I agree that there is often WAAY too much "padding" in shipping costs,
especially on ebay, but also through other mail-order/online merchants.
However, with eBay sellers, just like any other business that ships
products, there are costs involved in shipping beyond just the actual
postage cost. First of all, there is the time of packing the product for
shipment, which you want the seller to take time to package something well
so it arrives in one piece. Time is money when you are a business. Then
there are actual packaging costs, especially if not using priority mail in
which most supplies are free. There is shipping tape, padded envelopes,
styrofoams, crates, etc. This stuff is NOT free and isn't necessarily a
cost the seller should just absorb. Then one must look at the gas involved
in taking this shipment to the post office, UPS office, etc. Some big
businesses have pick-up services, but most eBay small sellers do not and
must use their own gas plus wear/tear on the vehicle, plus more time
involved in going to mail the package, standing in line, etc. Should all of
these costs just be deducted from the purchase price, along with the various
fees involved in selling the product online (whether ebay, paying to host a
website, etc.)? I'm sure most buyers would say yes, but sellers would say
no. The product price is for the actual product, not getting it to buyer in
most cases. If the seller had a storefront, and you could walk-in to buy
that item for the same price, you would have to pay sales tax, which we
expect to pay and don't quibble about (except to gripe that it's too high).
Then we should also expect that when we buy something mail-order, we must
pay shipping costs. I totally agree that the shipping costs should be
reasonable. I hate nothing more than to see something at a great price then
pay some insane price to ship it to me. On the other hand, I don't expect
there to never be a handling fee. I am both a buyer and an online seller,
so I see it from both points of view. The nice thing about the new ebay
system is that you can know exactly what you are expected to pay for
shipping before you even choose to bid. If you have a problem with the
shipping price, you can choose not to bid, or to write to the seller to
request perhaps a cheaper shipping method, etc. It does seem that these
fees are "hidden", which can seem a little sneaky to some folks. Basically,
the best thing is to know about what something would cost to ship, and if
the price is sky-high, then don't bid. I've seen lots of items not even get
bids because of insane shipping costs. These sellers should eventually
figure it out and lower the handling fees if they want to sell their
products. I think it's very bad business to not list a shipping cost, then
once the auction has ended, for the seller to quote a shipping price that
includes some huge handling fee. If there is a handling fee, and the seller
doesn't use the shipping calculator, they should specify in the auction that
the shipping will be actual plus said-amount handling fee so the buyer can
know what to expect. I've been selling on ebay since about '96/'97, and I
have seldom charged a handling fee, as I always try to use recycled shipping
supplies, but I have also realized I'm still "going in the hole" on shipping
costs by the tape I have to buy, the time hunting supplies, packaging, going
to the PO/UPS, and my gas. I have been considering the fact that if I want
to see a true profit, I should probably charge a small handling fee on small
items and a larger one on the really big items I ship that can take over an
hour just to package safely.
Anyway, there is a lot to consider in running a profitable business without
ripping anyone off. Just don't jump too quickly into thinking all handling
fees are unreasonable since it's similar to the difference between selling
wholesale and retail--there are costs involved for the seller that makes the
price different either way.
Just my 2 cents,
Melanie Mace
www.dollsnstitches.com
> Yeah there is a lot of "padding" in the shipping lately. There is a new
> feature that lets the buyer calculate shipping charges. The seller can
> automatically add, and hide a handeling fee in the quoted charge. I got a
> quote for $15 to shp an ink cartridge! Did not bid on that one.
>
>
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