Ebay & shipping prices...

[chrissyk]

Once again, I ask the question that no one has answered. How much do you pay for shipping from any other catalog or online merchant?

LL Bean, Land's End, Disney - what are their shipping charges? Has anyone ever emailed those companies to inform them that they really could send it for less?

I don't know about Lands' End or Disney, but LL Bean has FREE FedEx shipping with their Visa.

 

[LoraJ]

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The complaints about "inflated" shipping are not limited to casual sellers - which is why the message bears repeating. Plenty of ebay sellers are exactly like retailers - I (and lots of other sellers) have a business license, pay taxes, pay employees, pay merchant account fees and have overhead just like any other business.

And this is exactly why I don't use ebay as much anymore. It is better to buy directly from a store that has customer service and offers free shipping, etc.

If you buy a 99cent item from ebay and pay $15 shipping. The item is damaged, the seller will refund the 99cents but not the shipping. Plus you have to pay for the shipping return.

When I do buy from ebay, if it is a CD or DVD, I won't pay more than $5 in shipping. Otherwise, it is worth it to buy it new from a reputable store.

 

[va32h]

LoraJ, I am going to assume that you are not suggesting that I personally am not a reputable seller or do not offer customer service.

I have a lot of repeat customers, and over 700 feedback, all positive. So I am going to assume some people are happy with my service. And I do charge postage only, and rely on the uniqueness of my product and my own good contacts with suppliers to make my items worth the prices I charge.

I only start my auctions at 99 cents if I truly want to get it out of inventory to make room for new and better product.

And while I do answer all customer inquiries promptly and politely, I don't negotiate shipping costs. If I find that I have overestimated shipping, I will throw in a free item or issue a partial refund. On the occasions when I have underestimated, I have always taken the loss.

I apologize if I have sounded rather strident on this subject. Ebay has developed a somewhat shady reputation based on the actions of a minority, which I don't think the vast majority of sellers deserve.

 

[LoraJ]

va32h,
If the 99cent item is defective, will you refund them the shipping as well as the cost of the item and the cost to ship it back? Most sellers I have come across will not do this.

I sold something once that got damaged in shipping. I refunded all of their money plus the cost to ship it back to me. I'm not saying that all sellers don't have customer service, but when you are bidding on an item, it is a risk you are taking. and as the years go by, the shipping costs at ebay go up and up while the online stores shipping prices go down, I tend to keep away from ebay.

But so many of these ebay stores have such high volume, they can't deal with customer service. I had an issue and they would never return my emails or calls. It was such a major pain. They put an NPB on me, but after emailing back and forth with ebay, they removed that.

 

[cra-z-4-dizney]

I understand about maybe charging a little bit more for handling, but to charge 4-5-6 dollars above what it costs to ship is uncalled for, and I do not bid on items that I feel are inflating the shipping charges.

As far as companies go, I think most offer discounted shipping, or free shipping.

 

[va32h]

If the 99cent item is defective, will you refund them the shipping as well as the cost of the item and the cost to ship it back? Most sellers I have come across will not do this.

First off, I don't sell substandard goods. I would never knowingly send a customer a defective item.

But if I did send a product that I did not realize was defective, absolutely, yes, I would refund the entire amount, including shipping.

If the defect was caused by the manufacturer, I would pay for return shipping so I could send the product back to the vendor and get a refund of my own.

If it was damaged in shipping, I would either 1)file an insurance claime (if it was insured) or 2) refund the customer their purchase price & shipping, and tell them to discard the product as they see fit, no need to send it back.

I mainly sell fabric, so damaged shipments are rare. Hard to break a yard of fabric! I did once sell a piece of fabric that had a flaw, which I did not notice. When the customer contacted me, I offered her either a complete refund to return the item, or a partial refund for the amount of fabric that was unusable.

I do accept returns if the buyer has simply changed their mind about the item. But in that case, when it is simply buyer's remorse and nothing at all wrong with the item, I do not refund shipping.

But as I said, I seldom start auctions at 99 cents, and I charge exact postage for Priority Mail, which is $3.85 for most orders. So I am not taking $16 for a $1 item.

 

[LoraJ]

Well, va32h, I don't know why you are getting so upset by the ebay critisism then, because it doesn't apply to you.

 

[va32h]

Well, va32h, I don't know why you are getting so upset by the ebay critisism then, because it doesn't apply to you.

Because when people say "ebay sellers have no customer service and charge inflated shipping and are a bunch of scammers" then consumer faith in ebay goes down, aka, sales go down and that affects me.

It is in my best interest to promote ebay in a positive light (which I can honestly do, given the number of wonderful, honest sellers I have met and networked with).

 

[Twinprincesses]

I just bought something off of there and it did say shipping was $7.95 but I purchased it anyways. It really only cost $2.90 to ship and it was in a reused envelope. Not only that but the item said in perfect condition and there is a GIANT hole in the crotch.

 

[va32h]

I just bought something off of there and it did say shipping was $7.95 but I purchased it anyways. It really only cost $2.90 to ship and it was in a reused envelope. Not only that but the item said in perfect condition and there is a GIANT hole in the crotch.

Have you contacted the seller? How did you pay for the item? If you paid via PayPal you can request a refund under their Buyer Protection Policy for an item that is Significantly Not as Described.

PayPal will usually ask you to contact the seller first, to try to work things out. If that does not work though, PayPal nearly always supports the buyer and refunds.

 

[Twinprincesses]

Have you contacted the seller? How did you pay for the item? If you paid via PayPal you can request a refund under their Buyer Protection Policy for an item that is Significantly Not as Described.

PayPal will usually ask you to contact the seller first, to try to work things out. If that does not work though, PayPal nearly always supports the buyer and refunds.

I paid through paypal. I just recvd the item last night an demailed the seller today. There is no way she could have missed that hole!!

 

[poohandwendy]

I agree with va32h, it is important to us sellers that buyers have faith in bidding on Ebay items.

To be honest, Ebay is favorable more to buyers than sellers. The buyers are protected and backed 99% of the time by Ebay/Paypal.

The thing that strikes me funny is the complaints about inflated shipping...so don't bid, it is that simple. But that isn't a good enough answer for many people because they WANT that particular item. Well, the seller made the purchase price clear, so you as a buyer need to determine whether you want to pay it or not.

MOST sellers on Ebay are reputable and looking for an honest sale with an honest profit. It is a shame when the minority give people the impression that ebay is not a safe place to purchase.

 

[LoraJ]

If I think shipping is too high, I definitely do NOT bid on the item. I think that is what most of us are saying.