No, they just lost a sale because they're crooks. Pure and simple. I'm just pointing out a trend. They're not the only ones to do that.
Ive noticed the same thing megatroptimus, I also love then you agree to pay the stupid expensive shipping and then you get a box that shows it cost $5-10 instead of the $25+ they charge. I notice it alot from usa sellers who ship to me in canada and its pretty damn annoying.
It's like the OP completely ignored the sellers who pointed out that they would need to make a special trip and take more time out of their lives. When I work, I cost at least $25 an hour. If you ask me to make a special trip, I'll expect you to compensate me for the gasoline and time.
again, the cheap option is not trackable, the seller is screwed if you decide to file claim for not receiving the item, the extra cost is you and other canuks paying into a risk pool that one of you might have a 'lost' package and screw the seller. the seller can charge actual postage and eventually get screwed, he can charged for the trackable option starting $40 (thus make it less attractive/affordable for foreign buyers), or charge somewhere in between to hedge the risk.
I'm dealing with a guy on iOffer right now who's trying to pull a similar stunt. When you commit to buy on iOffer, it presents the invoice as item(s) plus shipping. In my case, it worked out to $140 and $20. Now the seller has decided that it'll be an additional $40 shipping on top of that with no explanation. I'm sorry, don't put shipping prices in your listing or the offer calculator if you're not going to honor them.
That's absolutely a different situation than what the OP is complaining about. Not a similar stunt, whatsoever.
Oh, I see it's one of those conversations *LOL* I'm a STUPID seller, I take losses far more often than anything else, I'm in this hobby for fun, and usually take a bullet to help another fan out, rarely do I profiteer in anyway. So, if _I'M_ a crook, for wanting a little extra compensation for time and hassle, well I'd like to meet the "honest guys" D/L
I'll never quite understand all the complaints. I ship from the UK to all over the world and never had an issue. In fact, the only problem I've ever had was the one time I shipped a package to a US member without tracking, and they got impatient and claimed their money back. Didn't even have the guts to apologise when the item magically arrived at their door, almost as if delivered by a postman of some kind. EDIT: I'd also like to add that they never once bothered to contact me about it, and this was during the real snowy winter we had on our fair isles a few years back. The postal service grinded to a halt for about three weeks. Self-entitlement works both ways. Sellers are entitled to make a profit no more than a buyer is entitled to receive said product at actual shipping cost and in good condition. I ship things to the US and Europe all the time and it rarely takes more than 7 days to arrive. Tracking IDs are a must and if, as a seller, you chose to not get one just in case, then more fool you. @destronger- honestly man I would never take such a loss. If the shipping turns out to be more than you originally thought, then tell the buyer! Make them pay the difference, or cancel the transaction and relist for free. Why should you take a hit? The buyer's not going to be appreciative, especially when dealing with ebayers.
I get packages every other day and yes the cheap method can be tracked. They come with a label which might be on the customs form that starts with LC blah blah blah US and that works as tracking with canadapost.
^True. Anything shipped USPS First Class comes with a tracking number that at least shows when and where the parcel has been put in the mail. I'll take a few pics tonight to show you guys the "complex" US forms that take "forever" to fill out.
I never said they were complex or that it takes forever to fill them out, but they don't jive well with my workflow. I typically do my shipping on weekends or in the venings, that's when I have free time. If I'm shipping domestically I can go to my friendly neighborhood 24 hour automated postal kiosk, and print and ship to my heart's content. Sunday? No problem. 3 AM? Why not! An international parcel requires a stop to the post office when it's open, I have to wait in line, and yes, also fill out the additional forms. It's mostly the extra trip during a time that doesn't generally work for me. I'm generally making nickles and dimes on the stuff I'm selling, it doesn't make any sense for me to bust my hump above and beyond what works for me. And don't get me started on the shady "mark as a gift" issue. I feel a little dirty every time I check that box. But I bet a lot of international buyers would be annoyed if I listed the item's actual sales value and DIDN'T mark that box. Since we're being all technical about the requirements of international shipping and all. I'm just a sucker at heart, I really BELIEVE in the core-concept of ebay, that the listings conctitute a contract on BOTH ends, so if I list an item, it sells for 5 bucks, I offered $20 international shipping, and it ends up costing me $45 to ship my Playstation to Brazil (this is essentially a true story), then I'm paying the guy (the post office, really) 20 bucks to take my stuff of my hands. It's stupid, but it was the contract I agreed to, so I followed through. I know most people don't play that way, but it's how I roll. So yeah, I'm now very transparent about how much and why I charge what I do for international shipping, I'd rather just not deal with it at all, but rather than FORBID any international bidders to buy from me, I simply charge a premium for my time and the extra hassle. I think that's a fair split. But that's me. D/L
When I'm shipping domestically I can use the 24-hour kiosk on my way to work. There's never a line at six in the morning so I'm in and out in three minutes. When I have to ship internationally, I have to go to a person, during my lunch hour or after work. And I have to wait in line an average of ten minutes just to get to them, and five minutes to deal with them, their weighing, their questions and their trying to sell me stamps. You the international buyer will pay me for those minutes. End of story.
That number is not a sufficient tracking number for international shipping issues when an ebay claim is filed. You must use either Express International, Priority International or First Class International with Certified Mail tacked on. First Class International has restrictions on both weight and size.
Choosing a more expensive option doesn't make shipping any more complex. And the point of this thread, in case you forgot, is to try to explain why some sellers screw their customers by jacking up shipping prices just because they're lazy and/or dishonest.
You don't know whether either applies, and frankly, it isn't any of your business. They're certainly not dishonest: they're telling you exactly how much you'll have to pay for the conditions you wanted. You're free to decide that the price is too high for you and move on. But that isn't dishonest. As to lazy, you have anything to back that up? Coming back around to your OP, you're simply demanding that people give you what you want, for the price you want. Sadly for you, they're free to offer at whatever price they want and under they're conditions, as long as they're transparent about both. Just move on.
That's pretty much all we get over here too, even UK-postage has to run through the post office. Generally I do a load in one go because yeah, going to the post office every day to post one parcel would be major hassle and expensive to boot. This is something I only do for collectors I know on these boards and chat with a lot. It does save a huge amount of hassle (Royal Mail own Parcel Force, who like holding incoming international packages for ransoms of £20+, the legality of the practise is in a grey area) for those of us this side of the pond, but like I said not something I'd do for Jonny Randomer. Too nice a guy mate. The way ebay treats sellers I've never felt obligated to treat anyone through there with anything more than wary disdain. It's different on the boards where we're all a lot more friendly and good people (usually), but it's another case of Jonny Randomer for me. I'm always of the view that if they want the stuff, they can pay the actual shipping costs. They wouldn't do me any favours, so why should I.
