I'm probably making a comment on a member of this board, but I hope not.
I bought a 914 emblem from an e-bay seller and was happy with the part but was a little disapointed that I paid $4.95 for a .60 cent postage sent in a "dove soap" box... Now don't get me wrong I've made my living on e-bay for almost 2 years and I'm aware of the costs involved...I gave him a possitive feed back because the part was "as discribed" I WOULD have been happy to buy from him again, I fully beleive that feedback sould tell the whole story.......so this arrogant asshole sent me this e-mail. GEEZEE his e-mail just pissed me off soooo bad...GAWD what A jerk.
READ it and you judge.


"Dear mr.levib,

4.95 is shipping and HANDLING!!! Do you think that the packaging is free? Do you think the bubblewrap which protects the item is free? Do you think that the tape which holds it securely is free? Do you think that the part you purchased mystically leaped from the car or did someone get paid to dismantle this part for you to purchase. Do you think that the paper and ink which printed the auction and the payment record were free? Do you think my time that I spent preparing the documents, Listing the auctions are worth nothing? Do you think the gas, oil and fluids including the wear and tear on my truck in order to deliver your item to the shipper are worth nothing as well? Seems like the miniscule 4.95 for shipping and handling is a bargain at best. I treat this as a business. Every business has an overhead. This items' shipping and handling cost were included in this auction before the 1st bid was cast. By winning the auction you agreed to all the terms stated therein. There were no hidden costs! Seems a little odd to agree to the terms and bitch about what you have agreed to do. Almost as confusing as leaving positive feedback with a negative explanation! Obviously you are aware that others who view your feedback make buying decisions on what they read. Fortunately for you the feedback I leave you will be clear and concise.
Thank you,
flatliner.com

My message to him....

As much that I agree that some of the Ebay sellers charge alot for shipping, I do understand from selling a few items that some of the shipping and handling charge is justified to an extent. Packing material isn't cheap unless you buy it in bulk (i.e. bubble wrap, boxes and tape(no not the narrow scotch tape you use for xmas wrapping)). At least that person quoted the shipping and handling price on the auction and not after. This isn't to take anyones side, but just an observation of what I've seen and been through when dealing with people. And no i'm not the guy that sold you the emblem. Actually I'm still waiting on an item that I won from that person.
As far as him writting you the email just delete it.

Yup I agree, And I Thanked him for the nice part and simple said " I was disapointed" that he sent me the part in a Dial soap box and charged me $4.95 when it actually cost only .60 cents...the soap box is laying in my garbage next to my computer nad I can smell the damn thing....I have been selling tractor parts on e-bay for a long time and the "handling" fees are justified on some parts that are a bitch to package, trust me some tractor parts are a bitch.....This really wasn't that big of a deal and I really didn't try to make a fuss about it, it wasn't untill this jerk sent me the e-mail that I went nuts... i mean really... he was just an asshole.....well here I go again...what an asshole!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :finger2:
Sorry... He just pisses me off

I sell all sorts of items on e-bay. It is fun and entertaining to sell just what people will buy. I am not expert, nor do I make a living doing it. When I have to ship an item I ussually get screwed by not charging enough shipping. The last item I shipped was a large tray table. The box cost me $13.45, the bubble wrap $1.00, and actual shipping was $18.95, gas, time, so on. I charged them 18.95. If I could have found a box for free, I would have, if I had enough of used bubblewrap, I would have. I am going to charge handling from now on. I do want to make money! If you knew what the charges were to begin with, you have no complaint. Just look at it like the guy was recycling and saving the earth. Leave bad comments on feedback for serious issues.

If you sell on e-bay you should already know this.

Delete the e-mail and go on. He probably had a bad day.

Good Luck,

Sherry

I can understand your frustration. Some people can't just say thank you and walk away, they have to give their .02 cents back. I've had emails like that before and all I did was delete it out of my in box.

No need to be sorry.

I'm waiting for the day when the guy I sold a set of Webers too on Ebay BLASTS me on here. The entire Ebay ad we ran specifically said: NO INTAKE MANIFOLDS although when I shot the pics they where still on the carbs. He threatened lawsuit.. cussed/pissed/moaned until we gave him the link to the actual ad we ran still floating around in Ebay never never land that showed him.

I love Ebay for having a awesome business plan.. but I HATE selling on it.



B

Whered you find bubble wrap for a $1.00. Last time I bought bubble wrap it cost me 8.00. I sold something to some dumbass overseas i quoted him a shipping charge before he bid and he still bitched about how high my shipping price was when he won.

Again..Yup
You can't make anything on shipping that's for sure...
Its just me after a few Bud Lights out in my shop with a friends and I come in and read this guys e-mail, oh well its not a big deal...it just seems .....well...how can I say it again.....

Oh hell here I go again....hehehe.....
I'd better take the teener out for some ~~~~~~ tomarrow huh??

I've always been real lucky on my shipping supplies, I've been able to hunt down free boxes from business friends, but the good tape for my tape gun is really expensive, and it costs a few bucks to have every day UPS pickup ..................on the up side I have one more missing piece for my 914...now I'm waiting for the rocker covers, outside & inside door handles, WOW that will be nice to actually be able to open the doors from inside without rolling the window down......

HINT
A good place to find larger boxes is to look at the local autobody shops they get fenders hoods and large parts in heavy boxes and are more than happy to have you take them away............

Bob

if the add on cost + ACTUAL shipping cost was noted in the auction you owe with no complaints. who cares what the box is? when i ship, i use what ever i can, that the shipper will accept. i bought a roll of bubble wrap and it wasn't cheap. i would prefer to recieve something packed in bubble wrap rather than wadded up newspaper. shipping costs gas and time. glad the part was to your liking.

kevin

If you buy a super cheap item then you have to think maybe they made the shipping cost higher so they can fake you out by lowering the price of the product. I see this all the time. I use to sell like that my self. First of all you get more people to look at you ad's and I found out I sell a little. What happens if he would of said $11.95 or the item and shipping is free would you still have be mad over how he shipped it? But I never sold anything first class mail. I always used priority mail with confrim. So I could go get free box's from the postal office.

Levi, I think you are over this by now 6:21 am Wednesday. I have had those replies sent to me and I just delete them. I finally said, don't buy until you know the S&H costs, TOTAL. If you don't like what you see then don't bid, to win.
As far as packaging, I try to fit the package to the item. Many years ago I went to a local auction, I bought boxes upon boxes of bubble envelopes and other packging materials. I bought enough to open a store. So my S&H costs are mainly the postage and time. If I can put a small item in a small package and ship it safely then I do it, I am not a beleiver in sending a 914 emblem in a box big enough for a front hood.
CCLINPACKINGCAMP

I can understand how you feel but it if S&H was stated in the auction then well, let it go.

I sell 914 parts on ebay from time to time. I always ship items 2lbs and under Priority mail. Just a FYI to ebay sellers you can get small & med square boxes FREE from USPS website delivered to you house. You have to setup a business account but its Free.The local Post Office here has the small & larger rectangle boxes but not the square ones. Also you can print priority mail shipping lables from the USPS website and delivery confirmation is free. Also you can order special lables from the website to print the priority shipping lables on. Once you try it you will understand.

There you go.

- Garold

Wow, deja vu.

I bought a mechanical boost controller on e-bay 2 weeks ago for around $11 (it's only a small spring loaded check valve).
S&H were $5.50 and that was included in the ad.

The package showed up in one of those shipping envelopes that are FREE and there was no bubble wrap, no tape, no other expense. The label on the envelope told the story, $1.06 for shipping.

I left positive feedback but mentioned that the S&H were a little high.

I knew the cost going in but some folks won't figure it out before bidding. My mention in the feedback may alert them to the hidden costs.
if he wants to sell the part cheap, sell it cheap. If he wants to sell it for more but still have a low bid price, well It isn't wrong necessarily but it is sneaky and sleezy.
On my targa seals I offer free shipping and handling just to avoid this type of sleezy marketing. The cost of my parts are whatever the bid price is. I set the opening bid or reserve high enough so that if it sells for the minimum I cover my costs.
Everyone else can do it how ever they want but at least I feel good about myself for not misleading bidders.

I buy a LOT of stuff on ebay, and the shipping is high, but I usually get the piece I need cheap enough to compensate, to where it's still cheaper than had I bought it from somewhere else. I've found that it's better to stay away from the people that use ebay as their business and source of livelyhood.... they usually want more for what they have(near retail), and if I'm going to pay that, I'm buying from an actual retail establishment tat I can call up and return stuff to if need be!

a recent expereince:
I bought a dish receiver for my bedroom, the thing only went for 25$ because the shipping was fixed at $20... so I got a new sealed dish receiver for 45... the person sent it overnight fedex insured, and paid almost $20 on the shipping, good deal all around if you ask me!

My favorite reply from someone who grossly overcharged me on shipping was...

"My time and Gas are not free, how did you expect me to get to the post office? all the way across town"

Hmmmm... Makes ya wonder... People want to be in the selling business but don't understand the cost of doing business. I can see it now.

"That's right I have the part you need $20.00 for the part $45 for shipping."
It comes in a soap box with a 60 cent stamp. Luckily it had an invoice on it..."

---------------------------------------------
INVOICE:

Part XXX $20.00
Box $5.00
bubble wrap $1.00
Tape $.45
use of Knife to cut tape $.15
Use of car to drive to post office $2.50
My time to drive $10.00
Taco at Del Taco while on the way $.89
Rolling Stones CD to listen to while driving $9.00
Stamp $.60
Time wating in line $5.00
Gas for car $9.00
Paper to write this invoice $.12
Time to make invoice $2.00
Another Taco, The first was good $.89
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just this week I ordered some parts from a 914 vendor. Some were backordered but before I knew that I paid for 2nd day shipping $20. Well would ya know it. They have sent the parts backordered in three shippments on three different days, all 2nd Day shipping. I was only charged shipping once. Now that is customer service!

If the S&H is stated in the auction then your feedback isn't fair to the seller. When shipping and handling is high, the item sells for less. You can't complain after the fact.

I look at the total cost, shipped to my door. Nothing else really matters.

This is my gripe with folks who list a fixed charge and under-deliver.

You can get all of you Priority Mail supplies for free from the post office-hell, they'll even deliver them right to your house. You can ship a 1 pound item for $3.85. So, I expect for $4.50 that I'll get priority mail shippng. If you send me some 37 cent stamped non-padded envelope I'm gonna be pissed. All of your hats are shipped priority mail for this exact reason. I didn't want to find a shipping container and then deal with size/weight issues. Priority mail takes care of all of that.

sorry for my rant, but I agree with Levi's gripe.

Just bought a PS2 off of e-bay, everyone else was charging like a $10 shipping fee, got an invoice for $40 shipping, then he said that if I felt that shipping was high that he could file a non paying bidder and he could get his e-bay fees back and sell it to someone else. To make a long story short, I could have bought a new one for less.


For those in the portland area, CARTON SERVICES, is the best place to buy boxes, bubble wrap, pakcing peanuts and other packing material. They also sell recycled packing material CHEAP!!!

If you have to buy packing materials then you obviously aren't buying enough crap on ebay yourself Feed the vicious cycle, people.

I'm a little luckier. My wife does cosmetics on the side so I am usually flush with boxes. The down side is people wonder what the hell Beauty Control is and they look at me a little funny.

Hey, don't hate me because I'm beautiful.

I unintentionally overcharged for shipping by nearly $5 on an oversized part. I sent the money back.

I've shipped parts for free to people who need them.

IMO- when someone over charges for shipping a used part "as a business" I pass if the shipping total looks unreasonable. It would piss me off if I paid 5-6 bucks for shipping and it showed up with $0.60 postage in a soap box. Gas, tape, labor, blah, blah, blah......

Anyone can pick and pull a car, I'd much rather buy a part from a 914 person who has a garage full of spare parts (like me) and knows what its like to need a part and not want to get ripped trying to find it.

Personally, I typically charge per the UPS or USPS (I only use them for small items now, they loose or damage too many large item IMHO) online calculators. This can now even be integrated right into an auction if you put the weight. Fair to everybody, and any discount I receive goes against my cost of boxing the item.

I will charge crating fees for large items, but they are always expressed. I think by being upfront with the shipping you will sell more in the long run and do better.

Again, all this doesn't really matter if it is Ebay or not, but everybody likes to blame Ebay sales. It's just general customer service and long term goals vrs short term sales.

sm

BTW (mini spam...)

I never added everything up, but I'm sure I loose s/h money on this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=2470802024

BTW2, if you want any of these different styles, get them direct and 914club guys can lop another 10% off the top.

http://www.malmz.com/ebay/stickers/

(end of shameless plug...)

I totally agree. I have shipped many parts to members on this very forum, because I know it is a pain in the ass to need the part and not be able to find it or find it on ebay for too much money and way too high of price on shipping and HANDLING. Hell, I even give away the part and money is sent for the price of the shipping only.

The only real gripe I have with ebay is when you purchase something and pay for the damn thing right away, the seller waits to leave you a positive feedback only after you receive the item and leave them one. Or the damn seller doesn't leave a feedback at all. That just pisses me off.

Git over it! You got your part

I have bought everything from my 914s to 5.00 items and the only thing that bothers me is when the seller does not list a fixed price for shipping and handleing. tell me up front so I can judge my bid amont. I have been surprised to many times by being overcharged.

Bernie

FWIW I stopped buying and selling low value items on ebay largely for this reason. It is complete BS in my opinion to not factor "handling" or packaging costs into your selling price, or if that doesn't make sense in the ebay model, such as for a $.60 sale price item, then you must CLEARLY state your shipping policy and prices in the auction listing. BUT still you will get the yokels who can't read more than 5 words in a row and will bid anyway.

Case in point, I always listed my items for shipment to US addresses only, but several auctions were won by international buyers anyway. (A major glitch in eBay's system which I reported several times.) The auctions mostly worked out fine anyway, as the buyers knew what to expect in shipping costs and delays, but it was still kinda a hassle.

The best advice I have for ebay sellers is to buy a decent SCALE and double-check any shipping costs you quote to people. I lost a lot on my earlier auctions by underestimating shipping costs due to guesstimated measurements and weights. Unlike many dickheads I would actually stand by the prices I quoted..

I just went through the same thing.
Bought a gauge cluster surround for $4.99 and matching light switch for $6.50 from the same guy for my 300zx/914 dash. Figured combined shipping (not quoted) would be
Chris

I guess Chris' last post brings to mind another "tip" for sellers.

Build up a stash of packing materials by saving boxes and padding when you buy stuff. I have actually had to clean out our 3rd garage bay about once a year because it largely gets jammed up with empty boxes (even with a lot of them flattened!), and bags of bubblewrap and styrofoam.

It is a huge savings to walk outside and be able to pack, weigh and meaure an item in a couple minutes when all the supplies are right there...

I've had it with Ebay too. In particular their marketing execution (and the TV ads )
So I'm building my own... I want part of the $12 million annual Ebaymotors revenue. I think the old car folks will like it better. Designed for people like me who don't have time to search, wait, and bid on things I want. It should get more parts to people looking for them and make parting a vehicle easier. Not going into a bunch of details now. I'm looking at lauching by mid summer.
914 parts will always be listed for free, because I can


back to work
Chris