Anybody ever deal with......?

[JulianXJ]

I won 6 auctions in the last couple days from a guy that goes by Silvercircleenterprises on eBay. I found some nice issues that I wanted and quickly put in the minimum bid after scanning the auction. After going back and reading more thoroughly, I saw that he charges $3.00 for shipping up to three comicsand $1.00 for each comic after that. I figured I would be out-bid for a couple of them so I didn't make a big deal out of it. $4 or $5 is not bad for Priority mail. After winning all 6, however, at a price of only $3.50 for all of them, I got a little nervous. When I paid, I asked that he ship Priority in a box (the boxes are free and $6.00 should more than cover any extra [!@#%^&^] he would have to put in the box for padding and the shipping itself). He sent me an email back saying that he doesn't use Priority normally and would need $2.00 to upgrade . This seems like such a scam to me. But I bit my tongue, and just asked him to send it to me like he normally would and consider it a lesson learned. I can't be the only person burned by this guy's shipping charges, but his Feedback is pretty good. I don't think he frequents these forums, but if so, I hope he gets the not so subtle messege, that I will not be buying anything else from him.

 

JulianXJ

[Bugaboo-migration]

Well.....to be honest.....I really can't say that I blame him.

 

You won 6 books at a total cost of $3.50 for all of them.

 

He is charging $3.00 shipping for the first 3 books and $1.00 for each additional book. Total for shipping is $6.00.

 

That comes to a grand total of $9.50.

 

This guy gets $9.50 (some of which has to be used to pay for shipping) after listing 6 different auctions, paying eBay listing and final value fees (probably about $2.00 for these 6 books), packaging the books up, and driving to the post office to mail them. Then, on top of it, he gets an email asking him to send them via Priority mail in a box AFTER the auctions are over??? A box which he may not have on hand. So, he either has to order them free from the post office and wait for them, or drive to the post office to pick one up. With the latter scenario, he'd either then have to package the books at the post office or make another trip later after boxing the books up.

 

I don't think he's being unreasonable and I'd probably charge an extra $2.00 for doing that as well. Especially if someone didn't email me first to ask before bidding on the auction.

 

That's just my opinion.

 

[Foolkiller]

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a scam, or it's unreasonable... however, if he only gets $3.50 for his auctions, shipping is not a place to make up cost he lost... in my mind, shipping is for just that, the cost of shipping the item. When I've sold items I charge the exact amount for shipping and if it's a small ticket item, the cost of the packaging material... if it's over $40 or so, I eat all the additional handling charges other than actual cost (and that includes insurance).

[JulianXJ]

Ok, I can get that. But, padding his shipping costs to cover losses on his auctions is not cool. If he wanted to make enough to cover his cost to drive to the post office (maybe 30 cents worth of gas) and getting a free box to fill with newspaper (also free), than he should have started his auctions higher than 50 cents. It just seems that he should have a cap on his total shipping, like 5 bucks or something if he is only going to allow for Media Mail. I have won dozens of auctions in the last month or so, and not one group of mulitiple wins has cost me more than that. I just won 8 auctions from one generous seller who charges $2.50 no matter how many auctions you win. I guess I am just a little peeved because it seems like he is trying to make up for his lack of selling anything of value by gouging multiple auction winners with his shipping costs. And I KNOW, that I should have figured it out before bidding, but I don't think it's too much to ask to have him ship it to me Priority with no insurance. That shouldn't cost him more than $5.00. It's called Shipping and Handling for a reason. It has never cost me more than a buck to drive down to the post office more than twice. And if I hadn't put in the minimum bid, he wouldn't have sold them at all. He surely would have been out his listing fees then. Most sellers are more accomodating to multi auction winners, and this guy was very polite when he asked for the two extra bucks. I just can't shake the feeling that he is trying to bone me for his loss.

 

Sorry for the rant, I am just a little frustrated. I have stopped bidding on stuff for the short term to try and sort through what I have now, before I start selling off some lots of mid-grade duplicates. And I will never charge more than $3.00 for media mail, on 10 comics or less.

 

JulianXJ

[Bugaboo-migration]

He clearly stated what his shipping costs would be. It's not unreasonable to expect these costs to cover shipping AND handling expenses. Time costs money.....gas costs money.....etc. It's not unfair to include that in your shipping costs......especially when you've clearly stated what they are. Shipping is also not a place to lose money.

[Foolkiller]

no, you shouldn't lose money on your shipping... i can understand why Julian would be frustrated though.

[Bugaboo-migration]

Sorry......I just can't see it when his terms are clearly stated in the auctions. eBay has a system set up to where you can contact the seller and ask questions prior to bidding. You had time to do this BEFORE bidding on his auctions and you chose not to do it. I know it doesn't seem fair. But, couldn't an arguement be made that it's unfair of you to bid on items with clearly stated terms (which then becomes a contract), and then want to change the terms afterwards?

 

He's the seller. He sets the terms of the contract. If you don't like it, then you have the option of not bidding.

[Bugaboo-migration]

no, you shouldn't lose money on your shipping... i can understand why Julian would be frustrated though.

Don't get me wrong......I can understand why Jilian is frustrated. But the terms were listed in the auction. There are three choices to pick from in this case, none of which are the responsibility of the seller.

 

1.) Bid and pay as stated.

 

2.) Email the seller prior to bidding and ask for discounted shipping on multiple items or Priority shipping for same price.

 

3.) Don't bid on the auctions.

[JulianXJ]

Not to drag this out any further....

 

I totally agree with you. I was wrong to bid before asking him to clarify his shipping charges.

 

But, in that same manner, he did not post how he ships. Is it so unreasonable, then, to request a shipping method that is more applicable to the amount that he charges. Most people post the method of shipping. He was the one who assumed I would "get" that he was shipping Media Mail. I knew that if I didn't request Priority, that he would ship Media rate and I would recieve a package with a $1.42 stamp on it. So you tell me, is his time and effort, plus the cost of a (hopefully) padded envelope, worth $4.58. That's all I am trying to say here.

 

AGAIN, I totally agree that I was wrong to bid before fully understanding the shipping charges. I will not neg him unless the issues come completely trashed when they were stated NM on his auctions. So I will let it go at that. Bug, you are totally right............ and so am I

[FlyingDonut]

Well, besides the fact that shipping comics via Media Mail is ILLEGAL, I have to (choke, sputter, cough) agree with Bug. The time to ask about shipping charges is BEFORE the auction, not after. If you had a problem with his total shipping cost you should have asked him ahead of time. I would charge, for example, $5 for shipping 6 books, but I have an arrangement with my USPS man so I don't have to go to the post office. And: So you tell me, is his time and effort, plus the cost of a (hopefully) padded envelope, worth $4.58. That's all I am trying to say here. - MY time and effort is worth that.

[Bugaboo-migration]

Don't get me wrong.......you're not dragging it out and I certainly don't think you're wrong for being frustrated with this.

 

I think it's pretty clear that he's using shipping cost to try to keep from losing money on these cheapo auctions. It's probably the only way he can sell these books. If he started them at a higher price, they probably wouldn't sell. It's not the purest, most ethical way to do it, but he states his terms clearly, so I can't find too much fault with it.

 

I also noticed that he didn't state how he ships. Whenever I see this, I immediately just suspect that it's going to be media mail.

 

Maybe I'm being too easy on this guy. I just figure that it cost him probably $2.00 in fees to list and sell the books. $1.00 for gas. Figure another $4.00 or more to send them Priority mail in a box. Say all six books cost him $1.00 total. That comes to $8.00 in costs, not including his time......out of the $9.50 total. I guess all that I'm trying to say is I can understand why he doesn't want to mess with it for $3.50 worth of books.

[rob_react]

Well, besides the fact that shipping comics via Media Mail is ILLEGAL

 

It's my understanding that it's not with vintage books since the advertising has expired. That's the premise I've been operating under at least.

[Bugaboo-migration]

I have to (choke, sputter, cough) agree with Bug.

::: Gasp :::

[minutekev@50]

Well, besides the fact that shipping comics via Media Mail is ILLEGAL

 

It's my understanding that it's not with vintage books since the advertising has expired. That's the premise I've been operating under at least.

 

That's a question I have as well....Can you ship comics media mail? I just started selling stuff on E-Bay and I've been shipping everything priority..That 'no advertising' thing about media mail throws me off....

[jbud73]

Honestly I think that a lot of people are sensitive on the topic of shipping. Personally, I do not think the deal a person got should enter into the shipping factor. However, I have always bought with the feeling that if the item arrived in a reasonable amount of time, and was packed well, then as long as the seller got the shipping with $2 then I was happy.

 

Another thing, Ebay is usually not a good venue for the type of material you purchased, low priced and small volume of books. In this sense the shipping may total more than the books are worth and I always try to buy these items at local shops if I can.

 

As a seller I have my shipping prices on every auction page in advance, for both Canada and the US as I know as a buyer I always appreciated this feature and as a seller I dont want to have a tonne of emails asking how much to ship. You would be surprised how many I get despite the fact that its all there in big bold black and white.

 

Bottom line I dont think his shipping was outlandish, if the books arrive in a timely mannar and are packed well consider yourself lucky.

[Ares]

whats the deal with Media mail in USA!?

[Warlord]

Well, besides the fact that shipping comics via Media Mail is ILLEGAL

 

It's my understanding that it's not with vintage books since the advertising has expired. That's the premise I've been operating under at least.

 

I recently searched the USPS site for some supporting info one way or the other.

The text (below) says "generally used for books" and "limited to materials

such as books".

 

http://www.usps.com/businessmail101/classes/packageServices.htm

 

"Media Mail

 

Generally used for books (at least eight pages), film, printed music,

printed test materials, sound recordings, play scripts, printed educational

charts, loose-leaf pages and binders consisting of medical information, and

computer-readable media."

 

http://www.usps.com/send/waystosendmail/senditwithintheus/mediamail.htm

 

"Send your printed or recorded material using this service.

Media MailT contents are limited to materials such as books, sound

recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, and recorded

computer-readable media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes)."

 

I've heard references to advertising being a deciding factor. But just try to find a big name commercial software CD package or a video tape without advertising contained within it. It doesn't exist.

 

Ya ask me, comics are media. It's not like a sales catalog from Sears, for example, where the purpose of the item is for advertising. The purpose of the comic is to entertain, and the ads just come along for the ride. My local USPS has no problem with comics going media mail rate. YMMV!

 

 

 

 

 

[panhandlefool]

Not to go off on a rant, and not to change the subject too much, but what really ticks me off about some ebay sellers is that they allow you to purchase insurance (you know, the $1.10 first $50, $1 per $50 thereafter, or some approximation thereof) on ebay purchases, and oftentimes I pay the extra $$ and it arrives UNINSURED. A few times I've asked what the deal was, and I've gotten pretty much every answer in the book: my mistake, did you indicate it in your payment?, my neighbor's son ships for me and must have kept the $$ and I'm sure going to have a hard talk with him, my business insurance would cover any claims (would they?), my wife mailed it and didn't know, etc. And I've never gotten a penny back. What do you guys think about that? Am I making too big a deal about this? I'm still working on trying to settle up with one guy I bought from where it was "lost in the mail", but I paid extra for insurance. Been going on awhile. Always puts off my emails, says he's done everything he can on his side, then later admits he hasn't even checked his records for an insurance receipt, you know the drill.

 

Anyway, I didn't go off on a rant, did I??

 

Good luck to all.

[ArAich]

HERE is a thread that you may find interesting...

[Warlord]

Not to go off on a rant, and not to change the subject too much, but what really ticks me off about some ebay sellers is that they allow you to purchase insurance (you know, the $1.10 first $50, $1 per $50 thereafter, or some approximation thereof) on ebay purchases, and oftentimes I pay the extra $$ and it arrives UNINSURED. A few times I've asked what the deal was, and I've gotten pretty much every answer in the book: my mistake, did you indicate it in your payment?, my neighbor's son ships for me and must have kept the $$ and I'm sure going to have a hard talk with him, my business insurance would cover any claims (would they?), my wife mailed it and didn't know, etc. And I've never gotten a penny back. What do you guys think about that? Am I making too big a deal about this? I'm still working on trying to settle up with one guy I bought from where it was "lost in the mail", but I paid extra for insurance. Been going on awhile. Always puts off my emails, says he's done everything he can on his side, then later admits he hasn't even checked his records for an insurance receipt, you know the drill.

 

Anyway, I didn't go off on a rant, did I??

 

Good luck to all.

 

I'd be surprised if any of the sellers you've dealt with have collectibles insurance, but as noted in this thread on insurance that I've just purchased, I have a MINIUMUM of from $50 to $200 coverage on my collectibles that are in the mail TO or FROM me.

 

It's possible that the "business insurance" referred to would cover a loss, but I'd doubt it.

 

Insurance thread