Comments on: EBay takes on inflated shipping charges

By: Money Blue Book

Money Blue Book — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 19:18:19 +0000

Well it’s certainly about time! There’s nothing more aggravating than paying $5 for an eBay item with a $35 shipping charge. Some eBay sellers can be awfully sneaky.

Another suggestion I have is for eBay to list more prominently whether the item is new or used. Oftentimes sellers will try to pass off a used item as brand new but get away with it because they never used the word “new”.
-Raymond

By: sellingmythingsonline

sellingmythingsonline — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 05:03:37 +0000

Wow, this is an eye-opener. I overcharge a wee bit for shipping to cover my envelopes or boxes, tape, etc. I just put the flat free postage rate right in there on my ad. I also make sure it is in line with what others have put down for shipping the same item. I had not idea this was considered bad form! I thought it was okay to charge even a dollar more, to make up for fees. I thought gouging was when someone was charging a huge amount for postage. I am feeling very foolish right now. I should have read up on this more beforehand. I haven’t sold too much on eBay. No one has complained, except one person who whined in an e-mail to me about the high shipping cost. In that instance, it was exactly how much it cost to ship the item to her,and I explained that.

By: BuildAndSucceed

BuildAndSucceed — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:24:51 +0000

Overall good changes. This should’ve been done a long time ago because it’s very misleading to users who aren’t too “ebay savvy”.

By: mbhunter

mbhunter — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:24:06 +0000

F&F: A reasonable handling charge is probably all right.

Jerry: I usually figure the cost in even if it’s really high. Some of the best deals I’ve gotten on toner cartridges were from a guy that had outrageous shippping. The total cost was substantially less than from most other sellers.

By: FinanceAndFat

FinanceAndFat — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:17:34 +0000

Interesting changes. I have always been on the high side with my shipping charges, but I also disclose the cost of shipping in the item description so only someone who didn’t look at my auction at all and still placed a big would have been ‘burned’ by it. I was never trying to burn anyone anyway, just making sure that I didn’t lose money on shipping an item and I assumed that people bidding would factor in my higher shipping prices when bidding. I never had any complaints (that I know of).

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 11:42:09 +0000

That’s one problem I have with them. It makes sense to let people set their own costs, based on area and size of the item (unlike Amazon, which feels safer with its set costs). But I didn’t like not knowing upfront.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 02:58:40 +0000

I think this is a great move by eBay. It should make it easier for buyers to understand the total costs, and may even lead to more revenue for eBay. as a seller, I wouldn’t mind it. I have always charged fair prices for shipping (but, I don’t often use eBay, and I do not have my own eBay store).

By: Jerry

Jerry — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 02:42:46 +0000

Inflating shipping charges may give sellers a quick buck, but in most cases (at least for me as a buyer) it NEVER leads to repeat business! I was once-bitten-twice-shy in that regard, and I now never purchase from people who elevate their shipping charges. I think of it as insurance that I won’t pad the pockets of the eBay scheisters out there. It’s certainly heartening that eBay gives the issue significant thought.
Jerry
http://www.leads4insurance.com