ebay, Is this ethical???

[superman-prime]

I have seen a few peaple I know raise shipping to compensate them for ebays fees. I dont think their fees are too bad unless u use paypal, then it gets a little overkill.
Is this a ethical practice ????

[slym2none]

It is in eBay's rules that excessive shipping can be challenged - whether you have been charged such buy a seller, or even just find an auction you suspect of such. If one is dumb enough to mention that one does this in an auction listing, the auction will get pulled down.

I personally have fought with a seller, more on principle than money, for the fact that he charged me for delivery confirmation and insurance and never applied it to the package. I won.





-slym

[Dr. Solar]

I always consider the eBay and Paypal fees part of the cost of doing business. Yes, it means that 10% or so is going away right off the top, but it is more than I would get if I were selling my comics to a dealer (most likely).

Some people just will do anything to rip a couple extra bucks off a person, and it totally sucks.

I tend to just pass over these auctions when I see them. It will be back on the 'bay by someone else eventually.

[superman-prime]

I kinda thought it wass crap as well if u want to make money u got to spend it .Thats just the way it is and 10% thats like sales tax lol

[lobo]

I have seen a few peaple I know raise shipping to compensate them for ebays fees. I dont think their fees are too bad unless u use paypal, then it gets a little overkill.
Is this a ethical practice ????

It's unethical and its becoming rampant, it's ruining eBay for me personally. It seems that I'm arguing with someone on a weekly basis about excessive shipping charges. All this and they still don't see trouble coming when someone named 'dontoverchargemyshipping' bids on their stuff!

[stone384]

It is in eBay's rules that excessive shipping can be challenged

Feel free to bring the hate, but I don't agree. It is not excessive if the shipping goes toward paying costs. If the seller is profiting from charging excessive shipping charges then it is in violation of ebay policy. I don't think it is unethical to charge enough to pay for the cost of shipping materials, actual shipping cost and associated fees. I mean really, do the math. If you start and auction at .99 (cause everyone wants a deal) how much of that is left after fees of .30 (ebay), .30 (paypal) and .53 (shipping materials for me).

This is NOT the same as charging $10 and is costing $2. That is profiteering and not allowed under ebays policies.

And I can't believe you guys are jumping on a seller because he is actually honest about his shipping charges. He is breaking down why he does what he does and you guys are upset. He is giving you all the info you need to make an informed decision. Something 99% of the sellers on ebay don't do. You can't win.

Everyone who buys on ebay is just as unrealistic as the sellers (I do both). The buyer whine about the shipping costs while getting $50 items for $10. And selllers whine about the costs of doing buisness (among other things )

m

[Dr. Solar]

It is in eBay's rules that excessive shipping can be challenged

Feel free to bring the hate, but I don't agree. It is not excessive if the shipping goes toward paying costs. If the seller is profiting from charging excessive shipping charges then it is in violation of ebay policy. I don't think it is unethical to charge enough to pay for the cost of shipping materials, actual shipping cost and associated fees. I mean really, do the math. If you start and auction at .99 (cause everyone wants a deal) how much of that is left after fees of .30 (ebay), .30 (paypal) and .53 (shipping materials for me).

This is NOT the same as charging $10 and is costing $2. That is profiteering and not allowed under ebays policies.

And I can't believe you guys are jumping on a seller because he is actually honest about his shipping charges. He is breaking down why he does what he does and you guys are upset. He is giving you all the info you need to make an informed decision. Something 99% of the sellers on ebay don't do. You can't win.

Everyone who buys on ebay is just as unrealistic as the sellers (I do both). The buyer whine about the shipping costs while getting $50 items for $10. And selllers whine about the costs of doing buisness (among other things )

m

I think it is understandable if a seller charges extra to pay for bubble wrap, packing materials, etc. What I don't think is OK is to say "I have to charge you $2 dollars extra on top of shipping and handling, because that is what eBay is charging me to sell these."

To me, that is comparable to a local comic shop saying, "I have to charge you an extra 25 cents for each comic you buy to help me pay for my electricity".

[greg]

Shipping profiteering is as old as Ebay. They were crooks then, and they're crooks now.

When you charge $6 for Priority Mail that costs $4.50 and $1.50 for "supplies",
that's not profiteering... maybe it's a net of a buck... maybe.

But, when you charge $8 for "shipping" and send me a $1 box via $2 media mail,
you're a crook.

The final auction price has nothing to do with it.

Simple enough.

[whovianone]

Shipping profiteering is as old as Ebay. They were crooks then, and they're crooks now.

When you charge $6 for Priority Mail that costs $4.50 and $1.50 for "supplies",
that's not profiteering... maybe it's a net of a buck... maybe.

But, when you charge $8 for "shipping" and send me a $1 box via $2 media mail,
you're a crook.

The final auction price has nothing to do with it.

Simple enough.

Yeah, I agree. If you charge for priority and send at a lesser rate, and make $5 off the deal it's wrong. But, if you charge $4 for a comic, send it in an envelope well protected with cardboard, and it cost $2.50 to send, then you had to buy envelopes, and the extra buck pays for fees. I dont mind that because I'm winning a $20 book for $1.59 or something like that plus shipping I'm way ahead.

[stone384]

I think it is understandable if a seller charges extra to pay for bubble wrap, packing materials, etc. What I don't think is OK is to say "I have to charge you $2 dollars extra on top of shipping and handling, because that is what eBay is charging me to sell these."

To me, that is comparable to a local comic shop saying, "I have to charge you an extra 25 cents for each comic you buy to help me pay for my electricity".

Um...they do charge you to help pay for the electricity. That is factored into the price of the goods. The problem is this, a comic that costs a customer $3 does not cost the store (LCS) $3. They get a large discount. Say $2. They get $2 to cover all costs and what is left is profit. The problem is that most people who sell on ebay get their books with no discount. So a $3 book cost them $3. So if they sell it for $3 it costs them money to sell it. I don't see a problem with a seller selling a $3 book for $4 (plus s&h) to cover their actual costs (not just the cost of the book). And lets face it, a buyer who sees what they know is a $3 book for $4 they are going to pass on it. I would rather have the buying price as cheap as possible with a higher shipping price with all the costs broken down for the buyer. At least I will be competitive with all the other sellers selling the same item. If I ruled the world I would start all my auctions at .99 and charge $4 for shipping instead of starting at 1.99 and charging $2.80. Course I would only do it for insert fees and not the percentages cause you are making money at that point. And I can see how higher priced items (with the higher insert fees) would be a problem here, but this is just my perspective.

When you charge $6 for Priority Mail that costs $4.50 and $1.50 for "supplies",
that's not profiteering... maybe it's a net of a buck... maybe.

But, when you charge $8 for "shipping" and send me a $1 box via $2 media mail,
you're a crook.

I agree with that 100%

m

[superman-prime]

I personally think a buck or 2 for time/ supplies is cool but, when a auction is 15 bones and they charge ya 20 more for shipping you are going

[Second_Death]

I dislike paying high shipping fees as much as anyone but as long as the service provided isn't less than described, it shouldn't be considered unethical. Simply adjust your bid to match what you are willing to pay for the item shipped. If someone is charging $15 to ship a book you are willing to pay $20 for then bid only $5. In the end, it averages out.

Its when a seller advertises one thing and does something else (bait and swith....sort of) that is a great cause for concern. Like Greg said, paying for Priority and receiving it Media Mail, is absolutely wrong and should be reported if the seller doesn't offer a partial refund.

I've noticed that a few sellers advertise high shipping costs and will often actually charge less depending on the auction results. For example, I purchased a couple lots of books from a seller awhile back that were advertised with UPS shipping costs of $13 each . After winning the items, she invoiced me for a combined shipping cost of $10 instead of the $26 she could have charged.

[Dr. Solar]

...
Its when a seller advertises one thing and does something else (bait and swith....sort of) that is a great cause for concern. Like Greg said, paying for Priority and receiving it Media Mail, is absolutely wrong and should be reported if the seller doesn't offer a partial refund.
...

We always knock sellers, but there are a lot of good ones out there. This happened to me a couple months ago. I paid for priority mail per the terms of the auction, and the books got sent media mail. I asked for a refund of the difference, and the seller gave me a huge refund for all the shipping costs plus a little extra. He said it was absolutely his mistake and wanted to make it right.

Just want to share the warm and fuzzies as well as the grim and dirties.

[whovianone]

...
Its when a seller advertises one thing and does something else (bait and swith....sort of) that is a great cause for concern. Like Greg said, paying for Priority and receiving it Media Mail, is absolutely wrong and should be reported if the seller doesn't offer a partial refund.
...

We always knock sellers, but there are a lot of good ones out there. This happened to me a couple months ago. I paid for priority mail per the terms of the auction, and the books got sent media mail. I asked for a refund of the difference, and the seller gave me a huge refund for all the shipping costs plus a little extra. He said it was absolutely his mistake and wanted to make it right.

Just want to share the warm and fuzzies as well as the grim and dirties.

I likes da warm fuzzies.

[stone384]

I have done that before. Sent a couple of packages out of the country. Accidently way overcharged both guys. I immediatly refunded the money. Same day I mailed the books actually. One guy never said anything about the $10 that showed up in paypal account and the other *SQUEE* that I had over charged him. Oh, well my conscious is clear....

m

[danthecomicman]

I agree with the previous posts regarding a nominal amount above the actual shipping costs for time/gas/materials etc... However, as Greg pointed out, when they are multiples of the actual cost, then it's a problem.

I just had such an experience. Charged me US$7.50 for shipping, and the comics came in a standard envelope (well packed w/ cardbaord, thankfully), but only CDN$2.55. That's TRIPLE the cost. I emailed the guy, and he refunded me a portion of the shipping cost.

For those who want a laugh - check out what appears to be blatant profiteering:

http://cgi.ebay.com/FANTASTIC-COMIC-BOO ... dZViewItem

12 comics for US$39 within North America???? i have reported this seller countless times to eBay, with no results....

D.

[cjv]

I have accidentilly overcharged people on shipping, usually when I try to estimate the costs so someone can pay quickly. I always refunded the difference, usually before they contact me.

Chris

[cjv]

Um...they do charge you to help pay for the electricity. That is factored into the price of the goods.

Right, it is covered in the cost[. So if you want to do that on Ebay, start the auction at $1.50 instead of $.99 or something like that. But to ADD additional costs to "shipping and handling" charges to cover the costs of the auction is against the rules.

I don't see a problem with a seller selling a $3 book for $4 (plus s&h) to cover their actual costs (not just the cost of the book). And lets face it, a buyer who sees what they know is a $3 book for $4 they are going to pass on it.

I don't think people will have a problem with that either around here. Provided the shipping costs are around $3.00 or so. But if Someone sells a book for $3, and charges $8 for shipping and handling, and shipping only costs $2, then you have a problem. THey are increasing their money by charging more for S&H, trying to make up the difference of selling a $3 for less than they thought it should sell for.

When you use an auction system, you run the RISK of selling something for less than you think it should sell for. That doesn't give you the right to make up the difference with increased S&H charges. Nor does the fact that the auction house charges a fee for the auction mean you can pass that fee along to the buyer. If you want to do that, sell it at a fixed price, or increase the initial bid.

Chris

[Daniel Jackson]

I agree with the previous posts regarding a nominal amount above the actual shipping costs for time/gas/materials etc... However, as Greg pointed out, when they are multiples of the actual cost, then it's a problem.

I just had such an experience. Charged me US$7.50 for shipping, and the comics came in a standard envelope (well packed w/ cardbaord, thankfully), but only CDN$2.55. That's TRIPLE the cost. I emailed the guy, and he refunded me a portion of the shipping cost.

For those who want a laugh - check out what appears to be blatant profiteering:

http://cgi.ebay.com/FANTASTIC-COMIC-BOO ... dZViewItem

12 comics for US$39 within North America???? i have reported this seller countless times to eBay, with no results....

D.

Yeah, I'm sure he's hoping some fool will bid before noticing the outrageous shipping charge.

[manningfan]

The shipping on ebay has been way out of control for a very long time. Can't tell you too much more but it has been a struggle for buyers for quite some time. I have found alternatives to ebay anymore as I am tired of getting screwed.