@ibuildhomesnstuff
Sorry about your frustration over this. From this chair it appears a few pointers might help? Hope I don't go too far off teh reservation, so please take an stylistic fau paus as wanting to help.
@ibuildhomesnstuff wrote:
I have been a small seller on and off on Ebay for many years. I have always enjoyed using Ebay as a resource to gain a large audience for rare or specialized items. Its been more of a hobby and not necessarily a money making venture, which means "profit" is definitely relative and flexible.
Even as a small occasional seller you need to treat this as a business. We see too many small sellers that say, I'm not in business when in fact they are. Point is that a business needs a solid foundation and for a business that means a business plan. IF you have things in place, it is easier to react to "business problems" when they pop up.
That said, I've been having, as of this last selling round, some serious problems with the shipping calculator provided on Ebay when listing an item. I have found that besides small packages that can go first class, I have had to make up the cost of shipping because the calculator gave me the wrong calculations for which the buyer paid upon completion of the purchase.
You have identified what most sellers here know - SHIPPING is you highest cost, short of sourcing, so becoming a bit "expert" at it is important. I'll go more into this....
I am in the process of modifying all of my items for sale now to Flat Rate Priority as that is the only way it seems that I can provide potential buyers with an accurate shipping cost. Unfortunately, as we all know, the buyer wants the most competitive shipping available and sometimes Flat Rate Priority just isn't it -- but its the only thing I can offer at this time without a proper calculator.
I have not had issues with the shipping calculator being off, BUT what I do is package items as I am listing them. So that means ID-ing the box I will ship in, the packing materials, etc. I carefully measure the box and then weigh it all packaged. THEN, once I have dimensions and weight, enter that into the shipping calculator.
For example, I sold two larger items quickly and easily on Ebay. After going to the post office and learning that the shipping was almost 3 times the estimated cost : for example the calculator told the seller the cost was 7.85 when actually it turned out to be 21 and some change. Understandably the buyer is not happy. I have offered three different shipping options and have not heard back yet. Another buyer for the same exact type of item immediately demanded a refund when informed of the actual cost of shipping. I expect the other will too, so that will be two lost sales and potentially two negative feedbacks for me. I can't do business that way.
This sounds like you are buying postage at the Retail counter? Please tell me you are not doing that! Once you sell an item you can't go back to the buyer and request additional shipping costs!
At the post office I was informed that the options and costs offered by the Ebay calculator reflect commercial account rates. I am not a large seller and therefore cannot and will not purchase a commercial shipping account.
OK, here is where we can help! IF you buy shipping labels through eBay you are getting Commercial prices! You do not need a USPS commercial account. So you buy your labels through eBay and you get the same prices as the shipping calculator! BUT you don't need to buy eBay labels, you can sign up for free accounts with Stamps.com or PirateShip and get those same commercial rates! But no eBay seller who wants to make a profit buys retail postage!
I have also investigated shipping rates for UPS and have found that the Ebay shipping calculator also offers drastically lower rates than is the real cost, for example the same item above, if shipped via UPS as estimated by the Ebay calculator was about 15 dollars less than the actual shipping price for the buyer's location.
This is the same issue - eBay sells you labels and you get the commercial rates.
I have called Ebay twice to explain the situation, they could offer no advice that pointed up my doing anything wrong, typical questions like, "Did you feel out the dimensions and weight of the package accurately?" Yes I did, "Did you choose the shipping service and designated class accurately?" Yes, I did, this isn't my first rodeo.
Please tell me what is going on? Is it me? Is it Ebay? Is it the shippers?
And most importantly, how can this be rectified? Because if it can't, I'm not sure if I can do business on anymore and I also wonder if I will potentially have problems in the future as a buyer as well.
Thank you.
What is going on is you do not understand how to buy postage, how the eBay shipping calculator works.
Keep asking questions.
