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In lugnet.general, Thomas Stangl writes:
> TWS Garrison wrote:
>
> > My major irritant at Ebay is sellers who won't tell you upfront how
> > much shipping will be, what forms of payment they accept, or even what
> > they're selling. . .
>
> How can you expect someone to tell you the shipping costs up front,
> unless they give a flat fee that will most likely overcharge you?
> Especially with the new USPS rates hitting July 1.
>
> I mean, I could list "$10 shipping in the continental US" on most of my
> small lots to be sure I don't lose more on shipping than I make on the
> lot, but I doubt people would bid on a $20 lot with $10 shipping.
>
> Payment types and what they're selling, I can understand.
> Requiring shipping costs up front, I can't.
> Tom Stangl
Speaking mostly in regards to Ebay:
Since I feel that buyers have the luxury to be choosy these days (supply
exceeds demand) I have become much more selective than ever about
what items I bid on (have always been a careful bidder). One of the
things I look for is some indication of shipping costs. Lots that
do not mention shipping costs at all cause me to exit that auction
in a hurry and forget about it.
I like to bid on the largest lots of Lego that are usually listed
by weight (but only those with good photographs) so I tailor my searches
accordingly. I also have a benchmark bid per pound of weight that
I will not exceed unless I see rare parts. So good pictures are
something I also look for.
Thirdly, I look for sellers who apppear to know what they are selling.
This avoids buying more non-Lego for the garbage can than actual Lego.
But, back to shipping.
If I see a lot listed as "30 plus pounds of Lego" and the listing and
photographs make it worth a second look, I want to know that the seller
has some idea of how the Lego will get to me. If the listing says
"30 pounds on my bathroom scale plus tons of baseplates and paperwork
besides," I stay away 'cause that seller probably doesn't know much
about shipping stuff (guessing is nearly better than a bathroom scale).
But if the listing states the "Lego takes up 2 boxes and total weight
is 32 pounds and 5 ounces. Shipping via Parcel Post or UPS" Then I will
bid for sure. I can be confident that the seller knows a bit about
shipping heavy stuff. Even better if the listing states
"Estimated shipping costs from Arizona to Maine is $36 plus $8.50 for
the 2 boxes I bought for the Lego" EXCELLENT.
This seller has done their homework and will likely get bids from me.
Since so many people who sell 30 pound lots of Lego on Ebay are parents getting
rid of little Johnny's toys, few do any type of investigating before listing
their stuff. This leave me to email them back and forth until things are clear
and most of the sellers are actually glad that I told them about online
shipping calculators like USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc. And I can also learn more
about the "Lego's" which may or may not entice me to bid.
As for sellers with multiple lots of Lego items, the most important wording as
far as shipping is concerned is "WILL COMBINE ITEMS FOR SHIPPING." Strangely,
some sellers will not say this. It may seem obvious, but for those who want to
profit from shipping fees, this omission can mean they overcharge for shipping
and then combine the stuff anyway.
I think the best way to go is to give some type of shipping estimate -- even
for small lots. It doesn't take much time to lay each item on a precision
scale to get an actual weight; a few ounces/grams can be added to allow for
packaging materials if this is an issue.
I definitely bid more for lots that have a good indicator of how much shipping
will be. Otherwise, as I said before, I simply walk away.
__Kevin Salm__
....Over 20 years experience playing with Lego toys....
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Where is everything going?
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| (...) What I've always said (as a seller) is "Save on shipping by bidding on multiple items" and "Buyer pays actual cost for Priority Mail or actual cost plus $2 for other shipping methods". I include any cost for packaging in the actual cost, so (...) (22 years ago, 12-Jun-02, to lugnet.general, lugnet.market.services)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Where is everything going?
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| (...) How can you expect someone to tell you the shipping costs up front, unless they give a flat fee that will most likely overcharge you? Especially with the new USPS rates hitting July 1. I mean, I could list "$10 shipping in the continental US" (...) (22 years ago, 11-Jun-02, to lugnet.general, lugnet.market.services)
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