Is it possible to find out what a seller actually paid for shipping (via the carrier or eBay)

I am in Florida and I routinely buy product (wood) from 2 different sellers in Washington state. Packages from each of them are very similar in content (ergo shape and weight of the packaged shipment). Both of the sellers are "top tier" sellers on eBay and almost assuredly get the same level of discounting from eBay.

One of the sellers is consistently MUCH higher on shipping charges (e.g. - $90 -vs- $30) than the other.

I have a feeling I'm being gouged, but don't want to make any baseless accusations I haven't proven. Is it possible to get UPS or FedEx to tell me what a shipper paid for a given parcel??

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johnny-longtorso

2715 View listings

Posted 2 years ago·Last reply 2 years ago

11 comments

frankenhobbit

·2 years ago

473 View listings

What the seller paid to the carrier is only part of the shipping cost. Materials, packaging time, mileage. That can be considerable for some items, even more than what was paid to the carrier for the shipping label. Something light and fragile needs oodles of bubble-wrap, two boxes (one inside the other), material to stop movement inside the package and then the time of the guy packing it. It's now too big to fit in your mailbox, so you have to take it to USPS because you want to give good service and not wait another day or so for a scheduled pickup. The shipping label itself is less than $10

Also, as there are other costs than shipping to selling on eBay, some sellers may up their shipping costs to cover those, rather than markup the item they are selling. Swings and roundabouts.

simba6

·2 years ago

2324 View listings

If you think the shipping is too high, find another seller.

campanaelia

·2 years ago

761 View listings

The total cost (item price + s/h) is all that should matter to you. How the seller divides the numbers up is none of your business. You're being very petty, find another seller if it bothers you.

johnny-longtorso

OP2 years ago

2715 View listings

> try shopping by best total price
I do - the total combined shipping at the end is the issue.

> Who are you going to complain to?
The seller that I spend $80k a year with that appears to be gouging me on shipping. I thought that was obvious, apparently not.

My actual question remains unanswered, short of the suggestion to "mimic" the shipment sans discounts...

stainlessenginecovers

·2 years ago

5572 View listings

Yes- you can easily find out what the 'retail' shipping cost would be by simply going to the website of the carrier and inputting the size, weight, zip codes.

As others have stated, some may have a 'better deal' with a carrier as well as some charge 'MORE' to cover 'handling' (which can include, plucking, wrapping, ebay fees (upwards of 15% alone) etc.

Also- why not just reach out to the seller and talk about how much you are buying and see if they can 'do' something for you in regards to shipping costs?

gone.c-33

·2 years ago

0 View listings

@johnny-longtorso wrote:
> try shopping by best total price
I do - the total combined shipping at the end is the issue.

Shopping by total price means Seller A with $10 item + $10 shipping and Seller B with $15 item + $5 shipping are the same, you get the item you want delivered at your house for the same price.

> Who are you going to complain to?
The seller that I spend $80k a year with that appears to be gouging me on shipping. I thought that was obvious, apparently not.

If the seller is charging you exactly what is advertised in the listing, there is no gouging. Some sellers roll in some of the shipping costs in the item price, some have better deals than others, some get their packaging for free while others have to pay for it.

Just so you know, complaining to a seller will not result in you getting any money back, but a one way ticket to their BBL.

My actual question remains unanswered, short of the suggestion to "mimic" the shipment sans discounts...

Because there is no sure fire way to know with all the possible variables involved. If you donâ€™t like the shipping quote posted, purchase elsewhere.

albertabrightalberta

·2 years ago

PROFILE SIGNATURE! NOT DIRECTED TO YOU: I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you.104 View listings

@johnny-longtorso wrote:

The seller that I spend $80k a year with that appears to be gouging me on shipping. I thought that was obvious, apparently not.

If you think a seller is overcharging you, find another seller with prices you feel more comfortable with! It's easy! No one forces you to buy from a particular seller.

mtgraves7984

·2 years ago

2740 View listings

"My actual question remains unanswered..."

@johnny-longtorso

It's a long shot, but you could request that the seller print the amount of the label's cost onto the label. It might be your last exchange with that seller, if you do that, though. Proceed with caution...

mudshark61369

·2 years ago

"There is no such thing as foolproof, because fools are so darned ingenious" (unknown)3113 View listings

@johnny-longtorso,

If you want to get an idea of the actual shipping cost you can go to the FedEx or UPS sites to get an estimated cost from your zip code to theirs, fill in the package dimensions and weight. Of course if the seller has a commercial account with the shipper, they may be paying less, than the price you would be shown.

"I have a feeling I'm being gouged, but don't want to make any baseless accusations I haven't proven".

Who are you going to complain to? eBay's rules say that when you commit to buy, you agree to accept the Shipping and Handling cost as well as the item price, given on the listing as a part of the contract. While ebay suggests that sellers to keep their Handling charge low, they cannot challenge what the seller feels is a reasonable handling fee.

chapeau-noir

·2 years ago

Klaatu barada nikto6589 View listings

Also, many sellers don't use eBay postage. Many charge cheaper shipping and bundle the rest into the price of the item. Some charge "free" shipping but they simply hide it in the item price. There are a lot of different ways to slice the onion.

As above, shop for your best price.

nobody*s_perfect

·2 years ago

145 View listings

@johnny-longtorso wrote: .... Both of the sellers are "top tier" sellers on eBay and almost assuredly get the same level of discounting from eBay....

A really big seller might have their own business account with UPS or Fedex and get an even better discount than eBay gives.

Are they using the same service, or is one using a faster, upgraded service (which would cost more but would also be less likely to result in damaged packages), such as 3-day vs Ground shipping?

All carriers charge a surcharge for packages with a greater volume or length, so a difference of even a few inches in package dimensions can have a big effect on price.

Also, it's possible that the seller who charges less is absorbing part of his actual costs, though he'd be adding that to his asking price, just as sellers who offer "Free" shipping do.

Instead of investigating and accusing, maybe try shopping by best total price.