Be very careful buying parts on E-Pay

[roadster36]

I have been noticing a trend lately. Tonight I saw a $12.00 shipping charge for two 1/2 inch stainless bumper bolts, a $14.00 shipping charge for two dovetail door strikers and a whopping 220.00 charge to ship an early Ford V8 grille.It seems that Ebay is now making money on shipping,making money via PayPal, and any other way they can.Ebay is setting the shipping rates. I didn't think it would be too long until they ruined it. If you are going to purchase anything it might be wise to investigate the shipping costs before bidding.

[karasmer]

I often skip alot of auctions because of the too high shipping costs. Another thing I notice is a seller listing a way to low shipping price on a bulky, heavy part, I will e-mail them letting them know they may pay $75.00 in shipping instead of the $15.00 they have listed for a $20.00 part.That can get ugly.

[Mike in AZ]

yep, always check the shipping....i ask what is the cheapest, 'cause i'm not in a big hurry to get the part, rather than overnight shipping....Mike

[~~Walts37~~]

I always add shipping cost to the bid price as the total & bid bid accordingly to determine my high bid on the item. When I sold an item on e-pay they would not let me add the true shipping amount for some reason so I just adjusted my starting bid price to make up the difference. worked for me
~~Walts37~~

[CC33]

Ebay takes 9% of the shipping charge, as well as 9% of the selling price. Then of course they get a cut of the Paypal transaction. They do not make it "seller friendy".
You see higher shipping estimates I believe, to help offset the costs that sellers are incurring.

[Fibber Mcgee]

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I agree with all of above.I would also like to say before you buy off ebay check the prices of other places like Macs or NPD or even local parts house you might be surpised how much you are over paying.I know I got a master cylinder for my F1 at local store for $50 they are going for over $100 on ebay.

[Kube]

Funny thing... I sell a lot on eBay and only charge what I am charged for shipping. Never a .01¢ more. I ask clearly that buyers wait to get invoiced as eBay often calculates incorrectly. Still, more than half the time, buyers don't read the ad and wonder why the shipping isn't matching eBay's. I've had guys question it over .35¢.
Even with folks that apparently can't read, I refund fees that are in excess of the real costs without being asked.
I feel with me being as ethical as I am, there is no reason I should LOOSE money on shipping. I absorb the associated fees as an overhead cost of "doing business' vs. inflating shipping fees. That's always rubbed me wrong with many other sellers. While eBay /Paypal fees are quite high, it is one of those things that fall under "if you don't like the rules, go away".
I choose to stay so (perhaps regrettably) I accept the rules.
As a related issue eBay (Paypal) sends out a 1099 income form to many of it's sellers. That equates to more income taxes.

"CC33" the theory that sellers post low shipping fees as a way to circumvent fees is not accurate as the fees are based on the amount that goes through Paypal, no way around that.

[ems customer service]

please do not forget that ups and fed-ex have both of there hands out to!!!

ups/fed raise rates every year and this years oversized boxes went up ( in most but not all ) 26% and/or 6% on regular small stuff and the residential fee is $2.50 or $4 over ship charges. and then the extra's pile it on insurance, adult signiture etc.

it is pretty hard to send anything ups/fed and stay under $14

[37 Coupe]

Originally Posted by ems customer service

please do not forget that ups and fed-ex have both of there hands out to!!!

ups/fed raise rates every year and this years oversized boxes went up ( in most but not all ) 26% and/or 6% on regular small stuff and the residential fee is $2.50 or $4 over ship charges. and then the extra's pile it on insurance, adult signiture etc.

it is pretty hard to send anything ups/fed and stay under $14

And don't forget "gas surcharge" from UPS. I never seem to get a correct estimate from UPS. I have added a couple pounds to boxed item,added a couple inches to width and length and when I get item to UPS counter it is always more than what I have quoted and received. I think UPS changes there prices daily not yearly. This is why I usually only sell and ship what can fit into the postal flat rate boxes.By the way they just went up.

[Gary in La.]

I agree with most of the above. But in reality I find that most people who complain about high shipping costs do not have a clue as to the high cost of shipping these days. USPS,UPS and FED-X have all increased their rates over the last few years that make economical shipping a thing of the past.

[Frank Miller]

Ebay is charging a percentage on the shipping fees. I am surprised someone has not filed a class action lawsuit on this. If you are just charging the shipping cost of say $20 then Ebay wants $1.80 of that at 9%. So now you recoup your loss and charge $21.80 and now they want $1.96 and you are out 16 cents. I think their thought was people were selling dirt cheap and making money on the shipping so this is how they tried to plug that loophole.

[cbillelder]

I quit selling on Ebay about three years ago when they enacted their Paypal only policy. Too many fees...nickel and diming you to death! There are too many other sites out there for selling parts to have to put up with that. They are trying to micromanage every transaction. Lately, on "Buy It Now" sales, they won't take the listing off the market until the item is paid for with Paypal. I still buy things on Ebay, but only bid on auction sales and find most sellers are more than happy to accept a money order for payment.

[46ford]

Originally Posted by Gary in La.

I agree with most of the above. But in reality I find that most people who complain about high shipping costs do not have a clue as to the high cost of shipping these days. USPS,UPS and FED-X have all increased their rates over the last few years that make economical shipping a thing of the past.

True. I use the UPS estimate to arrive at the shipping to charge for an item. But I take high-value stuff to a pack-n-ship outfit because I want it carefully packaged; unfortunately I often have to eat the difference.

I'd rather not sell an item like a grille or headlight lense than take a chance on shipping damage. Just use the shipping to determine the total you are willing to pay for an item, and bid accordingly.

[Gary in La.]

Beware of UPS charges at UPS stores. Recently I had to ship a large part, I built my box to fit and stay within UPS size limits for a certain price. I ran it thru the UPS computor site and got the charge. When I took it to the UPS store they measured it and gave me a shipping price for a size above which was $35 more. I questioned them as to how that could be when I already had checked it against UPS requirements and their response was they had to go the next size up because the box would be checked with a laser at shipping and would be kicked out. Even after having them recheck to verify it was within the published UPS size requierment they would'nt budge. I left with the box and drove across the city to Fed-X and they shipped it for a few dollars less than what the correct UPS charge should have been. As I have had issues with both shippers in the past I'm not a fan of either. It pays to research ahead of time and question them when they hand you the bill and it appears incorrect. How many people just accept and pay?

[Mike51Merc]

Since when is ebay in the shipping business? I thought (and I may be wrong) that ebay provides shipping costs as a convenience to buyers & sellers, but the seller does their own shipping. Perhaps your saying that ebay charges a commission on the shipping cost?

In any event, shipping costs have gone up a lot recently. I sent a FEDEX overnight (afternoon, not first delivery) letter the other day and it was $25. I was shocked.

[ems customer service]

there is a big difference between a "ups store franchise" and the ups customer service center ( at a ups truck depot). the franchise charges alot more they pay about the same rates as a regular business and the extra is there revenue to do business.

[Mark Slight]

Most all of the seller comments above are correct. I've been selling on ebay since 2004 I use USPS flat rate boxs as much as possible. I've also had problems with the UPS store in my area quoting me one price and then its much higher when I go to ship!
With the infomation posted I'm going to try FEDEX. My 2 cents worth.

[frederic]

I agree with most above but one thing i do not like is to pay the asking price for shipping and get a package that shows 1/3 or 1/2 of that which they charge. If it does not say "shipping and handling" in the auction and i receive a package as described above, negative feed back is left for shipping ripoffs. Best way to sell and get around the shipping situation is to offer Free shipping and either realize the starting bid and end price will include the shipping, or state in the ad that BECAUSE OF EBAY'S SHIPPING PROBLEMS ONLY ACTUAL SHIPPING FEES WILL BE CHARGED, and add that to the paypal invoice.

anyway my two cents.

[37 Coupe]

Originally Posted by Mike51Merc

Since when is ebay in the shipping business? I thought (and I may be wrong) that ebay provides shipping costs as a convenience to buyers & sellers, but the seller does their own shipping. Perhaps your saying that ebay charges a commission on the shipping cost?

In any event, shipping costs have gone up a lot recently. I sent a FEDEX overnight (afternoon, not first delivery) letter the other day and it was $25. I was shocked.

I think what is being said is that since Ebay started the PayPal only way to pay deal they automatically get a percentage of the total of item and shipping. On the other hand it is worth it to me ,I would rather pay by PayPal instead of getting a money order,(which by the way are not free either) or writing a check and paying for a stamp and an envelope. I like the speed of PayPal getting paid quickly and getting stuff shipped.

[no6]

I would like to know how epay forces you to use pay pal? The last item I listed I had something like "other payments allowed" and they called me on the carpet for it telling me my listing would be removed. Why hasn't there been a class action suit on this?