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Expert
Posts: 4036
 
Location: Connecticut | I purchased window sweeper and channel from Restoration Specialties in Windber, Pa. Good quality, but... First purchase was the sweeper. Order placed over the phone. They wouldn't tell me what the shipping charge was, but I was informed that it wouldn't be that much because the sweeper was flexible. When I was emailed a copy of the bill several days later, shipping charges were $35 ! Called them and was told that I didn't ask them to cut down the sweeper, so I had to pay an oversize fee. Huh ? I negotiated a 50% refund on the shipping. Next order was window channel. I asked them to cut it down to specified size so I wouldn't be charged an excessive fee. Again, they wouldn't quote me exact price for shipping. I got the bill and shipping came was $17 for a 32" mailing tube. Again, seemed excessive. I called them again and spoke to the owner, Jeff. I was told that the charge was whatever UPS charges. So I brought the tube to UPS today and asked them for a shipping quote. Came to $11. So they jacked the shipping cost by almost 50%. Anyone else have a similar experience ? Ron
Edited by ronbo97 2018-02-17 5:16 PM
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 9899
  
Location: Lower Mainland BC | I've been buying a lot of stuff for my 56 Dodge off eBay (or somewhere on internet) and sometimes the shipping charges are stupid high. The odd time, I've been able to get them to "check" their shipping costs before they ship and miraculously they drop (and I get a refund via PayPal). I am a big fan of the USPS flat rate boxes, etc. and very much not a fan of both UPS and Fedex.
In some cases, I start to think that the seller has upped their shipping costs so they don't have to pay eBay seller's fees as much. I am not sure if that is true or not.
Fortunately for the things that you got (sweeper and channel) which are difficult to ship, I can drive 15 miles and pick them up.
Edited by 56D500boy 2018-02-17 7:08 PM
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 6498
Location: Newark, Texas (Fort Worth) | Shame they treat us this way, Vendors should all have the shippers site on their desktops. All they have to do is input: approx weight, box size, zip code and if it is ground, air, P1- by 10:30 or first overnight- by 8:30. We all know boxes, tubes and maybe a little time to box it costs money, but come on, 2X the price? Jeez. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5006
| Shipping costs are going up big time, no wonder Amazon wants a piece of that pie. |
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Location: Parts Unknown | I like a "good price" as much as anyone, but balance the desire
for inexpensive against being a cheapskate, which is another word
for "axxhole". You figure this out quickly when you are on the other
end of dealing with a cheapskate. In my business, it is a regular
thing to have prospective clients ask us to work for 50ยข an hour and
provide all the materials for free. Needless to say, I laugh and wish
them luck in getting their job done, as I walk away. And then they
have the obliviosity to act galled, as if I am some con artist ! We do
fine work that is time intensive and uses fine (expensive) materials.
Skilled craftsmen deserve to be paid well for their skills and tool invest-
-ments.
Most of my clients have been with me for years and most new clients
are referrals from the established ones. Generally, I find the cheap-
-skates from outside these circles.
.... but the experience has taught me how unattractive cheapskates
are and how I never want to be THAT GUY.
Were I in the aforementioned situation, I would weigh the options ....
pick it up myself ? Have a local friend do it ? Or consider just what the
charge means .... if I charge $60/hr, is it really worth my time to fuss
about $35 ? Or should I just get back to work and enjoy the fact that
I can actually buy the hard-to-find item I am looking for ? And overall,
am I being a cheapskate ? I never want to be THAT GUY. 
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Expert
Posts: 1737
Location: Hay Lakes, Alberta, Canada | I do buy a fair amount of stuff on eBay, and I also sell on there as well. What most buyers don't realize is...eBay takes the same cut from your shipping charges, as they do from your item. So, depending on what you are listing, you may "loose" 20-30% from your shipping charges. So, in order to not loose money, I have to charge extra on the shipping, to cover the costs.
Ebay pegs all shipping charges as "shipping and handling", and expects all sellers to treat this as the large corporate retailers do; as an extra money-making addition to each sale.
That being said, as online retailing takes over the market, and tradition stores become less and less, shipping companies will be going after the $$$. |
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Expert
Posts: 1316
Location: Belgium, 40 miles south of Brussels | Brad, AFAIK, eBay takes the same amount on price and shipping, and that's 10%.
I can tell you the sting is event greater when ordering from the other side of the pond. What has changed over the year it that eBay gives the possibility (I'm not sure it's imposing it though) to the seller to have an automatic calculation of the shipping charges. You just give the size, weight, and eBay does the rest. And more often than not, sellers do not give a s**t about correct measurements, so they end up with overestimated shipping charges. And they tell you it's eBay that tells them the shipping charge, they do not bother to check for it.
Since that time, I've seen shipping charges double or triple from before. Even to the point of being ridiculous.
They want $20.00 to ship 4 cage nuts to Europe. How stupid that is ??? |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 406
Location: Hilltown, PA |
Vendors can, and will, charge what the market will bear. That is a cornerstone of the capitalist system.
Used to be that we paid for an item, and the shipping - or any cost related to making the item "ready to use" - was a surcharge passed through to the customer at cost.
No more.
With vendors competing on dwindling mark-ups those additional charges have become sources of profit for many vendors.
Think that's crazy? Just look up any popular book or item on Amazon, and list them by "cost with shipping". You'll find vendors selling the same item for amounts ranging from $1 to $100, with shipping charges in reverse order of the item cost. So the total cost is similar, but the item cost varies wildly.
It's simply a marketing device used to both reduce the posted item cost, and maintain or increase the item profit.
The hard truth is that today, with internet based retailing, you should be considering shipping as part of the cost of the item in "ready to use" state.
Afterall, what good is a bargain part on Mars?
Gregg |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7393
Location: northern germany | Chrome58 - 2018-02-18 12:25 PM
Since that time, I've seen shipping charges double or triple from before. Even to the point of being ridiculous.
They want $20.00 to ship 4 cage nuts to Europe. How stupid that is ???
you call that stupid? i experiened much, much worse. i'm willing to bet that in the past 35 years buying from the US i paid the equivalent of a perfect, running 60 fury coupe. that could be in my garage now. 99% of sellers overcharge and even if they promise you that its only actual shipping when the item arrives, you always find out that this was not the case.
large speedshops offer free shipping for US buyers and they take it from the overseas customers to finance this. if you ask them for a little rebate from the overcharge, since they offer free shipping in the US (sounds fair doesn't it?) they tell you they can't do that.
had a fight with a company in australia that sells the tiny rubber seals for the heater valves. they charged me almost $30 for sending one tiny seal and they insured me that this is actual shipping and its impossible to ship anything cheaper outside of australia. this went back and forth and i finally paid as i needed the part. well, i received it in a $1 envelope, so i contacted the company again and after some fight (telling them i have my money retrieved via credit card company) i got my money back.
weeks later i received a big and heavy key chain free promo from that said company in a $3 envelope. wt.... |
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Expert
Posts: 3887
Location: Northen Virginia | My experience buying from the US to my home overseas was painful as many of the overseas members are claiming in here.
That is the reason why, when I send one of my radios or any other part, I do the best I can to lighten up the packing, or box in general, also making up invoices to minimize the customs impact once the parcel arrive to the destination.
Germans are the worst of the worst, in the whole Europe based in my experience .
Edited by hemidenis 2018-02-18 3:53 PM
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Overcharging For Shipping
