Printable View
So i finally got the high bid on a set of razors i was going after on ebay, and after i e-mailed the seller to find the shipping costs... the shipping almost costs the same as waht i'm paying for the razors...:soapbox:
Any ideas as to whether i should try to contact the buyer again to see if they'll perhaps eat a portion of the shipping, or just not even bother, and be happy with what i won?
Can't hurt to try, but chances are they'll just say that the shipping costs were laid out for you in the listing if you wanted to look.
that makes enough sense, the only problem is.. the seller said that "shipping cost to be dteremined by location of winner, e-mail me for the shipping cost to your area." I emailed him and instead of me just paying 10.55 for the deal, its almost the same amount for the shipping. See how it can be frustrating. I'm sure i'm no the first person to have this happen to. Not neccessairly about this seller, just in general.
How many razors did you buy and what are you being charged for postage? As you won the auction, you can't just decide to not pay. You should have checked the postage prior to bidding.
This has happened to me, more than once.
Buying an "inexpensive razor" on eBay can become expensive quickly.
Next time, take account of the shipping cost when asking:
. . . "How much will I pay for this razor?"
I've started to haunt antique shops and flea markets, instead.
Charles
well, if you don't email early enough to find out the shipping before placing a bid, you do take the risk of 'shipping varying by location'.
there isn't much you can do really. if the seller wants to use expensive shipping with tracking/insurance in order to cover their behind, they're perfectly entitled to it. if you know of a cheaper option that includes insurance and tracking you can ask them if they can use that, but they may refuse anyways if it's inconvenient for them to do so.
if, after you receive the razors and check the actual shipping cost, you find out that the seller is grossly overcharging (a small handling fee is acceptable), you can leave them a feedback that reflects that, and report them to ebay for excessive shipping. it won't have an immediate effect, but in the long term it'll hurt them, esp. if others do the same.
I hate how that happens on ebay! why the heck wouldnt he be able to just use a priority flate rate box? i ran away from so many items (mostly car parts) I wanted just for that simple fact that shipping kills. for what its worth i had 1 razor shippped from coast to coast to me and it only cost 1.77 of course this wasnt an ebay item
I picked up 4 razors, at the charge of $8.95 for postage. I dont have a problem paying for the auction at all...very satified with the razors. Just a little annoyed at how mucht the postage really is, thats all. I understand i should have done more research on the shipping, just complaining i guess.lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnmrson
LOL :D Quit yer crying we all get taken by the e-bay "handling fee"
http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...e-restore.html
Read the first post :gaah: actual shipping cost was $4.38 BTW
If you don't ask about the shipping cost, expect to get taken for a ride.
Still it's a crappy thing to do. Handling fees are bull....
As someone who sells on ebay occasionally I know that shipping costs have increased. Also if the item is lost or damaged the seller is out item and payment for same since the buyer will notify paypal and get a refund. So it adds up. OTOH, there are sellers who look to make a buck off of the shipping and that is not right IMO. Ebay says they will take action against sellers who charge an inordinate amount for shipping. I've not had this happen as a buyer so I don't know how to inquire about it but if you think the shipping cost is unfair notify them to that effect and perhaps they will have the seller correct the charges.
That last couple times I've sold razors, Ebay had a set price I could charge for shipping. That being said I haven't sold any in the last few months.
wait till you see what CANADA CUSTOMS does to shipping costs, if the seller provides them with how much you paid for it. heh :boohoo: offtopic sorry
Thats actually not that bad for shipping. I just sent out a razor and with the bubble envelope and everything it was around $7. The ones that surprise me are when it's over $20 to ship one razor!Quote:
Originally Posted by joshb1000
4 Razors, at about 3 oz. a piece + bubble wrap and a box, usually will net out to over 13 oz. Once an item is over 13 Oz, there is no choice but to send priority, so, actual shipping cost here is $5.80 with delivery confirmation.. I dont see how $8.xx is much of a stretch..when you consider not all sellers have zero cost for packing materials, etc, plus, the trip to the post office should be considered too....
I dunno, being a seller, I like to cut people some slack when it comes to shipping charges because I know how expensive / annoying it can be :)
If sellers list items with free shipping, I think they will usually wind up making as much money as if they charge for shipping... But... the downside is that E-bay will chew their 9% of that extra amount. Large shipping charges is one way to "stick it" to E-bay..as they don't get their percentage on shipping charges :) Its one reason that E-bay has started limiting how much you can charge for shipping in certain categories... :)
If it is "shipping to be determined by location" then it is the bidder's responsibility to contact the seller. If you do not, then you can't compain.
Sorry to sound harsh, but that's the way it is.
LOL. You think $8.95 for 4 razors is expensive? You should live in Australia. Almost every razor I buy in the US, gets shipped in a cardboard box that would fit 10 razors in and they charge me $13.95. Yes, that's $13.95 per razor. Obviously nobody in the US has heard of small padded envelope. You'll forgive me if I don't feel sorry for you.Quote:
Originally Posted by joshb1000
I think the problem is that the cheapest international shipping with delivery confirmation is actually the small flat rate box. An envelope is perfectly fine if the seller is willing to take on the risk of the buyer 'not receiving the item'. Ebay's rules that it's the seller's responsibility to deliver the item to the buyer and if that doesn't happen the buyer gets back their money from the seller, and the seller deals with the shipper. It makes sense because the shipping contract is between the seller and the shipper.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnmrson
I usually don't have a problem with sending inexpensive razors cheaply and taking the risk. The worse that can happen is I loose the razor and the shipping charges and I never deal with that buyer again.
As far as 'handling' fee goes, I don't have a problem with few dollars. After all the seller's time to package and mail it, as well as the packaging materials are worth something. FREE is usually nothing more than a marketing term, at the end of the day the costs are real and got paid one way or another.
From purely economic point of view the only number the buyer needs to worry about is the total cost of the item including shipping, handling, and taxes. How it's split among those is irrelevant because it doesn't involve the buyer in any way.
Ebay does present all different pieces on the page where you confirm the bid. Ideally they should present you with the total, but they know that people are easy to manipulate and prefer to show them three separate smaller numbers instead of one big one.
Now if a buyer decides to bid blindly without knowing the final price, they've taken a gamble that they didn't have to.
I definitely appreciate all the information about the shipping side of eBay, now that I understand I dont feel so bad paying for the shipping, I just can't wait to get my hands on those razors, thanks again everyone