quest. for my fellow ebayers

[disneydave2003]

i'm going to try this again as my last 2 posts never went thru.

i used to hate ebay but i've been converted . i've been ebaying for a few months and i use the shipping calculator thingy in my posts. i noticed some people place a flat shipping price in their listings. if you get to the post office and the shipping is more i assume you just "eat" the extra cost but what if ithe shipping cost is lower than you anticipated. do you just keep the extra $ or do you contact the buying and tell you will refund them a couple bucks due to shipping ending up being cheaper.

 

[mom2boys]

I usually weigh my items at the post office prior to posting or use the flat rate priority mail boxes. That said, if it was matter of a few cents, I won't worry about it. You are spending gas money & perhaps purchasing packing.

 

[Shugardrawers]

I usually try to state the exact shipping cost in my auctions. If I'm a bit lower then I eat the cost. If I'm a bit higher, I consider it a little bit of a handling fee. If the cost is clearly stated in the auction then that's what the buyer pays. If I'm buying and the shipping cost seems inflated I don't bid. The only time I ever got upset was when I paid $5 shipping for a cd that I expected to be sent in a jewel case in a padded envelope. It came with no case sent in a plain white large envelope like for a card. It was broken and I threw a fit. I expected a LOT more for $5. He refused to refund shipping or anything else so I sent it back to him in more little pieces and left negative feedback.

 

[ashjohnson80]

I do flat rate as well. I'm usually right on target but sometimes I go a little over and sometimes a little under. But when I go under I don't give a refund I just use it to buy packing materials. Boxes and tape and tarps can be expensive if you buy enough of them.

 

[eclectics]

I use my scale and either charge a flat rate, usually rounding off to the dollar, or for a heavier item, the bidders email for a quote with their zip code or country (I then use USPS web site calculator) again, rounding off to the next dollar (I use free USPS Priority supplies when possible but I still have to buy bubble wrap etc. and supplies for overseas and 1st class). In the rare times I have made a gross mistake (usually overseas), if their favor, I eat the loss. In my favor, I usually refund them with an apology.

 

[Laurajean1014]

I buy more than I sell. If the rate is too high I don't bother. I would expect others to do the same.

 

[Robinrs]

Before I purchased my scale I ATE a lot of shipping charges!! I purchased a great scale on eBay two years ago and it's been my life saver!

I only ship Priority or media/first class, depending on the item. I use USPS's Click n Ship or PayPal's shipping service and you can choose to NOT print the amt you paid to ship the item.

Congratulations on your pursuit of eBay! I love it and literally, canNOT live without it!

 

[disneydave2003]

thanks guys