Fees to mail item have become ridiculous! Won't buy because of this.
Summary: gasdh2022 expressed frustration over high mailing costs from sellers, which often exceed the cost of the items themselves, influencing their decision not to purchase. shire123 suggested shopping locally to avoid shipping fees, while soh.maryl highlighted that buyers may not always be aware of real shipping costs. 1786davycrockett, gosimus, and broto_64 explained that small sellers have to pass increased shipping and fuel costs to buyers and noted rising return rates as a financial burden. Other participants, such as roccotacodad54 and tobaccocardyahoo, reflected on evaluating total costs against item value, whereas mudshark61369 pointed out some sellers' excessive shipping charges potentially due to geographic website redirection.
While I understand the cost of mailing has gone up, the shipping/regular USPS fees sellers are charging buyers is outrageous. Many times the mailing costs more than the item by double. I won't buy because of this.
broto_64
·1 month agoThe reason a lot of sellers are charging double the cost is most likely because of ridiculously high return rates. Buyers today are returning more purchases than ever before, often for frivolous and false reasons.
I can not begin to tell you how many returns I've had filed for "INAD" or "damaged item" when there was absolutely nothing wrong with the item, the buyer even filling out bogus information in the comments section of the return.
It is a financial drain, it started years ago... Nowadays something like 3 to 4 out of every 10 orders are returned, back when I started selling on ebay it was more like 3 to 4 out of a thousand... Read that again, those figures are not typos, today's return rates are financially unsustainable. Buyers must think "free" returns doesn't hurt anyone but the fact is sellers pay for the return label which most often costs exactly as much as the original label did.
mudshark61369
·1 month ago@roccotacodad54 , @1786davycrockett , @tobaccocardyahoo ,
@gosimus , @msha3839 ...
One thing I discovered when checking the OP's FB profile is that while they are registered in the U.S., their feedback profile's URL address directs me to the Canadian site, and that may be the reason for the much higher shipping costs they are seeing.
https://feedback.ebay.ca/fdbk/...
I do think what this may be about, is not the increased fuel and handling surcharges being added by shippers, but The sometimes astronomical shipping costs some sellers are charging that go way over the increased costs.
I'm an experienced seller who has been on a buying spree this year, and have seen many listings that are posting items with a lower price, but add shipping costs that are way beyond even the highest DIM or Fuel Surcharge, prices. It almost reminds me of the days when sellers were listing items for $1 or $2 but charging $50+ for shipping.
However now, while those seller's item price might be on the lower end of the spectrum by 20-30% some of the shipping prices I've seen for them are well over the cost for a large package w/ overnight shipping costs. Some of them are in the Sponsored/Promoted listings, but many others are not.
monroe67
·1 month agoSo - - -
Hypothetically, if one of my competitors is selling a Thing for $5.00 with a $9.00 shipping charge, you might not buy that Thing from her, right?
Would you buy the same Thing from me for $13.99 with free shipping?
roccotacodad54
·1 month agoTo me the first one costs $14.00 and the second one costs $13.99, a penny difference.
The deciding factors would be condition, seller feedback, location etc.
eoma689485
·1 month ago"Many times the mailing costs more than the item by double."
USPS, UPS, FedEx, and anyone else charges by weight and package size, not what the item sold for.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 month agoIf the item is common and available locally, unless you are willing to pay a premium total price, you should buy locally.
If the item is uncommon, you should expect to pay a premium price because the number of people who know it exist affects how long a seller must wait for a buyer.
People make decisions on how much the want an item and what they are willing to pay for it, as a matter of course.
I have repeat buyers who buy what is the best value for their limited collecting dollars. Everything they might want for their collection competes with my items.
msha3839
·1 month ago · EditedWell, shipping by itself is a part of the cost…packaging, printing label, driving to post office..penny here , penny there…
bonanza125
·1 month agoWell you are not alone. Fact is shipping costs have gone up and will continue to go up. As Ebay users we are lucky to have shipping discounts. Some sellers apply that discount to the item which buyers like but others do not. If costs are too high for you purchase local.
roccotacodad54
·1 month agoIt all depends on the price of the item vs shipping. A recent purchase of mine of $299.00 cost me $12.50 Prirority mail.
It was worth it to me because it didn't add that much to the overall price.
I always look at the total amount it will cost me when deciding. Sometimes it's worth it, sometimes not...............
1786davycrockett
·1 month ago@gasdh2022
Unfortunately, both eBay sellers and eBay buyers are at the mercy of the shipping carriers, all of whom have been raising their fee structures during the past few months largely due to the massive increase in fuel fees since the war with Iran began in February.
The vast majority of eBay sellers are small-time individuals, operating from their kitchen tables, basements and garages, who cannot easily absorb these huge fuel increases as can the "big boys" like WalMart, Best Buy, Target, and so on.
So the small-time seller must pass the fuel cost along to the buyer -- or stop selling entirely.
Buyers must decide for themselves how (and where) to spend their money. If you can find the items which you desire elsewhere, go for it.
gosimus
·1 month ago@gasdh2022
As a corollary to "the small-time seller must pass the fuel cost along to the buyer" sometimes the shipping is listed as free shipping, but all that means is that the seller has incorporated the shipping cost into the price of the item. As already pointed out, Walmart et al can absorb an increased expense, but even they can't continue losing money long term, and eventually have to figure out some way to compensate for the shortfall. Small selllers don't have the luxury of that cushion.
broto_64
·1 month agoTo be fair quite a few items sold by "walmart" are actually also small sellers.
soh.maryl
·1 month agoAny time you see a listing where the shipping seems too high, you're free to just hit that back button. Buyers who aren't also sellers are often surprised at how much shipping can cost.
shire123
·1 month agoMailing costs are what they are. Nothing we can do about it. So shop locally then things don't have to be mailed to you.