numbnuts if YOU don't know what Parcel Post is.....

No, USPS is not parcel post...parcel post is cheap USPS shipping. Priority is better USPS shipping.

 

[Drakkon]

so long as your not charging $10 and only ending up paying like $2 for actual shipping which is marked on the box....too many sellers have done that to me...saying $10 USPS shipping...me thinking it ment priority...only to have to wait 2 weeks for a parcel post package that was only $2 in shipping :-/ I give jerks like that a neg just cause there inflating there price for no reason....but if ur truely shipping 2 day (priority is 3 day btw...so u better be shipping express ) the $10 is quiet justified

 

[TheNinja]

If you say you add $10 for 2 day shipping and the guy doesn't need it right away, there is nothing wrong with him requesting, or at lest inquiring, about cheaper shipping options. If you don't want to ship cheaper and slower fine, but there is nothing wrong with him asking about it, dang, calm down over it.

 

[DrPizza]

I agree with Staley... Nothing wrong at all with inquiring about cheaper shipping solutions. Plus, what's so hard about having the buyer calculate the shipping charge themselves? A simple "sent priority mail from 12345, buyer pays actual shipping." Then include a link to calculate actual shipping costs. If you sell a bunch of stuff on ebay, just have USPS deliver a bunch of free shipping materials to you... you don't have to pay a cent for the packaging, except bubble wrap.

I can understand selling with a flat shipping rate, if the price of shipping is insignificant to the price of the item... But why do you deserve to actually make more money on an item just because the buyer lives closer to you?

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: Staley8
If you say you add $10 for 2 day shipping and the guy doesn't need it right away, there is nothing wrong with him requesting, or at lest inquiring, about cheaper shipping options. If you don't want to ship cheaper and slower fine, but there is nothing wrong with him asking about it, dang, calm down over it.

Staley,

He is not inquiring about it, he is telling me.

 

[Thegonagle]

If the buyer pays "actual" shipping, that doesn't include the box and packing materials.

I have yet to delve into selling on Ebay (or here at FS/FT), but I can see that the box and materials cost could be significant at times.

Most mail-order/online places add a few dollars to "actual" shipping to cover this cost.

IMHO, buyers should have no reason or right to be upset over just one or two dollars added to "actual" shipping. Of course, charging $14 when the postage was $2.50 is out of line.

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle
Of course, charging $14 when the postage was $2.50 is out of line.

I disagree with this statement. If the seller says they charge actual shipping, then $14 for $2.50 is out of line. But if the seller is up front in saying the carrier, the shipment type and the fixed cost, then they can't be out of line.

I want to make a little money on the shipping because I am providing a service that takes me time to perform. At a minimum it is 30 minutes for me to ship a package. Longer if I hit traffic or a line up.

I once saw an auction for a $125 item. The item was sold with a But It Now price of $25 and a fixed shipping cost of $100 (laptop HD I think).

The seller was totally up front with this in his auction. I bet that more than one person saw the low Buy It Now price and jumped all over the auction only to see the $100 shipping a little too late.

 

[dman]

People just don't read. I accept paypal credit cards to my business account but in my auction I state 'to confirmed United States' addresses only.

Bidder wins the auction, pays with CC Paypal, address is canada unconfirmed. Includes in note at bottom a US POBox address.

Refunded money, waiting to see if he'll pay w/ Money Order or send me an updated 'confirmed' address.

This guy has like 500+ feedback,but, you never know who's account is hijacked.

 

[dman]

Originally posted by: Drakkon
so long as your not charging $10 and only ending up paying like $2 for actual shipping which is marked on the box....

I charge fixed shipping and send via UPS Ground which is marked in my auction. I try to be fair in my price estimates, I'm never off by more than $1. Once I was off on the buyers side, had to cover shipping out of my estimate and ended up costing me $.25 to sell the item on ebay. Oh well, was cheap positive feedback I guess.

 

[RabidMongoose]

so long as your not charging $10 and only ending up paying like $2 for actual shipping which is marked on the box....too many sellers have done that to me...saying $10 USPS shipping...me thinking it ment priority...only to have to wait 2 weeks for a parcel post package that was only $2 in shipping

That doesn't seem like the seller's fault. You should have inquired about the method of shipping. As long as he stated the $10 charge in the auction, then it's not his fault. Everything was stated in the auction and if you were confused about it, then you should have asked the seller about the shipping method.

I usually overcharge (my shipping is stated in the auction) for my shipping costs (always via Priority Mail). I use it to cover other fees, time (I sell a very large amount of items on eBay), etc.

 

[masterxfob]

i don't understand why ebay sellers feel the need to rip others on shipping. there shouldn't be this fixed shipping BS when ebay has a tool to determine actual shipping costs. it's really fvcking annoying that i should have to pay 2.5X (i find this to be the average) the actual cost of shipping.

how long does it take to figure out the actual shipping cost? it only takes a minute or two, what's the big fvcking deal?

 

[dman]

Originally posted by: masterxfob
i don't understand why ebay sellers feel the need to rip others on shipping. there shouldn't be this fixed shipping BS when ebay has a tool to determine actual shipping costs. it's really fvcking annoying that i should have to pay 2.5X (i find this to be the average) the actual cost of shipping.

how long does it take to figure out the actual shipping cost? it only takes a minute or two, what's the big fvcking deal?

Speed and convenience. Why can't the buyer figure that cost into the amount they are bidding and consider that a cost of doing business?

Actual shipping charges are a PITA. There is no unknown with a fixed charge. With a variable charge you have to get the package all setup, weigh it, figure out destination / zipcode, if business or residential, decide on priority time, figure out insurance based on the final price and then come up with a fee. At that point you then have to add that to the final auction price and wait for payment. Or the seller can just say "$XX for USPS Priority mail" and the buyer can just bid a max amount that it's worth to them.

That and there's no 'ebay' fee's on the cost of shipping, so you save a few % as a seller, but that's really not the reason I use a fixed charge.

 

[RabidMongoose]

Originally posted by: masterxfob
i don't understand why ebay sellers feel the need to rip others on shipping. there shouldn't be this fixed shipping BS when ebay has a tool to determine actual shipping costs. it's really fvcking annoying that i should have to pay 2.5X (i find this to be the average) the actual cost of shipping.

how long does it take to figure out the actual shipping cost? it only takes a minute or two, what's the big fvcking deal?

Then don't bid on the auction. It's not that hard.

Sellers aren't ripping you off if the shipping price is already stated in the auction. You should factor in the shipping costs when you make your bid. The shipping costs really shouldn't have an effect on your bidding - just factor it in your bid amount.

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: masterxfob
i don't understand why ebay sellers feel the need to rip others on shipping. there shouldn't be this fixed shipping BS when ebay has a tool to determine actual shipping costs. it's really fvcking annoying that i should have to pay 2.5X (i find this to be the average) the actual cost of shipping.

how long does it take to figure out the actual shipping cost? it only takes a minute or two, what's the big fvcking deal?

That is only a part of it. Also, if the carrier is not specified, then some buyers will want UPS, some will want FedEx, some will want USPS, some will want....

These different carriers all mean an extra stop for me to make when shipping multiple items.

Packing materials can also add up over multiple auctions. It is not uncommon for me to spend $5 or more on materials for a couple of auctions.

Finally, it takes me at least 30 minutes to package, label, seal and ship one item. Most of the time is spent driving to and from the USPS office.

I am not in the business of giving my time away for free.

Fixed shipping prices allow me to recoupe some or all of these costs.

 

[Chunkee]

there is not any Laramie on there though

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: Chunkee
there is not any Laramie on there though

??

Did I miss something?

 

[HiTek21]

Ebayers never read the auction description. When I use to sell on Ebay people would bid and win my auctions and ask if I would ship to Canada or Taiwan when I said will only ship within the United States. Then they would procced to pay with Credit Card Paypal and I don't accept credit card paypal also clearly stated in my Auction description. Some people even tried to negotiate shipping costs saying they're too high, even though I had the package weighed out and got shipping quotes from the post office.

 

[masterxfob]

Originally posted by: dman

Originally posted by: masterxfob
i don't understand why ebay sellers feel the need to rip others on shipping. there shouldn't be this fixed shipping BS when ebay has a tool to determine actual shipping costs. it's really fvcking annoying that i should have to pay 2.5X (i find this to be the average) the actual cost of shipping.

how long does it take to figure out the actual shipping cost? it only takes a minute or two, what's the big fvcking deal?

Speed and convenience. Why can't the buyer figure that cost into the amount they are bidding and consider that a cost of doing business?

Actual shipping charges are a PITA. There is no unknown with a fixed charge. With a variable charge you have to get the package all setup, weigh it, figure out destination / zipcode, if business or residential, decide on priority time, figure out insurance based on the final price and then come up with a fee. At that point you then have to add that to the final auction price and wait for payment. Or the seller can just say "$XX for USPS Priority mail" and the buyer can just bid a max amount that it's worth to them.

That and there's no 'ebay' fee's on the cost of shipping, so you save a few % as a seller, but that's really not the reason I use a fixed charge.

you sir make shipping seem the most arduous task in the world, you must be a complete dolt.

1. packing/weighing? you're going to have to weight it sooner or later.
2. figure out the destination? it's a fvcking zip code, 5 digits!
3. residential or business? always assume it's a residential and you don't have a problem.
4. figure out insurance? the seller should have an idea of the items worth and go by that.

is that so hard for you?