# ebay alert



## rpc7271 (Jan 2, 2008)

There is a guy on ebay with the seller id of catholicreligiousgoods selling undecorated Aristocraft box cars (black box). ( Item 260205634821) Be warned that he charges flat rate $16.95 shipping no matter where he ships them to and doesn't tell anyone until AFTER you buy the boxcar(s). His listing is misleading as he leads you to believe that shipping is included in the bid. It isn't. It just doesn't cost that much to ship one of these boxcars. Best to just stay away from his stuff.


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## Guest (Jan 23, 2008)

On Nov-23-07 at 12:40:05 PST, seller added the following information: 

 
SHIPPING COSTS WILL DEPEND ON SHIPPING DESTINATION


 
Item number: 260205634821








He infers that insurance will be included...but doesn't plainly state shipping in description....looks like he made correction, but still doesn't explain method to calculate or way to determine? FYI:  Always know what the shipping charge will be before bidding and entering into a contract with any seller.

cale


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## rpc7271 (Jan 2, 2008)

He may say that shipping rate depends on destination but he charges DHL flat rate shipping of $16.95 to everyone reguardless of destination.


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## Skip (Jan 2, 2008)

I have bought one of his cars and found the transaction entirely satisfactory. Mind you, he was shipping to Canada by post, and the rate was a reasonable as it ever gets. DHL isn't necessarily cheap.  Shipping is RARELY EVER included in the bid...


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## blackburn49 (Jan 2, 2008)

Living in Alaskan where shipping costs have always been high, I have learned to ALWAYS check out the shipping charges BEFORE bidding. The shipping cost can be quite substantial, wiping out any apparent savings in the cost of the item itself.


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## rpc7271 (Jan 2, 2008)

Well I live in Arizona. I buy on ebay fron Trainz in Florida and the shipping is $9.00. If I order a boxcar fron Ridgeroadstation in NeW York the shipping is $10.85. I know what he is doing, he is shipping DHL and charging flat rate of $16.95 (which DHL may have a flat rate charge of $16.95, I don't know) and it costs like $12.95 to ship and he is pocketing the rest. I have bought over 200 G scale cars over ebay. Lots of sellers bury fees in the shipping. When I receive the car if the shipping on the package doesn't match what I paid for shipping I scratch that seller off of my list and never do business with them again. I just want to warn people about him so they don't buy from him and expect a good deal.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Shipping is a touchy subject. Yes, some sellers DO gouge. OTOH I have gotten several nasty comments from "potential bidders" because I have a 50c "handling fee" on domestic and $2.00 on international items.... which really doesn't come near covering my time, materials or gas to get to the PO. I also recently got a negative feedback from a fellow in Canada because he felt the shipping charged was too high (The price quote he was given came directly from the USPS website for the dimensions and weight of his parcel)....BUT, when that price quote was low and it actually cost me MORE to ship than the buyer paid (which happens rather too often), NOT ONE has ever offered to send the difference.


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## Guest (Jan 24, 2008)

Posted By rpc7271 on 01/23/2008 5:01 PM
Well I live in Arizona. I buy on ebay fron Trainz in Florida and the shipping is $9.00. If I order a boxcar fron Ridgeroadstation in NeW York the shipping is $10.85. I know what he is doing, he is shipping DHL and charging flat rate of $16.95 (which DHL may have a flat rate charge of $16.95, I don't know) and it costs like $12.95 to ship and he is pocketing the rest. I have bought over 200 G scale cars over ebay. Lots of sellers bury fees in the shipping. When I receive the car if the shipping on the package doesn't match what I paid for shipping I scratch that seller off of my list and never do business with them again. I just want to warn people about him so they don't buy from him and expect a good deal.


i have to diagree with you  1st off the examples you givin from places you ordered from are all mega stores and get a massive shipping dicount be cause they ship alot, most people don't get that discount and sometimes it can be as much as 40 percent off shipping for them... i'll give you an example i shipped a hopper car to a freind in CA. I'm in NY about 2 weeks ago and it cost me 21.15 w/insurance to ship it there because i don't get a discount. also take into consideration that at the 1st of the year ups and others raised there rates by 5 to 7 percent, so in fairness too the guy on ebay i don't think you should be trashing him without all the facts. infact if you have made 200 purchase from ebay and you are not happy with his shipping then don't buy it. but trashing him here when you really don't know all the facts is just wrong......./DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/angry.gif
Nick


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## crazy_norwegian (Jan 3, 2008)

I used to have a company and we did a fair amount of shipping. UPS charged us 1/2 list shipping costs, we charged customers list which allowed us to keep our product markup lower than if we had to pay full price shipping. The main shippers will always give huge discounts to people and companies who are regular shippers with them.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

I always look at shiping costs when bidding. 

I look at an item and figure out the max I would pay, subtract the shipping cost and then try to limit my bid to that number. 
Most of the time i can get the item i want from a large vendor and pay less than the e-bay item with shipping added. 

I can get a pair of LGB track magnets from a local store for under $10, but on e-bay it is over $20. This goes for a lot of accessory items. 

Perhaps it is good that a large store is easy for me to get to.


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

I too have looked at buying from that seller. As I recall when I asked what shippign to me would be he responded with "about $20". Which is what it would take me to drive to his place and get it. Shipping prices lately have gotten out of hand. i recently wanted to bid on an itme from California and after contacting the seller and getting the dimensions and weight he wasn't lieing or adding "hidden fees" however he would only ship prioirty which meant it was almost $35 USPS prioirty if he'd given the option to ship parcel post it would have dropped to less than half that price which I would have gladly paid. Please note I did take it up with a local postmaster too who is a friend and his answer was it was the cost of the fuel. Plane versus train. The rest of the small package shippers are the same way as they are tied into the cost of fuels on the flights they run. I'm not sure this is true but to some extent it makes sense to me.

I'm careful about shipping costs anymore. As everyone else has said I've been burned on both sides of that fence as a seller and a buyer.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By wchasr on 01/24/2008 5:59 AM
I too have looked at buying from that seller. As I recall when I asked what shippign to me would be he responded with "about $20". Which is what it would take me to drive to his place and get it. Shipping prices lately have gotten out of hand. i recently wanted to bid on an itme from California and after contacting the seller and getting the dimensions and weight he wasn't lieing or adding "hidden fees" however he would only ship prioirty which meant it was almost $35 USPS prioirty if he'd given the option to ship parcel post it would have dropped to less than half that price which I would have gladly paid. 

.


....I worked briefly at a USPS Bulk Mail Center...If you don't mind your package being thrown while unloading the truck because the belts were designed for a 40 foot trailer, not the current 48 plus, dropped about 4 feet into the sorting bins a couple times by their automated routing machines, and having heavy stuff land on top of it, again by same... (much the same as the treatment Ugly Parcel Smashers would give it) then all is fine. If not then Priority is worth the extra few pennies.


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## Madstang (Jan 4, 2008)

Personnally it usually costs approx. $9-12 to ship average size cars.....where I ship to...so far.
If anyone charges that I have NO complaints.......I will NOT pay anything higher....the $12-$25 range is rediculous!

That is asking too much! 

I recently sold a live steam Mikado on ebay...without checking to see what actual shipping was...I charged a flat rate of $50.....it came to $51...ok...ok...so I lost a buck.....close enough!            I got a good price for the Mike that made up for the buck!
So $20-25 is way too uch if it costs $51 dollars to ship an item in a case like the Mikado is sold in!/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/crazy.gif

So I have an idea of what shipping costs!    I will not pay anything above $12...unless it is something larger.

Another idea is .... I have contacted the seller and stated to him that I would like to bid but feel the shipping amount is too high...sometimes they will work with you...(sometimes not),  on the shipping.....remember you DON'T have to bid on ANY item if it doesn't meet with your approval...sellers can charge what they want for ANYTHING!   It's your choice if you want it THAT bad or not!/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/crying.gif
Theres' nothing wrong with trying to get what you feel any item you are selling is worth....it is up to any bidder if they want to pay for it or not!  

What happens is that people keep paying these costs dealing with ANYTHING, sending out a message to any seller of anything that the  asking price is OK!/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/crazy.gif

Take cars for instance...if people pay the asking price....which they do!   Prices will go higher!/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/w00t.gif

If people would NOT pay the high price for cars prices would plummet.....good luck with that one!/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/w00t.gif

Bubba


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## dawgnabbit (Jan 2, 2008)

Dan wrote: 
I always look at shiping costs when bidding. 

I look at an item and figure out the max I would pay, subtract the shipping cost and then try to limit my bid to that number.

Right on! IMHO that's the only way to use eBay rationally, and I always try to do that.  Without (I hope)  broadening thid discussion unnecessarily, I will add that using one of the last-second bidding services (e.g. Bidnapper) helps me stick to that plan.
 
I lose a lot more than I win, but eventually I wind up buying what I want at a price I'm happy with.

Dawg


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

Mik said
"
....I worked briefly at a USPS Bulk Mail Center...If you don't mind your package being thrown while unloading the truck because the belts were designed for a 40 foot trailer, not the current 48 plus, dropped about 4 feet into the sorting bins a couple times by their automated routing machines, and having heavy stuff land on top of it, again by same... (much the same as the treatment Ugly Parcel Smashers would give it) then all is fine. If not then Priority is worth the extra few pennies."

Having worked with and known folks who have worked at the Buffalo airport for UPS and FedEX I can say undeniably that things aren't any different there either. However the cost difference was more than double between USPS Parcel and Priority.


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/unsure.gifAS an Evil Bayer for almost 2 yrs now 100% positive feedback have never had a problem knock knock look out now! i can tell you when i sell a boxcar its going to run anywhere from $9.00-12.00 to ship heavy pass cars around $15-20 and locos depending on size is $25.00-35.00 living in a remote community and the fed ex and ups are very inconvienient to use from here i use usps, try to hit a happy medium with all buyers my shipping rate is based on same to all where-ever they live in the u.s. never have had a complaint when i get a buyer from out of the u.s. they usually ask first! What i do is tell them if they win the auction i will pkg up and get actual shipping and then send them a final invoice on the item (if they win the auction) Yes i have made anywhere from $2.00-$4.00 extra and once in a great while $7.00 tops extra, but what bidders/buyers dont realize all the other little fees involved your time, packing tape materials etc they all add up, just had a buyer purchase 15 items from outside of the u.s. his shipping actual was $240 he gladly paid acutual because its more expensive  out of the country for them than to buy the item there,to pay higher shipping than buying in theyre country!! Consequently i use usps wherever possible, its more convienient for me, and im not embarrassed to say i have profited a little on freight, but what buyers also dont realize if you have never sold before you get hit with a insertion fee, a final buying fee just from ebay on a $100.00 item this can run 12-15 dollars there, and then if you sell safely you use paypal for the transaction, and then they hit you for another 12-15 fee for running it through theyre system, (i believe that ebay, and paypal are somehow related same co.) i stand corrected if im wrong but at either rate you get a double whammy on both sides!  Evil Bay as i like to call is good for buyers, not so much for sellers, as most buyers want such a good deal that pretty much everything goes at a bargain basement price so personally i like to buy rather than sell, but again you have to take into account all the factors so if a guy profits 2-7 dollars on an item then oh well its eaten up in the fees, or pkging or time somewhere so its not like were pirates out here on the Carribean taking all your money!! Finally i just won an auction for a boxcar i know it only cost about 12-14 for itfor shipping, and i got charged /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/w00t.gif$18.00 which i felt was a little high but knew that going in!  Remember Guys you have the infinite power of researching an item before or asking questions before you bid, most of all the power is in your finger dont press the bid or buy now button unless you are certain youve done your homework, and are ready to plunk your finger on the bid button, and BUY BUY BUY!!!!!!!!  If you go into a transaction blindly you are running the risk of being stung!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will close by saying Im totally upfront on everything when i sell the grading (usually will grade a grade lower than what i think) Put all the pros and cons, positives and negatives i know about in the description put the freight up front no guesswork, and walla!!!!!!!!!Sale or No Sale!!!!That is the Question!!  So let the games begin comments, questions, critiques, moans, groans, etc!!!!!!!!/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/pinch.gif


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

From nearly a decade of buying and selling on eBay, model train people are the biggest whiners about shipping. 

Experience from selling and buying CDs, Movies and car parts, most there charge a flat fee. Especially car parts, a box smaller than a lunch bag to a box large enough for composite headlamps is generally in the $15+ range. Many CD/DVD charge a flat fee with an additonal charge per disk, even if it is multi discs in a single DVD box of normal size!


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

I read yesterday that feeBay is going to revamp their fee schedule with lower listing fees. Because, while they are still obscenely profitable, they have stopped growing.....Any bets that the final valuation fees will go up enough so that you STILL end up paying more?


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## Allan W. Miller (Jan 2, 2008)

Sixteen bucks for shipping a large scale boxcar sounds pretty reasonable to me. It costs me about half of that, or more, to ship smaller/lighter O gauge items that I sell online, and I generally lose a buck or two on most sales.


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## Jim Kelly (Jan 2, 2008)

Hey Mik, right on. It's about Econ 101 or Supply and Demand, and Incentives!


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## silverstatespecialties (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm a recent "Power Seller" on eBay (username silverstate55; some of you may have dealt with me). I ONLY charge actual shipping charges; but selling is a HUGE pain in the butt due to the time it takes to package items for shipping, especially if the buyer has won multiple items. 

One reason I prefer Priority Mail over Parcel Post is that with Priority, I can arrange for FREE PICKUP. No drive to the PO, it will be picked up free at my doorstep. Can't do that with Parcel Post! 

I also prefer Priority over UPS or FedEx due to both of the latter charging you a weekly fee whether you ship any items or not; you also need a contract with both before they will come to pick up packages. USPS Priority Mail doesn't mind if you ship one package a week or 20; no pickup fees and no contract! 

If you sell one or a few items on eBay, then these things probably don't mean diddly to you; but when you sell lots of stuff on a regular basis, your time becomes more valuable and you are forced to find ways to save on time so you are not spending ALL of your free time cutting boxes to custom sizes, packing & taping boxes, etc... 

BTW, if anyone uses a postage PC program like Stamps.com, are you aware that you are charged a pro-rated fee based on how much postage you print? One month my Stamps.com bill was $65!! I then found out that my migrating my address book directly to the USPS.com website (after setting up a free account), I was no longer charged any fees to print postage. 

IN FACT, I found that by using the USPS.com website to print Priority Mail shipping labels, I could even get a slight discount on the fee! Yes, it's true! So I dumped Stamps.com and now use USPS.com exclusively to print shipping labels. You can even print shipping labels for international shipments directly from your home PC, and either drop them off with a PO counter agent or hand them directly to your mail carrier. SWEEEET!!! 

However, in the end, if I found I overcharged someone on shipping, I ALWAYS refunded the overcharge, no matter if it was just a few cents...if I got shorted, oh well, chalk it up as a Lesson Learned...


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## silverstatespecialties (Jan 2, 2008)

When bidding on eBay, I ALWAYS check to see what shipping fees are. Nothing chaps my butt more than someone who charges Priority Mail fees to ship an item, but then when you get it they only used First Class and pocketed the rest!!! I HATE THAT!!! 

If I can't find shipping fees stated clearly, I will NOT bid on that item. The only exception I've made recently was for Al Kramer of San-Val....too often he had neat things that by bidding on I could save some $$$, and I've NEVER had an issue with their shipping. He's even saved me money by bundling multiple items together for a combined shipping fee. 

My wife uses my eBay account regularly to buy items she wants (like PartyLite candles; cheaper on eBay!!), and it took a couple of auctions to show her the hidden pitfalls...but now she's up to speed and uses it regularly....she even helps me pack & box items for shipment. 

One last thing: train buyers are NOT the biggest whiners on eBay; plastic model truck buyers ARE!! I've had FAR more issues with them than ANYONE else!!! So if you buy or sell model trucks, beware!!!


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## Bill4373 (Jan 3, 2008)

there's an eBay seller    unitah_mallett    that is a  live steam G Gauger.  I've dealt with him 4 times and no problems.  I see he has a Accucraft live steam Welsh Highland Railway's Garratt for $5000 (320210181371) but that's too rich for my wallet.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't know if this is allowed, but I just put up some G detail stuff...if it all sells I'll upgrade to first class, lol 
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZcatfish-hollow


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## jebouck (Jan 2, 2008)

At the rate that shipping costs increase because of fuel costs by the carrier, soon shipping costs will be equal or more than the winning bid of less expensive items. 
In the not too distant future.....
jb


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## leonpete (Jan 4, 2008)

All boils down to research your item you want to bid on and check there shipping charges in advance!!! When the price and shipping added together reach your amount you want to spend, QUIT BIDDING!!!!!!! Or pay more and don't complain!!!!! I always have my Garden Railways magazine open to St. Aubins add to use as a guide line. Also, I have spent more for something I really wanted but that was my choice, not the sellers fault. 
Leon


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