Buy it now vs Auctions ( Ie High shipping charges)

I don't about you guys here, but I've decided to look more into the "Buy it Now" or "Best Offer" razors than waiting for a 6 day auction to end. I have also quit paying the 6.00+ plus shipping some folks charge on them. I took about 6 off my watch list the past couple of days because of those $6.00+ shipping charges. On a "Best offer" deal I usually subtract any shipping charges more than $6.00 then take off another $5.00 or so. I have one razor they asked for a $44.00 "Buy it now" or "Best offer" with a $6.80 shipping charge. I offered $30.00. We will see how it goes. How do you guys handle the high shipping charges?

In my experience shipping razors a small package via USPS priority mail is between $5.50 to $6.10 to ship. If you go the other route and use a padded envelope ans a prayer you can get down to a little over $3 using USPS First Class mail. Throw in the cost of packaging supplies and it's not cheap.

Shipping is not free.. If the price is fair to begin with and they are asking for $7 to ship when that 7 is even hit for 10% from ebay and 3.2% from PayPal so they are essentially taking a loss on shipping it is tacky to be so petty about it... A small flat rate usps box is $6.80

If someone is asking 800 for a restored sheffield blade and wants 7, fair play to you in factoring that into an offer if available to make... On an inexpensive blade, especially if in good shape? Really? And I've experienced this nonsense where I am offering a blade for 40, someone offers me a low ball and I offer say 27 plus shipping to which they reply with the 27 offer and free shipping saying "now you get 27 like you wanted" really? Declined....

NO, no! :nono:
You are not supposed to concern yourself with shipping costs and, as Sashee always tells you;
"Bid NOW to get a GREAT DEAL!" Attachment 236035:roflmao

Even with high dollar items, sellers are kind of loopy to be shipping with inexpensive options. You kind of have to ship belt and braces to be protected by them.

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

NO, no! :nono:
You are not supposed to concern yourself with shipping costs and, as Sashee always tells you;
"Bid NOW to get a GREAT DEAL!" Attachment 236035:roflmao

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Sadly the great deals on open auctions are hard because they have no impetus to stop shill bidding. As a seller these days bin is really safer. You can screen potential buyers a bit and you don't have to worry about the lack of bidder transparency creating bad results for you. I think a lot of guys are turned off on open auctions now

$6 is not expensive to ship a razor. Unless they take your 6 bucks and ship it first class in an envelope. I always use small flat rate boxes. They hold multiple razors if needed, have $50 insurance included, tracking, and only takes 2 days to pretty much anywhere in the US, and it's $6.80 now. Now paying $20-$30 for shipping razors from Japan or Europe is expensive!

Buy it now razors are hit or miss. I just found a goldedge for $55, a satin wedge for $15, and a broken ivory scaled Joseph elliot for $15. Shipping included in those prices ;)

It hits a point of being decent in my mind... If you are getting a nice.... genco.... for $20... give the person the $7 to mail it to you.... If it hurts you to swing it, you might not have the disposable income to be buying straights online...

Don't know how often you ship but shipping has gone through the roof the last couple of years. Personally, I take pride in the way I ship and no package I send will ever be damaged no matter how big and strong the gorilla who handles it.

So, if you send even a single razor and pack it well you will be lucky to get it in a small flat rate box with priority shipping and insurance you be looking at 8-9 bucks. If you need a medium box then 14-15 bucks depending on insurance.

Of course you can just chuck it in an envelope send it first class and pay a few bucks and when it arrives damaged or not at all who is the one who will be complaining and demand their money back and give bad feedback for poor shipping protection?

I just checked with my local Post Office and ya'll are correct on the $6.80 shipping for priority shipping, my mistake. You can use the same box and ship it First class for around $3.50 with no insurance. and its almost as fast as Priority shipping (Maybe a day late or two) depending on where you are shipping it too. For some reason I thought it was cheaper. Comes from having CRS.

Well shipping costs when you live outside of the US is really going to make you not want to shop. Looked at a razor the other day. $200, and Global Shipping was and $61 on top of that. Nope not for me. I would have paid the price but not the after shipping price. Canada is relatively inexpensive to ship to from the US but oddly enough not quite as cheap as from the UK and even stranger, not anywhere near as fast as shipping from Japan. I think the guys in Australia have the short end of the stick though, as it costs quite a bit to ship there from almost everywhere, and it is always slow going.

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Originally Posted by THORandODIN

You can use the same box and ship it First class for around $3.50 with no insurance. and its almost as fast as Priority shipping (Maybe a day late or two) depending on where you are shipping it too.

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No, you can not use the same box - the box is free to you from the post office, but it can only be used with priority mail. Just like 'free shipping', it isn't free to the party that is offering it - just absorbed in the overall cost they charge you that includes it.

If you want to use first class mail you need to use your own packaging. But yes, it is usually almost as fast as priority, sometimes slightly slower, sometimes slightly faster.

I use the small flat rate box to ship items. When I buy items I like to receive them in the small box also. What gets me is the $6.80 for shipping then getting it in a padded envelope. For me as a seller the small flat rate box is the way to go. Its insured for my protection not the buyer. Its fast and trackable.

A good thing to do with the flat rate small is bridge those inner flaps inside with packing tape. You lose a touch of space inside but it stiffens the box quite a bit.

Shipping priority comes with tracking and insurance and those are always nice to have to prove if you either received something or someone else received your package. Especially true when dealing with buyers and sellers on eBay. Not everyone is honest. Better safe than sorry. The box is a plus for added protection.

Small flat rate insured box is $6.10 even with the Ebay shipping discount

I insure everything over $50 for my protection as the seller. It's to easy for the buyer to say it never showed up, I would be out my money and the item and the crooked buyer would have both

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Originally Posted by gugi

No, you can not use the same box - the box is free to you from the post office, but it can only be used with priority mail. Just like 'free shipping', it isn't free to the party that is offering it - just absorbed in the overall cost they charge you that includes it.

If you want to use first class mail you need to use your own packaging. But yes, it is usually almost as fast as priority, sometimes slightly slower, sometimes slightly faster.

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I would digress as my USPS Postal Office tells me that the Provided Priority boxes can be reused. HOWEVER ALL Priority Markings Must Be Covered.

Something that I do find humorous is how many of my FleaBay purchases once they are unwrapped are packaged with the Free Priority Boxes that are cut or folded to the sellers shipping needs. :w

If it is something I really don't want damaged I will put their box in another non uspstop box like a Russian nesting doll.

I only ever ship stuff Priority Mail. Especially the occasional item I sell on Ebay. First Class usually works out, but I've had some scares, when an item I sent took way too long to get to its destination.

$7-$8 for Priority Mail shipping is reasonable, as far as I'm concerned.

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This was a great thread to read! Thanks guys, it helps. I've been selling my collection lately because of necessity, and it is painful, seriously. Well I did a few auctions and sold those razors for cheaper than I'd buy them, but as cheap as I'd love to buy them.
I switched to buy it now/offer. Much better. Though on blades that go for 300-400 I was getting offers of 25 -75, ugh! Need to adjust settings.
The shipping issue seems to be a real problem for many buyers! On a blade selling for 300, hey, I don't mind paying the shipping.. but then again what's another 6.80?
On a blade selling for 20... it doesn't add up for the seller.
Well anyway, thanks for the good info!
Are there any sites that have serious collectors with big wallets buying razors? Do tell! Hehehe :)
Cheers gents!

I've found if you want to sell razors it's best to have recognized brands that are not past the hundred dollar mark. Most folks want a bargain and most like things in the well under the hundred category. Razors for twenty thirty bucks go like hotcakes.

More expensive pieces like customs and semi customs are big money losers for sellers. An exception is a real recognized brand like Zowada which fetches original price and more. We may know Livi and Williams but most don't and few will part with a lot of cash for them.

one clear way to get around the shipping cost is to hunt for razors and shaving related gear in the wild!

I have tried fining them in the wild, it seems they didn't have down here in Mobile,Al. Because all the Antique shops don't carry straight razors, I have found a couple of Old Spice shaving mugs down here though and a Col. Conk soap "round" fits them perfectly.. My brother can find straight razors all day long up there in and around Athens, Al. :thinking:.