I paid for insurance, BUT.....

[Darthdiesel]

As for Insurance... my business insurance covers mailed packages up to $200.00 in value, so if someone requests Insurance and the value is less than $200.00, I don't buy postal insurance. If damage or loss occurs, I make good on it, but only if insurance is paid for by the customer. So just because postal insurance isn't purchased doesn't mean the Seller neglected it.

 

Maven - can you clarify this one? Your business insurance pays out if you make a claim that it is lost. How do you charge (criteria for coming up with a fee) your customers for this insurance? I think the original post meant postal insurance. Sellers charging him for USPS postal insurance yet not applied as seen by the postage meter rate equalling postage only, or lack of Isured stamp or Blue Insurance label for itmes over $50

[Bugaboo-migration]

Here's my take on it and I'm going to agree with Maven a little bit here.

 

I ship out priority mail and I don't have a scale since I don't sell enough to warrant buying one. I pack in the large priority mail boxes with plenty of packing material. Now.....the boxes are free......but the packing material and my time to pack it.....drive to and from the post office......and wait in huge lines to mail it.....is NOT free. Plus.....these extra large boxes, when packed correctly, weigh quite a little bit. So, I DO charge a handleing fee that is figured into my shipping costs.

 

Now.....I've dealt with the USPS inurance claims end of their business.....and it SUCKS..........ROYALLY ! When you buy your insurance, they only cover damages if the damage was caused by their obvious neglect (such as a smashed package). So....in essence......they are charging you to insure against their incompetence.

 

If an item is under a few hundred dollars, I charge the buyer the same insurance rate the P.O. charges......but I self insure the package and may just buy delivery confirmation instead of full insurance. This way, I can prove that the packag was delivered if the buyer says he didn't receive it. And, if he receives it and claims it was damaged, then all they have to do is mail it back and I'll offer a full refund.

 

Now......let me make something perfectly clear here.......I no longer offer partial refunds if the buyer emails me and says the case was cracked. This is an all too frequent SCAM that a lot of buyers are using these days to get an easy discount. A lot of cases get those little tiny cracks on the edges.....that's just part of dealing in CGC cases. But.....I package my books to be bullet proof and there is no way they could get cracked unless there is extremely obvious damage to the box it was sent in. If the case is damaged enough that they just can't live with it......then send it back to me for a refund......but I won't pay to have them send it back into CGC for a re-slab. I'd bet most of the time they just pocket the money and leave the case as it is.......or there never was anything wrong with the case to begin with and they just got a free 10 or 20 buck discount from you.

 

Those are my experiences......take them or leave them.

[CosmicBob]

......and wait in huge lines to mail it.....

 

And the lines are just getting huger as we speak. I went to the PO at 7:30 AM today to get some stamps and waited 15 minutes!

[uclapeterg]

To reply to you about whether a package needs insurance, in another situation, the post office person tried to stuff a package in my tiny mailbox (another one who I paid for insurance and did not get it) -- the package was literally ripped to shreds. He packed it well and I don't think any damage occurred to the comic and it was a relatively inexpensive item (like $30 or so). What if I have spent $5,000? And let's say the post office caused all the damage? If the person didn't insure the book, they are out of luck.

 

I tell you from experience that USPS treats boxes nicer if it has "insurance" on them.

[Bugaboo-migration]

Tell me about it......I went to mail a single package yesterday......I was in line for 20 minutes. Figure in another 20 to 30 minutes for the round trip drive and you've wasted an hour before you know it. Sorry........no way I'm mailing a book for exact postage sticker price.......no matter how loud the bltching is.

 

And considering I just paid Metropolis Comics $8 to ship one raw ungraded comic to me......I think my S&H charges are a frigging bargain.

[uclapeterg]

I agree with Joanna about not charging for shipping costs. I believe it's also a "cost of doing business".

 

And hey, I don't want to get on the people who charge a little extra for handling as long as it's REASONABLE. If you charge more than $2 than the actual shipping costs, then I feel you have some explaining to do.

[Bugaboo-migration]

I end up probably making 2 to 3 dollars over the actual postage cost but that still doesn't begin to cover the cost of the packaging material and my time spent on the deal (see my previous couple of posts). I'm not a business and I don't want to eat any "cost of business" expense. I'm a private collector who occasionally sells a couple of books.

 

My shipping charges are clearly stated in my auction and a buyer can email me BEFORE the auction ends if he wants to know why I charge what I do. If he still isn't satisied, then he can always just pass on my auction. With eBays fees, time spent, and packaging material costs, it's too expensive for the occasional seller of inexpensive books to mess with if they are losing money everywhere they turn.

[Gunsmoke]

The point is not what is charged, but if it is charged and not provided; i.e., insurance. If your shipping charge is $100 and the buyer knows it and agrees to it by bidding well that is just what you charge.

 

But, if you say you're going to mail it first class and you are going to insure it, the buyer pays for that service, but then you send it a cheaper way without insurance then the seller ripped off the buyer and owes them a refund.

[Bugaboo-migration]

Agreed..........I state that I ship priority mail and that's the way I always send.

 

However......If the buyer pays for insurance, I don't always purchase the postal insurance.........in fact, I usually don't if it's under a couple of hundred dollars. I just charge the same amount the P.O. would and then self insure the package.

 

In other words......if it get's damaged or lost in the mail, the buyer gets an IMMEDIATE refund from me without going through the claims process. This way, the buyer is satisfied more quickly if something goes wrong, and I get some extra cash to help offset the eBay fees. Win/Win situation for us both.

[Gunsmoke]

In other words......if it get's damaged or lost in the mail, the buyer gets an IMMEDIATE refund from me without going through the claims process. This way, the buyer is satisfied more quickly if something goes wrong, and I get some extra cash to help offset the eBay fees. Win/Win situation for us both.

 

Does the buyer know this in advance? If not, and they receive the package without the insurance label they may not understand what happened.

 

The lack of a label alerted me that the package I received was not insured and apparently others who purchased from her realized the same thing. Some even responded with negative feedback.

 

I suspect that most buyers would prefer postal insurance rather than self-insurance.

[Bugaboo-migration]

I've only had one person ever email me about it. I explained the situation to him in full detail and that if he was unsatisfied with the condition the book came in, to please let me know and I'd offer him a full immediate refund upon it's return. He immediatly left me positive feedback.

 

I don't put all of this in my rules because I would have to exlain the reasoning behind it, etc.

 

I've had customers that can't follow rules like "no personal checks" so I'm not going to bog them down with more details that would confuse them further. If they have a problem with how I ship or do business........just send the book back to me and I'll cheerfully refund their money.......no problems.

 

And trust me....anyone who has ever gone through the bullshlt of a postal insurance claim would NOT rather have the postal insurance.......my refunds are immediate.

[theVisitor]

--Darth, what would you have done in this situation. I recently bought a CGC book and paid for insurance. However, the seller forgot to insure it but refunded me the money back right away. I got the book safely but what if the book got lost or damaged? What would have been the right thing for the seller to do in that situation?--

 

I would have refunded you what you paid for the book and all shipping charges. My mistake, I have to make good on it.

 

I should know, since I was the one who forgot to insure the package

 

Phil

 

[greggy]

Thanks, I knew you would have done it. I guess it is better than being the subject of a ridicule on the board!

[Joanna]

I'm not a business and I don't want to eat any "cost of business" expense. I'm a private collector who occasionally sells a couple of books.

 

I guess I just look at it differently. I'm just a private collector, as well. But when I sell something on ebay, I become a supplier of something, while another person becomes the buyer. That's business.

 

I get the free boxes and envelopes from the post office, buy my own bubble wrap and peanuts (try 'parrothead88' ebay store -- he's great), and hand-cut cardboard inserts. Yes, this means I spend time and money. I also go to the post office and wait in lines. But that's also part of "doing business" (in the sense outlined above). I also sell primarily cheap stuff. But I don't pass any of the cost of doing business onto the customer as I feel it isn't their cost to absorb. If I did, I would figure out exactly how much the packing material cost that I used in their package. If it was a dime, then that's what I'd charge, but I'd rather eat that dime and keep a customer.

 

I also bought the scale to make sure my shipping charges are accurate. It cost $40, because I wanted one that weighed up to 25 pounds, not one of the really cheap 5 pound scales. (for a good deal on scales, try 'oldwillknott---(great-scales!)' -- another really good seller and fantastic scales). I figure it's paid for itself because I tended to underestimate shipping and kept getting caught short.

 

Bug -- I'm not telling you how to do business. I'm just telling you my own practices and why I do them. I think every seller has a right to do just that. And every buyer has a right to choose which seller he'd rather do business with. If you want to charge handling and your buyers don't mind, then you have no reason to change. Just as I'll continue to charge exact cost of shipping.

 

-- Joanna

[Gunsmoke]

But I don't pass any of the cost of doing business onto the customer as I feel it isn't their cost to absorb.

 

Joanna, I won't say you're wrong, but I will say you're unique Just about every business passes on costs to the customer. Expenses like salaries, rent, utilities, shipping etc. are figured into the cost of an item sold or service provided by a business. and are either passed on directly or indirectly.

 

I try to recoup my shipping expenses, but I don't make a profit on it and I ship it in the manner specified in the ad (usually priority mail insured). I do this not only because it is the "right" thing to do, but it makes good business sense. I avoid sellers that have unreasonable shipping costs and will focus on the seller that has a fair shipping charge and also offers payment by Paypal.

[uclapeterg]

I realize what you are saying, but to me (and I think Joanna would agree), having a customer and keeping them happy is MORE important than the cost of materials (a few bucks at best). I think there is more chance that you will get repeat customers if your shipping charges are cheaper.

 

And I agree -- this is just an opinion. And people who charge a "reasonable handling" charge are ok.

 

But don't expect me to order from some people again who pass a lot of their "supposed handling" costs along to me.

 

 

Back to my original story, I asked the guy about the damaged CGC holder and asked for $12 (fair I think) for compensation. He paypal'd me right away. I have another CGC cracked holder (another one also bought) so I am going to send them in together.

 

Someone (I can't remember who) also suggested that customers say their CGC holder is cracked as an excuse to get more money back. I can scan the book and offered to send the scans to him as an attachment to prove that I am not lying.

[snizzenfixit]

I realize what you are saying, but to me (and I think Joanna would agree), having a customer and keeping them happy is MORE important than the cost of materials (a few bucks at best). I think there is more chance that you will get repeat customers if your shipping charges are cheaper.

 

I don't think it really makes a difference. If I am selling a book that I need to get fifty bucks for, in order to break even, I can start the bidding at 50 and charge for packing materials or start the bidding at 52 and charge exact shipping. You don't start at cost for the item and take the loss on packing materials. Whether the buyer pays for it in the bid, or in the shipping costs, he IS paying for it. Smart bidders will bid two dollars higher if the shipping charges are two dollars lower.

 

Phil