Shopsmith Forums

[quote="dusty"]I just spent about an hour browsing through the eBay offerings. Prices there have definitely gone up but more shocking to me is what some sellers are asking for shipping costs. Maybe I am out of touch with reality but what ever happened to the USPS flat rate shipping.

I actually bid on a half dozen items - we'll see. I used to be pretty good at winning]
Ebay is now charging the sellers a percentage based on selling price AND shipping cost.
I've complained at every opportunity to those greedy pricks, I've been at their headquarters for a face to face, but they really only give a shite about Ebays bottom dollar.
Screw everyone else.
I continue to sell there, but I also continue to bitch at them.
On a regular basis.
I am responsible seller and I feel that I have a right to try to keep them on their toes.
As you have learned Dusty, my shipping prices are within reason. I use USPS flat-rate all the time, but it too keeps going up.
I usually charge what it costs me for the postage.

Never figured out E-bay I could always find the stuff I wanted for less elsewhere. It just took patience.

Also I'm not very good at auctions. I usually have an idea of what something is worth when I place a bid on it. If someone counters I will go up to my limit for the object and stop. I have more than one person complain that I bid the object up. No I'm bidding on the object up to the price I will pay for it then I quite. If the person ups my bid after I have reached my limit that is their problem. I will say if someone out bids me they never get a bargain because my last bid was the bargain price.

Ed in Tampa wrote:Never figured out E-bay I could always find the stuff I wanted for less elsewhere. It just took patience.

Also I'm not very good at auctions. I usually have an idea of what something is worth when I place a bid on it. If someone counters I will go up to my limit for the object and stop. I have more than one person complain that I bid the object up. No I'm bidding on the object up to the price I will pay for it then I quite. If the person ups my bid after I have reached my limit that is their problem. I will say if someone out bids me they never get a bargain because my last bid was the bargain price.

I think your approach is valid.

I try to never bid on eBay without having first checked the Shopsmith online catalog price or to do a price check at Shopsmith via a part number search. I aim to pay no more than half what Shopsmith sells it for. Sometimes my perceived need gets in the way and I bid more than that.

However, if I pay too much it is no ones fault but my own. I have the ability to determine what an item "is worth to me" at the time I bid.

Keep in mind the item must fit in a 'flat rate box'. That ups the cost for items that have a long dimension. For small items first class is not prohibitive.

However I agree some are 'charging' too much for 'handling'. Keep in mind also they are often 'in business'(no free labor).

The shipping cost is known prior to your bidding. That has killed my interest often(especially from some sellers on the west coast).

I just decide what is the most I am willing to pay, and bid that amount (just before the end if I can be there). That way a bidding war never starts. Just one short lived battle!:eek: No 'I should have bid more' remorse - too late! Set the limit and take what happens.

I ship a lot of stuff and usually offer the flat rate shipping but sometimes because of dimensions you can't. Also both eBay and PayPal charges fees based on total cost including shipping so to even break even on fees not including labor you need to charge higher shipping costs.

USPS shipping has also gone up dramatically recently. I am finding lately even when I charge what some might consider outrageous shipping charges I loss money and that is not counting time or gas to actually bring the package to the post office. I also try to ship the same day I am paid, so it always involves an extra to the post office.

As a follow-up to what Paul Cohen wrote - ebay charges a 9% fee on both the value of the sale AND the cost of shipping and handling. PayPal then charges 4% on the transaction when it goes through their hands. I don't think the buyers realize just how much money goes to ebay.

The irony - ebay charges the 9% on shipping and then has a feedback category asking the buyers if the seller charges too much for shipping and handling.????

bhurley wrote:As a follow-up to what Paul Cohen wrote - ebay charges a 9% fee on both the value of the sale AND the cost of shipping and handling. PayPal then charges 4% on the transaction when it goes through their hands. I don't think the buyers realize just how much money goes to ebay.

The irony - ebay charges the 9% on shipping and then has a feedback category asking the buyers if the seller charges too much for shipping and handling.????

eBay and paypal provide a service and for that service they deserve some reimbursement. The only question, and I have no opinion at this time, is whether their fee is reasonable. As a buyer, I have no gripe. As I seller, I don't know yet. However, I always have the option to NOT PARTICIPATE.

Ask anyone who is in business if they charge for the services they render - doctors, lawyers, merchants, chiefs, art galleries, travel agencies, paypal, Visa, eBay. They all do it.

I've been offering free shipping on my recent auctions. Of course it's not "free" I just add my projected shipping cost to the minimum I hope to get for the item and that becomes my starting bid amount. But I think there is a certain psychological advantage to it as there will be plenty of people who will be attracted to the "free" shipping. Of course others will be smart enough to see what other auctions for that item go for, plus their shipping costs, and realize it all comes out the same.

But I've had success. One item sold for more than what Shopsmith sells it for new (not factoring in shipping costs, any applicable taxes, etc). A couple items have gotten a lot more than I expected. Others about what I expected. Nothing has been a disappointment yet.

heathicus wrote:I've been offering free shipping on my recent auctions. Of course it's not "free" I just add my projected shipping cost to the minimum I hope to get for the item and that becomes my starting bid amount. But I think there is a certain psychological advantage to it as there will be plenty of people who will be attracted to the "free" shipping. Of course others will be smart enough to see what other auctions for that item go for, plus their shipping costs, and realize it all comes out the same.

But I've had success. One item sold for more than what Shopsmith sells it for new (not factoring in shipping costs, any applicable taxes, etc). A couple items have gotten a lot more than I expected. Others about what I expected. Nothing has been a disappointment yet.

Try selling an entire machine!;) Free shipping would really work there!:D

When I am looking for something I set the search results to sort out as "nearest first" and give more consideration to items that are close enough to pick up in person.
Of course that seldom works for little stuff like a setscrew.
Even if the pick up fuel cost are more than the shipping we still often do it as a combined pick up and pleasure road trip.
I have an old 3/4 ton 4x4 pickup truck that I use for towing and farm use that I found on Ebay some years ago that was at the next city north of us (about 20 miles). That worked well because I was able to go look at the truck in person and check it out before bidding rather than buy it off of a picture and description.
It is a 2 hour drive from here to Dayton but when SS had the factory store I was usually able to combine a trip there with other trips to the general direction. A lot of my wife's family lived (and are now buried) in the Wayne County (Richmond IN) area so we get that far fairly often and that was at least half way there. We also have good friends in the Bellefountain OH area and I used to stop at SS on those trips.
Dang I miss that factory store... I get all warm and fuzzy just remembering it.