Ebay Fraud?

SemperFI

Is it fraud when an ebay seller charges a substantial for shipping and only spend a small portion of that amount to ship? I see alot of this on ebay to make items seem cheaper when in fact they are around the same as retail when you include the large shipping fee.

prooflike

Just as long as the shipping charges are stated, no, it is not fraud.

maddox

I agree, this really ticks me off. Check the shipping charges before you bid. Not much you can do except leave neg feedback, but that goes both ways.

airplanenut

I wouldn't say so... I also wouldn't bid.

When I go to bid, I always check to see how much shipping is, and what it comes with (ie insurance, etc...)

Most shipping charges are used to defray paypal and ebay fees, as well as the time factor to ship... if it says shipping and NOT handling, then I think it is fraud, as it refers only to postage requirements.

Jeremy

ScarsdaleCoin

the postage portion of shipping is only a portion of the cost to ship an item......on items of $100 or less I charge $5....we figure that the actual cost to ship an item cost us between $5 to $15....sometimes the postage is only $1.00 or $2.00 but there is still other costs...so IMHO I would say no...if you really dont like the shipping cost then you dont have to bid on item or bid on item....

Russ

<< <i>I see alot of this on ebay to make items seem cheaper >>



It ain't just eBay, it's common practice all over the internet. Go to pricewatch.com and you'll notice that the computer parts vendors at the top of the search list (lowest prices) are likely to be the ones charging $15 to ship a half ounce stick of RAM.

Russ, NCNE

SemperFI

It's just that I think it is a little dishonest and a sneaky way to make a quick few extra bucks hidden in shipping/handling fees. Here is my example: USMC KA-BAR 12 inch overall. 6 7/8 inch standard edge black finished carbon steel blade.

It does not cost 19.95 to ship this item but other similar items sell for what his combined S/H and auction prices are.

RKKay

I don't think it is fraud if, up front, they say they have a set shipping/handling charge. I do think it gets questionable if the representation is that the charges are shipping only. I certainly feel it is wrong (unethical?) to charge more than it costs.

mr1931S

It's not fraud to clearly state what you,as a seller, want for shipping,handling,insurance.

I think it's an unethical seller that doesn't ship items in a decently prepared proper package and in the manner that a buyer has paid for.A seller that does this with me loses my future business.

If the stated SH&I charges seem to be excessive,avoid the auction.

jadecoin

Hi! We do not charge any extra for shipping fees. Currently, we aren't charging for insurance either, but we do plan to implement that soon. In other words, what you bid is truly what you pay, unless you elect to purchase insurance. Typically, the coins we sell on ebay are those that we stand to lose money on anyway.

Here is an example of an NGC coin on which we lost quite a bit of money, both on the cost of the coin itself (it closed for well under "ask") and the cost of shipping and insurance (which you will see is clearly marked as "free").

This is another example of how we celarly state "Free shipping and insurance". (I'm not promoting our ebay listings - the links go to already-closed examples).

We think shill-bidding is a far more dangerous problem on ebay than the S&H problems.

Sincerely,
Jadecoin

ksteelheader

Love them k-bar's!! But in this case, I would let this guy sit on it. The auction, that is, not the k-bar. Well......................

Dimetime

Heres one. Bought a $32 item with the buyer paying actual shipping and handling. Got the total. $15 s/h. When I questioned him about the excessive cost I got a rude response that it takes him 1/2 hr to pack and run to post office to ship. I haven't determined if I'll stiff him and give him negative feedback or pay and wait till he leaves feedback, then leave a scathing negative. I charge true shipping costs only and have returned excess postage before.

fcloud

I had once bid on a coin, and didn't check the s/h/i costs. After I bid another bidder was nice enough to send me an e-mail ask if I looked at the $3000 s/h/i. About 10 people bid on the coin and didn't catch the charges that were in the fine print. E-bay cought from all the bid retractions and removed the item. $20 sound cheap if you look at it from this point of view.

I think some people use a bit higher shipping cost to off set the listing fees. Always consider the shipping in your bids. If there is an item worth $50 and shipping is $5, a bid of $45 would be about right.

I would be more concerned if they didn't tell you, and you bid, only to find the s/h/i was so high.

mbbiker

I hate bidding on items with high shipping, and when i see no charges listed i almost always pass (only bought 1 item where no shipping charge was listed) I got lucky on that one got the e-mail and it said shipping/handling $1.50 thats after the item i won went for about $30 UNDER melt. I usually charge about $2.50 + insurance, if thats to high I would like to know.

Steve27

It's not fraud, just fee avoidance, and should always figure into bidding. When I see high shipping charges, I generally do not bid.

smprfi

Just to give you an idea of what it costs.I charged $3.75 for S/H/I. I ship in boxes that cost me $1.
I ship from CT.
Shipping and insurance to:
States
NH=$4.29 + $1 for box = $5.29
FL=$4.29 +$1 = $5.29
TX=$4.06 +$1 = $5.06
NE=$4.29 +$1 = $5.29
CA=$4.52 +$1 = $5.52

I lost money on S/H/I.
Basically it depends on were they are from and what they use to ship.If I used padded envelopes like most people I wouldn't have lost money.I prefer boxes they are stronger and give me a greater piece of mind.I know they will arrive safely.As a customer I would prefer to be shipped to in this manner also.

satootoko

The first rule of auction bidding - Deduct any bidders' fee or shipping charges from the most you are willing to pay for the item, and the result is your max bid. I followed that rule for 25-30 years before I ever heard of E-Bay, and never regretted it.

Second rule of auction bidding - there is no disgrace to being "back bidder"

airplanenut

DimeTime- Whatever route you go, neg him... neg him good! If they are going to charge for time, it should be stated- s/h would normally refer to shipping materials and postage... time should be stated separately.

Bulldog

No, Not fraud, But if you get caught in this, then who is the dummy." Caveat Emptor"