ebay Shipping Rant

This truly falls in the "anything goes" category, as it's about as far removed from being Mac specific as it gets, but . . .

As an eBay member who buys and sells, I know what it costs to ship an item. Even if I figure the price of the box, packing material, and shipment to the most distant zip code (from me) in the Continental United States, it doesn't come close to what some people have the _____ to charge for shipping. For whatever reason, this trend seems to have started semi-recently. A year or so ago, I think seeing bloated shipping costs was the exception. Now, it seems at least half of the sellers are (as an example) asking $25 to ship a 2 pound box within the US. Even more bizarre . . . they're getting it! I can't imagine why anyone would bite on an offer to save $10 on the cost of the item itself, and then spend $20 more to have it shipped. Thanks for listening. I feel a bit better now.

I agree, but for example I am selling a Windows Upgrade to Photoshop CS2 and I have no clue how much it would cost to ship it, so I set it at $10, and threw in insurance also, that should cover anywhere here in the states I believe.. again not sure, but hopefully the person buying it will count the shipping in when bidding on it so that they do get a good deal.. it's definitely ultimately up to the purchaser to know what they are paying. I completely understand what you are saying though

That sounds totally reasonable to me, and what you're doing is honest, even if you didn't use a shipping calculator. Those who over-charge for shipping by so much, are adding a "price cushion" for the item itself into the shipping charge. As you said, it's another example of "buyer beware", but it's frustrating because there are some potentially good buys out there, but not after you get raked over the coals for shipping. Ah well . . .

Well being an eBay buyer and seller myself, it is very simple. If you don't like the shipping charges, then don't bid. If someone else wants to pay out the yin-yang for shipping, I say let them. Doesn't mean I have to.

Ebay rules allow you to charge for shipping costs plus a reasonable handling fee. I really don't care what they charge for shipping, so long as my total price for the item is within what I wanted to pay.

I frequently purchase glow sticks off eBay, usually for $0.99 for 500 glowsticks or so. Yes, $0.99.

Even with a shipping charge of somewhere between $25-30, I am still saving an EXTREMELY signifigant amount of money. Buying elsewhere would run me upwards of $100 for 500 glowsticks.

Some sellers charge a fortune for shipping, but if the total price is still a steal, then it's worth it.

It's also a workaround for the reserve price, as it provides a way for sellers to ensure a certain price point without being charged for posting a reserve price. Also, reserve prices are unattractive to potential buyers.

You also don't pay Ebay fees on shipping prices.

All good points, and yes, it's true that if the total cost is still far below the best you could do elsewhere, then it's a good deal. I'm still put off by it, but that's just me.