REA increasing their BP and making other changes

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by OhioLawyerF5

I think people understand it, they just think materials and labor are part of a company's overhead that gets factored into their fees, and that shipping charges should be just the actual cost to ship/insure the shipment. I send things through the mail daily in my line of work. And never once charge someone for the envolopes and time my secretary spends sending it. It's just the cost of doing business. So while I don't have a problem with charging shipping and handling as long as you are up front with your charges, I also don't think people complaining about it don't understand. They just think it should come from your profit margins, not an additional charge.

First, I think any business that has an actual shipping department is a little different than a company that has a secretary mail stuff occasionally.

Second, It's a lose/lose lol. So then I raise my BP to cover the expense instead of charging the $5 handling and materials fee and someone starts a thread talking about how evil I am for raising my BP.

Third, I would also point out that the $5 we add is actually woefully inadequate on most shipments. It's just those occasions when someone wins an inexpensive single card that can be sent in an envelope that it seems excessive. Those are a small minority of our shipments and we lose money every auction on shipping.

[OhioLawyerF5]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

First, I think any business that has an actual shipping department is a little different than a company that has a secretary mail stuff occasionally.

Second, It's a lose/lose lol. So then I raise my BP to cover the expense instead of charging the $5 handling and materials fee and someone starts a thread talking about how evil I am for raising my BP.

Third, I would also point out that the $5 we add is actually woefully inadequate on most shipments. It's just those occasions when someone wins an inexpensive single card that can be sent in an envelope that it seems excessive. Those are a small minority of our shipments and we lose money every auction on shipping.

I specifically said I understand it and that I'm fine with it. I was just countering the claim that the people complaining about it just don't understand the costs that go into it. They do.

But you are inaccurate in your assumption that I have a secretary mail something occasionally. I probably send more mail every day than most auction houses. But again, that's not the point. The point is that everyone understands what costs go into shipping packages. That doesn't mean they will agree with how they are allocated. I personally don't care how it's allocated, as long as I know what it is up front. I was just explaining why some people don't like it.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Sorry, it was in response to you, but not "going after" you. More just a deeper dive into the auction side of the story. I agree that if you're surprising people with an outrageous shipping charge it's a jerk move, but some people insist on acting surprised even when everything is explained in detail!