Ebay Postage Charges,

Postage costs for the stamps category on ebay is getting out of hand again.

Too many U.S. sellers are over-charging on postage to hide their sellers fees.

Example: One NY seller charges $4.95 or MORE to send a single stamp; even low dollar stamps.

And there are many hundreds of sellers doing the same.

To correct this I would like to see ebay strengthen their postage cost rules and encourage much more "Free or low cost shipping."

I don't mind paying a buck to have a stamp sent to me but NOT $3.50 or $5.00 or more.

Another example: I recently bought 3 single stamp lots from a Spokane Washington dealer. His postage cost said $1.00 on each lot. His ad also said he combines shipping.

Instead of sending the 3 lots for $1.00 (which only cost him 49 cents plus an envelope), He charged $2.50 to send the 3 stamps. A postage reduction of a whopping 50 cents.

Of course you don't find this out until after you bid and win their lots.

$4.95 is nothing I have seen $41 postage for a stamp. Combining items should not increase the cost of the postage if its only postage stamps. I would complain to the seller before paying. Also I think sellers who have high postage rates loose customers. I don't know how others bid on things but the first thing I do is look at the postage cost, if its to high like over $5 I move on and don't bid on that sellers items. The problem with forcing sellers to offer free postage they simply up the price of the stamp to cover the loss. It happens on ebay UK to, I often see sellers asking for more than 9 pounds postage for a single item. It may pay to ask sellers how much they would charge on combined items before bidding.

If I knew that in advance I would pay the 3 dollars postage by paying for each item separately and tell the seller to send them in 3 envelopes each with stamps on them. A 50 cent reduction is a ripoff.

I've started selling on ebay - mainly cigarette cards at this stage - and have sold around 50 lots. I always offer free UK postage and start at 99p, unless the item is an exceptionally heavy one, in which case I kick off at a slightly higher level. When I quote for overseas buyers, I simply use Royal Mail prices, which are publicly available. Signed for to Australia or the US can be horribly expensive - standard rates less so if the buyer is ready to assume the risk of loss in transit. Free postage means taking a risk, but my experience thus far is that the odd failure (income equalled or exceeded by postage cost) is more than balanced out elsewhere (buer makes multiple purchases). And, like others, I feel that free postage attracts more buyers.

Regards.

Geoff

Geoff, be careful with "buyer ready to assume the risk of loss in transit" - there is no such thing in ebay land. The seller is responsible for getting to the item to the buyer no matter what

Agree with Mike33 the buyer can open a paypal dispute upto 180 after the transaction, so seller takes all responsibilty for lost postage. Hi Geoffha be careful as if you send un signed for mail overseas some scammers may open a dispute case 'item not received' and get their money back. If you don't have POD you can't prove they received the item. For some countries registered post is a must. Many great buyers on ebay but a few members know how to cheat the system and get free items. You can't be making a profit if you only get one bid at 99p and offer free postage. Even if buyer buys a few at that price. You have the ebay fee each month and paypal takes a % fee as well. No money in it.

Mike

Thank you! Another lesson learned! My only international sale arrived back through my letter box last week, Royal Mail had got it across the Atlantic, USPS had got it across the USA and back across the Atlantic. Might have been easier for them to deliver it to the address that was (correctly) shown on the envelope! Cue bemused of both London and California.

I should have added that listing post free items assumes that you have some confidence in your own knowledge and the market. If you have neither, as lots of us don't on many subjects, it's an unwarranted financial risk.

Geoff

Duncan

And thanks to you too. I think there is a logic that says, the more average the item, the more need to kick off at, say, £1.49, to ensure no loss. Thus far I've been pretty lucky in terms of bids, but, as I tunnel further into the card and stamp mountain, I'm sure plenty of dross will emerge!

Geoff

Hi Geoff you need to go through your postage locations in your my ebay and exclude certain countries that are deemed high risk to post to. There are enough good buyers in UK USA, Europe and Australia and all safe to post to not signed for unless item very expensive. But several countries I only post to when buyer pays for registered service. India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and others I would only send registered. Try even starting a few items at £5 start price. You need to make some money on ebay. I'm lucky the most of my bidders are great, but have had a few scammers in the past, not very often but it does happen to every seller in the end, bidder scams seller and claims did not receive item. Just protect yourself as much as possible.

Unfortunately, some sellers try to make up for low auction realized prices by overcharging buyers with high shipping and handling costs.

Timm...I am sure you are not a ebay seller.

A seller has the right to charge whatever he/she wants.
They make the rules....period.

As a buyer ....you accept these rules by purchasing. There is no
need to complain after the fact.

The way you complain is....NOT PURCHASE THE ITEM!!

UNTRUE....shipping has to be STATED in the ebay listing.
A buyer can not change shipping to reflect low realizations.

I always take shipping and handling charges into account when bidding. If I'm willing to pay $50 for an item, and the posted shipping charges are $5, I'll bid no more than $45. If I'm making a Best Offer I will deduct all shipping charges in calculating the offer.

This is going to come across as blunt and somewhat harsh, but I feel it has to be said:

I honestly do not get all the whining about postage costs. If you don't like it, then don't bid or buy!

The only cost that actually matters is the total COMBINED cost of the item and shipping.

Which of the following arrangements is the best deal, assuming the same stamp in each?

Item 1: $10 + $2 shipping
Item 2: $3 + $9 shipping
Item 3: $12 + FREE shipping

Answer: THEY ARE ALL THE SAME!

Stop getting hung up on how a seller breaks down shipping vs. item costs. It is MEANINGLESS!

Moreover, it is a seller's right to charge as much or as little as they choose for shipping. The buyer has the power to walk away and not buy from that seller.

If you are unsure how a seller combines shipping charges, then it is incumbent upon the buyer to ask BEFORE bidding or buying. After the fact, there is no right to complain.

I sell on ebay. Sellers must provide all shipping charges which include combined shipping costs up front. It's the Shipping Policy ebay implemented. Since Sellers pay the same fee on both the final value and all charges a Seller imposes, it makes no sense to have "hidden" shipping charges. If a Seller over charges for shipping, a buyer can contact ebay and file a complaint which ebay will resolve if both Seller & Buyer cannot resolve. When a Seller offers combined shipping, this is also part of the Shipping Policy and ebay will send the Buyer an invoice which reflects that discount.
Buyers, either online or in a Brick & Morter business can always choose to not make a purchase for any reason...and being over charged, be it in the cost of an item or any charges a Seller adds is reason enough to not make a sale happen.

Keep in mind that when selling on ebay, there are fees paid to ebay, then to PayPal to receive payment, and other related seller costs, like operating overhead, employee salaries, packaging material, envelopes and postage etc. Sellers who offer free shipping must include that factor in the selling price. Others like myself, offer a fair shipping and handling fee and a combined shipping discount which means after the basic shipping & handling charge for the first item, all additional items purchased on the same invoice will receive a discount on each additional item.

I recently won a lot for about $10 with free shipping. Turns out that there was an issue with it. Upshot is that the seller says I have to pay return postage charges to get it back to him before he will refund. In a sense I understand this, but it just seems a no win situation for a buyer. This will cost $6-10 to mail it back.