With the demise of the LHS I have had to resort to something I absoluetly detest. Buying on line. So I opened an EBAY account and made several purchases. I was SHOCKED at the shipping rate/robbery with out a gun !For instance one purchase for $15 the shgpping rate was $7.50 ! Half the cost of the merchandise ! Is there another way to select cheaper shipping ? I was not able to figure out any other choices other than premuim.
Thanks
YGW
Yes,
You can sort the selection cheapest to most expensive for the cost of the item and shipping. It helps you to find the cheapest alternative
Don’t lose sight that most shippers are individuals not companies. Too obtain a suitable box and packing materials, package and address it and take it to a post office has a cost involved in time and materials What do you consider acceptable pricing not knowing what distance it will be shipped?
Or, you could just pick it up in person.
Sometimes the shipping is wrong, but you must consider shipping in the total price you want to pay and many vendors combine shipping.
there’s an option on the left side to only report items that ship free as well as only from north america (although most items from china are not only less expensive but ship free. may take a few weeks).
Seriously? Complaining about a 7.50 shipping fee? The average rate for shipping to Canada is around 25 USD…pretty much alienated Ebay for Canadian buyers. I would LOVE a 7.50 shipping rate. First world problems I guess.
Sometimes when I want a freight car at that price $15. The shipping maybe $11-23, which I believe is out right robbery than $7.
Most of all the time I forget about and find something cheaper.
I have not sold anything on Ebay in over seven years. Ebay used to be more friendly to the small-time seller.
I understand that Ebay now takes a cut of the sellers’ shipping charges in addition to seller and listing fees resulting in the added cost being, you guessed it, passed on to the buyer.
As mentioned above, the shipping cost is more than just the postage. Labels, ink, packaging material, it all adds up.
Like others, I look at the total cost before I commit to any purchase.
Ed
Greg
Thanks for that. I will look.
To the others
I dont mind paying shipping and some handling. What I do object to is the shipping costing 50% of the cost of the product. I have mailed stuff before and it doesnt cost 50% of the price of the product. I did not know EBAY was taking a slice also.
Thanks all
YGW
Shipping is a big item. I buy most of my train purchases via eBay, or major Internet stores. $12 is about the average shipping cost (single item or lots of stuff). Plan your purchases to get the shipping cost per item lower, or buy enough to qualify for free shipping. I have sold lots of stuff on eBay, and the time to pack the item and send it both are not cheap. Shipping cost of $5-7 for a single box car seems reasonable to me Jim
Hello YGW,
Not trying to be presumptuous, but I understand your sentiments. But once you get used to it and learn the routines, it becomes a breeze (imho), and you’ll become a smart ebayer.
When shopping on ebay, take your time and read EVERY detail of the listing you’re targeting, including the shipping options. A lot of us select USPS, which is often the cheapest in most cases for shipping within the US mainland.
If you’re not certain about shipping or the item itself, go to the right side of the screen where you’ll see the words: Seller information. Just below it, click on the seller’s highlighted name. You will be redirected to another page where on the right side you’ll see the icon for “Contact” highlighted in blue. Send him/her your question. Good sellers usually respond within the same day.
Don’t ever hesitate to contact sellers if you have questions. I’ve done this many times and sellers have been good about answering.
Side note: Something that happens often that can catch beginners off guard is that you may bid on an item that may be a sweet deal, but then the shipping cost is a shocker.
I’ve actually seen identical “Buy it Now”, New-In-The-Box model railroad items where, for example, one seller has a unit going for $70, and another seller has an identical unit for $78. An excited modeler clicks on the $70 item while a seasoned one snags the $78 model. The rookie discovers that shipping for his $70 unit is $25 while the veteran buyer’s shipping cost is $12.
Again, the importance of reading all details and asking questions if you’re uncertain. [;)]
I think many of the sellers offer items at reasonable shipping costs, but some I believe, maybe if starting price is low or buy-it-now priced, add hefty shipping compared to others to make the item appear relatively cheap, so put some of their hoped for profit in the shipping. As others have noted, it’s critical to take note of the shipping before deciding.
One mistake I’ve made is to look for a type item (e.g., HO vehicle) and then order & pay for one I like. But then continue and find another I want from the same vendor. If I had put them both in my cart, then ordered both, then paid I’d get the combined shipping savings if offerred. I believe if I order the first immediately, then find and order the second, it’s hard if not impossible to obtain the combined shipping savings.
As a option you might wish to consider.
There are several great e-Bay stores that offer combined shipping.I usually use BIN-if the price is within reason-and buy several items and usually the shipping is about the same as it was for one item.
USPS has flat rate shipping and that’s how that works.
BTW…Shop around I’ve gotten better BIN prices with free shipping by looking through 3 or 4 pages of the same item.
As a example I bought a LL P2K SCL GP9 for $55.00 with free shipping…The going prices on the previous pages varied from $79.00-99.00 plus shipping.
If you think $7.50 is expensive then be glad as the same item to post to the UK might cost you $40-50. which makes no sense to buy the item. I sold an item to a customer in USA and the shipping cost $2 for packaging and $7 for postage so unfortunately for me I cannot purchase anything from US.
Hello All,
Caveat Emptor! Or…Be an informed consumer in today’s market!
I was just perusing eBay and thinking to myself, “Are you kidding…you’re asking that price for that item!?!”
As an example: I purchased a MOW Track Weight car for less than $10.00. Shipping was about $3.00. Great deal for a great item through eBay!
Then I was recently searching eBay and found a listing for a similar MOW Track weight car for $90.00 (with “Free” shipping)!!! I put it in my Watch List- -to see what people would be willing to pay for this item. I received a message from eBay saying that this item had been re-listed at a “Discounted” price. I went to the new listing it was $79.00! Plus $13.00 shipping!! Some discount!!!
I also sell on eBay. When I list an item I ship via USPS at the Priority Mail shipping rate. Yes, it’s expensive, but the item is guaranteed to arrive in 2-working days and is insured up to $50.00 with a tracking number. If I go through the eBay/USPS shipping service I, as a seller, get a 10% kick-back (sorry eBay for letting the proverbial “cat out of the bag”).
As a buyer; knowing what I know as a seller, I will contact the seller and ask for a different shipping method. Yes, I can save a few $$ at the expense of faster shipping and no tracking number. Some sellers will work with you and some won’t. But, hey it’s worth a chance! Also, look for “Free Shipping” on items, this might be the tipping point between similar items listed.
There is also what’s known as “Combined Shipping.” If you are purchasing multiple items from the same seller some will ship all your items in the same package. This will save some money on shipping costs but beware, I have had some sellers cram all the items into too small a package and damage the items I ordered, all for the sake of saving a few bucks.
My current projets are re-motoring some inexpens
eBay is most definately not for the small seller anymore. As a frequent seller and shipper on eBay since 1998 thay have made it harder and harder for the little guy (the individual) to make a few dollars. The fees that they charge are sometimes outrageous and the fact that a seller cannot leave a negative feedback for a buyer that stiffs them on a sale that they bid on and won and never pay is just wrong. As of right now eBay charges the seller 9% of the shipping rate charged unless the seller offers free shipping. Free shipping is the way eBay seems to want every seller to go these days.
Most sellers, definately not all, only charge what the US Post Office charges them to ship an item. Postal rates are always going up and it has to be paid by someone. If you bought something from Amazon or a private vendor, the shipping would probably be about the same. One option would be to buy more than one item if you need them from the same seller, or to ask the seller if there is a different shipping option than the one posted on the sale page.
Just thought I would throw in my 2 cents worth. ( less the eBay fees)
The shipping rate does not seem out of line. Most sellers pass along the actual cost of shipping.
Neither FedEx, USPS, or UPS will ship hardly anything of bulk for 99 cents. And the cost of shipping is not based upon the value of the item, but the weight and size of the item.
A $15 Athearn boxcar may actually cost $7.50 to ship. But a same size item, say an Athearn Genesis Locomotive with DCC & Sound that costs $220, may also cost $7.50 to ship.
Most people factor in stated shipping costs into the total price of the item, then use that total when comparing with other sellers.
And most sellers will combine shipping on multiple purchases since the cost to ship does not go up much after you’ve paid for the initial carriers overhead. So two $15 dollar items may only cost $9 to ship.
Yes, buying inexpensive items on ebay will cause the shipping costs to be a high percentage of your total expense, but that’s neither the seller’s or Ebays fault. Its just the reality that a carrier has to bear the same initial overhead costs regardless of the value of the item being shipped.
I simply don’t bother when I see “Global shipping”.They don’t want to ship by mail,I pass on…
Longtime buyer and seller on ebay. Things are always changing, but several things mentioned already should be brought together to help clarify things some.
Yes, ebay now gets a cut of shipping. The default is up to the seller to a certain degree. USPS Priority Mail is typical. Probably for the same reason I use it: easy to buy postage and track things, as well as convenient for drop-off. Priority Mail gives you tracking and $50 of insurance and that covers things for the majority of sales I make.
Tracking helps with the buyer’s guarantees that ebay offers, also. I’m not sure of the fine print on that and never needed to resort to it. The couple of times I had an issue, the seller took care of me without the need to resort to it.
Priority Mail is a flat rate for anything up to a pound and less. This is good if you close to a pound, but you do feel a bit shorted on a 3 oz item. I note in my auctions that other shipping options are available, First Class being the go to cheap option (there are limits on the weight and size of 1st Class, so doesn’t apply to everything) but only rarely do people ask. Mainly, I use this for international shipments, including to Canada. Never had a problem, despite the lack of tracking, and buyers overseas really appreciate the price break on shipping it allows. This is an individual decision by the seller, though, and would impact a claim made under the buyer’s guranatees that ebay offers, so use it eyes wide open.
Ebay and the USPS shipping cost calculations have gotten much better over the years, although they can still be somewhat arcane. Just in case, I also note it’s my policy to refund any excess shipping I receive if the difference is more than $1. You do have to be pretty good at estimating packed weight of an item, prepack it to be certain of the weight, or pad the stated weight by a pound or so – all strategies I’ve seen used. I just try to be as accurate as possible in my estimates, buy there’s been a couple of