Just Bought Another Phone Off Of eBay!

[ahfrederick]

Well I didn't think my offer would stick. But it was accepted. I just bought an Audiovox PPC-6700 for $127.50 (SHIPPED and INSURED).
Asking Price: $180 OBO
My Offer: $100
Shipping & Insurance: $27.50

Here's the link to the auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEBTOX:IT&item=320232124892&_trksid=p3984.cTODAY.m238.lVI

What are your thoughts? Did I get a good deal or what?

[Penny]

Little high on shipping but otherwise seems to be a good deal.

[ahfrederick]

Little high on shipping but otherwise seems to be a good deal.

yeah, most sellers charge a lot for shipping. So that's why I offered $100.

[Striker911]

i don't under stand why people get away with doing high shipping cost

[r0fl]

shipping and handling is expensive because of:
Ebay Fees
Paypal Fees
Packing materials
Time
Gas

I do alot of ebay sales and it really sucks that I have to cut into my profit margin to accommodate a majority of that stuff but I don't charge that high unless i'm sending something overnight

[ahfrederick]

shipping and handling is expensive because of:
Ebay Fees
Paypal Fees
Packing materials
Time
Gas

I do alot of ebay sales and it really sucks that I have to cut into my profit margin to accommodate a majority of that stuff but I don't charge that high unless i'm sending something overnight

*NODS* I understand. It's all good. I'm just glad that I got the phone at my offer price. I would have gone for a Mogul, but those still go for about $300 - $350 + Shipping.

[ahfrederick]

i don't under stand why people get away with doing high shipping cost

One thing that was told to me was that eBay only charges for the selling price and NOT the shipping. So there are times where you'll see a product that is SUPER cheap and yet the shipping is killing you. That's where the seller is getting most of their money.

[missdiva]

If that had been reported, ebay would have canceled it. they have general amounts for categories and remove anything that's over what they think is reasonable (for regular shipping, say actual is $10, they think up to $14 is ok , for example) PPL should really take advantage of flat rate from usps - saves a lot for things over a few lbs.

A few bucks is one thing but the time/gas/packing is also the cost of doing business, so they don't want people charging 100% of those costs to the buyer. Plus w/ all priority stuff being free, free pickups, and the seller getting the benefit of the ebay advertising and pp convenience (removes the check/mo risk and any merchant account has fees as well), it makes sense some of that cost would come out of the seller profit. If it wasnt for ebay most ppl would be stuck at garage sales, on craigs, and less amount made / less sales made. Granted PP has its issues but its still the best option at this point.

I know a few ppl who figure the listing fee into the shipping cost (between 1 - 4 bucks) plus another 1-3 for other stuff depending on the item. Having that 1 fee and some 'time' covered, then figuring the final and pp fees as the overhead.

[ahfrederick]

If that had been reported, ebay would have canceled it. they have general amounts for categories and remove anything that's over what they think is reasonable (for regular shipping, say actual is $10, they think up to $14 is ok , for example) PPL should really take advantage of flat rate from usps - saves a lot for things over a few lbs.

A few bucks is one thing but the time/gas/packing is also the cost of doing business, so they don't want people charging 100% of those costs to the buyer. Plus w/ all priority stuff being free, free pickups, and the seller getting the benefit of the ebay advertising and pp convenience (removes the check/mo risk and any merchant account has fees as well), it makes sense some of that cost would come out of the seller profit. If it wasnt for ebay most ppl would be stuck at garage sales, on craigs, and less amount made / less sales made. Granted PP has its issues but its still the best option at this point.

I know a few ppl who figure the listing fee into the shipping cost (between 1 - 4 bucks) plus another 1-3 for other stuff depending on the item. Having that 1 fee and some 'time' covered, then figuring the final and pp fees as the overhead.

*NODS* Agreed. But the problem is that there are WAY too many sellers doing this. Wanna see? Check out the Automotive parts - Generally the HID section; and you'll see what I mean. Typical pricing: $20 - $30 Item cost + $40 - $80 Shipping. Crazy!

[Juan]

Nice phone man - I think you got a good deal on a used Audiovox. Let me know how it works when you get it set up. :)

[missdiva]

thats why ppl have to keep reporting. thats the only way they get taken down, not enough ebay staff to monitor every listing.

[Juan]

thats why ppl have to keep reporting. thats the only way they get taken down, not enough ebay staff to monitor every listing.

I didn't know you could report those auctions with crazy amounts for shipping.

[ahfrederick]

Nice phone man - I think you got a good deal on a used Audiovox. Let me know how it works when you get it set up. :)

FaSho Juan! heh. I'll keep you informed! :tu:

[ahfrederick]

thats why ppl have to keep reporting. thats the only way they get taken down, not enough ebay staff to monitor every listing.

Actually I don't think there really are rules against listing high shipping charges. But then again, I don't read rules. :D

[missdiva]

There are. Its a big issue w/ both ebay and users. They have 'standards' in place so that if you list something w/ a charge that seems high they give you a huge warning message before you list right on the page. At one point I think they had a program that was checking amounts but not sure if that's still happening since it wasn't taking different factors into consideration.

They try to get you to make the item price higher and keep the ship costs lower so they make more in fees. Buyers tend to look at their time/effort/materials etc as a handling fee, but Ebay tries to just say make the profit on your item. They kind of lump the blatant abusers with the reasonable ppl w/ handling fees which is wrong. ex: $30 to ship a memory card - nuts, as opposed to a $5-$10 added on for a heavy item that requires a special box and packing etc.

[missdiva]

Oh and at the bottom of every auction, there's a report link - I believe its 'listing violation' - then choose fee circumvention/avoidance, then choose excessive shipping. They remove QUICKLY b/c it has to do with them losing money. Funny, bc if you report something that doesn't directly hurt Ebay/$, it takes 100 times longer to remove.

[ahfrederick]

Oh and at the bottom of every auction, there's a report link - I believe its 'listing violation' - then choose fee circumvention/avoidance, then choose excessive shipping. They remove QUICKLY b/c it has to do with them losing money. Funny, bc if you report something that doesn't directly hurt Ebay/$, it takes 100 times longer to remove.

Exactly. So WHY would I report them to eBay exactly? If it helps ME save money on the product, then I'm ALL for it. Who cares about if eBay LOSES money (which they are NOT), if it helps MYSELF to better pricing.

missdiva - I do apologies if it seems like I'm trying to argue with you, which I'm not. I'm just wondering why you would be so willing to stand up for eBay as you've been doing. Do you work for eBay? Invested in the company? Those would be the logical reasons behind it. NEWayz, this has been just my own $0.02. :)

[ahfrederick]

Well newayz, to stay on topic: The seller told me today that the phone was shipped a few days ago and should arrive on monday. :tu:

[cirruslyloud]

Its not saving you money. The item price will be cheaper but the shipping will be that much higher to make up for the difference. Usually that is how it works

[ahfrederick]

Its not saving you money. The item price will be cheaper but the shipping will be that much higher to make up for the difference. Usually that is how it works

And I understand, but in my statement I mentioned the word "IF". I know how the system works on eBay, I've been using it since 1999. I just don't buy anything on there unless it's an item that either I can not find anywhere else and/or it's the cheapest place to buy it.

[missdiva]

LOL, you have it totally backwards - I just said in not so many words they are being greedy and unethical!

But overall - it's got nothing to do w/ an opinion - it's based on fact, experience, and overall user response (based on fact as well). When they do something shady or unethical I say that, when they do something reasonable I say that. Laws are the reasons behind some of the 'good' rules, and its a business w/ the main goal of $. They try to balance keeping users happy w/ what's most profitable but they have such a hold on the industry that their greed etc shows more. Users can see when decisions are made w them in mind or not - thats why the backlash starts sometimes when changes are made that make no sense and seem to only be $ based.

Then on the flip side, it's not always black and white. Regardless of their greed w/ fees as a motivation, they can still be right to do it for other reasons and in the long run the users can/do benefit from this one. I agree w/ the concept but know they are being TOTALLY greedy when they remove those listings in an hour, but take a week to remove another violation where they wont benefit financially from doing so.

And the above poster is right, you aren't paying less. If the shipping is $20 more, the item still may get bid up to the same amount, but never more than appx $20 less - people look at the OVERALL price and decide if its a deal or not. There are some people who wont bid on things w/ excessive shipping out of principle but its all around the same $ in the end. And another issue you're missing - if you need a refund, many times they do not refund shipping, so the higher that is, the more you lose. This ia a HUGE reason ppl in categories like cell accessories charge 99 cents and 9.50 to ship - bc they are often selling crap and then they have to only refund 99cents. Thats different than the person charging 5 extra bucks to pack and shlep a huge box.

They have a whole rule section on this for a reason, like w/ most of their rules, parts make sense, parts are ridiculous, and parts are complicated and there for many diff. reasons. Newbies often follow what they see and if people keep ship costs fair/reasonable, sellers may even get more bidders, buyers arent screwed w/ a return etc etc. Those are all reasons why you should report.

[ahfrederick]

LOL, you have it totally backwards - I just said in not so many words they are being greedy and unethical!

But overall - it's got nothing to do w/ an opinion - it's based on fact, experience, and overall user response (based on fact as well). When they do something shady or unethical I say that, when they do something reasonable I say that. Laws are the reasons behind some of the 'good' rules, and its a business w/ the main goal of $. They try to balance keeping users happy w/ what's most profitable but they have such a hold on the industry that their greed etc shows more. Users can see when decisions are made w them in mind or not - thats why the backlash starts sometimes when changes are made that make no sense and seem to only be $ based.

Then on the flip side, it's not always black and white. Regardless of their greed w/ fees as a motivation, they can still be right to do it for other reasons and in the long run the users can/do benefit from this one. I agree w/ the concept but know they are being TOTALLY greedy when they remove those listings in an hour, but take a week to remove another violation where they wont benefit financially from doing so.

And the above poster is right, you aren't paying less. If the shipping is $20 more, the item still may get bid up to the same amount, but never more than appx $20 less - people look at the OVERALL price and decide if its a deal or not. There are some people who wont bid on things w/ excessive shipping out of principle but its all around the same $ in the end. And another issue you're missing - if you need a refund, many times they do not refund shipping, so the higher that is, the more you lose. This ia a HUGE reason ppl in categories like cell accessories charge 99 cents and 9.50 to ship - bc they are often selling crap and then they have to only refund 99cents. Thats different than the person charging 5 extra bucks to pack and shlep a huge box.

They have a whole rule section on this for a reason, like w/ most of their rules, parts make sense, parts are ridiculous, and parts are complicated and there for many diff. reasons. Newbies often follow what they see and if people keep ship costs fair/reasonable, sellers may even get more bidders, buyers arent screwed w/ a return etc etc. Those are all reasons why you should report.

Well missdiva,.. since you put it that way.. you got my vote! :D

But seriously, you made great points. And you're right for the most part. When you buy the item, and need to return.. you don't get your shipping back. Which sucks. And I guess I didn't think about it that way. But then again I've had nothing but good experiences with buying from ebay, with the exception of two sellers who I won't buy from again. But newayz, thanks for the reply and not ripping my head off. :)

[missdiva]

It's basically like anything else, mostly good with some bad, and a company trying to do the best they can while making $ but not ever being able to make everyone happy in every situation. Same as any company. One shady seller has nothing to do w/ the next guy so it's important to keep each transaction separate and realize some will go well and some won't. The best anyone can do is follow the rules of the sites, be honest, ask questions, keep records, be careful, and use a credit card. Then realize that some problems and shady people are just the cost of doing business and a part of life. I've had people on SU who screwed me out of $$$ and it doesnt change the fact that 99.9 percent of the people are good/honest.

The prob with a company this huge and an industry so complex is there's no real end to many questions and no definitive right or wrong...there are so many factors, issues, points, buyers/sellers on diff sides, and technology/scams/problems change as time passes - its impossible to keep everyone happy. Everyone has a different goal and POV and the fact that it's all online changes the dynamic (not like walking into bestbuy, the price is the price, it is what it is and you buy or don't w/ everything and everyone being equal and the situation more 'constant')

Even so, it's worth dealing w/ the BS for the deals - which is why tons of ppl keep complaining but keep selling/buying. I hate how Paypal works in some ways, but there's really no other good option at the moment...

[TK011391]

i just saw a treo 700p for $25

the catch?


shipping is $360.50

i kid you not

im too lazy to go back and look the link up again though
sorry