Shipping Costs On Coins You Buy On-Line

For me, shipping cost figures into total cost of coin. It's called smart shopping if you can get the same coin with lower shipping & lower total cost. It doesn't always work though when you really got to have something & only one seller has it.

Unless you have to return the item, in which case your refund won't include the shipping.

hhbkiddo,

I actually have a bit of an issue with that approach. And I'm not taking up for the guy gouging on shipping. That's wrong, and he should have been reported.

*BUT*, if you bid on an item on ebay, and the shipper has openly published a shipping price on the listing, shouldn't you start out adding that shipping price to the price of the actual lot? The way I read your story, the final price of the lot was $17, not $9. In my mind, I always view a situation like yours in this way. If I am prepared to bid on a lot, the shipping price to me is always free. However, what the seller calls 'shipping charges' are actually a premium for doing business with a particular seller. Sometimes, paying that premium is worthwhile, if I want something, and sometimes, it isn't.

Well said, Biggfredd!

st of all guys,
the seller was under NO obligation to reduce his shipping cost.
However, to charge that kind of money for an envelope and a 59 cent stamp is F%$#@%^ wrong , well I do not want to be censored here....
Seller was under absolutely NO threat whatsoever.
HOWEVER, had he not reduced this ridiculous cost, I would have fwd his response to Feeebay. He knows what he is doing is wrong!!
SO, jump on me or do whatever you think is appropriate, I will do exactly the same again.. and actually have done numerous times. every time with success.
It is about time to do something about the sellers who try and make extra money from honest buyers.
as I said yesterday, Zonad opened a huge can of worms here... but more later.
just this for now: How do sellers back up their so called " insurance extra, or included? YOU tell me. And please do not tell me about Postal limitation on shipments. and also NOT what you think is facts. Facts only please....
the can opener is just being dug out.... is not even set..... Uhhhhh eb(fee)bay is not going to like me....

As I said earlier, if a shipping price is shown to the public during the bidding process, why is it an issue after the fact. The seller told you, by your own admission, what the terms of the sale were. Were his terms unreasonable? Perhaps. I'll go so far as to say probably so.

But, you were told what the terms of the sale were, and you bit that apple. You haven't said there was someone holding a gun to your head, forcing you to bid. How is your response to the situation any less unethical than the original seller's?

It is ebay's place to discuss the price of an envelope and a stamp with the seller. Not yours. If the price of shipping seems unreasonable, don't bid. The guy's big mistake was telling you he was using the shipping to offset his other expenses.

As for dealers who provide free shipping, insurance, etc. I sell online. I provide free shipping, insurance, and proof of delivery. I also don't sell low end items. If I can't be assured of a margin that allows me to comfortably assume the costs of delivery, then I'm certainly not marketing my merchandise in the proper forum.

HHB,



We didn't take his side. I know I certainly didn't. I wouldn't have bid on the item in the first place, because the price of shipping seemed unreasonable.

And, an auction is an auction. Unlike a coin shop, or an antique store, there is is absolutely no room for negotiation. You are bidding in an open forum, under a pre-determined set of conditions. The price of shipping is one of those conditions. I do a lot of business with Christie's, Sotheby's and Skinner's, for example. I have done excellent business with them, and other's for years. Because of my strong repeat business, I am granted certain 'perks', such as payment terms, etc. I can't imagine how they would look at me if I ever tried to negotiate new terms after a sale... I would be an absolute laughingstock in the community.

I guess what it boils down to is if you want brick and mortar service, go to a brick and mortar store. ebay, and other similar forums are basically 'amateur' operations. I hate to put it that way, because many folks here on the forum generate excellent income from sources like ebay, and in no way do I want to belittle their efforts. I've certainly found some amazing deals on ebay, and quite often, I've paid absurd shipping prices in order to get those deals. For example... I once paid $50 shipping on an item that the seller spent $10 to ship to me... But I bought the item for $900, got it in hand, and sold it the same afternoon for $22,500. The seller made his profit, and I made mine. We were both happy.