OT: Excessive shipping - does ebay care?

[slidekellyslide]

Does ebay care about shipping charges? I wish they cared that you can't send magazines and catalogs media rate. They put a cap of $4.00 on the Catalog and magazine category. Try shipping a 5 lb Sears catalog for $4. Try shipping more than one magazine for $4. I've notified them a couple of times now that the USPS does not allow these items to be sent media mail, but they don't seem to care.

[vthobby]

One easy way to get around that limit is to simply list the Sears catalog under a different category. Any category will do. I really do not believe people search items based on category anymore. Just my 2 cents. For example, list it under "Collectibles, Advertising, Household".

Mike

[Jewish-collector]

Go to card shows instead and pay no shipping.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by Jewish-collector

Go to card shows instead and pay no shipping.

LMK when the next card show comes to Lincoln, Nebraska.

[drmondobueno]

Originally Posted by slidekellyslide

LMK when the next card show comes to Lincoln, Nebraska.

Or Big Pine, CA✌️

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by vtgmsc

One easy way to get around that limit is to simply list the Sears catalog under a different category. Any category will do. I really do not believe people search items based on category anymore. Just my 2 cents. For example, list it under "Collectibles, Advertising, Household".

Mike

Or to have it "calculate" the shipping for you instead of setting a fixed rate.

[tschock]

Originally Posted by slidekellyslide

Does ebay care about shipping charges? I wish they cared that you can't send magazines and catalogs media rate. They put a cap of $4.00 on the Catalog and magazine category. Try shipping a 5 lb Sears catalog for $4. Try shipping more than one magazine for $4. I've notified them a couple of times now that the USPS does not allow these items to be sent media mail, but they don't seem to care.

Dan,

I remember seeing some discussion somewhere regarding USPS 'relaxing' some of these regulations. Something around magazines/catalogs/etc being able to go media IF the advertising was obsolete. So magazines from the '50s and turn of the century Sears catalogs would still qualify. But that was probably just chatter and never made it into regulation.

In the handful of times I've done magazines, I just went with a higher starting price and free shipping. Even though many people factor in shipping in their overall purchase price, and the net money out of pocket is the same, there is something about 'free' shipping that seems to attract bidders.

[ALR-bishop]

I am strictly a buyer on eBay. As long as the shipping charges are clearly stated I do not care what a seller chooses to charge. It is an economic decision I can make for myself if I have the correct info before bidding

When I started on eBay I think sellers had the upper hand...and some sellers used it as a club. At some point eBay decided to switch the power to the buyers, I assume because they thought it would improve their business. As a buyer at first I thought that was a mostly good thing, but the rules seem so one sided today that I know many good sellers who have stopped selling on eBay, and that is a bad thing for me as a buyer

eBay, like any business should operate to make as much money as it can for it's shareholders. But to be successful over time they have to treat their customers, both buyers and sellers fairly. If they fail to do so, the business will decline. No business does that on purpose. They may make mistakes, or may go through a period of poor management, but they obviously don't set out to screw customers. They need them.

Sellers have so few advantages on eBay today, the amount they charge for shipping does not bother me if stated clearly up front .

And I do not own any shares in eBay

[Cozumeleno]

Many sellers use the postage tool and print their own packages online. Why couldn't eBay simply deduct the amount of actual shipping paid and not take a cut on that? So if you charge a buyer $6 for shipping and the actual cost you pay is $5, eBay would only get a cut of the extra dollar. This would help keep sellers from charging excessive amounts.

If you DON'T use the automated shipping, then eBay could still just take a cut of everything. That's still technically wrong, but the current system isn't fair to anybody. This would at least make it fair to the many sellers that use the printed labels and it would also incentivize sellers to use them.

[Jantz]

Does Ebay care about excessive shipping fees? I can't answer that question, but I know it hurts sellers.

Recently bought a modern card from a seller with 4 feedback who wanted to charge $6 to mail a single card.

I knew his high shipping fees would kill the bids on this card and I was right. I won the card for .99 cents.

What irritated me was when he sent the card in a plain white envelope & postage stamp, basically pocketing the rest of the shipping fees.

Seems no one else is willing to buy from him due to his excessive shipping fees. He is listing cards from week to week starting them at .99 cents and not getting any bids.

[ALR-bishop]

You got the card for $ 6.99. I assume you felt getting the card for that price was worth it to you. To me the bottom line is always how much am I willing to pay to get the card, however the price breaks down

Plain first class mail letters are risky but I understand why sellers do it that way on less expensive cards....to save or make money.That is ok with me as long as the card arrives as advertised. If not I expect a refund. I am willing to send a photo of the damaged card, or send it back at seller's expense

[D. Bergin]

Ebay has their head up their ass with their priorities. Driving off all the good sellers and then encouraging fly by nighters to list as much stuff with their cell phones, mobile apps and 3 word descriptions as they can get away with.

Out of 2 of the last 3 items I won on Ebay.

I didn't get gouged on shipping charges but one of the lots (a group of about 30-35 1940s era boxing programs, tickets and credentials) was delivered as "Contents missing from package" by the Post Office. Not the fault of the Post Office. They were stuffed into a plain white 10x12 envelope, no tape reinforcement, just licked closed to the adhesive, shipped media mail and a half-assed taped copy paper shipping label that was flapping in the breeze. Only thing left in the package was a half a piece of backing board.

Sure I got a refund, but a collection that survived together for about 75+ years now sits destroyed at the bottom of a USPS sort table somewhere between California and Connecticut.

2nd was a large poster, shipped in a gift wrapping tube. Not a shipping tube.........a gift wrap tube. That was a fun adventure to get out of the package........and then when finally I pull it out, I find it's a horrible large photo reprint with a guage in it. My fault I guess. When I went back to look at the description the word "Reproduction" was hidden in the "Item Specifics". Unfortunately no clue to this in the massive 5 word description or the blurry camera phone photo they provided in the listing. No worries I guess, it was cheap and I can just pin it up in my attic space............but I didn't get gouged on shipping I guess.

This seems to be the norm lately.

I would gladly take a little gouging if these people could just get their stuff to me safely. This is coming from somebody who sells a LOT more on Ebay then he actually buys on Ebay.

Ebay has managed to piss off both good buyers AND good sellers with their wonderful business strategies.

[Jantz]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

You got the card for $ 6.99. I assume you felt getting the card for that price was worth it to you. To me the bottom line is always how much am I willing to pay to get the card, however the price breaks down

Plain first class mail letters are risky but I understand why sellers do it that way on less expensive cards....to save or make money.That is ok with me as long as the card arrives as advertised. If not I expect a refund. I am willing to send a photo of the damaged card, or send it back at seller's expense

That is how I feel as well.

I was willing to pay around $7 for the card.

His $6 shipping was factored into the final price, so my max bid was only $1.05. If someone were to have bid higher, then they would have won the card.

[egbeachley]

Originally Posted by Cozumeleno

Many sellers use the postage tool and print their own packages online. Why couldn't eBay simply deduct the amount of actual shipping paid and not take a cut on that? .

Because there is always someone who finds a way around it? Offhand I could use Priority with confirmation for $6, print first class online, then add regular stamps to the package. Not a whole lot of work to save 50 cents per package. It adds up.