mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
Is anyone else frustrated with the flexibility and "honesty" system of shipping costs?
I think this train of thought happens mostly from a misunderstanding of what shipping actually costs a seller. Any seller. You see it as a seller not being "honest" which is completely untrue.
That it seems an easy loop hole for some (not all, but in my case its been many) sellers to overcharge (which isn't that mail fraud?) and no consiquences other than ratings?
No it is not "mail fraud" in any way. USPS does not regulate what ANY company or seller charges their customers for shipping with USPS. However USPS is NOT the only carrier used on Ebay either.
I do think that because you don't have a clear understanding on what the costs of shipping really are for a seller, it is unfair of you to want to damage a seller's rating in any way due to your misunderstanding of the subject at hand.
And sellers don't have to show the postage paid.
Why should a seller have to show you the cost they paid to their Vendor? Is this something you thing other online sites should provide to you as well? Like Target, Walmart, Sears, Macy, or any other number of online sites you might do business with them. And if you do not expect them to share this information with you, then why do you feel that an Ebay seller has to provide it? And since you think the Ebay seller needs to tell you exactly how much they paid for the carrier costs, do you also think they should disclose to you how much they paid for the product they sold you? I know that may sound a little silly, but the questions are good ones.
For some reason some people don't see Ebay sellers in the same light as they do if they purchase from other sites on the internet. But they should. Sellers here put in a lot of work to sell here. We provide a service and product which takes time and money to bring to the site for you to possibly see it and want to buy it. We aren't here to donate our time and money to others. We are here, working a JOB and providing people with products they may like to purchase from the comfort of their homes.
I've had numerous occasions where I've been charged one amount and the shipping shown on the postage paid from the post office was vastly less than I was charged. Then when I've contacted sellers I was told there was a handling fee for supplies and the package had arrived wrapped with a brown paper grocery bag. I feel eBay needs a better way to monitor this because in many instances I feel taken advantage of as a buyer.
I don't understand. Why do you feel that a seller should not be able to recover their costs for shipping materials and supplies? Is it your opinion that a seller should just eat those costs? Are you aware that a seller has to pay Ebay a 10% fee on whatever the seller charges the buyer for shipping? Are you aware that PayPal charges a seller a 3% fee on whatever they charge the buyer for shipping?
All these fees and supply costs add to the cost of shipping. They are things that a seller HAS TO PAY and those costs have to be passed on to the buyer or why else would a seller sell on ebay. If a seller is not allowed to recover their costs, what purpose does it serve to be a seller on Ebay or anywhere else.
It is called S&H for a reason. It is means Shipping and Handling. There are always REAL costs above whatever the carrier charges for shipping. We don't just toss your item in our mail boxes with a sticky note on the telling the carrier where to delivery it. That sounds silly doesn't it.
I do underdstand that this causes you great concern, but I sincerely believe it is only because you don't understand that there are real costs above and beyond the actual carrier cost that we HAVE to pay. Sellers are here to provide products and/or service to those that choose to shop here. We are people that are working a REAL JOB to bring you these items. We have the right to be treated with respect as you have the right to be treated with respect as our customers. We also have the right to be paid for the work we provide.
I hope this helps. I am sincere when I say I do understand why you feel the way you do, but I hope this helps you see there is far more to the subject.
But, because I sell too, I know that ebays search metrics sometimes reward people for fudging shipping.
WHAT?? ABSOLUTELY NOT! It what possible way does the Ebay search metrics AKA Cassini benefit sellers for "fudging shipping"?
The listing process always flags me, for example, for using flat rate priority instead of by weight. By weight but free shipping it approves but flat rate buyer pays it dislikes and "reminds" me to "fix". If I didnt know better, Id "fix" it and overpay!
Having the correct shipping method is a completely different thing.
I speak as I find. I use my parent computer and phones to check on my listings occaisionally. Anytime I filter by price, items with excessive shipping are split in 3, some at the right spots, some higher in search, and some at the very very bottom. It rarely, if ever, actually filters by price.
Then you should report your problem. If you are sorting by lowest price first, that is exactly what the search return should give you. If you are using the filter by price, that isn't much different, as it is also off the total price [product plus shipping]. If you are seeing it return in a different order, then there is a problem or glitch you are experiencing.
Excessive shipping items can end up at the very top if the item price is low even though the filter is supposed to sort by item price total including shipping.
No, the ones at the top are less expensive with product price plus shipping. It is returning in the proper order. If there is an item for $10 plus $10 shipping and there is one for $5 with $14 shipping, the $5 item will appear before the other one as it is less expensive. And that is how it is suppose to work.
Further, some items that ebay wants me to price higher, but I price shipping lower, end up at the bottom in a price filter search even if my total price should put me at the top.
I can't answer why that is happening. On a Best Match search, it happens all the time, but if you are searching by $$ value, it shouldn't return them in the same way. You need to report the issue to Ebay.
So, yes, there are some rewards for pricing shipping higher.
No there aren't. You seem to be experiencing something that most do not. I hope you will report the issue to Ebay.
In my experience in the categories I buy from and sell in. Unless there is another explanation for these search results. OP was asking why people put different shipping numbers, this is one possible explanation, that they too find shipping impacts search when they buy and when selling choose a number they think will work in thier favor.
The OP is concerned about sellers charging beyond what their actual shipping is. The OP didn't bring up anything about search returns or if they did, I certainly missed it.
I prefer free shipping as it removes that from the equation in the eyes of the buyer.
Depends on the items being sold. I like it too for many of the items I sell but not so much for others. In some categories buyers prefer stated shipping and sometimes they lean more to free shipping. As seller we just need to figure out which is best for the items we carry.
