eBay - will new shiiping rates curtail your...

[C.Ann]

buying or selling??

Was just ready to list my first few auctions and they went and changed all the shipping rates.. Some seem pretty high..

Will you stop buying/selling?

And if you're a seller, how are you including these new rates in your auctions?

I was really hoping to earn all of my Disney trip money this way but now I don't know if it's feasible or not..

 

[FergieTCat]

Ebay has new shipping rates? The seller can no longer set their own price?

Personally, I charge for priority mail, insurance and delivery confirmation, which comes to about $6.00.

 

[C.Ann]

Oops! I should have clarified the shipping issue.. Sorry..

I'm talking about the new Post Office shipping rates that will start on June 30th.. In order to quote a shipping rate you will need to know the buyers zip code - which then translates into a "zone" - and then the actual shipping cost is determined by what zone they fall into.. In other words, you won't be able to list your shipping fee until after the auction has ended and the buyer has emailed you with their zip code..

Hope I said it right this time! LOL

 

[jeleebeene]

It is not going to hinder me in buying or selling at all. The increase is not that significant (though I think any increase right now is crazy). Most people prefer Priority, and there is a .35 increase, which won't bother anyone. If anything, someone may ask you if you could check on parcel post, cause it is cheaper, but I don't think anything will change the status of the buyers or sellers - I find that people will buY an item and not really care about shipping...

Or not read that far before they bid

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

I think the increase in shipping will have a larger impact on less-expensive items. I buy quite a lot of clothing for my dd on ebay and most of them are relatively inexpensive. With higher postage rates I will pass over items where I would end up spending more on postage than on the item itself or where the postage price will make the item much less of a value. I look CLOSELY at postage for all items I purchase as it can significantly impact the final cost of the auction. I really really appreciate sellers who offer lower-cost alternatives especially for smaller/lighter/inexpensive items.

Now for higher-cost items or fragile items etc. I can see that the postage increases will probably prove unimportant for the most part. Still, however, I think sellers should be sensitive to the buyers perspective and not require insurance or delivery confirmation - these should be at the buyer's option and of course the buyer would have to understand that the seller would not have a responsibility to refund for lost packages etc. I see far too many sellers who miss out on sales to me (and maybe many others) because they insist on charging high shipping costs and even handling charges.

I have sold things on ebay also and I don't charge handling fees except for occasional exceptions (fragile items requiring special packaging etc) and I don't require extra postal fees and I offer first class shipping. I know this costs me time but it feels more fair to me.

Good luck with your ebay sales!!

 

[FergieTCat]

Rhonda --

What a sweet photo of your daughter and Minnie!

I might start doing what you suggested -- leave insurance to the buyers' discretion, and make it their responsibility if the item arrives damaged. However, I will still use shipping confirmation, because I want proof that the buyer actually received the item.

 

[HookedOnDiz]

It won't affect my buying on ebay... there have always been sellers who over estimate shipping costs to increase their profits... I always look closely at the shipping terms before I bid and avoid the ones that seem way too high.

 

[seashoreCM]

For the most part sellers are not padding their auction prices with high shipping, there are merely using worst case shipping costs.

I take Paypal. There are a few circumstances where the buyer can be dissatisfied and take it up with his credit card company, and Paypal can charge it back against my account even if the buyer did get the auction item.

But if I ship to the buyer's credit card billing address, Paypal won't charge me back.

But if the latter address is a post office box, I have to use USPS which usually costs more than UPS.

So I quote shipping charges higher than what may otherwise seem necessary.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[tink2dw]

Why not use the Dis Aution site??

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

Fergie - Thanks for the compliment about my dd - she is such a sweet girl and we are very blessed to be her parents

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I know there are situations where shipping costs need to be more expensive due to particular circumstances. However, I see many sellers who clearly abuse the shipping charges as a way to pad their profits. Clothing is very easy to ship and is generally quite easy to predict shipping costs on and yet I see people charging $6+ to send a tshirt or something similar. I have also had people charge me the going rate for priority and then send it first class thereby making an extra $2 or so in the deal. I really hate this and will complain to the buyer about it.

I just feel that you should be making the money on the item and not trying to increase your profits through padded shipping costs. I also think that certain items just don't justify "handling costs" (after all the priority box is free and clothes don't need special packaging) although I generally don't think much of an extra 25-50 cents for the seller's time to prepare and ship the item.

Ebay is a great marketplace and I have gotten some incredible bargains and made some much-needed cash for some items of my own. I just think all sellers should put some thought into pricing their shipping costs in line with the price of the item along with the type of item. It sure makes a difference to me so I bet it does to others as well.

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Tink2dw,

Dis Auctions are not even available yet for anyone to use. Therefore, there is no way to know what kind of fees etc. will be charged. Also, since shipping fees is the issue at hand, that will not be affected by the venue used to sell the items - it still costs the same to send an item whether you sell it on ebay or through Dis Auctions. I would also have to see what kind of "traffic" is generated through the Dis Auctions as one of ebay's greatest selling points is the sheer volume of people who "shop" there eveyr day which helps to increase your chances of finding one or more buyers for almost anything you are selling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy selling and buying to you all!

 

[Carrieberry]

I am just going to start listing it as the max shipping to the furthest zone, and specify in the contents of the item that the "Max shipping is-- depending on where you live and what zone you are in." That way they can be prepared to pay the max amount if necessary, but since they know where they are, they can take it upon themselves as to look up how much exactly it will cost them before they bid. I am aslo going to specify my zone in each auction.

 

[jgates]

jeleebeen- the max charges, even on a 2 or 3 pound package I believe can be pushing close to $8. That is a lot more than a .35 jump. The new rates are VERY hard to find on the usps.gov site - I finally had to save a link from fishingfordeals or mycoupons for it to find it again and it will probably seriously affect me. I don't think I can even relist my auctions that didn't sell last time since now the rates have changed and I doubt they will let me change my quoted auction.

If you ask your local PO, they don't even know the rates yet.

 

[DMRick]

This is a very serious rate hike. I won't be selling anythng over one pound, until I get the HTML all straightened out for people to click on for their shipping rates. The percent raise for a 4# package from NY to Ca has gone way up. Where it was always $6.45 no matter where in the US I sent it at 4#'s..now it's $5.30 - $10.35. I can't just give a price of the highest amount, since it's not fair to the people who live the closest..plus, people just wouldn't pay it.

By the way, those of you who want to relist (today is a good day to relist..the gallery is just 1 cent today, on Wednesday, eBay time) you can relist, and then revise your auction immediately after putting it up to reflect the new shipping. If you pst via Auction Watch, you can edit when you go to relist.

Although I just charge about 50 cents over the actual shipping, I don't begrudge those who charge extra handling. The shipping fees are not just the cost of the postage. It may pay someone to pack for you, your boxes if not using Priority, or the gas to the post office. Obviously there are some who way over charge, but you should take that into consideration when you bid..and never bid if the shipping isn't listed, or it's too high to suit you. Take a look at what established companies charge for shipping..just CD's alone are unbelieveable, as are many other things. For some reason, if eBayers try to recoup their handling fees, some people think they are being cheated...even though it's listed in the auction, and you can choose to not bid. Also, you are not allowed to charge extra for Paypal or other paying services, in the actual auction..so some of those handling fees are to cover that also..just like the big stores put in their 3% credit card fee in your handling or cost of your item. It's impossible to always "make your money on the item" in an auction..you have no idea how much it will go up to..and although some just start their bidding at a high enough price to cover expenses, you then have to pay eBay a percentage of the final cost of the actual auction..you don't have ot pay a percent for the shipping. It's the cost of doing business..and for me, it is a business.
Just one more thing, and then I'll get off my soapbox...if you see the shipping is $4.50..don't assume it's being shipped Priority..ask before you bid..the buyer has to take some responsibility. Complaining after the fact that it wasn't shipped how you think it should be only makes for bad feelings. Ask questions first, and then bid..or not. That extra cost, when you thought it was going Priority, may pay for gas for an eBayer who lives a distance form the PO..and they aren't making money on it after all.

 

[DebbieB]

I recently won a bid for the Father's Day Pin. The seller was only charging $1 for shipping, I was amazed.