Ebay selling question
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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:15 pm 
 

Here's what I do.  It's also what anyone that isn't running a full-time business should do.

1.  Estimate the total cost of shipping the item to the most-distant buyer.  I allow international bidders, so for me, that's Australia.  (You can specify multiple locations if you're up to the task, but if you're new, just assume the package is going as far away as possible.  If you're new, you should probably just ship domestically until you get the hang of it.)

2.  Include in the stated shipping the cost of the envelope/box, bus fare, postage, tape, cappucino, 50 cents for the homeless guy on the corner at the post office who holds the door open expectedly, and whatever else you have to do to get the item in the post.  (If you don't think cappucino is appropriate, you've never seen me in the morning.)

3.  Charge whatever you said you would charge.  This is the simple part.

4.  Refund as required; "suck it up" as required.  If the actual cost is significantly less than expected, go to step 5a.  If it's significantly more, go to step 5b.

5a.  Refund the difference between what you actually spent and were actually paid.  I was kidding about the bus fare, by the way.  Buy a metropass, your customers will thank you in the long run.

5b. You were listening in step 2, weren't you?  You remembered to pad the bill, right?  Now skip the coffee, skip the bus, and shuffle your pathetic non-caffienated butt to the post office.  Say sorry to the homeless guy on the way by.  

6.  Post the item promptly.

 YIM  


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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:17 pm 
 

In what possible situation are you imagining that it could cost someone $200 in extra money to mail a package? Especially considering that the USPS will pick up any package at any address in this country ... wait for it ... FOR FREE!


The example was a hypothetical to illustrate a point. I'm sorry if I didn't repeat it's hypothetical nature in every single paragraph in all my responses.

  


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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:25 pm 
 

"Hypothetical" does not mean the same thing as "ridiculous," Troll-Boy.

+++++

Still waiting on your eBay ID, by the way. I mean, it's a fair question, don't you think? Given that you post your rants on every thread here that involves eBay in any way, I'd love to see all this expertise in action.

So ... what's your user ID?

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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:31 pm 
 

Mars wrote:
I apologize if you are offended but I am just stating some facts and my opinion as you have done so.


I'm not offended, I just don't understand why these debates (or whatever you'd like to call them) become so personal.  I don't know anyone here all that well, but why not just argue in a civil fashion, without everyone's talk of trolls and such?  I wouldn't mind being involved in these discussions, but the way you guys seem to operate I just feel like staying away.

  


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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:31 pm 
 

Mars wrote:People lose money on Ebay everyday. They buy an item for one price from a store then decide to sell it on Ebay for less money.


Pretty witty, but your comment is not analogous at all.

No, that is not what is being said. What is being said is that if you have all of these high costs, you are required by Ebay to put them into the starting price of your auction. There are certain things you are allowed to charge for shipping and handling. Gas and hourly wage are not included in this list.


I don't recall seeing this explicitly noted as such. But it may well be that I've overlooked them. My impression of reading the policy is that handling is a broad category that reflects some of the cost of delivering the package.

I don't think we missed it. I think you have completely miss it. NONE OF THESE FEES ARE ALLOWED BY EBAY! Does it help if I put things in capitals? Read the examples. Charging $8 more than the actual postage cost is a violation!


This example is one where the seller is trying to purposefully transpose the price into shipping costs, thus avoiding eBay fees.

It has nothing to do with the reasonableness of handling charges, as written.


Last edited by Sea-to-sky-games on Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
  


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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:33 pm 
 

Still waiting on your eBay ID, by the way. I mean, it's a fair question, don't you think? Given that you post your rants on every thread here that involves eBay in any way, I'd love to see all this expertise in action.

So ... what's your user ID?


Wow. I thought it was self-evident. Why don't you try the most obvious possibility? :)

  

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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:40 pm 
 

If you really don't think your listing fees are excessive, why don't you prove it.  All it will cost you is 25 cents.  List an auction on Ebay for some book you want to sell and state that the handling will be $200 since you are a lawyer and need to drive 5 hours to post it.

I will report it as excessive fees and Ebay will then decide.  If it doesn't get cancelled, we'll know Ebay's ruling.

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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:42 pm 
 

A really helpful & intelligent mental picture just popped into my head... ;-)
Image


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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:47 pm 
 

If you really don't think your listing fees are excessive, why don't you prove it.  All it will cost you is 25 cents.  List an auction on Ebay for some book you want to sell and state that the handling will be $200 since you are a lawyer and need to drive 5 hours to post it.

I will report it as excessive fees and Ebay will then decide.  If it doesn't get cancelled, we'll know Ebay's ruling.


I agree that's probably the simplest solution. However, I don't think I was recommending s/h of $200 nor charging a lawyer's full rate of pay for time to deliver something.

As someone pointed out, you would be hard pressed to be in that hypothetical position of isolation (and there are some usps policies that offset this). Maybe in Canada that would fly but I don't live in Uranium City...

I think the easiest thing would be to e-mail eBay and say "is it reasonable to include some of the costs of delivery into a handling fee where the intent is not to avoid eBay fees?" I suspect they would say "it depends".

  


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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:48 pm 
 

I didn't "try" anything, StS ... I was mostly just curious if you'd answer the question.

Also, it's pretty common practice to use different user IDs throughout the interwebs (as seen in our user ID thread at this very site), and I had no way of knowing what your preference was. So it's hardly "self-evident."

Finally, given the long name and the dashes, there would be about 37 different ways to actually make a user ID that was similar to yours ... and, frankly, I'd have to actually care before I tried more than one or two of the variations.

+++++

It just hit me, though: once again, you won. You're living the troll's dream of dividing and disrupting the community ... and we keep falling for it. There's no way you even remotely believe more than 10 percent of the sh*t you type here, but we keep taking you seriously. More fools we.

I think BeyondTheBreach might be the only one of us here using his brain when it comes to you.

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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:49 pm 
 

Sea-to-Sky-Games,

Looking that the eBay listing for the ID that appears to be yours raises some confusion as to where you are located.
Vancouver, BC Canada or Plano TX.
Which one is it?
All the discussion about what is available as far as shipping boxes, and postal pickup is moot if you actually live in Canada.


Check out my Chaosium sourcebook.
Secrets of Tibet

  


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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:57 pm 
 

It just hit me, though: once again, you won. You're living the troll's dream of dividing and disrupting the community ... and we keep falling for it. There's no way you even remotely believe more than 10 percent of the sh*t you type here, but we keep taking you seriously. More fools we.


Well I do believe what I say. Sorry, didn't mean to be flippant.. my id is exactly how it's written here. I'm certainly not trying to make myself out to be anything different than who I really am.

I didn't know that just making conversation around here, even if it went against the grain every now and then, would cause so much hostility.

Looking that the eBay listing for the ID that appears to be yours raises some confusion as to where you are located.
Vancouver, BC Canada or Plano TX.
Which one is it?
All the discussion about what is available as far as shipping boxes, and postal pickup is moot if you actually live in Canada.


From Vancouver, lived in Plano/DFW for the last 3 years or so. Great little town btw. Want my CV?  :D

  


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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 4:03 pm 
 

Sea-to-sky-games wrote:even if it went against the grain every now and then

:)  :P  :D  :)  :lol:  :)  :D

Oh, man ... you know how people often use the expression "thanks for the laugh" in an ironic or sarcastic way? You know, for situations where they didn't actually laugh?

Well, that's not the case here. I want to thank you for the laugh, sincerely. In fact, I'm still sort of chuckling ...

"Every now and then." That is just PRICELESS.

I've gotta go now. But, seriously, thanks for the laugh. It will help me get through what is shaping up to be a long Monday. I owe you one.

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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 4:06 pm 
 

Radovarl wrote:I'm not offended, I just don't understand why these debates (or whatever you'd like to call them) become so personal.  I don't know anyone here all that well, but why not just argue in a civil fashion, without everyone's talk of trolls and such?  I wouldn't mind being involved in these discussions, but the way you guys seem to operate I just feel like staying away.

I know how you feel.

Look, if a listing's handling fees appear excessive, either don't bid on it or report it to eBay. That's not difficult. If eBay sees a problem with the listing, then they will remove it as is their right since the listing is residing on their server space.

I personally don't have an issue with someone charging hundreds of dollars in handling fees as long as he's up front about it. I just won't bid on the auction. I don't see any reason to go crusading about it.



  

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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 4:16 pm 
 

StS: listen chummer. I work for a law firm and i am an accountant ok? so basically, i deal with the figures of EVERYTHING that goes on in my firm, so i count myself pretty reasonably qualified to act on what i know. Not only that, i have also done it pretty well for like 20 years.

let me tell you this. your lawyer comments are utter rubbish. i won't go into details as they are totally unnecessary.

back to the point at hand.

if you bid on something and the handling fee is not listed, then if you havent asked beforehand, expect the worst because its your own fault.

if i fee is listed, you know up front and it is your choice either way, whether you go for it or not.

if i am charged a $13 handling fee to have a GPM item that costs $10 to send and it is a ONE SHEET PIECE OF PAPER, then you can bet your ass that i am gonna jump up and down like a madman, as that is just ludicrous.

if someone is fair, i am happy and i will return and deal again.

i buy and sell and like to think i have a pretty good reputation. i earn this by being fair to ppl i deal with. sure. i could increase things and milk it for all its worth and maybe make a little more....but thats not my way. i like satisfaction and repeat biz. its good for me and its good for the punter. THATS how business should be and the whole system would work a lot better.

Now i really dont like dragging myself into these things, so StS, please man, stop trying to disrupt everything all the time with such stupid comments ok?

keep it simple man.

Al


Are we nearly there yet?

  

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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 4:20 pm 
 

dcas wrote:I personally don't have an issue with someone charging hundreds of dollars in handling fees as long as he's up front about it. I just won't bid on the auction. I don't see any reason to go crusading about it.


Although it would be nice if the seller was upfront with stuff like this, many sellers are not.  So what happens if it is not mentioned, you win the auction and the seller says it will be $210 for your $10 book because ...  There should be nothing wrong with this since all $200 of the fees are reasonable handling costs.

The trouble with asking Ebay about anything is they won't give you any kind of firm answer unless they are forced into it.  In this case they will just send you off to their policy pages.  If you post an auction with such handling fees, then you are forcing Ebay to make a decision on it.

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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 4:24 pm 
 

Mars wrote:Although it would be nice if the seller was upfront with stuff like this, many sellers are not.  So what happens if it is not mentioned, you win the auction and the seller says it will be $210 for your $10 book because ...  There should be nothing wrong with this since all $200 of the fees are reasonable handling costs.

If they were "reasonable," then the seller would have been up front about them. The fact that he was not is enough evidence that they are not "reasonable."

I don't buy or sell much on eBay, but ISTM that there are ways to address such issues.



  


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Post Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 4:28 pm 
 

killjoy32 wrote:StS: listen chummer. I work for a law firm and i am an accountant ok? so basically, i deal with the figures of EVERYTHING that goes on in my firm, so i count myself pretty reasonably qualified to act on what i know. Not only that, i have also done it pretty well for like 20 years.

let me tell you this. your lawyer comments are utter rubbish. i won't go into details as they are totally unnecessary.

back to the point at hand.

if you bid on something and the handling fee is not listed, then if you havent asked beforehand, expect the worst because its your own fault.

if i fee is listed, you know up front and it is your choice either way, whether you go for it or not.

if i am charged a $13 handling fee to have a GPM item that costs $10 to send and it is a ONE SHEET PIECE OF PAPER, then you can bet your ass that i am gonna jump up and down like a madman, as that is just ludicrous.

if someone is fair, i am happy and i will return and deal again.

i buy and sell and like to think i have a pretty good reputation. i earn this by being fair to ppl i deal with. sure. i could increase things and milk it for all its worth and maybe make a little more....but thats not my way. i like satisfaction and repeat biz. its good for me and its good for the punter. THATS how business should be and the whole system would work a lot better.

Now i really dont like dragging myself into these things, so StS, please man, stop trying to disrupt everything all the time with such stupid comments ok?

keep it simple man.

Al


It's a bit rich to say that one does not like getting dragged into "these things" and then insult someone by saying they are making stupid or foundless comments.

If there is something tangibly wrong in my posts then feel free to post about it, or preferably, pm me. If I say someone is stupid, I better have a darn good reason for saying so.. particularly in front of a lot of other people.

  
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