This question is for sellers

[leoaqu-69]

I would shop around on ebay and sometimes the shipping is a few dollars or the item has free shipping and sometimes the shipping on the item is really expensive. I bought a item where the seller is from Florida and it was free shipping and I recently bought a game from a seller also from Florida where the shipping was $15 and I want to know if the seller can make a few extra bucks by increasing the price on shipping? I want to know if that's the exact price on the shipping or was I ripped off? I want to know if I should give this guy a good review or a bad review that I got screwed.

[m60driver]

You agreed to the terms of the sale, including the shipping price.  Alas you can not give yourself a bad review for over paying for shipping.  You screwed yourself so leave the seller out of it.

[richard1rst]

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@leoaqu-69 wrote:

I would shop around on ebay and sometimes the shipping is a few dollars or the item has free shipping and sometimes the shipping on the item is really expensive. I bought a item where the seller is from Florida and it was free shipping and I recently bought a game from a seller also from Florida where the shipping was $15 and I want to know if the seller can make a few extra bucks by increasing the price on shipping? I want to know if that's the exact price on the shipping or was I ripped off? I want to know if I should give this guy a good review or a bad review that I got screwed.

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Your observation is incomplete. Do not concentrate on the shipping alone. What was the TOTAL price of the item.

$35 with free shipping

$20 with $15 shipping

$27.50 with $7.50 shipping.

There is only a difference if you look at ONLY the shipping. Are they really any different when you look at the total price?

[mam98031]

@leoaqu-69 

The cost of shipping is NOT determined by what you pay for an item.  Shipping is what it has always been, sometimes it matters what type of product is being shipped and the weight of that item.

Sellers have a couple ways they can charge for shipping.  It can be via separately stated Shipping and HANDLING charges on the listing or the seller can offer Free Shipping.  Now it is VERY important to understand that there is not a soul out there that actually gets Free Shipping.  You do have to pay for it.  What sellers offering Free Shipping do is roll the price of the shipping into the price of the product.

As a buyer, you really don't have the right to get upset with a seller AFTER you purchased something and you feel you overpaid for shipping.  You are welcome to look at the rules.  But if you purchase the item, you AGREE to the pricing of the item, including shipping.  So you would be completely unfair to damage a Seller's Feedback because of it.  If you feel it is too much, then simply don't buy from that seller and move on to someone you like the pricing better.

AS for Games.  Depends on what kind of games and what games.  Board Games can be expensive to ship.  Electronic / video games usually not as much.  Depending on the item, the seller may be adding insurance into the price of shipping too.

It is important to remember that the actual cost of shipping does NOT mean it is ONLY the actual cost you pay to the carrier.  Along with that is the cost of the packaging materials needed to ship your items whether that is just an envelope or not.  And shipping materials have skyrocketed in price in the last year or so.

Then there are fees seller's have to pay on shipping.  Some sellers put those fees in with the Shipping amount they charge others will roll it into the price of the product.  Either way is just fine, but the seller has to recoup those costs or they can't stay in business for long.

Please try to keep an open mind.  Most sellers do not try to price gouge their buyers.  We want you to come back.  But we do have to cover our costs.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi, iam so glad you came here to ask about this.

Shipping costs may sometimes include a handling charge, and cost of packaging materials. It is part of eBay’s policy to allow room for these expenses. So even if the actual postage cost was less than the total shipping charge paid the buyer, it is a standard business practice on eBay.

But each seller handles prices in his own way. As a seller, i for one do not charge a buyer more than the actual postage. Nor do I  like billing my customers for handling charges. So the practice varies from seller to seller. eBay does not allow sellers to exorbitantly pad shipping charges.

As for the kind of feedback to leave your seller, it would be unfair to punish a seller after the fact for a shipping charge that you willingly accepted at checkout. It is up to the buyer to examine and compare sellers’ prices before buying. You can always ask a prospective seller if they charge a handling fee or make a modest increase of the shipping price over the actual postage cost. All inquiries should be investigated prior to purchasing.

[reallynicestamps]

Free Shipping is an advertising ploy which means the seller has included his shipping costs in the asking price for the item.

You will never know the exact cost for shipping.

Now I'm in Canada and use Canada Post so USPS and American sellers will have differences in detail, but not necessarily overall.

Ignoring the Canada Post fuel surcharge which varies from month to month,  there is the advertised rate.

Which does not include federal taxes.

Neither of those are likely to apply to USPS sales.

But.

I have registered for their Small Business program that gives me access to a service, Expedited Parcel, that is only available to businesses.

I also get a small discount on any service I use.

But if I ship a lot those discounts go up and up.

EBay has also negotiated further discounts for sellers shipping through them upwards of 40% off advertised rates for some services.

US -based sellers also get discounts from USPS.

And, you may understand from my ID that I can buy stamps at huge discounts from counter rates, like any stamp dealer. The price I pay for postage is below any Canada Post discount.

Still.

Your seller may also be paying extra for faster service than they advertised. Or they may have upgraded to Signature Confirmation because they think you may have problems in your neighbourhood with porch pirates.

They can't charge you more than they advertised though. They take the loss if they feel they need the more expensive service.

And they can't reduce the service either. If they advertise Priority they can't ship Media Mail - that's a cause for a Not As Described dispute. (You'd have to return the purchase at the seller's expense though.)

And with eBay Shipping, particularly Calculated Shipping, is only based on postage rates.

But the seller also packaged and insured the shipment, never mind getting it to the post office.

So as I said earlier, you have no idea what any seller paid for shipment.

It might be more than they charged you. It might be less.

Was the price acceptable?

Did it arrive on or before the last estimated delivery date?

Was it securely packaged?

Did it arrive in the condition in the listing?

And finally.

Someone always pays for Free Shipping.

And the someone is always the buyer.

[dmov86]

This topic has provided me with a significant amount of clarity and understanding. It has helped me gain insights and resolve various uncertainties that I previously had. I appreciate how it has simplified complex concepts and enabled me to grasp them more easily. 

[slyders_finds]

If it makes you feel any better know the seller will be charged slightly higher fees to Ebay for the higher shipping price. But, no you should not retaliate on the seller because of your buyer remorse. 

[powell-memorabilia]

The $15 charge was not a postage expense. Sellers can price however, they like Dash some charge postage, some charge posting and packaging some charge posting packaging and time and whatever else.

At the end of the day, you really shouldn’t care where the seller puts his expenses and profit.

there is an exception to this, though. With remorse returns, where a buyer gets his money back for the item, but not the shipping, I suppose very very high shipping charge does short change the buyer.

[kensgiftshop]

You knew what the shipping charge was upfront, so how would you get screwed?

Some sellers will add a little to cover shipping supplies.

[huntfishdie45]

How the shipping is priced into the item that you intend to purchase is something a buyer needs to consider before the purchase. No seller on eBay intentionally takes a loss on shipping so the buyer gets a better deal. If they did, they would not last here very long. When you buy anything on eBay look at the total cost of the item. You need to add the sale price of the item plus the shipping and the sales tax to determine your total out of pocket to receive your item. That is the true price of your item not the shipping cost. Sellers use different carriers and methods of shipping including priority. standard and economy which will determine how fast you get your item and there are cost differences in which type of shipping is being offered. I buy on eBay and I also sell on eBay so this is what I look at when I compare items; The PRICE of the item I'm looking for, the COST and TYPE of shipping being provided, and any Sales Tax that may increase the total cost of the sale. If you look at online shopping this way you can avoid buyer's remorse and know full well that you got the best deal available on the item, you want to buy. Good Luck in future purchases and try my suggestions they work well for me.

[inhawaii]

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@kensgiftshop wrote:

You knew what the shipping charge was upfront, so how would you get screwed?

Some sellers will add a little to cover shipping supplies.

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Some buyers FEEL  that if they paid $15 for shipping and the actual shipping cost was $9 that they got screwed.  Understandable, but hopefully this thread brings to light that it's ok.

[ms.rodriguez*]

Florida is a big state.  You can have a seller in the northern Florida ship a 1 lb. item to you.  The other seller is in the most southern part of FL. and the box is also 1 lb.  The rates will be different.   The difference will not be that much in this case but there is a difference.  Some sellers add insurance to the shipping cost.  Sure, I know that insurance is for the seller and not the buyer but if a seller does things correctly, ALL buyers will pay ALL of the sellers' fees.Anyway, if you bid, you agreed to the price and the shipping.  So you can not complain afterwards.  I agree with what the other sellers told you.

Look at this example

5.00 item + 4.99 shipping = 9.99

9.99 item (shipping included in price) + free shipping 0= 9.99

6.99 item plus 3.00 shipping = 9.99

The total that the seller receives is identical but  # 3 may seem like a better deal to some buyers.  Some will swear that the 2nd one is the best deal.    The examples with the lower shipping will be a better bargain for the buyers that live in states where the shipping is NOT taxed.   The sellers would pay slightly less in seller fees if the item goes to a state where the shipping is not taxed.    

So to the poster, look at the shipping cost.   Look for other identical items and compare the shipping cost and buy the one that is best for you.   Look at the item's condition too and cost. Don't just buy something because the shipping is less.  Take your time buying/ researching.

[dbfolks166mt]

     When I used to shop extensively on eBay I never worried about the details, what the seller made, what eBay made or what the shipper made. My focus was, and still is, on the big picture and whether the item was a good value for the price I paid. 

     I don't shop on eBay much these days simply because often they are not the best value around. Competition has increased in the ecommerce market place along with several new federal and state laws that have leveled, and in a lot of cases lowered, item prices for the buyer while cutting into the profitability of the seller. I can find a LOT of things at the same price or cheaper at local B&M stores. 

[toomuchstuffagain35]

Is it just me or does that read like ChatGP generated?