Help with feedback for shipping profitering

[OldGuy]

Just don't bid on my auctions next time if you don't feel that the shipping charges are appropriate.

 

Brent

 

That about sums it up right there.

[DawgPhan]

C'mon here. He isn't pocketing $6. It probably took him at least thirty minutes of time between packaging and shipping. He has costs associated with shipping-those peanuts, boards, and boxes aren't FREE! (USPS can provide you with some of this however--he isn't obligated to use those materials if he chooses not to). I'd personally say he broke even.

 

Considering that the book was undergraded, I'd say you had an excellent transaction.

 

I honestly doubt that it took him 30 minutes to package that comic.

 

 

So let think about this..We decided to pay someone $10/hour to properly package comics...How many can they do in 1 hour? Now they have everything they need right there and they are not stopping to help customers, water the plants, go pickuop the kids...they are just packing comics...can they do 12-15 per hour...So that is about $.83-$.67 per package. Alright now on to peanuts..

 

http://www.uline.com/Browse_Listing_2004.asp

 

$17 for 7 cubic feet of peanuts..What maybe 70-80 packages in a bag that big? What is that about $.20 per package worth of peanuts? Yeah there is almost a whole dollar there.

 

Gas to the postoffice might be $.20 or so if you take several packages with you and dont live in the middle of nowhere..and if you live in the middle of nowwhere and want to run a mail order business that is exactly my problem. I am not paying for your time to get to the post office because that is your job. That was included in the price of the item that I bought. I dont have to pay extra at the register at kroger to cover the stock boys wage. It is included in the price of the item. If you arent covering your cost then riase your starting prices on your items.

 

Oh and the "deal" that someone gets on an item has nothing to do with shipping profiteers.

 

Shipping should be what it cost. Simple....Everything else is just people trying to justify their profiteering.

 

I have no problem paying for what I get. If I get a box with peanuts..I have no problem paying for that. But I only want to pay for what I got. I am not paying a little extra for peanuts that I didnt get so that the guy who got a lot doesnt pay as much. Screw that.

[qualitycomix]

C'mon here. He isn't pocketing $6. It probably took him at least thirty minutes of time between packaging and shipping. He has costs associated with shipping-those peanuts, boards, and boxes aren't FREE! (USPS can provide you with some of this however--he isn't obligated to use those materials if he chooses not to). I'd personally say he broke even.

 

Considering that the book was undergraded, I'd say you had an excellent transaction.

 

I honestly doubt that it took him 30 minutes to package that comic.

 

 

So let think about this..We decided to pay someone $10/hour to properly package comics...How many can they do in 1 hour? Now they have everything they need right there and they are not stopping to help customers, water the plants, go pickuop the kids...they are just packing comics...can they do 12-15 per hour...So that is about $.83-$.67 per package. Alright now on to peanuts..

 

http://www.uline.com/Browse_Listing_2004.asp

 

$17 for 7 cubic feet of peanuts..What maybe 70-80 packages in a bag that big? What is that about $.20 per package worth of peanuts? Yeah there is almost a whole dollar there.

 

Gas to the postoffice might be $.20 or so if you take several packages with you and dont live in the middle of nowhere..and if you live in the middle of nowwhere and want to run a mail order business that is exactly my problem. I am not paying for your time to get to the post office because that is your job. That was included in the price of the item that I bought. I dont have to pay extra at the register at kroger to cover the stock boys wage. It is included in the price of the item. If you arent covering your cost then riase your starting prices on your items.

 

Oh and the "deal" that someone gets on an item has nothing to do with shipping profiteers.

 

Shipping should be what it cost. Simple....Everything else is just people trying to justify their profiteering.

 

I have no problem paying for what I get. If I get a box with peanuts..I have no problem paying for that. But I only want to pay for what I got. I am not paying a little extra for peanuts that I didnt get so that the guy who got a lot doesnt pay as much. Screw that.

 

If you don't like the costs, then don't bid. It's not profiteering when we're LOSING $$$ on shipping. Or is that too abstract a concept for you? Oh, don't forget to include the cost of the box in your rant.

 

Can I offer you some cheese with that whine?

[mrwoogieman]

The ad said $10 shipping. Buyer assumes that actual shipping cost will be close to the shipping charge. It's not. Unhappy buyer is within his rights to warn other bidders, by neutral or negative feedback, that the listed shipping charges and the actual shipping costs are not reasonably close in his opinion and may constitute shipping profiteering.

 

I'd prefer the buyer bring his concern to the seller before leaving feedback, which was done here, but I cannot fault a buyer who wants to leave a neutral or negative if they want, even though that's what they signed up for when they bid on the auction after seeing the listed shipping charge.

[tay666]

Man, I'd love to see what some of you people would do with some of the auctions I've seen with a BIN price of $5 and shipping of $30-50 media mail.

 

Oh, and BTW DawgPhan you forgot to take into account the shipping costs on those peanuts. I checked, that $17 bag you pointed out would cost another $11.50 to ship to my house

 

I really don't see the problem with an auction that states the shipping charges up front. You just factor in the shipping as part of the total price.

The ones that I hate are the sellers that don't say what shipping is, then charge an arm and a leg to make up for a low winning bid.

[DawgPhan]

C'mon here. He isn't pocketing $6. It probably took him at least thirty minutes of time between packaging and shipping. He has costs associated with shipping-those peanuts, boards, and boxes aren't FREE! (USPS can provide you with some of this however--he isn't obligated to use those materials if he chooses not to). I'd personally say he broke even.

 

Considering that the book was undergraded, I'd say you had an excellent transaction.

 

I honestly doubt that it took him 30 minutes to package that comic.

 

 

So let think about this..We decided to pay someone $10/hour to properly package comics...How many can they do in 1 hour? Now they have everything they need right there and they are not stopping to help customers, water the plants, go pickuop the kids...they are just packing comics...can they do 12-15 per hour...So that is about $.83-$.67 per package. Alright now on to peanuts..

 

http://www.uline.com/Browse_Listing_2004.asp

 

$17 for 7 cubic feet of peanuts..What maybe 70-80 packages in a bag that big? What is that about $.20 per package worth of peanuts? Yeah there is almost a whole dollar there.

 

Gas to the postoffice might be $.20 or so if you take several packages with you and dont live in the middle of nowhere..and if you live in the middle of nowwhere and want to run a mail order business that is exactly my problem. I am not paying for your time to get to the post office because that is your job. That was included in the price of the item that I bought. I dont have to pay extra at the register at kroger to cover the stock boys wage. It is included in the price of the item. If you arent covering your cost then riase your starting prices on your items.

 

Oh and the "deal" that someone gets on an item has nothing to do with shipping profiteers.

 

Shipping should be what it cost. Simple....Everything else is just people trying to justify their profiteering.

 

I have no problem paying for what I get. If I get a box with peanuts..I have no problem paying for that. But I only want to pay for what I got. I am not paying a little extra for peanuts that I didnt get so that the guy who got a lot doesnt pay as much. Screw that.

 

If you don't like the costs, then don't bid. It's not profiteering when we're LOSING $$$ on shipping. Or is that too abstract a concept for you? Oh, don't forget to include the cost of the box in your rant.

 

Can I offer you some cheese with that whine?

 

I am sorry that you cant read...but I said that I have no problem paying for what I got. None what so ever. Never have. Would be more than happy to actually paid for what I get. I do; however, have a problem paying for stuff that I didnt get.

 

There does that help...I put what I said in BOLD for you...Please explain how you can lose money when I said that I would pay for anything that I got. I would be more than happy to pay for any service that I got...how could you lose money on that...

 

Of course you did say that sometimes the shipping is less and that helps offset the people that you lose money on. That is what I have a problem with. You should take up that extra shipping with the person that got the extra shipping and they should have no problem paying for the services they recieved. Surely everyone can agree that we should pay for the things that we get...right? Actually probably not..I am sure someone will say something about a gas tax..or the public schools or something like that....well I am only talking about shipping comic books..

[qualitycomix]

C'mon here. He isn't pocketing $6. It probably took him at least thirty minutes of time between packaging and shipping. He has costs associated with shipping-those peanuts, boards, and boxes aren't FREE! (USPS can provide you with some of this however--he isn't obligated to use those materials if he chooses not to). I'd personally say he broke even.

 

Considering that the book was undergraded, I'd say you had an excellent transaction.

 

I honestly doubt that it took him 30 minutes to package that comic.

 

 

So let think about this..We decided to pay someone $10/hour to properly package comics...How many can they do in 1 hour? Now they have everything they need right there and they are not stopping to help customers, water the plants, go pickuop the kids...they are just packing comics...can they do 12-15 per hour...So that is about $.83-$.67 per package. Alright now on to peanuts..

 

http://www.uline.com/Browse_Listing_2004.asp

 

$17 for 7 cubic feet of peanuts..What maybe 70-80 packages in a bag that big? What is that about $.20 per package worth of peanuts? Yeah there is almost a whole dollar there.

 

Gas to the postoffice might be $.20 or so if you take several packages with you and dont live in the middle of nowhere..and if you live in the middle of nowwhere and want to run a mail order business that is exactly my problem. I am not paying for your time to get to the post office because that is your job. That was included in the price of the item that I bought. I dont have to pay extra at the register at kroger to cover the stock boys wage. It is included in the price of the item. If you arent covering your cost then riase your starting prices on your items.

 

Oh and the "deal" that someone gets on an item has nothing to do with shipping profiteers.

 

Shipping should be what it cost. Simple....Everything else is just people trying to justify their profiteering.

 

I have no problem paying for what I get. If I get a box with peanuts..I have no problem paying for that. But I only want to pay for what I got. I am not paying a little extra for peanuts that I didnt get so that the guy who got a lot doesnt pay as much. Screw that.

 

If you don't like the costs, then don't bid. It's not profiteering when we're LOSING $$$ on shipping. Or is that too abstract a concept for you? Oh, don't forget to include the cost of the box in your rant.

 

Can I offer you some cheese with that whine?

 

I am sorry that you cant read...but I said that I have no problem paying for what I got. None what so ever. Never have. Would be more than happy to actually paid for what I get. I do; however, have a problem paying for stuff that I didnt get.

 

There does that help...I put what I said in BOLD for you...Please explain how you can lose money when I said that I would pay for anything that I got. I would be more than happy to pay for any service that I got...how could you lose money on that...

 

Of course you did say that sometimes the shipping is less and that helps offset the people that you lose money on. That is what I have a problem with. You should take up that extra shipping with the person that got the extra shipping and they should have no problem paying for the services they recieved. Surely everyone can agree that we should pay for the things that we get...right? Actually probably not..I am sure someone will say something about a gas tax..or the public schools or something like that....well I am only talking about shipping comic books..

 

This is almost comical. I am enjoying this actually.

 

All you whiners can go home to mommy now.

[DawgPhan]

Man, I'd love to see what some of you people would do with some of the auctions I've seen with a BIN price of $5 and shipping of $30-50 media mail.

 

Oh, and BTW DawgPhan you forgot to take into account the shipping costs on those peanuts. I checked, that $17 bag you pointed out would cost another $11.50 to ship to my house

 

I really don't see the problem with an auction that states the shipping charges up front. You just factor in the shipping as part of the total price.

The ones that I hate are the sellers that don't say what shipping is, then charge an arm and a leg to make up for a low winning bid.

 

You can pick those peanuts up and any of the dozens of places where you pick up the rest of the shipping supplies...It doesnt really matter though. This is such a stupid arguement and I hate that I got sucked into it. The people that dont like it, dont like it, and the people that do it, think they are doing nothing wrong. We will never solve this. Really just a waste of time. My thing is that the selling price includes all of the overhead every other time I buy a good or service, yet on ebay it is different. Best buy is not charging a little extra at the register because of handling or anything like that and then still tell me that I got a good deal so I shouldn't complain. In fact I cant think of anywhere that does that sort of thing...except on ebay.

[qualitycomix]

Man, I'd love to see what some of you people would do with some of the auctions I've seen with a BIN price of $5 and shipping of $30-50 media mail.

 

Oh, and BTW DawgPhan you forgot to take into account the shipping costs on those peanuts. I checked, that $17 bag you pointed out would cost another $11.50 to ship to my house

 

I really don't see the problem with an auction that states the shipping charges up front. You just factor in the shipping as part of the total price.

The ones that I hate are the sellers that don't say what shipping is, then charge an arm and a leg to make up for a low winning bid.

 

You can pick those peanuts up and any of the dozens of places where you pick up the rest of the shipping supplies...It doesnt really matter though. This is such a stupid arguement and I hate that I got sucked into it. The people that dont like it, dont like it, and the people that do it, think they are doing nothing wrong. We will never solve this. Really just a waste of time. My thing is that the selling price includes all of the overhead every other time I buy a good or service, yet on ebay it is different. Best buy is not charging a little extra at the register because of handling or anything like that and then still tell me that I got a good deal so I shouldn't complain. In fact I cant think of anywhere that does that sort of thing...except on ebay.

 

It's consistent - on my website as well. And it's the same for Comiclink. Go crucify them for awhile.

[deathlok]

It doesn't help your business repustation by calling possible customers "whiners."

 

You overcharged shipping, that's all. Attempting to get into a flame war to get the thread pulled is lame.

[read_em-migration]

I realize that some people DO charge for their time to pack, or to recover for the Ebay fees or whatever, and there is nothing wrong with that.

 

Shouldn't the non-shipping costs - Ebay insertion fees, Ebay FVF, Paypal fees, etc, be factored by the seller into the starting bid of the book, instead of tacked onto the shipping as "handling"?

[DawgPhan]

Actually ebay requires that their fees be inlcuded in the starting bid price and not tacked on at the end. The also dont like when people WAY overcharge for shipping because that is money that they are not getting a cut of...BTW this person did not WAY overcharge for shipping. I would consider the glowsticks that I bough for a penny last year and paid $12.99 in shipping fee aviodance overcharging. They clearly wanted $13.00 for the glowsticks and didnt want to pay the FVF on them..ebay hates that.

 

He is true in saying that it is consistent and that he did not spring anything on anyone. All parties involved knew what was going on. I dont really agree with it, but that is the way the world works...continued sucess qualitycomix

[tay666]

You can pick those peanuts up and any of the dozens of places where you pick up the rest of the shipping supplies...It doesnt really matter though. This is such a stupid arguement and I hate that I got sucked into it. The people that dont like it, dont like it, and the people that do it, think they are doing nothing wrong. We will never solve this. Really just a waste of time. My thing is that the selling price includes all of the overhead every other time I buy a good or service, yet on ebay it is different. Best buy is not charging a little extra at the register because of handling or anything like that and then still tell me that I got a good deal so I shouldn't complain. In fact I cant think of anywhere that does that sort of thing...except on ebay.

 

I agree, it is probably one of those debates where everone will just have to agree to disagree.

But I do have to say, it isn't limited to just ebay.

Just about any mail-order / online sales charges a handling fee.

Most are flat fees too.

 

Ever get sucked in on the Columbia house CDs.

Buying the product, the price isn't bad, but the shipping and handling fees are rediculous.

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

Just one quick take on this thread: If its a Forumite you are having a problem with, try to resolve it privately via PM or email, well before you make a stink of it on these boards....the smell tends to attract flies. Whether its a perceived overgrade, overcharge for shipping, whatever, resolve the matter quietly and privately before you choose to make it public and the drama begins....

[qualitycomix]

It doesn't help your business repustation by calling possible customers "whiners."

 

You overcharged shipping, that's all. Attempting to get into a flame war to get the thread pulled is lame.

 

No flame war.

 

I refunded the full $10 in shipping charges to Shad.

 

I guess there's no more to be said about this. It's like beating a dead horse.

[Silver Surfer]

I'm surprised how many people get angry when they see that shipping has cost a few bucks (or even $5 or $10) more than actual. As long as the shipping cost is clearly stated in the ad, and then the package was shipped safely and in the manner advertised, then WHY is it a problem? Although I personally do not charge extra for "handling" or extra hidden fees, I realize that some people DO charge for their time to pack, or to recover for the Ebay fees or whatever, and there is nothing wrong with that. All it is is factoring in the overhead costs, and that is reasonable. If a listing states $12 for Media shipping and I receive the comics in a well packed used box with a $2.84 shipping cost, then fine, I agreed and all is well. I factor in that listed $12, know what I am bidding on (including ALL costs) and then most certainly leave positive feedback assuming everything went well. ----Sid

 

I agree with Sid. I don't over charge myself I actually under charge my true costs because I tend to pack slabbed books extra carefully (oversized box, bubble wrap, styrofoam pellets, etc). For example, an express shipment to the U.S. in an oversized box usually costs around $21CAD but a package of bubble wrap is around $4CAD, the box itself is also another $4CAD. I tend to charge $18US maximum, maybe $15US because I don't want to scare off any potential bidders and I figure its a cost of doing business. I have received slabbs in boxes that just fit the slabb and provide zero protection from getting tossed around. So far I have been lucky and the books I have received in this manner have not been damaged but I'm still horrified everytime I receive a package like this.

[drbanner]

This is silly, the auction states quite clearly:

 

"Shipping is a flat $10.00 per order for domestic shipping and INCLUDES INSURANCE."

 

The buyer paid $10.00 for domestic shipping including insurance and receives the book "...well packed and in my eyes undergraded." Sounds like a succesful transaction to me!

 

In my experience, large/full-time dealers typically charge WAY MORE for shipping than the actual shipping costs. It appears they are basically trying to cover their overhead costs.

 

(What constitutes "WAY MORE"? If only we knew... )

[tay666]

Actually ebay requires that their fees be inlcuded in the starting bid price and not tacked on at the end. The also dont like when people WAY overcharge for shipping because that is money that they are not getting a cut of...BTW this person did not WAY overcharge for shipping. I would consider the glowsticks that I bough for a penny last year and paid $12.99 in shipping fee aviodance overcharging. They clearly wanted $13.00 for the glowsticks and didnt want to pay the FVF on them..ebay hates that.

 

He is true in saying that it is consistent and that he did not spring anything on anyone. All parties involved knew what was going on. I dont really agree with it, but that is the way the world works...continued sucess qualitycomix

 

A few weeks ago, I saw the most flagrant example of this.

I was looking at some swords. Found a seller listing swords $1 the kicker was the $350 shipping

I think someone reported him though, because all his actions got shut down.

 

Ebay doesn't bother to police anything close to reasonable. Only the flagrant offenders get swatted, and only if someone else complains to them first.

[Silver Surfer]

Hey Brent who's that honey in your avatar?

[the blob]

"Another reason for inflated shipping costs. A lot of people use a flat fee which is usually based on the farthest destination (the farther you ship it, the more it costs)."

 

While I don't know if this is an issue with one comic, it's certainly a concern with multiple items -- it costs a lot to send not much to Hawaii from the East Coast, for example.

 

In all fairness, if he charges $10 flat rate for everything you buy, and that's laid out in the auction, it's tough to complain. The new $7.70 box makes life easier in that regard.