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?

A really helpful & intelligent mental picture just popped into my head...

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.

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?  

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.

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.

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.

JohnGaunt wrote:Free, but they can only be used for shipping Priority Mail.  They can not be used or re-used for any other type of mail.  Yes, people use them as cardboard liners and re-use them to ship packages, but all that is illegal.

One eager postal clerk opened up my Media Mail package because it looked as if I were using bits of a Priority Mail box.  Fortunately I was not, but then I couldn't remember if what the item was ---a game or a magazine or what, so I got ripped-off on postage.

As a result of the USPS' determination to make me not use or re-use boxes,  I have found that unused Priority Mail boxes are good for drying stripped minis, separating items, and anything else that requires a stiff piece of cardboard.  

Of the 8 billion times I've used some bit of USPS packaging to mail something, if they catch me once someday, I'll still be ahead...but seriously, don't those guys have anything better to do?  I've never had a package opened yet, if it happens someday it won't be out of one of my local post offices, they are so busy and so short of employees nowadays it's a miracle if you can get out of there in 30 minutes even mailing one package...I hear about it happening, but it's never been at one of my local USPS stations.

Mike B.

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.

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.

I've always believed in letting the marketplace sort itself out....

You want to charge $15 shipping each package?  Fine. I'm going to charge $5, and take all your business. All the poor rubes that don't read your shipping and pay $15 for one module are only going to do it ONE time.  I'll be in business long after the "genius" who thinks they are getting around the system by charging a lot on shippng.

And if the seller isn't upfront about shipping costs (Cougie, take a GIANT step forward), DON'T BID ON THEIR DAMN AUCTIONS!!!!!!  Nobody, and I mean nobody, is holding a shotgun to your head and making you bid on that copy of Red Sonja Unconquered from the seller with no upfront shipping cost.  If/when the seller slaps you with a $100 shipping fee, it's your own fault, and I would recommend you either pay it because your'e stupid enough to bid on something without knowing the shipping fees, or refuse to send the cash and exchange negs.  There are alot of people in this world that think because they can't pull their head out of their ass you and I should do it for them.  I swear people act like their money is as valuable to them as toilet paper is to me, the way they throw it around.  They bid on auctions with no descriptions except for the title....they bid on auctions with no photos....they bid on auctions from sellers with excessive negs or less than 90% feedback....they bid on auctions from foreign countries know for their scam artists such as South Africa or Asia...and then they are SHOCKED to find out they get bent over and used like a long haired pretty boy on the "OZ" tv show.  Geez.  

Essentially, Ebay doesn't give a damn AS LONG AS THEY GET THEIR MONEY UP FRONT, which they do.   They are against excessive shipping and handling fees, sure....because they don't get a piece of it!  Their job is to make their rules and policies sound threatening, but in effect be so vague as to actually allow any type of activity. For example, in our above example of the guy charging $15 for a module, well is that excessive per Ebay's policies?  I haven't a clue.  Maybe he's sending them in a Express next day envelope for $14.40 a pop....in that case it's not excessive.  Maybe he's slipping it into a plain brown envelope with no backing for $1.50.  I would consider that excessive, but once again since Ebay hasn 't taken the time to define the word, I have no idea if that would qualify.  

I don't know about other sellers here and I won't speak for them. But personally I'm not running a charity.  Frankly ebay and their rules can shove it up their ass, I don't care what they think or say because they've proven time and again they are concerned with making money above all....their new "hidden" bidder policy for one makes me want to throw up, it's so blatantly ridiculous.  I'll charge as much shipping/handling as I ethically can to refund myself for supplies, make a small profit, yet stay below or at the same price of other Ebay dealers so as to compete with them in the marketplace.   I won't apologize for it one bit either...the charges are right up front.

Ugh, and just wait for that mail price hike next month.......

Mike B.