If You Are To Going To Sell On Ebay !

Philb,

Yes Matthis was one of my favorite sellers. I would get many of my lower priced Cayman sets through him. But with those sets only being worth $6-8 its not worth it with the shipping now. I am surprised to see that he still gets bids on some lots that are not even worth the shipping. I would have to think that the loss in business is at least equal to what he gains by the increased shipping rates.

Hi Tex, Yes it was a shock when Matthis changed shipping...we knew he had problems with buyers in Eastern Europe..but hes no fool,hes a fairly big operation...he has to be frustrated with ebay..i mean he is running a business ..its just a fun thing like I do !

This was a quote from me one week ago





An update a week after the above quote. One more mailing complaint and I am shut down. Copied and pasted from my dash board "now".

Average detailed seller ratings Your average Low ratings
(1s and 2s)
Item as described 4.97 0.00% (0)
Communication 4.96 0.00% (0)
Shipping time 4.97 0.00% (0)
Shipping and handling charges 4.86 0.38% (2)
Ratings are based on your feedback received globally

I don't think you will be shut down totally. You will just (!) lose your top-rated seller rating but because your performance will then be average instead of high you will still be open for business.

You will have to pay more final value fee percentage and lose your ranking in displays so your items won't be up where they were.

I hate it that all this will happen because a few people decided to mark you 1 or 2 stars on the shipping because they didn't feel it was reasonable. Usually these people think you should hand deliver stuff to them for free just because they are buying from you.

I have seen sellers change their shipping to free so as to always get 5 stars there just because of this annoying and ruining problem with eNay's feedback system.

Even if you charged 0.01 that's one cent for shipping the buyers could still ruin you by leaving 1 or 2 stars for the shipping detailed seller ratings stars.

ebay is trying to make it like it is Disney where everything is always so perfect and wonderful. If we could leave feedback for ebay themselves they would be out of business in one day, less probably.

Nothing to do but adapt in the way you see fit as ebay doesn't change to suit one seller. Real world, not Disney.


I like ebay for it's worldwide exposure and ease of use (mostly) but it's like I am slaving away behind the scenes hidden from public view and everything is perfect at the theme park on the surface.

Of course, I've got to be real too. No work, no pay. But to have one or two people who need anger management classes and have unrealistic expectations of how their world should run put me in the dog house seems to me to be quite unfair.

Hmmm, maybe I am being unrealistic here?

One rule I have read about is that buyers don't like to pay more for shipping than they pay for the price of the item(s) being bought. But that is hard to do with stamps.

I don't know, I just don't know.

From a buyers perspective I hate it when I have to pay say $1.50-2.50 shipping on a single stamp coming from two states over. If the handling/Packaging were to make up the difference I would understand. But in most cases the stamp comes in a standard envelope with maybe a small piece of folder stock to act as protection. The total shipping and handling for most of these cant be more than 75 cents and that is probably being generous.

All that being said I base my shipping rating 99% on the speed I receive my item and not what I pay in shipping charges. If I dont like the charges then I dont have to bid.

my wife thinks I am crazy when I charge 45 cents shipping..maybe I am ,i like to put myself in the other guys shoes..if I were buying!.. yes it would be Fantastic if all our buying and trading needs were fulfilled here on the SCF...i remember when Stampoffers started around the millinium...the owner was fedup with ebay and wanted an alternate..well Stampoffers is now Wensy..its no threat to ebay but collectors can fill spaces there..one of the old timers says he pays his property tax selling the lower value stamps..

The mailing cost is very clearly written just below the bidding window. We combine mailing costs in same auction and if the buyer lets us know we will combine mailing over many different days of auction wins. Our packaging costs us about 50c and it is free to the buyer. We charge nothing for handling.


The rule that is stopping international trade is the seller must prove delivery of the items won on ebay if there is a dispute the buyer gets a full refund from money taken out of your account by ebay and pay pal because the seller can not prove delivery.

The basic cost for me to post outside Australia and to be able to prove delivery is $2.35c for the DL envelope, $13.10c registered mail + $3.70c for signed conformation form plus many countries will not enter an agreement with Aust Post on this and this part has to be attached to reg mail, total $19.15c + packaging and handling.99% of buyers do not like this cost for mailing.

I can prove mailing at a cost of $2.35 + 25c for a photocopy of the mailed item after all cancels, Custom forms filled out plus attached and an ID checked label attached. If ebay allowed this, which is what the buyers are demanding in mass which is unprotected mailing I would very, very happily sent stamps to anywhere.

I could go on and ebay bash but I can see no point to it at the minute. But I will say common sense has gone out the window.

It is not to often that things get to me but this issue has. I am trying to step back and find a way out of this mess. I just can not list or relist today. I need a rest, to think about it all. Why is this a problem all of a sudden?

So if I was to go with the free mailing option the cost of our stamps would have to go up.

So a 99c stamp with a listing cost of 10c would have to turn into a $1.99c stamp with a listing cost of 25c. Would the stamps sell? As 70% of our lots cost 99c.

Could also offer 10% discount if your invoice is above ? $15. It seems like not to many people look at the description so this would have to go into, part of the title.

Could go back to selling 20 to 50 stamp lots. That I know are slow to move. Have no lots under $9.99 with free mailing? Would they sell?

My 2nd year with SCF is today. A safe haven of special people.

It is hard to say but Always Happy Stamping. John

Buyers on ebay can clearly see what the shipping cost is, if they don't feel it's reasonable, than don't buy the item ! and complain later , Oh shipping was so expensive! I'm going to give this seller low ratings. The fact ebay even has a rating system for this is ridiculous. Most sellers get items out in a timely fashion, but sellers cannot control the shipment once it's handed over to the USPS or other carrier.

I always look at shipping when I purchase anything online, if I don't feel it's reasonable, usally the "handling" cost, then I move on.