[Boatanchors] Estate Sale on eBay

[telegrapher at att.net]

That's the way it appears in my books as well.  If i sell something and 
have to ship it i have two choices.  I can take it to a packing/shipping 
place and pay them for the materials or i can run all over the area 
looking for and buying stuff that is required to handle this one item. 
Now i've got more time and gas involved in the cost of doing business. 
Besides i don't know what my future shipping needs will be.  Or i can go 
out and buy a lot of material, bubble pack, peanuts, boxes etc. and 
store them in my already overloaded garage and storage shed.  Where i'd 
put the stuff i don't know.  Or as what i perceive is the correct 
option, taking it to the packing/shipping place and let them, with my 
supervision or assistance pack it using their material and pay them for 
doing it.  I don't have the hassle then of running around to find stuff 
or storing it on my premises.

if i buy something i know now what the fellow on the other end goes thru 
to get things packed up properly.  Hopefully anyway.  If shipping 
charges appear out of line for something i want to buy i question the 
seller and suggest doing it a different way at a cheaper price.  Most of 
the time they accept my suggestion, but there are those who need the 
additional markup to boost their profit line which i don't subscribe to. 
  that's not in my operations manual as the way to handle things.  I 
like to consider the buyer as wanting to get a fair deal for his money. 
  I've even refunded over charges that i estimated to buyers.  Maybe 
it's a flaw in my character but that's the way i am.

Larry
W0OGH

No, i'm not a business.  Just a ham with way to much stuff!


fkamp at comcast.net wrote:

> 
> Michael Crestohl wrote:
> 
>>   It  is  interesting  to see the stuff that is being sold off.  It's no
>>   surprise that
>>   eBay has replaced the flea market/hamfest; a discussion that has take
>>   place ad infinitum for the past 5 or 6 years.
>>   Incidentally, eBay will be 10 years old this coming weekend!
>>   Wonder  why  you/they  are charging so much to ship this stuff.  A key
>>   can easily
>>   be  sent  for  $3.85  by Priority Post yet the listed charges are over
>>   $9.00.
> 
> 
> I have often wondered about high shipping charges
> and it has been a hot topic of discussion.  I
> suspect they are including the cost of packageing
> materials and, perhaps labor. In the case of an
> estate sale or where there may be lots of stuff,
> the seller may be taking the items to a
> packing/shipping service.  Those places always
> seem to be outrageously expensive, but if you can
> pass on the cost to the buyer, it is no longer the
> shippers problem.  They may also be trying to
> recoup the listing fee that ebay charges.  From a
> sellers viewpoint, that may be fair. Not many of
> us would work for free, donate shipping materials
> or not be pained to pay the listing fee. From a
> buyers perspective, the high shipping may be a
> deal breaker.  You have to remember that most
> people dont sell on ebay to loose money.  So it
> all hinges on what total cost a buyer is willing
> to bear and how badly he wants that exceedingly
> rare, mint conditon, untested, as-is, boatanchor
> item.
> 
> Regards,
> Frank Kamp
> K5DKZ
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