eBay - buyers wanting lower shipping rate

[Kristi1357]

Does this happen to you often after the auction is over?

I sold one item on eBay years ago, and the buyer tried to get me to lower the shipping costs after the auction. I didn't budge since similar listings charged the same or higher shipping costs than I was.

I just listed and sold three items which ended yesterday. (yay!) One buyer has already emailed me asking if there is a cheaper way to ship the item.

I think I specified a reasonable shipping amount - I am definately not making money off shipping. In fact, I may have underestimated since I am new at this. I did research similar items and am again charging the same or less to ship this item than other sellers are charging.

I was just wondering if it's a normal occurance that buyers try to get you to lower shipping costs after the fact.

Kristi

 

[DianeV]

In my opinion most buyers wouldnt ask unless they felt it was high. They should have asked before bidding however.

Of course there are some out there who want to negotiate regardless

 

[epcotfan]

If you listed the price in your auction ad, I wouldn't budge on the shipping. I list the exact shipping/handling in my auctions so people know upfront what they have to pay. There will always be buyers who try to bend your rules. Stick firm to your auction terms.

 

[Doodlebug939]

I had the same thing happen. A buyer asked me to lower shipping on an item because $25 was just too much to pay. (It was a big item). I was new at it and thought ok I will lower it to $20 just to make the buyer happy and $25 is high. Well wouldnt you know it. I was right on the money for shipping at $25 but the box I had to buy was $10 so it cost me $35. The cost of the box is my error but reducing the prices is just something I shouldnt have done in the first place. Stick to you shipping!

 

[Kristi1357]

At least I know it's not me!

I just shipped one of the items that closed yesterday. I est. shipping at $10. Well, it actually was $11.45! So I know I am not trying to rip these buyers off!

I am sticking to my guns with this buyer that is questioning shipping. I know I am within reason, so they shouldn't have bid if they did not like the terms.

 

[DianeV]

It sounds like some of you need a scale! Honestly you wont cheat yourself if you use a scale and check the post office website for the postage amounts...

Also recycle boxes and have friends save boxes and bubble wrap etc. for you. You would be surprised how much free packing materials you can get and then you dont have to pass those additional costs onto buyers.

 

[jcemom]

Okay, this is just my opinion, BUT...

1. If you stated the shipping cost in the auction and they chose to bid BEFORE asking about a lower option, I wouldn't change it now.

2. If you are having numerous requests for lower shipping, maybe the cost IS too high. NOT because you are over-estimating, but maybe because of the shipping METHOD you are using? Are you only giving an option of Priority Mail for instance, when on larger/heavier items Parcel Post or UPS may be much less expensive?

3. Definitely get a scale. Otherwise you can lose all of your profit on under-estimated shipping costs! You certainly don't want to waste you time listing/packing/shipping things and then end up paying someone to take it, right?

 

[patsal]

So long as the shipping price was posted prior to the purchase I wouldn't budge on it. I charge what the post office charges me and the price for packaging the item, no more. What I list is firm unless they purchase more than one auction and I can combine shipping.

 

[Kristi1357]

I am shipping Priority Mail for two reasons: I get the free shipping supplies (lower cost) and I work right next to a post office (no travel, can ship asap).

Isn't Priority mail a popular shipping choice? I should I just sedn things regular mail?

It is not like I am being asked this question by tons of buyers. It's just that I sold one (and only one other) item years ago and this happened. Now, I am starting to seriously sell and of my first 3 items, one person asked this. One sent payment immediately and I havn't heard from the other. I guess bottom line is don't bid if you don't like the conditions of the sale.

Kristi

P.S. I did go out and buy a really nice kitchen scale last week, after these items were listed. I want to get up to speed with listings things with the shipping calculator - actually shipping costs.

 

[jcemom]

Yes, Priority Mail is a popular shipping method. If you've only been asked about the cost a couple of times then maybe it's fine. Like I said before, this is just my opinion, but I buy a lot on ebay and here's what I think... I don't mind paying Priority shipping sometimes, depending upon what the item is and how much it costs, however, if Priority shipping is disproportionately high or causes the total cost of the auction to exceed what I'm willing the pay for the item then I won't bid.

As a buyer, I take the total amount I am willing to pay for something, subtract the shipping cost, and what's left is how much I'll bid. So, if the shipping is high, I'm bidding less. If the shipping is low, I'm bidding more. Does that make sense?

If you're selling an item I want and I'm willing to pay 30.00 total for it...you're charging 15.00 Priority shipping, so I'll bid 15.00 for the item. However, if you offer the option to ship it by some other method and that brings the cost down to, say 9.00, then I'm bidding 21.00 for the item. That means an extra 6.00 profit for you. You have to decide if the potential increased profit is worth any extra inconvenience incurred by offering alternative shipping methods.

Am I the only one who does that?

 

[j's m]

Here's an answer from an Ebay buyer. I just bough a Disney pin backpack for my son. The shipping seemed high at $ 10.00, with NO insurance. But I needed the item. I received it today, sent Priority, in a shoebox, wrapped in brown paper. Cost $ 4.90.
Did I get ripped off on shipping, or what?

That's why many of us do complain. Double cost is excessive, I didn't realize I had to pay for the shoes so she could have a box!

You'll get buyers complaining, just try to be fair.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

I can see both ways- Yes you dont want to loose money on it but if I know Im getting something ie pins that I *know* dont cost 10 bucks to ship- I usually wont bid on it at all- There was one item (a disney dollar) that they wanted 9 dollars to ship. Its a flat piece of paper! even with cardboard in the envelope your still looking at less than a dollar... I have no problems for a small handling fee (for said DD I would pay 1.50 or so for shipping and handling...) but over 8 bucks?

Ive never bought anything bigger than a book so I can't comment on larger heavier items

-em

 

[jjnv]

It also depends on how far you are from the buyer. I under estimated shipping a few times too. I usually ask $5 for a 2 lb item. But it does not cover my cost sometimes when the buyer is from west coast.

 

[tycopj]

Hi, new to this board and I am getting a lot of great info. I thought maybe I could actually reply to this one

I agree that if the shipping amount was stated in the listing, then the bidder should have asked about different shipping methods before bidding. There is nothing wrong with asking before bidding, but once the bid is made, the bidder has agreed to the shipping you listed.

I am fairly new to selling on ebay. One item I sold, I listed the shipping amount, I think it was $9.00. I used USPS. com to calculate the shipping. When I actually went to post office to send it, it was $4.00 cheaper, I sent the buyer a check for $4.00.

Then the next item I sold I was under on my shipping so I lost money. So obviously I need to learn more about shipping.

"If you're selling an item I want and I'm willing to pay 30.00 total for it...you're charging 15.00 Priority shipping, so I'll bid 15.00 for the item. However, if you offer the option to ship it by some other method and that brings the cost down to, say 9.00, then I'm bidding 21.00 for the item. That means an extra 6.00 profit for you. You have to decide if the potential increased profit is worth any extra inconvenience incurred by offering alternative shipping methods.

Am I the only one who does that?"


I do this all the time. It definately has a lot to do with the amount I am willing to bid

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

I would just respond by telling her that you choose to use Priority Mail shipping as a benefit for the buyer and the seller and she is more that welcome to go onto the USPS website and check the rates herself. If she really thought the shipping charges were too high, she should never have bid on the item.

 

[IStoleMyKidsPins]

Here's my 2 cents. First off, unless I've been given bad info from my post office people, certain items{I think anything over 1lb} cannot be sent First Class mail. They must be shipped at least Priority Mail. Secondly, assuming you have a scale, you should not have any problems at all with estimating shipping charges. That's because when setting up your auction, you put in the total weight of the item & the auction automatically figures out the shipping charge itself using the built-in USPS software Ebay uses. Potential buyers can also type in their zip code to see what the shipping charges would be if they win the auction.

 

[Az Pirates]

Originally posted by jcemom
As a buyer, I take the total amount I am willing to pay for something, subtract the shipping cost, and what's left is how much I'll bid. So, if the shipping is high, I'm bidding less. If the shipping is low, I'm bidding more. Does that make sense?

If you're selling an item I want and I'm willing to pay 30.00 total for it...you're charging 15.00 Priority shipping, so I'll bid 15.00 for the item. However, if you offer the option to ship it by some other method and that brings the cost down to, say 9.00, then I'm bidding 21.00 for the item. That means an extra 6.00 profit for you. You have to decide if the potential increased profit is worth any extra inconvenience incurred by offering alternative shipping methods.

Am I the only one who does that?

Exactly how I bid too.

I know some folks 'pad' the shipping cost and offer the item for a lower price so they end up paying less in fees. As long as the shipping cost is clearly stated in the terms - I'll bid on those auctions - just not as much as I would on a similar item with lower shipping.

As for sending only priority - it really depends on the item. I have to say that I have passed on smaller, lighter, less expensive items if priority shipping is the only option.

In the OP's case - as long as your shipping cost is clearly stated in your auction terms - I wouldn't worry about it. Just politely refer the bidder to the terms and ask when you should expect to receive their payment.

 

[floridagirrl2]

I had an Amazon buyer email me recently and ask me to send a book by First Class instead of Media Mail because "First Class will only cost about a dollar more and will get here so much faster." Amazon had reimbursed me a grand total of $2.26 for Media Mail. They reimburse $5.05 for Priority, and I purposely don't list Priority as an option because you lose lots of $$ on heavier books.

MANY people who aren't sellers don't understand how much shipping really costs. This particular book with box and bubble wrap weighed over 4 pounds--you can't get First Class mailing on anything heavy, and Priority cost $12.15!! I explained this to him and he sent the $12.15 via snail mail.

On Ebay, I always state my shipping price in my auction terms. I occasionally have a high bidder who asks for lower shipping, and I politely decline, e.g., "Shipping prices are not negotiable. I assure you that your item will be well-packed and shipped in a safe and timely manner."

 

[brivers222]

My DW just started selling items on E-bay. Since she likes to buy items she knows of the shipping costs and thought (key word here!) they were high. Soooooo, when she stated selling items she listed a price she thought was fair. We got burnt by a couple Dollars each item because in actuality it is NOT cheap to ship items from state to state... Especially if the other person is in an expensive zone.

I agree with the majority in this thread, break out the violin a play the saddest song.... They should have never bid on an item they thought the shipping costs were to high on.

Can you say, A little to late to be concerned about shipping rates now??

 

[Kristi1357]

Thanks for all your tips!

My 3 items were Disney Halloween costumes, so priority mail was really the way to go in order to get these items in time for the holiday. I guess I will do a bit of research on other shipping options, but I still think priority might be the way to go in my situation.

Now, on to list a few more things and hopefully get the shipping calculator running correctly for this next batch! It is way too much fun watching people bid on your items - this is addicting. But good addicting, since I have a basement full of "stuff" I need to get rid of!