Excessive postage - what's fair?

Oct 30, 2006
3,426
1
Just wondering how you all feel about sellers overcharging in postage?

I don't mind paying a couple of dollars in postage to cover handling - I charge that myself - usually to cover some of the Paypal fees.

I recently purchased something from a US seller. She charged me $27 for p&h. It cost her $9.50. That's a bit excessive? Should I complain? I think $15 is more than fair.
 
I take into account the seller's S&H fees when I bid. Not much you can do now since you already agreed to the shipping charges. It may not hurt to ask for a small refund but I wouldn't expect one.
 
When I look at an auction, I take into consideration the shipping/postage fees stated, if they are not stated then I email and ask.
If I think they're too high, then I don't bid.
I certainly understand what goes into shipping -- boxing, packing, driving to the Post Office/FedEx/UPS -- time/forms for international shipments that must be filled out.
Simply, if you feel that the seller is asking too much --- move on to another auction.
 
But I'm not in the US, and I don't know how much the item weighs, so I don't know what's fair. It seemed ok at the time.

I would pay for packaging...however there was no extra packaging. She placed the item straight into a USPS flat envelope. No box, no tissue paper.
 
I agree that as long as it's in the seller's terms, once you bid you're agreeing to it.

I agree. Also you have to factor in if there is insurance, signature confirmation, whether or not they used the boxes from the post office or not, etc. I usually guestimate what the shipping/handling/time will be. But in the past I have refunded if the shipping cost was way higher than I thought it would be.
 
I was looking for a Speedy strap and everybody was charging $20 for shipping to Canada - I finally found a nice seller and I did not had a problem paying $8.50 - actually double $ since it was only $4.25 to ship the strap in a flat envelope. I absolutely refuse to pay outrageous shipping charges and If I see it I move to the next seller.
 
I agree. Also you have to factor in if there is insurance, signature confirmation, whether or not they used the boxes from the post office or not, etc. I usually guestimate what the shipping/handling/time will be. But in the past I have refunded if the shipping cost was way higher than I thought it would be.

No box. No insurance. No signature confirmation.

It was an envelope. The standard flat USPS flat envelope. That's it. No tissue paper. It came with a tracking number which didn't even work on the usps site.

I guess I did agree to the terms by bidding. But it's not right though! It's excessive for no extra service! :Push: No feedback for her! Grrr............
 
I'm like the above posters (I take the s&h into consideration when bidding). It's easier to factor that in (so that it burns less when you realize they charged you $10 too much).

Here's something that people may or may not have realized: ebay takes a large percentage of fees, especially for more expensive items. By sticking a large portion of the total selling price in the s&h, sellers are minimizing the total amt. they have to fork over to ebay. (correct me if i'm wrong though. the last time i sold on ebay was about 1.5 years ago and i haven't checked the listing fees, etc recently)

Yeah, it's not fair and I think it might even be against TOS, but a lot of sellers do it. (most overpad it, though $27 seems a bit ridiculous).

and yes, like the above poster said, time = money too.
 
Yeah...but... (I'm to argue every point)... :rolleyes: Hehee...

Fees are high. But fees, time to post, etc, should go into the price of the item. <stamping feet stubbornly>

I wouldn't argue if she charged me $15, but $27? I actually bought two items from her and she gave me a "discount" on p&h for the second item, otherwise it would have been $34. Should I be grateful?

I'll end my stubborn rant now. :shame: Lesson learnt. :Push:
 
I always get ripped off on shipping from the US to Canada. It is annoying, but I guess we have to deal with it if we bid...
That's true. So many US sellers charge a lot compared to what the actual postage is. If they charged the actual amount, it's not that much more than within the States! They really mark it up which is so mean because their postage is so reasonable to begin with.

Canada Post is very high and try explaining that to the Americans... I always take a bit of a loss on shipping.
 
I can tell you that sometimes if you go to UPS and get good quality shipping products that will cost you another $10 or so right there. So if I am selling a bag and don't have a good box available I go to the UPS store for supplies.
 
i think people just have to becareful when they put a bid in an item...if you don't feel comfortable with those high postage fees (like those we saw in selling data cables / accessories, which cost 0.99 and 7.95 in S&H), DON"T BID! So that we can discourage those sellers trying reduce ebay fees by charging the buyers Extremely high S&H
 
well, whenever i ship outside of the US, i always use USPS Global Express Mail (EMS) and it usually will cost me around $20-25 or so, depending on weight. The last time I shipped to Canada, postage was about $20 including additional insurance. I sold a pair of jeans worth $250 on another forum, and Global Express Mail only covers $100 worth of insurance, signature confirmation, and tracking info. I would rather have the peace of mind that my item got there not only in timely manner, but also proof of delivery. I actually misquoted the shipping, and had to pay extra.

i could offer a cheaper shipping method, which does not provide tracking or delivery confirmation, but then I run the risk of losing a claim if the item never arrives (or the seller is a scammer and claims the item never arrived when it actually did). I can understand charging a $5 or so over the actual postage to cover supplies, or "handling" but anything more is just greedy.