REA increasing their BP and making other changes

[Kutcher55]

But what would you expect from a company that just raised the price of its service by 15% (from 20 to 23)? Hopefully it results in a decline in volume as sellers seek alternative options. Their analytics are banking on that not happening. Time will tell.

[jayshum]

REA charges shipping, handling and insurance based on the following chart from their auction terms so yes, $10 is a lot if you only buy a single, low priced card. However, that also includes their packaging which is always very good (in my experience) and some minimal amount for insurance.

If they shipped priority, the cheapest price is around $10 and goes up from their based on weight so they would be losing money when you include their costs for packaging. Overall, their shipping has always seemed reasonable to me especially compared to what many other AHs charge.

18. Shipping and Handling Costs. Items will only ship once paid in full. As a convenience for bidders, REA utilizes a standardized fee schedule for packing, shipping, and insurance based on the total invoice amount (across all lots of the bidder), with three exceptions as noted below.

This standardized fee schedule is $10 per invoice valued at less than $500;
$15 per invoice valued between $500 and $999;
$20 per invoice valued between $1,000 and $2,499;
$25 per invoice valued between $2,500 and $4,999;
$35 per invoice valued between $5,000 and $9,999;
$40 per invoice valued between $10,000 and $19,999;
$55 per invoice valued between $20,000 and $49,999;
$75 per invoice valued between $50,000 and $74,999;
$100 per invoice valued between $75,000 and $99,999;
$150 per invoice valued between $100,000 and $249,999;
$200 per invoice valued greater than $250,000.

The three exceptions to this schedule are as follows: (1) International shipments - if shipping to an address outside of the United States, the bidder must pay all applicable packing, shipping, and insurance charges as well as any applicable taxes, duties, or import fees; or (2) large or heavy items inherently requiring significant special packing, crating, and shipping (such as stadium seats, framed items, bulk lots, and graded lots or sets) along with items on which shipping carriers assess dimensional weight guidelines greater than a standard package (such as bats, pennants, or sheets); or (3) items of significant value requiring bonded, insured, and/or secured transport by special carrier. These lots subject to an exception are clearly identified in their respective descriptions as requiring special packing and shipping charges. Winners of these lots may be billed for packing, shipping, and insurance charges with a separate shipping invoice (to allow REA to communicate with winners to be responsive to their shipping preferences). Unless requested and paid specifically by the bidder, or coming within exceptions (1) or (3) above, other items are not insured in transit to the winning bidder. REA will ship using the carrier or carriers of its election and subject to availability for the intended destination.