There Is NO SUCH THING As A Shipping Charge

A recent thread here asked about the appropriateness of a seller charging 3.50 per item for shipping then shipping everything in the same bag. I think my reply deserves its own thread. First, my specific reply to that situation.
Did you call and ask the seller to combine shipping BEFORE you bid on anything? If not, and you bid anyway, THEN THE SELLER DID NOTHING WRONG and he deserves 5*****s.
Now the only exception is if the buyer is under 13 years old.

Now general.

It is soooo annoying when anybody complains about shipping charges under ANY circumstances. Why? Because you’re not 5 years old!
For example, I have a bunch of listings that offer free international shipping. Does that mean every singe person who charges for international shipping should get 1 Star because it’s more that what I charge? Some combine. Some don’t. So what. It just doesn’t matter.

You see, there is no such thing as a shipping charge. There is only the total cost you pay. It is only that amount that matters. Do your due diligence to arrive at that number and don’t worry about how it got there. Then bid accordingly.

Rant over;)

5 Likes

This post is a bit delusional

1 Like

4 Likes

I have always tried to look at the shipping charge as part of the total cost of the item. If something is 10 dollars with 2 dollars postage, then it’s a 12 dollar item.

I try to be flexible, though. If my limit on a card is 100 dollars and the shipping makes it a 107 dollar item, then I am going to just suck it up and get it. No use complaining.

8 Likes

Bingo:)

If you buy say 10 singles for $1 each at auction but they have 2$-3$ shipping costs each its just an arsehole move to charge 20-30 for shipping and 10 for the cards if they are going to send them all together. much like on a plane if the guy behind you is 7"5 and you recline ur seat all the way back sure you are aloud to do it but your a prick if you do.

You not understanding the concept doesn’t make you ignorant just as it doesn’t make me delusional.

1 Like

Interesting how this concept has gone over two people’s heads.

You’re just trying to rationalize ripping someone off. The shipping and handling charge is not a component of the final price (even though it can be thought of that way when purchasing simething) of the item just a consequence of dealing through a global market place. If a seller wants to add an incentive by covering the price that’s fine. It’s not a source of profit so if you’re charging someone significantly more than the cost to SHIP and HANDLE the item then you’re RIPPING someone off. Regardless of the reason or if someone requested combining shipping. Should I write in crayon so YOU can understand?

1 Like

I’m not sure what this post is driving at, but if it’s suggesting that sellers should feel no obligation to reduce shipping costs if they combine multiple items, then I wholeheartedly disagree. Anyone who posts combined and doesn’t reduce postage costs to actual cost is a bad seller.

1 Like

Who said the seller posted combined but didn’t do it?

1 Like

I have no idea, nobody? Your original post is hard to understand.

I don’t really care about shipping tbh. At the end of the day if you’re paying say $100-200 for a card you want what’s $3 for shipping gonna matter. Get over it and enjoy your card when it arrives :ok_hand:

1 Like

A crayon is probably more of what you’re used to,
Shipping is simply a part of the final price. Hence shipping doesn’t exist on its own. Again, most my listings have FREE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING. My point is that doesn’t matter besides being a part of how you’ll figure the final price and whether you’re willing to pay it. Same thing if I charge 13.90 shipping. You’ll figure that in too. Or combined or not combined. You’ll figure that too. The final cost which with due diligence you’ll be able to ascertain,is all that matters. Even eBay judges it all the same.

Crayon Warz

Selling Pokemon cards I started out by selling the holos as singles.
I used to always charge postage when I got started on eBay. Quite simply I didn’t want it coming out of my pocket for an item someone else wanted. Many online retailers offer free postage and others don’t.

Over time, I saw my items with postage sell for maybe a couple pounds less against the same items which offered free postage sold by other sellers. So it didn’t really matter.

In general this is what happened to me selling by auction. Of course you never know what the final selling price may be.
People always take into account how much the overall total cost is before buying something, or should do anyway.

Now I mostly offer free postage. When I do charge it’s usually for heavier items or very valuable items which need the most care.

If you intend and do buy multiple items from a seller always check they offer combined postage before the item ends. Or if you forget ask afterwards for them to amend the final invoice before paying.
Finally if you forget this and realise you paid extra once you received the item you can ask for a part refund to the seller for the added postage. It’s up to them whether they do or don’t.

1 Like

After a bid is placed and the item is won, the word “shipping” should never be mentioned again. Why, because shipping charges don’t really exist. It’s all just a part of the item cost.

I generally agree with your point Gary, you should always consider shipping to be part of the cost of an item and not something additional. However I think there are a few things you’re overlooking, namely shipping speed and reliability. I’d pay more for a card if I knew it was coming through priority mail or didn’t need to be shipped internationally. Someone charging $8 for a card with free shipping and saying its going to come via a regular stamped envelope is going to lose out to someone charging $7 for the card plus $3.50 shipping where I know it’s going to come in a tracked bubble mailer.

2 Likes

While you are right, as an old man, you are wrong as in what the world is like today and fail to take into account scams.

eBay is about the buyer experience, and this includes their horrible mobile interface experience. Large e-commerce sites want sellers to be uniform, really they would like everyone to be the same, to make the experience as seamless as possible.

eBay and other sites don’t want sellers charging crazy shipping charges as they piss of customers and the #1 priority of eBay is to keep customers happy. They want people to not pay attention when buying and have a happy buying experience. For example I am just shopping on my phone while doing something else. Key point being I buy two chairs I think shipping might be double, I buy two trading cards I expect the same cost of maybe 0.50 more unless something like Goldstars or PSA cards. I don’t want to have to check a different window for every item. I have seen some sellers with way different shipping prices for similar priced items. $10 items from free shipping to $7 with many options in-between. So, now I have to read 20 different auction descriptions to buy 20 $2 cards. That is not the experience eBay wants. At that point I might as well go to TCG player or Troll and Toad etc and get a set shipping fee.

Sorry Gary, but your thinking is just so old fashioned compared to where companies want to be today. I think old fashioned thinking is often very good, even better than what is currently happening, but, it’s not a reality for today. While your thinking is fair, it is actually negative for the current times and is probably going to get worse in the future.

For online selling, the future is going to be follow the pack. Be somewhere close to what others are doing or get neg’d for it.

Not the first time I’ve used this meme.


I agree with the sentiment of the OP and I say similar all the time but I can see the other side of it a bit. Usually those complaining about shipping fees are just searching for something to complain about and searching for some reason they have been victimized. In the end what you pay is what you pay. People just love complaining and playing victim.

But in some cases sellers are being a bit petty too. If they advertise it all up front like PWCC and like tnols does and lay it all out then I have no issue with it. The buyers can be petty right back as is occasionally discussed here and pay for all items separately and force the sellers hand to ship each item by itself and therefore not save anything on shipping. For guys who don’t advertise it and then charge $20 shipping on something that actually costs them $2 I think they are just playing the game all wrong. All you stand to do in that case is make someone made and get worse search recognition compared to if you charge an extra $20 on the items and offer free shipping.

4 Likes