eBay games....

[crazy steve]

I've been going back-and-forth with a seller of some mini-gauges (this thread http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34537) and the guy is playing games. First, I asked about combined shipping (which he said he offers) and got the reply that 'combined' would cost me more than the single-item price times two. Mind, these are small items...

When I questioned that, I got a song-and-dance about how the 'weight breaks' is what caused that. When I pointed out that the USPS rates for the weights he mentioned were still much lower than his quote, he told me I was wrong, and besides, eBay and Paypal add a 15% 'surcharge' on shipping cost! Does he think I just fell off the turnip truck??!!

Right after that exchange, he went back and revised the listing, upping the cost of 'standard' shipping by almost $2. Sheeshhh...

I'm gonna buy 'em anyway (can't find them elsewhere), then give him negative feedback...

[latexeses]

Try telling him to take the gauges out of the box and you will send him the $5.20 for the Postal Service Flat Rate box that it will take to get the gauges and the paperwork to you...That seems to be a very common practice on ebay. It's even harder to tell when they are sticking you for shipping when they are printing their own shipping labels.

That overcharging for postage really pisses me off. I just ordered two drill collets from Hardinge for my lathe. Bad enough they gouge you for the part but then the charge $10.50 to ship something that will fit in a 2.5 inch square by 3/4" thick box. They could have stuck the damned parts in a padded CD envelope for less that $2.00.
The invoice got to me 4 days before the tooling.

Good luck with the gauges. Better luck with the seller.

[foreda]

Ebay shipping

I agree that the over charging on ebay is out of control. That is why when I have something to sell I usually try to sell here first.

[crazy steve]

HAH!

The guy must of had an attack of sanity (or a talking-to from somebody), as when I bought these just now, combined shipping was now only $11 instead of the $15.95 he quoted me....

It's all good.... The next question after I get these will be if I can build them into a modified standard instrument panel...

[tom clisham]

shipping rates

I believe it's reasonable for a seller that does more volume than most of us, to add a couple bucks to cover packaging & handling. Combining shipping usually does not double their costs.

The ones I really don't like put up a cheap buy it now, & then charge twice as much as most for shipping.

[cywelchjr]

I believe it's reasonable for a seller that does more volume than most of us, to add a couple bucks to cover packaging & handling. Combining shipping usually does not double their costs.

The ones I really don't like put up a cheap buy it now, & then charge twice as much as most for shipping.

It's their way of cutting down the ebay fees, since they are based on the sale price, which doesn't include shipping. Frankly if the total is still reasonable, I don't care, but I'm sure the other vendors do, as it causes ebay to raise the rates still more to make up for it.

[jmacsuga]

eBay.....Shipping....Seller....etc......

I do some selling on eBay, and since they have now started charging their final auction fee on the combined shipping and sell price, I have just done the free shipping thing. I usually don't buy anything there if it does not include shipping. I just figure what it costs to ship the item from Spokane to Florida, and charge that amount and include it in the price. Seems to work for me. When you buy, look for those free shipping items. Jim

[foreda]

Knockout set

HAH!

The guy must of had an attack of sanity (or a talking-to from somebody), as when I bought these just now, combined shipping was now only $11 instead of the $15.95 he quoted me....

It's all good.... The next question after I get these will be if I can build them into a modified standard instrument panel...

I have an assortment of hole saws and Greenlee knockout sets if you need them.
Dale

[crazy steve]

I have an assortment of hole saws and Greenlee knockout sets if you need them.
Dale

I'm a retired electrician, so I've got all that stuff, but thanks for the offer!

Preliminary measurements look like these will go into the idiot light cluster (after I relocate the lights), so I'm hoping I don't have to build a housing from scratch. I may have to have a bung TIG welded to the oil pan for the temp sensor, I'll know more when the gauges get here.

I'll post the mod once I figure it out....

[DGXSER]

If the seller is up front as to what they want you to pay for their items, and you ask for a quote and they give it to you, even if it seems unreasonable, it is still what they want for their stuff. I honestly do not see giving negative feedback because thay charge what they told you they were going to charge. Buying at that price is your choice.

I have had it with Paypal and Ebay. The charge from ebay to use their site, and then the cost of Paypal to use that, it starts to make me feel better about the taxes the government takes from me. It is no wonder folks have had to find ways to get around what they can.

[crazy steve]

My objection was the seller wasn't 'up-front' with his shipping costs. The original listing had a shipping cost of $7.41 for a single item (first class mail), with a statement that he would combine shipping. To me, combined shipping means that multiple items can go in the same box, with the additional items being a lower added amount (generally the weight difference). This has been true when I've sold on eBay, and has been true from every other seller I've bought from. If I was using a flat-rate box and the additional items fit in it, I didn't charge anything extra. But when I asked for combined shipping and got a quote of $16, it didn't make sense. When I questioned him on it, I got a song-and-dance about postal service rates (which was wrong), eBay and Paypal charges (also wrong), and a 'handling fee' (which wasn't mentioned anywhere in his listing).

Now, right after I pointed out all this, he went back and revised the listing, increasing the single-item shipping cost (and still not making any note about eBay/Paypal charges or 'handling' fees). I went ahead and bought the items anyway as I was unsuccessful in finding them elsewhere, but was pleasantly surprised to only be charged $11 'combined' shipping, which I paid with no objections. I won't leave negative feedback (if needed) for shipping...

He relisted the remaining sets he had (started with 9, sold 4) with a new shipping amount of $10.20 for priority mail. A bit high IMO, but 'reasonable'. Why all the monkey-motion with shipping? I suspect that this seller has had other complaints about shipping costs (from reading his feedback) and may have been on the edge of losing his selling privileges.

I'll agree that eBay has gone downhill badly in the last few years and isn't 'friendly' to non-pro sellers anymore. Their forcing of certain conditions onto sellers has made it tough for us amateurs and ran costs up for everyone. But it's still the best place to get hard-to-find items. I don't sell there much anymore because of the hassles involved....