<< <i>when was the last time you bought a gallon of milk and the clerk said, 'OK, that's $3 for the milk, and another $3 for the time it took me to put it on the shelf ... >>
Never. But those "costs of doing business" are included in the shelf price, nonetheless. If stores don't recover those expenses, they don't stay in business very long.
Since eBay is set up with the item cost specifically segregated from the delivery cost, it's hard to make a direct comparison with buying a gallon of milk at the store where the delivery cost is hidden from the consumer by inclusion in the purchase price.
Not to mention the fact that in an eBay auction, it's the buyer who sets the price, not the seller. When was the last time you bought a gallon of milk and told the clerk "I'm only going to pay you $2 for the milk- it's ridiculous to think I should pay you for putting it on the shelf."
for your information ZZZZZ i did ask the seller and he never responded never mind, i guess it is perfectly acceptable to gouge people because there are so many morons that expect it. thanks for all the comments, even the comments from the morons
<< <i>Not to mention the fact that in an eBay auction, it's the buyer who sets the price, not the seller. When was the last time you bought a gallon of milk and told the clerk "I'm only going to pay you $2 for the milk- it's ridiculous to think I should pay you for putting it on the shelf." >>
>>
In absolute terms, you are right because the buyer really does set the price.
The rub is that these sellers are playing a mis-direction game in which they hope buyers will simply zone out and forget that they have to add in the shipping/handling price to get their true cost.
Yes, anyone with a 3rd grade education should be able to protect themselves, but its still a scam of sorts if you ask me.
Maybe $9.50 (or whatever it was in the example that started this thread) is not exorbitant shipping/ins for a $350 coin, but there are hundreds of eBay sellers charge that much for a $10 coin as well.
Just this morning I was looking on the Lincoln penny eBay site and was flabberghasted to see several listings where ONE SINGLE penny (common circulated date) was being auctioned for $.99 --- and the seller was charging $6 for shipping.
Again, I understand it's really not my place to gripe seeing as I would not get involved in such a transaction, but for some reason, it still rubs me the wrong way whenever I see it --- simply because the more people that accept such practices the harder it is for regular 'honest' people who want to be more forthright and honest.
And as for the store clerk example, I'll put it another way. When was the last time you were shopping, pricing items on the store shelf, and the little price tag next to the milk said "$3 for the milk and $3 for shipping/handling --- total $6" ???
That's just not the way prices are normally portrayed.
<< <i>Just this morning I was looking on the Lincoln penny eBay site and was flabberghasted to see several listings where ONE SINGLE penny (common circulated date) was being auctioned for $.99 --- and the seller was charging $6 for shipping. >>
<< <i>I was looking on the Lincoln penny eBay site and was flabberghasted to see several listings where ONE SINGLE penny (common circulated date) was being auctioned for $.99 --- and the seller was charging $6 for shipping. >>
This reminds me of what I call "The Golden Age" of ebay. Around the turn of the century when the dotcom boom as going and ebay was in the startup mode, they were giving sellers listing deals and sellers with warehouses of inventory that had been sitting there for years all of a sudden saw a way to stop paying lease on a warehouse. And oh yeah, UPS and Fedex were battling for market share and shipping was much cheaper then too. I have a lot of hobbies and at the time the one running in the foreground was metalworking/maching in the garage. Metalworking tools were on ebay by the thousands, often name brands, often starting at 1 cent. I bought thousands of pounds of tools and often the only profit the seller made was a few dollars on the shipping. I was very, very happy to pay a little extra shipping.
I was married at the time...I did take some flack about all the packages showing up. I showed her invoices for 1 cent plus $10 shipping. When it was divorce time I told her we couldn't split the shipping so I'd be glad to buy her half of the tools at the price I paid for them. They never came up but I did find out she spent money having them appraised.
<< <i>Again, I understand it's really not my place to gripe seeing as I would not get involved in such a transaction, but for some reason, it still rubs me the wrong way whenever I see it --- simply because the more people that accept such practices the harder it is for regular 'honest' people who want to be more forthright and honest. >>
Asking $10 to mail a $10 coin is dishonest? If you ask lots of non-coin people, spending $1000 for a coin with a face value of one cent is a ripoff, too. Although I personally think charging $10 to mail a $10 coin is a bit over the top, I truly fail to see where that $10 charge, as long as it is specified in the auction listing, is any less "forthright and honest" than a $1 shipping charge. "Shipping for this item is $10"- how much more straighforward does it get? If you (in general) don't like the terms, you don't have to bid.
<< <i>And as for the store clerk example, I'll put it another way. When was the last time you were shopping, pricing items on the store shelf, and the little price tag next to the milk said "$3 for the milk and $3 for shipping/handling --- total $6" ??? >>
Never.
<< <i>That's just not the way prices are normally portrayed. >>
Not in stores, maybe, but eBay is not a store. I'd suggest that anybody who is expecting it to be just like one is likely to be disappointed somewhere along the way when it turns out their expectations are not met.
As for the milk example...do you realize that in a $3 gallon of milk you're paying about 25c for milk, 25c for processing, a buck for shipping/handling, a buck for store overhead, leaving perhaps 50c profit if that? everyone wants ebay sellers to have zero overhead. It is much, much lower than a brick and mortar but non-zero.
i should have known better than to post something like this, there are people here that are obviously too stupid to understand the problem wasnt with me PAYING the insurance, but the fact that i dont believe it costs $4.80 to send a bubble mailer anywhere in this country with a dime in it. the insurance was optional, i didnt have to pay for it i just didnt realize how many dumb a$$ people would respond to a thread and only read half of info. then make not only an uneducated comment but an ignorant one at that
<< <i>i should have known better than to post something like this, there are people here that are obviously too stupid to understand the problem wasnt with me PAYING the insurance, but the fact that i dont believe it costs $4.80 to send a bubble mailer anywhere in this country with a dime in it. the insurance was optional, i didnt have to pay for it i just didnt realize how many dumb a$$ people would respond to a thread and only read half of info. then make not only an uneducated comment but an ignorant one at that >>
If you don't believe in the shipping price and don't want to pay it, DON'T BID!
I just sold some items on ebay a bit ago....I did NOT know what the final insurance and actual shipping would be, so I just looked at a few handfuls of like products, averaged it, and made it my shipping cost. Made a couple of bucks on one, lost a few on another, and broke about even on the 3rd. I am not a full time seller on ebay so I don't know all the tricks.
I, also, don't use the free USPS pickup service and wouldn't where I live, nor work, either. Doesn't work for me.
So, not every shipping is going to be spot on. I don't charge for gas, car, time, etc, but I also don't like to lose money when I ship something (price of the object I am selling is immaterial, to me, on what I charge for shipping or make/lose on the deal).
So, if someone doesn't like what I charge for shipping, I want them to just move on. If they bid, then they get the shipping cost as listed. ONLY exception is if they buy more than 1 item that can be combined. in that case, if possible, I will add it in for a buck or so (depending on added value for insurance and any weight adjustment).
In short, you came on here to whine about shipping and found that it was pretty reasonable for the total cost and now you are unhappy with the people telling you that.
I doubt you would bid on anything I sell (moderns and non-coin items) but please don't bid on my stuff anyway. I prefer buyers who see what the auction states, and agrees to it, then bids and doesn't try to renegotiate it after they bid.
<< <i>i should have known better than to post something like this, there are people here that are obviously too stupid to understand the problem wasnt with me PAYING the insurance, but the fact that i dont believe it costs $4.80 to send a bubble mailer anywhere in this country with a dime in it. the insurance was optional, i didnt have to pay for it i just didnt realize how many dumb a$$ people would respond to a thread and only read half of info. then make not only an uneducated comment but an ignorant one at that >>
I understand your pain. I mean, that 88¢ he hosed you out of will mean one less candy bar this month.
<< <i>auctioned for $.99 --- and the seller was charging $6 for shipping. >>
That is gouging. >>
I had a coin I started with a 99 cent no reserve. Although I had hoped/expected it would go for more, it went for EXACTLY that... 99 cents. In the auction description I had said shipping was $4.95, which includes Priority Mail Shipping @ $4.05 plus 90 cents for shipping materials (which is almost to the penny what it costs me per package for materials since I don't ship enough to buy in bulk). Should I have, for this auction, even though my description clearly said other wise, to not charge so much for shipping, just stuffed it in an envelope and put a 39c stamp on it?
<< <i>i should have known better than to post something like this, there are people here that are obviously too stupid to understand the problem wasnt with me PAYING the insurance, but the fact that i dont believe it costs $4.80 to send a bubble mailer anywhere in this country with a dime in it. the insurance was optional, i didnt have to pay for it i just didnt realize how many dumb a$$ people would respond to a thread and only read half of info. then make not only an uneducated comment but an ignorant one at that >>
We may all be stupid and unworthy to be in a conversation with you but I won't call you names.
You should report it to eBay right away. That is against their policy. The seller is an idiot and should be reported. I had won 8 coins last week from the same guy and he insisted on $40 in postage and handleling for 3 ounces of coins. What can you do, his ad did not say he combines shipping and a few of the coins I bought has very few bids (World Coins). I still reported him because that is "excess" shipping and is just a way to keep ebay out of the fees.
<< <i>i dont believe it costs $4.80 to send a bubble mailer anywhere in this country with a dime in it. >>
Playing around with USPS's online postage calculator, it looks like you could send a dime in a bubble mailer for anywhere between $0.52 and $22.30, depending on the particular shipping services utilized.
<< <i>If I pay for insurance I expect to see it stamped Insured.... >>
If you print labels though PayPal, which this seller did, there will be no insured stamp on the package.
Russ, NCNE >>
It will state Insured near the top of the label.
I also agree that 9.50 is not excessive for a 350 item, especially if it is packaged well and shipped on time. My shipping can seem excessive on some of my auctions, but I do often ship priority (clearly stated in the auctions) and included insurance on everything.
i have decided im just gonna leave the guy positive feedback, and raise my own shipping from $2 plus insurance to $9 since it is perfectly acceptable to gouge people from what i understand here. may be able to even buy enough candy bars to fill a big hole, as big as the hole under russ' nose
the problem was not the 88c the problem, was the FACT that it DOES NOT COST $4.80 to mail a bubble mailer with a dime in it via first class mail, the optional insurance was $1.30 in the auction but was raised another $3 AFTER the auction if you cant understand this, maybe find a 5 year old to explain it to you, or arent you allowed around children that age ?
<< <i>the problem was not the 88c the problem, was the FACT that it DOES NOT COST $4.80 to mail a bubble mailer with a dime in it via first class mail, the optional insurance was $1.30 in the auction but was raised another $3 AFTER the auction if you cant understand this, maybe find a 5 year old to explain it to you, or arent you allowed around children that age ? >>
The auction clearly stated that the insurance amount would be adjusted based on realized price. You keep trying to skip over that fact. Add it all up, and the cost charged to you was 88¢ more than it cost the seller - and that's if the seller is buying his bubble mailers in bulk.
You are whining about nothing, and looking very foolish in the process.
Comments
<< <i>coin was a little over $350 >>
Then the price you paid for insurance was justified.
My icon IS my coin. It is a gem 1949 FBL Franklin.
<< <i>how do i find out if the item was in fact insured ? >>
You got the coin. Why do you care? The seller clearly stated his shipping fees and you agreed to them when you bid.
Puro's Coins and Jewelry
Rutland, VT
(802)773-3883
Link to my website www.vtcoins.com
Link to my eBay auctions
Buy, sell and trade all coins, US paper money, jewelry, diamonds and anything made of gold, silver or platinum.
<< <i>when was the last time you bought a gallon of milk and the clerk said, 'OK, that's $3 for the milk, and another $3 for the time it took me to put it on the shelf ... >>
Never. But those "costs of doing business" are included in the shelf price, nonetheless. If stores don't recover those expenses, they don't stay in business very long.
Since eBay is set up with the item cost specifically segregated from the delivery cost, it's hard to make a direct comparison with buying a gallon of milk at the store where the delivery cost is hidden from the consumer by inclusion in the purchase price.
Not to mention the fact that in an eBay auction, it's the buyer who sets the price, not the seller. When was the last time you bought a gallon of milk and told the clerk "I'm only going to pay you $2 for the milk- it's ridiculous to think I should pay you for putting it on the shelf."
<< <i>maybe if the shipping would have been what I agreed to pay when I bid, I wouldnt be WHINING >>
yes you would
Nothing I can see in his charges that is "VERY" excessive or how you were "gouged"
At least you got your coin, which what I gather on here, may be 50/50 at best by reading how some on here send their coins out.
<< <i>the ebay listing does in fact say that the shipping will be adjusted >>
Again you got your coin so if he was self insured or has private insurance the in suranse charge was/is right so this is a moot pont.
But if you really want to know why don't you just ask the seller instead of posting and trying to make something out of nothing
Insurance - 5.45
Sig confirm - 1.90
Bubble mailer - .20 (if he buys them in bulk)
Total - 8.42
Gee, you were "gouged" out of a whopping 88¢. I can see how this would cause apoplepsy.
Russ, NCNE
<< <i>
<< <i>Not to mention the fact that in an eBay auction, it's the buyer who sets the price, not the seller. When was the last time you bought a gallon of milk and told the clerk "I'm only going to pay you $2 for the milk- it's ridiculous to think I should pay you for putting it on the shelf."
>>
In absolute terms, you are right because the buyer really does set the price.
The rub is that these sellers are playing a mis-direction game in which they hope buyers will simply zone out and forget that they have to add in the shipping/handling price to get their true cost.
Yes, anyone with a 3rd grade education should be able to protect themselves, but its still a scam of sorts if you ask me.
Maybe $9.50 (or whatever it was in the example that started this thread) is not exorbitant shipping/ins for a $350 coin, but there are hundreds of eBay sellers charge that much for a $10 coin as well.
Just this morning I was looking on the Lincoln penny eBay site and was flabberghasted to see several listings where ONE SINGLE penny (common circulated date) was being auctioned for $.99 --- and the seller was charging $6 for shipping.
Again, I understand it's really not my place to gripe seeing as I would not get involved in such a transaction, but for some reason, it still rubs me the wrong way whenever I see it --- simply because the more people that accept such practices the harder it is for regular 'honest' people who want to be more forthright and honest.
And as for the store clerk example, I'll put it another way. When was the last time you were shopping, pricing items on the store shelf, and the little price tag next to the milk said "$3 for the milk and $3 for shipping/handling --- total $6" ???
That's just not the way prices are normally portrayed.
<< <i>thanks for all the comments, even the comments from the morons >>
My icon IS my coin. It is a gem 1949 FBL Franklin.
<< <i>Just this morning I was looking on the Lincoln penny eBay site and was flabberghasted to see several listings where ONE SINGLE penny (common circulated date) was being auctioned for $.99 --- and the seller was charging $6 for shipping. >>
That is gouging.
Russ, NCNE
<< <i>I was looking on the Lincoln penny eBay site and was flabberghasted to see several listings where ONE SINGLE penny (common circulated date) was being auctioned for $.99 --- and the seller was charging $6 for shipping. >>
This reminds me of what I call "The Golden Age" of ebay. Around the turn of the century when the dotcom boom as going and ebay was in the startup mode, they were giving sellers listing deals and sellers with warehouses of inventory that had been sitting there for years all of a sudden saw a way to stop paying lease on a warehouse. And oh yeah, UPS and Fedex were battling for market share and shipping was much cheaper then too. I have a lot of hobbies and at the time the one running in the foreground was metalworking/maching in the garage. Metalworking tools were on ebay by the thousands, often name brands, often starting at 1 cent. I bought thousands of pounds of tools and often the only profit the seller made was a few dollars on the shipping. I was very, very happy to pay a little extra shipping.
I was married at the time...I did take some flack about all the packages showing up. I showed her invoices for 1 cent plus $10 shipping. When it was divorce time I told her we couldn't split the shipping so I'd be glad to buy her half of the tools at the price I paid for them. They never came up but I did find out she spent money having them appraised.
<< <i>Again, I understand it's really not my place to gripe seeing as I would not get involved in such a transaction, but for some reason, it still rubs me the wrong way whenever I see it --- simply because the more people that accept such practices the harder it is for regular 'honest' people who want to be more forthright and honest. >>
Asking $10 to mail a $10 coin is dishonest? If you ask lots of non-coin people, spending $1000 for a coin with a face value of one cent is a ripoff, too.
<< <i>And as for the store clerk example, I'll put it another way. When was the last time you were shopping, pricing items on the store shelf, and the little price tag next to the milk said "$3 for the milk and $3 for shipping/handling --- total $6" ??? >>
Never.
<< <i>That's just not the way prices are normally portrayed. >>
Not in stores, maybe, but eBay is not a store. I'd suggest that anybody who is expecting it to be just like one is likely to be disappointed somewhere along the way when it turns out their expectations are not met.
--Jerry
Steve
San Diego, CA
<< <i>i should have known better than to post something like this, there are people here that are obviously too stupid to understand the problem wasnt with me PAYING the insurance, but the fact that i dont believe it costs $4.80 to send a bubble mailer anywhere in this country with a dime in it. the insurance was optional, i didnt have to pay for it i just didnt realize how many dumb a$$ people would respond to a thread and only read half of info. then make not only an uneducated comment but an ignorant one at that >>
If you don't believe in the shipping price and don't want to pay it, DON'T BID!
I just sold some items on ebay a bit ago....I did NOT know what the final insurance and actual shipping would be, so I just looked at a few handfuls of like products, averaged it, and made it my shipping cost. Made a couple of bucks on one, lost a few on another, and broke about even on the 3rd. I am not a full time seller on ebay so I don't know all the tricks.
I, also, don't use the free USPS pickup service and wouldn't where I live, nor work, either. Doesn't work for me.
So, not every shipping is going to be spot on. I don't charge for gas, car, time, etc, but I also don't like to lose money when I ship something (price of the object I am selling is immaterial, to me, on what I charge for shipping or make/lose on the deal).
So, if someone doesn't like what I charge for shipping, I want them to just move on. If they bid, then they get the shipping cost as listed. ONLY exception is if they buy more than 1 item that can be combined. in that case, if possible, I will add it in for a buck or so (depending on added value for insurance and any weight adjustment).
In short, you came on here to whine about shipping and found that it was pretty reasonable for the total cost and now you are unhappy with the people telling you that.
I doubt you would bid on anything I sell (moderns and non-coin items) but please don't bid on my stuff anyway. I prefer buyers who see what the auction states, and agrees to it, then bids and doesn't try to renegotiate it after they bid.
Thanks
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
<< <i>i should have known better than to post something like this, there are people here that are obviously too stupid to understand the problem wasnt with me PAYING the insurance, but the fact that i dont believe it costs $4.80 to send a bubble mailer anywhere in this country with a dime in it. the insurance was optional, i didnt have to pay for it i just didnt realize how many dumb a$$ people would respond to a thread and only read half of info. then make not only an uneducated comment but an ignorant one at that >>
I understand your pain. I mean, that 88¢ he hosed you out of will mean one less candy bar this month.
Russ, NCNE
<< <i>auctioned for $.99 --- and the seller was charging $6 for shipping. >>
That is gouging. >>
I had a coin I started with a 99 cent no reserve. Although I had hoped/expected it would go for more, it went for EXACTLY that... 99 cents. In the auction description I had said shipping was $4.95, which includes Priority Mail Shipping @ $4.05 plus 90 cents for shipping materials (which is almost to the penny what it costs me per package for materials since I don't ship enough to buy in bulk). Should I have, for this auction, even though my description clearly said other wise, to not charge so much for shipping, just stuffed it in an envelope and put a 39c stamp on it?
<< <i>i should have known better than to post something like this, there are people here that are obviously too stupid to understand the problem wasnt with me PAYING the insurance, but the fact that i dont believe it costs $4.80 to send a bubble mailer anywhere in this country with a dime in it. the insurance was optional, i didnt have to pay for it i just didnt realize how many dumb a$$ people would respond to a thread and only read half of info. then make not only an uneducated comment but an ignorant one at that >>
We may all be stupid and unworthy to be in a conversation with you but I won't call you names.
<< <i>i got your candy bar right here russ. >>
If you already have a candy bar, why are you whining about losing 88¢?
Russ, NCNE
<< <i>You should report it to eBay right away. That is against their policy. The seller is an idiot and should be reported. >>
Russ, NCNE
<< <i>i dont believe it costs $4.80 to send a bubble mailer anywhere in this country with a dime in it. >>
Playing around with USPS's online postage calculator, it looks like you could send a dime in a bubble mailer for anywhere between $0.52 and $22.30, depending on the particular shipping services utilized.
<< <i>
<< <i>If I pay for insurance I expect to see it stamped Insured.... >>
If you print labels though PayPal, which this seller did, there will be no insured stamp on the package.
Russ, NCNE >>
It will state Insured near the top of the label.
I also agree that 9.50 is not excessive for a 350 item, especially if it is packaged well and shipped on time. My shipping can seem excessive on some of my auctions, but I do often ship priority (clearly stated in the auctions) and included insurance on everything.
Russ, NCNE
<< <i>russ, i seriously dont believe you are as ignorant as you would like everyone to believe you are. >>
Anybody reading your whining about a seller overcharging 88¢ on shipping knows who the real ignorant one is here.
Russ, NCNE
<< <i>the problem was not the 88c the problem, was the FACT that it DOES NOT COST $4.80 to mail a bubble mailer with a dime in it via first class mail, the optional insurance was $1.30 in the auction but was raised another $3 AFTER the auction if you cant understand this, maybe find a 5 year old to explain it to you, or arent you allowed around children that age ? >>
The auction clearly stated that the insurance amount would be adjusted based on realized price. You keep trying to skip over that fact. Add it all up, and the cost charged to you was 88¢ more than it cost the seller - and that's if the seller is buying his bubble mailers in bulk.
You are whining about nothing, and looking very foolish in the process.
Russ, NCNE