Posted on 09/01/2024 7:46:59 PM PDT by Paul R.
A question about eBay shipping:
I was in the process of making up a listing to sell a small, light weight item on eBay, yesterday, and I was looking for the cheapest way to ship it. Small packages are just ridiculously expensive to ship now: Off eBay, instead of getting a 1st Class rate on a small box weighing 13 oz. or less, there is now a minimum "package" rate which will run you about $5. If you want to send, say, a standard calendar to a relative, that's pricey too.
However, eBay shows an option for a "large envelope" which so long as it is not over 1" thick, can ship fairly reasonably. If your "large envelope" 0.95" thick weighs 3 ounces, it can ship for $2.04 or so. (This may vary with distance to be shipped.) You get tracking, too.
It appears to me that sellers on Amazon have similar options. So, I would imagine the "thick envelope" rate is something eBay has negotiated with USPS. So far as I can tell, this option is NOT available to individuals or small businesses if they want to send off a package themselves (ie., not through an eBay sale.) Do I have this correct?
I order about one purchase per week from eBay. Most of the time, it is “free”shipping. Occasionally, I have to pay $3-4. All items are shipped with USPS. You get tracking on all items and they usually show up within a week. My two cents.
Yes, eBay gets discounted shipping from USPS for its customers, and these prices are not available if you’re not selling on eBay.
However, you might want to look at Pirate Ship.
USPS Ground Advantage rates are good for lightweight articles. Transit time usually about a week, anywhere in the continental US.
Yes eBay rates are usually cheaper then self shipping and some options are not always available. If you’re shipping a calendar or other printed materials or things like cds, check out USPS media mail. Those rates are often ridiculously cheap imho.
I would think a calendar might qualify as media mail, which is usually the cheapest method of all of them. You might want to ask your local postal clerk. I just received a book I ordered on eBay and it was sent media mail. Got it in 4 days from when I ordered it.
Another thing to keep in mind when ordering from eBay or basically any merchant is their packaging rating.
Sometimes, cardboard, rubber band, paper envelopes and taping is good enough.
However, I’ve recently received magazines with curled corners, torn paper envelopes and poorly-taped newspapers with the tape actually sticking to the newspaper that made it impossible to free the paper without causing extensive damage.
It’s not practical to make inquiries as to whether your order will be shipped in a preferable padded plastic envelope, but that’s the smart way to mail anything IMO.
When I was a child, ebay was the place to go. I learned how to shop, how to snipe, how to sell, and why to avoid paypal, all before I turned 16.
I rarely drop in on ebay anymore. However, a while back I noticed the trend toward “free” shipping, meaning the shipping is factored in. And here and there I spotted a few outrageously high shipping prices (example, over $200 to ship a ceiling fixture that was BIN at $100); ebay used to frown on dodging fees by hiking the shipping charge. Apparently they no longer care so much.
I still turn to ebay for some obscure books, or for a better idea of the prices on items I see elsewhere.
Amazon is much quicker, and you don’t have to study the shipping terms. Facebook marketplace is even better, shop within driving range and go pick it up. That’s a buyer perspective.
Having sold a thing or two on ebay, I have to say I swore off doing that ever again. Ebay rules had gotten byzantine. They treated sellers abominably. They favored buyers, who treated sellers abominably. (I carefully read the community forums.) Buyers would claim whatever ebay was likely to accept as a reason to pinch the seller for a refund. You agonize over shipping and buyer says it never arrived, or it arrived damaged, or not as described...and they got the item free.
Bottom line, ebay and paypal decide your fate every time. Yes, they get the traffic, but there are other venues now. Unless some other factor means more than having the greatest number of eyes on your merchandise, accept the shortcomings and the often one-size-fits-all approach.
May paypal never freeze your account and may you never be tempted to ship overseas! :)
I do a lot of selling on EBAY, if your item qualifies for the special “Ebay Envelope” rate it is a great way to save on shipping, and the best part is it includes Tracking.
I sell baseball cards, post cards and other items that qualify, having the tracking included is very valuable.
>ebay used to frown on dodging fees by hiking the shipping >charge. Apparently they no longer care so much.
There’s no more of that since years ago Ebay includes shipping charges when they calculate fees.
Check again...
after 26 years on ebay, i am moving to other platforms (amazon, temu). ebay has gotten very sloppy with regards to bad sellers. had one list an item, but when i got it they informed me that it would have a 2 MONTH delay. when deadlines started lapsing, i had to demand a refund. another seller showed a photo of one item, and delivered a much different one. still another reported an item lost in the mail, and failed to resend, or refund. ebay took teh case then after doing nothing, announced that they had closed the case without refund nor item. had to spend two days going back and firth with ebay itself to get refunded. you’d figure that with all that AI
going on, they’d find a way to better police their sellers. they are a shadow of what they once were
I went through an issue with Ebay where I know the buyer scammed me. No word from buyer that package had not been received until on the day escrow closed I get notified by eBay.the buyer claims they have not received the item,. (I believe The buyer knew the drill— and communication with them had been odd from the start ) I alert Ebay that this is fishy. And strangely enough, the tracking number has vanished from the USPS site. EBay is unresponsive. I immediately froze my bank account while I waited for a response from Bay (I was not going to let them take my money.) To this day, eBay only is interested in getting the funds from me that they paid to their buyer. they seemingly don’t dare question the buyer or take interest in the obvious scam people are pulling off a lot these days.
I will no longer do business there. It’s a land of scammers and customer service is basically non existent.
Media mail isn't a bargain any more, Depending on size and weight, it is often more expensive than ground advantage. Plus, any media mail package is subject to postal inspection. I have had that happen to me, a package containing a set of CDs arrived ripped open and retaped so you could see the contents, even though CDs are allowed in media mail. Also, media mail packages can sometimes take much longer than normal for delivery.
I have sold on ebay since 1999. I only just started using their shipping labels about 2 years ago. It is cheaper. It is a negotiated rate so only ebay sellers can use it. I mostly sell small lightweight items. Otherwise I use facebook marketplace.
I would look around to see if the buyer is reselling your item. Also I would take any images from your posting and put them into google image, if they are reselling it would show another ad maybe not necessarily on ebay. I always keep my receipts that show the tracking number. If I drop the package in a drive up mailbox I will not get one but if I go to the window they will print a receipt with the tracking number on it. I always save it until the item shows delivered and I get feedback.
I’m going to slow down my selling profile, and concentrate on other things for awhile. But I have had good success in the past using USPS ground advantage.
As an eBay buyer or seller, it is educational to use the shipping calculator to compare various shipping methods.
https://www.ebay.com/shp/Calculator
The calculator is not easy to find on the eBay website. It is ALWAYS better to use Google to find important and useful information on the eBay site. The eBay website is a mess, with bugs that are never fixed, and they are constantly changing it and adding new bugs to go with the old ones.
As a buyer, if you have a fairly good idea of the size and weight of the shipment, using the calculator can detect sellers who overcharge you for shipping. This is very common, and also beware of “handling charges”.
Honest sellers will charge the buyer exactly what eBay charges them to ship.
As a seller, you can compare various shipping methods, including the USPS, UPS, and FedEx. It tells you the discount you get on the over the counter price for each service. The caveat with UPS and FedEx is that what you may end up being charged something other than what the calculator tells you. They do check the weight and package size after shipment.
I know of one crooked eBay seller who routinely understated the weight of packages when buying shipping labels to save money. Eventually, the USPS caught up with him and sent him a bill for the difference. If you drop off packages at the counter, they check the weight. But if you drop packages into a bin, the check happens later. Having a package scanned at the counter is better as it puts an entry into the tracking record “USPS in possession of item”.
My son sold a knife to some guy out west. He shipped USPS. The buyer mis-typed his address so the package was returned and apparently lost at the originating post office. (Or
X-rayed and stolen)
USPS said they were glad to refund the cost of shipping. (But not the $120 value of the knife)
I’m not sure what he did but they finally coughed up more money. Somewhere around $80.
I bought a package of Hyperikon T8 tubes. When they arrived 6 were new and 9 were junk with the ends cut off. The seller listed them as “new”, had pictures of only the good tubes, and the price was 32 and 80 something shipping. He did refund the whole purchase price but with shipping it was a rip off. I never would have paid that amount of shipping for 6 tubes.
Then when I left negative feed back with screenshots of the listing, he started calling me names in messages. I reported him but as you say eBay really doesn’t care about bad sellers.
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