I should have listened to former posts on this subject, I asked the seller a question on shipping, a very small item, other sellers had the same item and their shipping fee was $5.00, this guy wanted $19.75, I contacted USPS and their rate was almost the same($5.10) then comes this torrid reply calling me a bunch of names and threats as he tried to justify his greed. NEVER again will I go near ebay, it WAS a great system but now has turned into a greed, money grubbing scheme.
In any kind of market, the goal is to separate money from someone willing to take goods or services in exchange. Some of the offers are not very sensible if one takes the time to think it through. Good for you for backing off once you new this person was trying to line his pocket at your expense.
That sounds like a very unpleasant episode. Too bad there always seems to be someone out there who insists on acting like an idiot.
Have you considered contacting eBay directly to report the abuse? I don’t know how they work but I’m sure they don’t want that sort of thing going on. You might get lucky enough to get the guy dumped from the site. Now wouldn’t that be a lesson learned for him.
Does not take much too set off bells with E-bay now - They REALLY frown on anything less then 100% positive activity - a couple of complaints or more than a couple of negative feedback’s and you could be GONE A.S.A.P. - That’s why most sellers ask to “talk it out” before you leave any comments…
The seller wanted to make his money on the shipping since ebay/paypal don’t collect their fees from that. I’ve seen auctions for items with a buy now price of a few bucks (way lower than the item would ever reasonably sell for) then shipping fees which end up bringing the total to the actual retail price.
It seems to more and more of a common practice. I always avoid auctions with higher than normal shipping fees. Those are sellers trying to circumvent the system.
I can understand where you’re coming from. However, don’t write off ebay. I’ve seen locomotives or cars that I wanted but decided to overlook them when I saw ridiculous shipping charges for small items. What annoys me are the shipping charges that cost more than what the item is worth at retail prices. I don’t even bother emailing these types of sellers.
However, I didn’t stop and continued searching for those same items and eventually found sellers shipping them for $5 to $10 range depending upon the item’s size.
I as well have had good luck on E-Bay. Ask for the shipping cost before the auction ends or before you bid. I was only stiffed oneness, and I have spent $30,000.00 on E-Bay.
hello i’m not to sure about ebay cracking down, i have an open case against a seller, which the item was paid for about 4 weeks ago and have not received, i revied the item again and noticed the person has a -45 rating with 30 negatives last month luckily it is not a railroad item, with train stuff i have had good luck but also i look at the shipping before i bid
I always check the shipping fees for the reasons mentioned above. If I feel they are to high I don’t bid and just move on. I have recently got some real good deals so I will keep on shopping Ebay. I just bide my time.
As is often mentioned, before typing in your bid and clicking that mouse…check the shippnig cost and feedback rating! In the excitement of a possible win of that wanted item, some overlook this simple step and wind up regretting the transaction. I was stiffed once too, but I fault myself for overlooking this simple rule of thumb. Lesson learned. [;)]
most ppl on ebay are genuinely interested in moving products at fair pricing.
As a seller, you also need to see the other side of the story.
Whilst the cost of shipping may only be $5.10 etc the is an associated cost in wrapping it, getting it to the post office, ebay fees, paypal fees etc. Some seller choose to sell the product cheaply then recoup the costs in other ways rather than jacking up the price.
Whilst on the other hand again, i personally have had great expierences with some sellers, even getting a refund for shipping.
ebay is simple yet effective but the buyer needs to beware…
If I can get it at my local hobbyshop I do that, EBAY is just another resource. If that buyer is like that I go check the other dealers. I had my sour notes on ebay, but my needs outweigh some of the sour notes out there, so I stick with it.
if you are the buyer on e-bay, consider this. ebay and paypal both make ALL their money from charges they collect from the sellers. buyers pay nothing. for each seperate item on the auction site, there is but one seller. there are sometimes countless potential buyers. ebay/paypal are most often going to back their sorce of income.
to hear them tell it, they killed the Kaiser and stopped the plague but in fact, if you are counting on them to help you, expect lip service and little else. they are about as effective as the UN.
lest you think this is a mindless rant, i have completed over 800 transactions on ebay over the years and the whole thing is steadily going downhill from my perspective. i have been both buyer and seller and believe me, the buyers can be just as big a pain as the sellers. most guys on ebay just want to buy or sell something fairly but the jerks can sure give you an attitude.
when you get to be my age, you will realize that almost everyone out there has an agenda that you are not fully aware of and if you have a handful of people in your life that will tell you the absolute and complete truth, you are luckier than most.
I have only had one issue on Ebay. I purchased a BLI J1 loco that supposedly ran great and was brand new. The loco looked good but ran terrible. I contacted the seller and he accused me of trying to scam him. This really pissed me off and complained to Ebay. I offered to provide the repair bill from BLI as proof. The issue was resolved by the seller paying the repair cost when I sent it to BLI for repair. Loco runs great now. I continue to use Ebay without issue.
I don’t understand. The shipping price was posted? If it was, then I don’t understand why you’re so upset. Now, you have the right to shop or not shop anywhere you choose for whatever reason you choose so I’m not saying that you should stay with E-bay if you don’t want to for any reason you have. That is your right, and it’s not what I’m saying. But with the hundreds, even thousands of deals that are made every day with reasonable people charging reasonable rates, I fail to get why someone would dump a whole site just because of a few jerks. The cost the fellow wanted was placed for all to see. If there are two Hobby Shops right next door to each other, one charged full suggested price and the other gave 20% discount, I would buy from the cheaper but not from the more expensive. Most would. Closer yet, if the shops varied their prices in that a few items shop A sold were higher than shop B, but most all other items were the same, I would not swear off shop A for a few items.
Again, not telling you you are wrong for stopping your dealings with e-bayers, you can shop were ever you want and stop going there for whatever reason, but I fail to see why so many have the same feelings as you.
As for my experiences I have had good luck with E-bay on every purchase but one and that wasn’t bad, just a difference in opinion on what “great condition” was. The way I do it is, if I’m not satisfied with a potential price to me, that is the cost of the item to include shipping, or on the few who disclose shipping later, I just wait for someone else to show up with the same item at a more reasonable cost. It usually happens, no matter how rare the item is. I don’t e-mail the seller about shipping. If he doesn’t want to disclose hidden costs, or if he quotes real high then he’s one of the few shady ones in my book, and he won’t lower anyway. Right or wrong, like you, that’s how I feel.
I’m not sure I follow what the problem is, frankly. If you know shipping is 19.75, and the total dollars you want to spend on an item is, say, 30, well, you set your highest bid at 10, right? I’ve been baited by auctions where the going bid is well below market value, but then when you look at the shipping charges, and add them into the current bid, the total cost is right near market value plus reasonable shipping.
If the seller is trying to keep more proceeds for himself, I don’t see a problem with his method., as long as the buyer knows what his total out-of-pocket costs are going to be. I’m sure ebay will adjust their policies if they feel like they are losing fees because of it.
I can understand frustration if the seller is trying to collect more than market value for an inexpensive item through shipping fees alone. I can also see not wanting to deal with a seller that responds in a rather rude fashion as well.
I have been buying and selling on eBay since June, 1998. I seldom bid on an item with outrageous shipping charges. My recent exception to the rule was a V&O 50’ box car kit. The seller was charging $12.75 for shipping and stated in his ad, if you don’t like the charge, don’t bid. The car was sent first class USPS, 10 ounces at a cost of less than 4 bucks. Any other item wouldn’t have gotten my bid. I won the auction for $7.00, my total cost was under twenty dollars. Finding anything for the Virginian & Ohio for less than $20 is almost impossible, so I am satisfied, but the seller is a thief. I will bring it to eBays attention, because he is circumventing the system.
Personally, I don’t see any basis for the fuss and certainly not as any reason to leave, or denigrate, eBay.
The seller in question apparently set and posted his shipping fee. Whether that corresponds to UPS, USPS, or any other shipper’s charges is totally irrelevant to the situation. It shouldn’t matter one iota to anybody if he set S/H at $1,000 (and yes, I have seen that precise figure used on eBay for S/H on a small item!), it’s the seller’s business and no one is forcing you to buy his item.
I would agree that the seller should have been more civilized in his response, but it sounds to me more like you were intent on purchasing the item at a low price and then asking the seller for a discount on the shipping fee. Short of that, I don’t understand what the post and this thread is all about. Certainly it is no reflection on anything to do with any eBay shortcomings.
