[ricelynnevans75]

(03-29-2011 12:35 PM)akalepos Wrote:  That taking a percentage of S/H is bad too. Probably is legal some how. You'd have to check with the Department of Commerce. I'm sure that at least one person has contacted IRS about that.

What's worse is that Ebay fosters mail fraud, in the form of fee gouging. If a seller is using ripoff postage and he's using those ebay mail things you can buy, I have noticed from my purchases that when the postage coincides with what the post office would charge, then it is denoted on the shipping slip. But when it doesn't fit right, it does not. Check that out to see if I might be wrong here. Many times when I had to pay too much postage, it has been that way.

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I'm not blind. I look at the postage too when I go to buy something. It's tough deciding to pay 2.50 on a 1.50 card. If I need it bad enough, I will go ahead and do that.

I look at my own postage, and the 2.50 gives me chills.

I use padded envelopes that usually cost around a dollar, depending on the source. I try to send it 1st class and have to add stuffing (bubblepop or peanuts and tape) to the in side of the envelope to make it 3/4 inch thick to please the post office. Delivery confimation is another 80 cents. Plus I have to account somehow for the gas as my post office isn't just across the street.
Plus there are all those times when the item turns out to have some weight, and I have to pay the difference. Sometimes the postage is around 4.00 and rarely more.

So while I feel comfortable charging 3.65, it turns out that it is more of a break even sort of thing. And yes, I freak out too when I see it on something I need, but then I realize that its just a psyche block when I remember the costs. I don't want to lose money making sales any more.

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I've done this. Some of those nice people out there don't appreciate it and even get insulting.

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I've done this. Some of those nice people out there don't appreciate it and even get insulting.

Just for communicating? Wow. I never get any responses back at all though once in awhile someone sends something back thanking me for the messages and that they never get that much actual communication.

[sesamestreet4life]

Everybody keeps dinging my communication on Ebay. You guys do it on here too when the trade feature worked. What??? Do people want me to send them love letters every day or what? Want me to be your pen pal? On Ebay, I send people a message letting them know their item was shipped and I thank them - the end. what more does one want? As for here on Beckett when the trading worked and people gave me low communication scores I really don't know what the heck you want? All my other scores were tip-top, but people just need to say I'm a bad communicator for some reason.

My guess on Ebay is that people are dinging me on communication due to them not paying for a week and the ebay item assist opening on them. It seems this month that almost every auction has had a case opened due to the buyer not paying! I am not Wal-mart and not offering lay-a-way. The longer it takes you to pay the longer I am out of money to some degree, this can kill the little guy just trying to get by when it adds up. And even when Ebay opens a case that means you get another four days! I happen to mention that Ebay item assist will take effect in my auction listing as well. So, jerks punish me for their inability to pay for something they agreed to buy.

People also get mad at me because I do not leave feedback as a seller immediately after they pay. Considering the amount of times I do leave feedback first and only THEN the person comes forward saying there is an issue, yeah, forget that. The transaction is not over until the buyer has stated that they have received their package.

I feel the same frustrations with Ebay as described by many, especially lately, seems like about the last 15 sales on there I have had people trying to pull one over on me, now shipping is going to go up because I'm going to protect packages with every little bit of protection available and anyone who wants to claim they did not get theirs is getting a tough luck, my communication apparently is already suffering, might as well run it into the ground ha ha. All kinds of issues with buyers, another trend as of late is people bidding on my items and then trying to get me to ship to different addresses and complaining when I won't because it is out of the country ect. I did not set my auctions to block foreign country buyers by mistake, I did it because the majority of the packages I send magically never arrive. I ship to Hawaii, hey people in Hawaii quit bidding with your American account and then getting mad at me that I refuse to ship to Japan for you!

With that said, I still have 100% feedback at this moment, just my communication star is fading, every single person that has tried something has failed. I am expecting that to disappear any day now and buyers are going to suffer for it in the long run because I will not trust anyone and I would rather someone open a case against me and earn the negative feedback as opposed to refunding their couple of bucks and therefore losing my money, product, and getting punished for it.

Ebay bases their business on "trust" and assuming that people are "good" they've opened my backdoor as a seller and invited all the "bad" people right on in, and I'm not just going to take it, and in the end A.) honest buyers suffer and B.)I suffer because I'm not going to make my money.

I not only sell, I buy a lot on Ebay, so I fuel the machine in such a positive manner I think I should be getting treated better.

[akalepos]

I must have been filling in the wrong area to get all those responses jammed together like that!
Sorry.

I too, get that silent treatment mostly. But sometimes when I try to explain my position, I get insulting email back from the shallow mindless ones.

Alot of people will ask you to do things that just simply waste your time, as then after you do what they ask... you never hear back from them. Not even a simple "thanks".

I've gotten to the point where I don't honor many requests. Especially when some one wants me to photograph every card in a subset so he can cherry pick through it.

The experience is giving me this ugly picture of things.

But on the other hand there are plenty of people who are just plain straight up, and buy things outright without any whimpering. They don't have an agenda and seem to be true collectors rather then these others.

I'm not selling my stuff with the idea in mind that I need to supply someone else for their customers. I am not a supplier, and I am not a dealer, I'm simply selling off my collection.

In the last two months, I have had to pay out 2/3 of my take because I need to keep reposting stuff. Some of it I just lower the price down to nothing just to get it gone. But it is always nice when you've helped someone with that set they'vce been working on, or in finding that card that they have been looking for, and they aren't the kinds of people trying to pay a nickle ninety three for a 50.00 card that's for sale for 10 or 12.

To ME, there's just something scummy about people like that. Maybe its MY problem, but I just don't like it. It seems "low lifey".

Then with ebay raping the heck out of everyone with fees, it seems even worse.

But like I have said... where the heck are ya going to go?

[thelegendjerryrice]

(03-29-2011 12:35 PM)akalepos Wrote:  That taking a percentage of S/H is bad too. Probably is legal some how. You'd have to check with the Department of Commerce. I'm sure that at least one person has contacted IRS about that.

What's worse is that Ebay fosters mail fraud, in the form of fee gouging. If a seller is using ripoff postage and he's using those ebay mail things you can buy, I have noticed from my purchases that when the postage coincides with what the post office would charge, then it is denoted on the shipping slip. But when it doesn't fit right, it does not. Check that out to see if I might be wrong here. Many times when I had to pay too much postage, it has been that way.

---

I'm not blind. I look at the postage too when I go to buy something. It's tough deciding to pay 2.50 on a 1.50 card. If I need it bad enough, I will go ahead and do that.

I look at my own postage, and the 2.50 gives me chills.

I use padded envelopes that usually cost around a dollar, depending on the source. I try to send it 1st class and have to add stuffing (bubblepop or peanuts and tape) to the in side of the envelope to make it 3/4 inch thick to please the post office. Delivery confimation is another 80 cents. Plus I have to account somehow for the gas as my post office isn't just across the street.
Plus there are all those times when the item turns out to have some weight, and I have to pay the difference. Sometimes the postage is around 4.00 and rarely more.

So while I feel comfortable charging 3.65, it turns out that it is more of a break even sort of thing. And yes, I freak out too when I see it on something I need, but then I realize that its just a psyche block when I remember the costs. I don't want to lose money making sales any more.

---

I've done this. Some of those nice people out there don't appreciate it and even get insulting.

---

I've done this. Some of those nice people out there don't appreciate it and even get insulting.

WHY !!!!!!!!!
WOULD ANYONE PAY 80 cents.
Do it online. If you send it Priority through paypal its free. First class it is a whopping 19 cents.

I still dont get HOW i can see people saying they pay 80 cents for DC !!!!!!!!

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(03-29-2011 04:54 PM)akalepos Wrote:  I must have been filling in the wrong area to get all those responses jammed together like that!
Sorry.

When you quote more than one person in a thread and no one else posts. It joins your quotes together.

Like it will do to this one.

[bonds20001]

Looks like I am going to lose Power Seller too. I have enough transactions, but missed out by a few $$ in the total for the year...economy bad, sales down, costs up etc etc..
So I guess that is gone...shame to I have over 300 transactions a year, but missed the $3000 mark by $40..
Anyway...
Postage for me is $1.50, that is what it costs for bubble envelope ($.15 ea in bulk), DC = $.19 and postage...All done through Paypal..
I get hit for a variety of things, like TI TOOK 3 DAYS TO GET CARD!!!
Yes, I did not hand deliver..sorry.
I got a low mark on shipping costs once when it was FREE SHIPPING!!!

There are people who ding you just because they can.
Overall.. a positive experience and I ship overseas too..

Costs are up and when the break even is over...so am I ..

Some times it is better to lock up and leave than try to sell and lose..

I have 3300 + and 0 negs...but looks like I am too small a seller to get a break like the big boys..

Whine Whine...sorry...

[mcflysportscards]

(03-29-2011 09:46 PM)bonds20001 Wrote:  I got a low mark on shipping costs once when it was FREE SHIPPING!!!

How did you get a low mark? When free shipping is offered you automatically get a 5 star rating for the shipping and handling.

[bonds20001]

(03-30-2011 12:49 AM)mcflysportscards Wrote:  How did you get a low mark? When free shipping is offered you automatically get a 5 star rating for the shipping and handling.

It was a long time ago....when all this was just in infancy
Free shipping was for BIN..otherwise there was a charge of $1.50
So technically, I only shipped free for BIN
Nowadays the free shipping button gives you a 5 start..

Just makes me mad when I think of it.

[akalepos]

I think that for awhile, if you mailed the item out within 24hrs, Ebay would blank out the feedback for shipping also. I don't know if they are still doing that.

Ok, so I'll bite.
If ebay only charges 19 cents for tracking with 1st class mail, when the post office charges 80 cents, then how much does it cost to buy their printed shipping slip?

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What I am seeing here is that if I wanted to use ebay's shipping label, its only going to print out what I have listed for postage.

It is giving me no details about anything.
So I have no reason to conclude that I would only be charged .19 for tracking. It's not telling me anything.

On the right hand side there is a little block that says:
Your Shipping Cost
Postage cost
Delivery Confirmation cost
Total.

They are all blank, so I can't determine anything from that.

I need you to help me out here, because what you've told me is quickly gaining urban legend status.

I don't buy padded envelopes in bulk. I have no need to. I have no need to get a scale. I have no need to set myself up like a UPS store. I'm just selling off my collected stuff. I do not resupply myself with things to sell on ebay. I'm just selling off my stuff. So I have no reason to buy a giant box of padded envelopes. I just go down and buy 20 at a time.

It doesn't matter if I can get them cheaper that way because the chances are good that they would end up filling up space in the garage, which is counter to the reason of why I use ebay anyway.

I think that what you've been telling me is perfect for someone who has set himself up to be a regular dealer, but it just doesn't apply to what I am doing with ebay.

[bonds20001]

If you have a Paypal account, you can use the mail from eBay.
You HAVE to put in the weight on a padded envelope..so a scale is helpful, or 1 oz for 1 card 2 oz for 2-3 cards etc.
Then it tells you the postage and total
enter the address and the DC is automatic.
No urban legend, just easy to use.
Print outt he label with regular paper and tape them to the padded envelope, that is what I do
Do not confuse with the stamps.com etc that charges for a printer or labels etc..they cost lots of $$
And it is $.19 for DC that is true and insurance is the actual amount spent on item via ebay
1 card in padded envelope cost $1.41 for me, add the cost of the bulk envelope and I charge $1.50, just what it costs me

[akalepos]

Ok, so I am looking at the "Creating shipping labels" page.
I see where above it had said it was 19 cents for tracking. So, sorry I doubted you there.

But I still don't see where I can actually choose it on the shipping label print page.

Its asking me for weight.

So when I arbitrarily stick in 1 ounce, the postage drops to 1.22, and delivery confirmation is 19 cents like you said.

I guess then that I can drop my postage on light items, and that 2.50 would actually cover it until I have to pack a heavier package.

So, I'll start doing that when I start relisting the ones that would obviously be covered by that.

Thanks.

What about that 3/4 inch thickness requirement from the post office? Ever had any difficulties with that? Do you think I will still have to stuff them with some rolled up bubblepop to meet the requirement?