Excessive shipping charges?

[Yankwood]

http://cgi.ebay.com/GAME-USED-JOHN-K...em110146465376, I thought he was shipping the bat, not Kruk himself.

[camarokids]

Re: Excessive shipping charges?

And then he tries to add insurance (optional) . When you ship something UPS , the first $100 is automatically covered . So more padding for the seller.....

[bigtruck260]

Re: Excessive shipping charges?

Had to search for this thread, rather than bring up a new one.
Kind of upset today. Not only is it freezing and POURING outside today in STL, I just got a shipment of 2 great bats that I have been wanting for some time.

The seller (eBay) charged $15 per bat shipping in seperate auctions. I went ahead and paid $30 as I got a good deal on the bats, and I figured - I didn't feel at the time that it was worth crying about.

HOWEVER, when the bats got here (in the same box) crammed in with a lone piece of paper towel for protection I kinda flipped...the shipping cost was $6.95 plus box, I guess. He is only about 40 miles away. I figured that for $30, I would at LEAST get seperate boxes since one bat is black and the other is blonde. Both have sigs on them too.

Maybe I shouldn't be ticked off - but dang, this dude just made more than $20 in shipping charges. Both bats together were less than $50 (2x25)

Don't gouge on shipping. It is not good for business.

Dave

[Vintagedeputy]

Re: Excessive shipping charges?

For $30, I would have driven the 40 miles to deliver the bats myself...........


Jim

[10thMan]

Re: Excessive shipping charges?

One of my biggest "peeves"...You buy a nice SIGNED Bat & they ship it with NO CONCERN for the auto...Amazing how often I see this...I`m waiting for 5 Bats as I type, 4 of them are signed. We`ll see...The guys I`ve bought from on here have been good about packaging. I thought Ebay was "cracking down" on unreasonable SHIPPING CHARGES???
Sean

[cigarman44]

Re: Excessive shipping charges?

I just got the Mabry from that seller as well Dave. Hopefully it will arrive in one piece!

[DRILLINDK]

Re: Excessive shipping charges?

Had to search for this thread, rather than bring up a new one.
Kind of upset today. Not only is it freezing and POURING outside today in STL, I just got a shipment of 2 great bats that I have been wanting for some time.

The seller (eBay) charged $15 per bat shipping in seperate auctions. I went ahead and paid $30 as I got a good deal on the bats, and I figured - I didn't feel at the time that it was worth crying about.

HOWEVER, when the bats got here (in the same box) crammed in with a lone piece of paper towel for protection I kinda flipped...the shipping cost was $6.95 plus box, I guess. He is only about 40 miles away. I figured that for $30, I would at LEAST get seperate boxes since one bat is black and the other is blonde. Both have sigs on them too.

Maybe I shouldn't be ticked off - but dang, this dude just made more than $20 in shipping charges. Both bats together were less than $50 (2x25)

Don't gouge on shipping. It is not good for business.

Dave

Truck,

Your telling me! I had to drive all the way back from CHI to STL in this crap.

[bigtruck260]

Re: Excessive shipping charges?

I just got the Mabry from that seller as well Dave. Hopefully it will arrive in one piece!

Hey Joe -


Just talked to the seller. He understood where I was coming from and told me he failed to let common sense prevail. He did offer to refund me $15 - but I let him know that excessive shipping does not get return business from me. Since he is selling Cardinal bats - there are a few of us who know about it.

Since I paid the $30, I told him to keep it as a gift and to have a nice holiday. I don't hold grudges...he apologized and offered a refund. Good enough for me...and man, these are some nice bats!

Dave

[Birdbats]

Re: Excessive shipping charges?

Dave, I also won two bats (black and natural, both signed) from this seller and had the same thing happen to me... except I wrote him after the auction and asked if he could combine shipping. Here's what he wrote back:

That puts shipping around $22. If you prefer to have me ship them separately then I would need to charge the $30. IF shipping ends up well under the $22 I will refund a portion of it. I am unfamiliar with shipping bats, but want to be fair.

The actual cost of shipping was $6.95 for the two bats (and the paper towel ).

I've met this seller before and he's a nice guy. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt since he acknowledged being unfamiliar with shipping bats and offered a refund if the actual shipping cost was "well under the $22." Now that the difference is known to be $14.05, I'm hoping he'll keep his word without me asking for anything.

[B1SON]

Re: Excessive shipping charges?

Interesting thread. My opinion and take it for what it is, an opinion, is that Ebay gouges too much money out of us. So, if a seller advertises a high shipping charge and a low oepning bid, when I am figuring how much it will cost me, I am figuring in the shipping. By doing it that way, I pay less for the actual item and Ebay doesn't take as much money from the seller. They way I see it is the little man wins and big business doesn't. So, I have NO PROBLEM with sellers asking a lot of shipping as long as it is fully disclosed when the auction is opened. If it doesn't say "will combine shipping" then don't assume they will and your right don't allow them to combine the items shipped either like this guy did but collected seperate shipping charges. Anyway, you got a steal because everyone say how much shipping was as well and calculated that into their maximum bid.

[ahuff]

Re: Excessive shipping charges?

Interesting thread. My opinion and take it for what it is, an opinion, is that Ebay gouges too much money out of us. So, if a seller advertises a high shipping charge and a low oepning bid, when I am figuring how much it will cost me, I am figuring in the shipping. By doing it that way, I pay less for the actual item and Ebay doesn't take as much money from the seller. They way I see it is the little man wins and big business doesn't. So, I have NO PROBLEM with sellers asking a lot of shipping as long as it is fully disclosed when the auction is opened. If it doesn't say "will combine shipping" then don't assume they will and your right don't allow them to combine the items shipped either like this guy did but collected seperate shipping charges. Anyway, you got a steal because everyone say how much shipping was as well and calculated that into their maximum bid.

Well said, and I agree 100%. That is they way I bid, as well. I figure that other costs go into the shipping, also. I think people who buy and sell realize this. The ones I see complain typically are the ones that have never sold on ebay, but just buy. These fees are ones that I may never see when I recieve the package. For example, some boxes cost (boxes can be very expensive unless you recycly boxes or use USPS priority), the packaging materials cost, gas to the post office costs (not everyone lives real close to one), and a persons time is worth something (especially if someones asks to ship overseas - that paperwork can be insane - or has special requests). I believe ebay even states shipping as "shipping and handling" on the bottom of the listing. I love reading peoples feedback and see that negatives were left for "too high of shipping". Then you look at the auction, and it was clearly stated in the auction how much shipping was. I've even seen people complain when the rate is within the normal range for shipping rates offered on ebay. Those feedbacks are a class act

[cohibasmoker]

Re: Excessive shipping charges?

Interesting thread. My opinion and take it for what it is, an opinion, is that Ebay gouges too much money out of us. So, if a seller advertises a high shipping charge and a low oepning bid, when I am figuring how much it will cost me, I am figuring in the shipping. By doing it that way, I pay less for the actual item and Ebay doesn't take as much money from the seller. They way I see it is the little man wins and big business doesn't. So, I have NO PROBLEM with sellers asking a lot of shipping as long as it is fully disclosed when the auction is opened. If it doesn't say "will combine shipping" then don't assume they will and your right don't allow them to combine the items shipped either like this guy did but collected seperate shipping charges. Anyway, you got a steal because everyone say how much shipping was as well and calculated that into their maximum bid.

Good call. You and I think alike. I ALWAYS consider shipping charges before I bid. Sometimes it's not always the seller's fault. All shipping charges, especially offered by the USPS are getting out of hand but unless we open a shipping service, what can you do?

Jim

[bigtruck260]

Re: Excessive shipping charges?

Well, I sell as much as I buy...if not more. I always combine shipping and charge actual. My complaint was not that the shipping charges were high...I agreed to pay them. The complaint was that two different color bats with autographs on them were shippied in the same box with NO protection for the bats or the autos. I knew what the shipping charges would be, and I did not ask him to combine shipping. I paid in full for both items...no questions asked.

For that amount of money $30 - and the actual shipping charges being only $7 - I expected to have the bats shipped seperately OR at least in a box proteceted with tubes or something. The blonde bat has black streaks on it that may have been caused by being shipped unprotected with the black bat.

I list items for the MINIMUM I want to get for them. Gouging on shipping may be a way to make up for a low sale - I guess, but I don't do it.

I just bought a bat from Jeff Scott on eBay for $30. He listed the same bat on his site for $65. Shipping was actual. Jeff listed the bat for the minimum he wanted or needed for it. It might not have been the most profitable sale, but he didn't complain. He is about the most ethical person in this business, and I appreciate the way he does things...most GU sellers are good about combining/packaging. This complaint was a rare one for me. I have never left negative feedback for shipping charges. As a buyer, it is inevitable that I will have to pay some outrageous shipping costs for something that is either rare - or I HAVE to have it. I do factor that into that buying price.

Dave

[B1SON]

Re: Excessive shipping charges?

To say someone charges excessive shipping to make up for a low sale would mean that the shipping was not disclosed until it was sold??? I am talking about if he added $20 extra to the shipping charge and then opened the bid at $10 instead of $30. He pays no Ebay fees on the extra $20 and hopefully he kicks some of that back to his customers. Is it ethical? Maybe not, BUT alot of the support Ebay gives customers and the excessive fees they confuse you with and tack on might not be ethical either. Does one wrong deserve another? I don't really know. BUT, I can tell you I don't fault a seller if they do AND their shipping charge is their shipping charge, its none of my business how they arrive at it. Just like it is none of my business how they arrive at their opening bid amount. I can take it or leave it. Bottom line is that if I bought a bat that I wanted to pay $101.00 for and I won it for $1.00 plus $100.00 shipping (and it was disclosed that it was $100 in the auction), then I am happy when my bat arrives as expected for $101.00 and WHO CARES what he charged for shipping. I don't see it as "gouging" unless they tack extra on after the sale. For the record, I am just venting in general here abou shipping, I am in no way saying anyone imparticular said anything or did anything and I know that the original poster was venting that he paid seperate charges and had them shipped together (and not very carefully). I agree that he shouldn't have done that. Please don't anyone take offense to my post. My over all point is as long as it is disclosed in the auction how much shipping is, and my item arrives as described, there is no reason for me to analyze how much he actually paid to ship it or judge him for "gouging on shipping".

[bigtruck260]

Re: Excessive shipping charges?

No offense taken...you know exactly where I was coming from

I understand your point of view too. In my instance, the seller admitted that he overcharged and offered me a refund (I figured that since there were two orders, he would not combine unless I asked, which I did not.)
And shipped two bats carelessly.

If someone charges $100 for shipping, and someone buys thier item, then they are required to pay that amount. It bothers me too when sellers get dinged on feedback because a buyer did not read the shipping charges carefully.

I do think sometimes excessive shipping is just that - excessive. I see 1 cent baseball cards listed with $4.50 shipping...I have ordered these and they come in a plain white envelope 99% of the time. Now, packing materials are minimal (envelope and top loader/sleeve) they do not even have to drive to the PO - they just put it in their mailbox to be picked up.

As a buyer who cares about quality and a seller who has empathy for my buyers, I do not charge much more than shipping and materials. For $4.50, the person who buys a penny card from me would get it in a bubble mailer, insured, delivery confimation. A white envelope shows little regard for your customers considering how often mail is damaged.

The same applies with my 2 bats in one box with no packing materials. I assumed for $30, I would at least have the items packaged so that they would not be damaged. I assumed incorrectly. Not everyone has the same penchant for quality that I have - and I understand this. What I got was the equivalent of a white envelope.

Just seems that it makes more sense to ship that bat for $10 and increase the minimum bid to $40 instead of $25. Again, we all share a difference of opinion and it is good to hear the other points of view.

Dave