Ebay just raised their shipping price - first salvo in the Authentification recovery costs?
Desert Moon
Posts: 6,533 ✭✭✭✭✭
I just read that ebay raised their shipping fees for coins from $4.86 to $7.90. I assume that is first class. Curiously, my Priority Mail Small Box with signature confirmation just went from $16.25 to $17.10. That is a 5% jump going into the new fiscal year on Oct. 1. $7.90/4.86 is a 62.5% increase to ship via ebay noted above. If this is true, then why a 62.5% jump and is it only in the coin category? Or was this poster making a mistake?
As I have noted earlier, ebay is not giving buyers and sellers the authentification verification to protect everyone from fraud for free. That is not reality for any publicly traded company despite what some have claimed that ebay is doing this out of the good graces of their heart. So I ask, if, the shipping price increase on ebay is real, is this the first salvo to recover AV costs in the coin category? Can ebayers verify the price increase on shipping or was this poster mistaken?
Comments
I think its going to make things expensive in the coin arena. I am a casual ebay seller. Ive sold 4 coins all under $500.
It wasn't cheap. Im not saying it should be cheap but it is getting pretty expensive and thats going to affect everyone who shops/sells on ebay. I have bought alot of coins using their marketplace. It might be time to start looking for more dealer websites and utilizing them more.
Will coin values be fluid with the increases or is it time to shop elsewhere?
Student of numismatics and collector of Morgan dollars
Successful BST transactions with: Namvet Justindan Mattniss RWW olah_in_MA
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JWP PROMETHIUS88
eBay discounts the pricing from what you would pay at the post office. I pay less to ship my coins on eBay !
I do not understand why you always need to disparage eBay. eBay has been the best for me in my coin business. A 9% sellers fee and discounted usps shipping rates combined with an extremely large customer base. eBay is a bargain!!
I purchased a 1 ounce label through eBay about a half hour ago- cost was $5.58.
The post office has recently raised their rates, which I'm sure most everybody understands means that shipping labels purchased everywhere (not just through eBay) will be more expensive. As well, also previously noted on the message board here, the post office is charging more to rural zip codes. Those zip codes are charged the one pound rate even if the package only weighs an ounce or so.
But hey- eBay is charging MOAR!!!!!
edited to add... another sale:
I used to do some work for a dealer, including packaging/shipping his website sales. The post office charged him the full retail rate, not the discounted amount eBay charges.
Just sayin'.
I understand your point but I think you are missing the point that the whole authentication process is going to also increase costs.
I love ebay. Don't get me wrong. Its the world's biggest coin shop. Im just afraid im going to get priced out.
Student of numismatics and collector of Morgan dollars
Successful BST transactions with: Namvet Justindan Mattniss RWW olah_in_MA
Dantheman984 Toyz4geo SurfinxHI greencopper RWW bigjpst bretsan MWallace logger7 JWP BruceS bigjpst
JWP PROMETHIUS88
People have been screaming about the need for authentication on eBay for a long time. Now that it's here, they're screaming because it might cost them more when they're buying/selling and some already want to be able to opt out. Aside from the fact that it hasn't yet resulted in increased fees and eBay has already been authenticating stuff (not coins, of course) for nearly six years now, yes- it's possible there might eventually be a cost to users. Rather than complaining about the chance it might someday stop being free, why can't people be happy that, for now anyway, eBay is willing to eat the cost?
You seem to be assuming that eBay is bleeding money because of the authenticity program. Instead, the program might actually be saving eBay money. Fewer buyer/seller disputes. More buyers attracted to the platform because of the guarantee. More sellers attracted to the platform because of reduced selling risks. The cost to sell coins on eBay remains well below any of the other major auction houses.
The authentication process might increase costs in the future but it has not happened yet nor has it increased seller costs for the cards category where it has been active for several years.
As mentioned by others, the shipping increases are changes from USPS. There have been several bigger increases to shipping charges from the post office over the last several years as they try to cover their operational costs and reduce their losses. No one likes paying more but it’s not an eBay issue and the post office is still cheaper than FedEx or UPS for the most part.
I suspect some people have not considered these possibilities.
You can explain this to people but you can't understand it for them.
Disinformation.
The post office just went to holiday shipping rates.
Ebay charges post office commercial rates not an "ebay rate".
Whomever you are quoting has no clue what they are talking about.
So, the answer is there is no price that is unique to any category (coins or other), it has nothing to do with AV costs and you can easily compare the eBay rates to USPS rates and you will find that they are USPS commercial discounts. One should probably check this before spreading disinformation on the internet.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
In 5 years, they have not raised fees on the authenticity programs one cent. NOT ONE CENT. Do not buy into the wild, unfounded speculation by eBay haters.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
I'm getting really tired of fighting the constant disinformation with respect to eBay. Now, people are spreading the lie that ebay charges above market shipping rates. And when these lies are spread, people start to believe them.
Our resident ebay hater spends more time thinking about ebay than I spend on ebay.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
There's a lot of it. I don't know why, seeing as how eBay gives collectors a viable option for making extra money by retailing their own coins instead of having to depend on finding a dealer who will pay less so that he can retail the coins himself.
I just shipped one USPS ground advantage using eBay label for $6.07 (3 OZ, 8x7x1 in size). It is the same price two weeks ago.
ebay, America's coin shlock store. This was confirmed recently as I viewed hundreds of images of circulated Barber dimes from the 1890's looking for common date examples (priced well under $500) that I might be able to live with. And now I get to pay even more to have shlock mailed to me?
“Never let yesterday use up too much of today.”
Will Rogers
That's harsche.
I can understand the grousing about shipping cost increases if one sells <$100 widgets, but a $2 increase in shipping cost is a rounding error for someone selling four and five figure coins. Annoying, but not worth complaining about.
Superb collections are built more by omission than by addition.
This is exactly right. And conversely, consider those who avoided ebay because of the risk of buying an expensive fake coin. This change should increase the sales of higher-end coins on ebay, thereby collecting more in fees. It directly benefits ebay to be a trusted marketplace.
Rare-Change.com - Low listing fee
If you were shipping for a coin dealer and paying USPS retail pricing for postage, you left a TON of money on the table... just sayin...
There are multiple online options to print out discounted postage...
fyi, the average PCGS slabbed "widget" has a retail value of about $100.
“Never let yesterday use up too much of today.”
Will Rogers
The information is : the cost of living is on the rise, now and forever. The misinformation is: “who” or what is causing it.
And auction houses pay the same shipping costs. To make this about eBay is ignorant
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
I didn't realize ebay was also running the post office now.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Sure, but it wasn't my coin shop, I just shipped the way I was asked to. My point is that buying from a coin dealer's website isn't a guarantee that you'll pay less for shipping than buying from somebody on eBay. Chances are, shipping through eBay is going to be about as low as you can pay.
No, it’s schlocke.
Shipping costs are going to have a very negative effect on lower value coins. Many just aren't worth bothering with anymore.
This problem has been building for quite some time.
That's where "eBay Standard Envelope" comes in, thanks to eBay. Having that available makes selling low-value coins possible.
Greatest innovation in ebay history.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
That's what some people say, but I can also see that the program may pay for itself and be close to break-even because it reduces fraud claims and reversed orders as well as increases sales. On $500+ coins there is enough margin there for this to work out.