Thread: Venting About Auctions. Feel free to join me.

Originally Posted by Birnando

One could argue that you only have that cost because you have decided to sell the item

Recouping the actual shipping cost is a given.
For a business, I have no problems with them getting all their expenses covered. (gas, man hours et al.)
For a private person doing the odd sale, not so much.
Sell it at a price that makes you willing to part with it, if not, keep the thing.

This is basically my entire point and I think you've explained better than I could originally.

Private sellers on eBay have decided to sell the item for one reason or another and chose to place the item for sale in an auction where shipping costs will be incurred. I don't think the buyer should be paying every last cent it costs you to ship the item (at the very least, costs shouldn't be added to profit from shipping on top of the selling price). And of course, the other side can always be argued.

I don't really understand why would one expect that the private sellers on ebay do things differently than the businesses that use ebay. When I've bought stuff on the internet the shipping costs are typically $5.95 to $12.95. It's never the exact shipping cost, it's what the business has determined to be a reasonable approximation to the average cost for that price point and taken into account the customers expectations.
A private seller sells on ebay because they want the money more than they want the item. Obviously they want as much money as possible and the real problem is that ebay isn't really enforcing their policies.

At the end of the day each buyer is free to decide what risks they are willing to take and what sellers they want to buy from. I have little issue paying $25 for a razor and $25 for its shipping if said razor is more desirable to me than $50. I could care less if they break an ambiguous ebay policy - that's between them and ebay. I'm even happier that others would not compete with me just because the shipping is excessive. This works to the detriment of the seller and those potential buyers, and to my advantage.

Originally Posted by zymotic

Well, it's like I said in my previous post, people are charging so much for shipping because the final value fee (the money the seller has to pay ebay for selling) does not calculate shipping costs. So it makes perfect sense to sell exotic items with a hefty shipping cost and a low final value fee.

They changed this back April 19th. They now use Shipping in their final value fee calculation to combat those sellers that were charging outrageous shipping fees. eBay: 2011 Spring Seller Update - Fee update

Originally Posted by gugi

A private seller sells on ebay because they want the money more than they want the item. Obviously they want as much money as possible and the real problem is that ebay isn't really enforcing their policies.

I think this is the kind of thinking that pretty much ruined the American economy. If it isn't a rule or law, why not do it to gouge a little bit more money?

I'd be very interested if you can think of an example when you negotiated down your salary, because you thought the offer was too generous and the work you were doing wasn't worth it, and you didn't want to be greedy.

Or how about a case when you bought something on ebay (which had free shipping) for less your maximum bid. Did you ever think it's fair to reimburse the seller for the cost of shipping, or offer to pay the difference to the maximum bid you placed, because obviously to you that was the fair value for that item and paying any less is taking advantage of the seller which is a synonym of you being greedy?

Seriously, if you want to ride that high horse and claim moral principles, you'll have to be very vigilant that you live by them in your own life, particularly when doing so is inconvenient for you.

The fundamental principle behind the american economy is more profit. It's possible that it's what 'has ruined' it too, if it's ruined, but I don't think there's anything else that can be nearly as successful as a driving force.

The problem is that you can complain as much as you want that other people are greedy, but that isn't going to make them any less greedy. At the end of the day this is a pretty free country and you can't force anybody to live under the ethics you have chosen to live under, as long it's lawful.

I'd just rather spend my time doing something productive and earning those extra $5, or help somebody who thinks $5 is going to make huge difference in their life, or just relax and enjoy something pleasant, than worry about somebody making huge profit.
If I'm going to worry about greed in society, I would pick one of the outrageous examples that have affected the life of billions of people worldwide, instead of the few dollars a seller makes on ebay. This just seems really petty.

BTW if you look at the razors I've sold on ebay you'll notice that sometimes I've offered free shipping, sometimes I've charged $10 to ship a razor, and sometimes I've charged $30. After the paypal and ebay fees on the shipping the net was less than what I paid USPS. The numbers may seem like a lot, however this is the cheapest shipping that you can have for $300-$600 razors if you do it properly covering the risks (full insurance + signature confirmation, international shipping).

High shipping prices on eBay are not "gouging."

You're aware of the price on an item that you can choose to buy or not. Some of us choose to look at the total package price and buy when it's a fair deal. Others choose to pass up good deals because the shipping costs violate their sense of entitlement.

I'm beginning to think no one actually read my original post. I do look at items as a package deal but in general, I just feel many people get greedy with prices. Even if you include all of your incurred costs into shipping, some people still add on more just to make some extra money. For example if all of your postage, costs, gas, etc cost you $7... why charge 10?

And Gugi, it was just last week when I renegotiated my salary... I took on more responsibility, gave up my commissions and bonuses, and did so only to better myself in the future when I actually am worth more money. Maybe the world would be a better place if everyone was moral and ethical and didn't only abide by what is written law.

Also, I'm not singling anyone out. I honestly don't care what people charge for shipping, I rarely bid on eBay. This post was started so that I might get an idea of what people are thinking when they add money to their shipping charge even though eBay now bases fees on the total price not just the selling price.

Originally Posted by HNSB

High shipping prices on eBay are not "gouging."

You're aware of the price on an item that you can choose to buy or not. Some of us choose to look at the total package price and buy when it's a fair deal. Others choose to pass up good deals because the shipping costs violate their sense of entitlement.

Sellers on eBay buy something too. They buy the service, and in this freely entered transaction they agree not only to pay the fees, but to demand no more of the buyer's money than policies permit. Most of them abide by this, and excessive shipping has become much less of a grievance on eBay's discussion boards than it used to be. That is because buyers have been willing to do something about it.

But there are still sellers who intend from the start to break their agreement, or find temptation irresistable later. The buyer who counts up the total and does business with one of those, because he thinks it is in his interests, shouldn't be surprised if he runs into a less predictable form of predation later. We can report them, and I doubt very much whether nothing gets done if complaints against a particular seller mount up. But there is no such uncertainty about the effect of negative feedback and poor Detailed Seller Ratings. Remember, five stars for shipping means that you are telling other eBayers his shipping and handling charges were very reasonable. So you only have to decide whether double or more the permitted expenditure items (and that still happens) is very reasonable.

I am having a hard time understanding how if I know what the shipping fees will be and I decide to buy anyway that I am the victim of a greedy predator.

I would definitely be torqued if the shipping price wasn't marked and a huge amount was added later, but that is not the case here.