Ebay Issues
I have recently delved into buying stuff from Ebay and become somewhat dismayed by two reasons.
First is that Max lost his teddy and I thought, "I know - ebay". I found someone on there that had a store or something like that selling Ikea things, including the teddy. The feedback looked really good and though the price of the teddy was double that in ikea (£1.25 Ikea, £2.50 on the website plus £1.80 p/p = £4.30) I thought it was was a good idea.
I ordered it on the 16th and still have not received it. The seller has said they have sent it and are now claiming compensation from Royal Mail. They have said they have sent another one but am still waiting. They also asked me to return the first teddy if it arrives but my thinking is that this is the property of the Royal Mail as the seller would have received compensation. I suspect if I rang Royal Mail they would either say (a) keep it or (b) give it to charity / childrens home / childrens ward in hospital.
Therefore not impressed - I even got a sarcastic email telling me I should have responded to the email they sent me. Not good and will be giving negative feedback for this one.
The second is, again for Max, I was looking for a bridge for his wooden train set. This lead me to two other issues with Ebay. Postage costs and general pricing....
On postage costs, there seems to be this "Sellers Standard Rate". For a set of tracks (including a bridge) one seller wanted the postage costs to be £20. I have sent some heavy things in the past, recorded delivery, and its never been that much. I am fairly convinced after looking around this is a money making excersise done to "boost up" the cost of an item. What I mean is that actually postage costs half of the amount quoted (£20) making a profit of £10.
I didn't proceed with this but did find a bridge. The postage on this was £2.99 and the item sold for £7.50, total cost was £10.49. However, looking at a normal shop I found the following item
http://www.321toys.co.uk/twt_60-515_wooden_train_track_bridge_arches.htm. The cost of this is £2.79 plus £1.99 delivery, total £4.68, a saving of £5.81 on ebay.
So - ebay I am sure is good - but things like this don't really do it any favours.
First is that Max lost his teddy and I thought, "I know - ebay". I found someone on there that had a store or something like that selling Ikea things, including the teddy. The feedback looked really good and though the price of the teddy was double that in ikea (£1.25 Ikea, £2.50 on the website plus £1.80 p/p = £4.30) I thought it was was a good idea.
I ordered it on the 16th and still have not received it. The seller has said they have sent it and are now claiming compensation from Royal Mail. They have said they have sent another one but am still waiting. They also asked me to return the first teddy if it arrives but my thinking is that this is the property of the Royal Mail as the seller would have received compensation. I suspect if I rang Royal Mail they would either say (a) keep it or (b) give it to charity / childrens home / childrens ward in hospital.
Therefore not impressed - I even got a sarcastic email telling me I should have responded to the email they sent me. Not good and will be giving negative feedback for this one.
The second is, again for Max, I was looking for a bridge for his wooden train set. This lead me to two other issues with Ebay. Postage costs and general pricing....
On postage costs, there seems to be this "Sellers Standard Rate". For a set of tracks (including a bridge) one seller wanted the postage costs to be £20. I have sent some heavy things in the past, recorded delivery, and its never been that much. I am fairly convinced after looking around this is a money making excersise done to "boost up" the cost of an item. What I mean is that actually postage costs half of the amount quoted (£20) making a profit of £10.
I didn't proceed with this but did find a bridge. The postage on this was £2.99 and the item sold for £7.50, total cost was £10.49. However, looking at a normal shop I found the following item
http://www.321toys.co.uk/twt_60-515_wooden_train_track_bridge_arches.htm. The cost of this is £2.79 plus £1.99 delivery, total £4.68, a saving of £5.81 on ebay.
So - ebay I am sure is good - but things like this don't really do it any favours.
posted by monty at
12:10 AM
6 Comments:
It's hit or miss I guess, and depends greatly on what you're wanting to buy.
Generally if you can get it elsewhere, it's cheaper elsewhere I find. So unless it's something you really can't get anywhere else...
My housemate is a regular ebay seller (and buyer) and yep, they make most of their money from the postage. It's a way to guarantee that you'll get a good amount from your sale. I guess you could say that the extra money goes towards the actual packaging, and the time and energy taken to send it (long shot I know!) - but general people just want more money.
I avoid it ;)
As Sparkles has said, the things to take into account with postage is not just in the cost of stamps. For some people in a rural area, the nearest post office may well be a significant car journey away. So there is the cost of packaging (jiffy envelopes, sellotape, labels, bubble wrap, tissue paper), your time, petrol and parking.
As an ebayer (who sells) I find postage really tricky. I want to charge what's reasonable but actually, I'm not convinced that the price of the stamps IS reasonable for me. If anyone were to complain to me about my charges after spending 50p on an item then I wouldn't be best pleased. Fortunately, no one has!
Hi
Thanks for the comments, Helsalata - I do understand that and therefore I expect probably to pay slightly more for postage and packaging. But as Sparkles says, and I have realised, I am sure there are a bunch of people whom are using this as a money "increasing" excersise and not being as genuine as what they should be...
I should have just drove to Ikea and got my teddy as I probably could have picked up my train track there too!! hehehe
The postage thing is probably more likely done to boost the cost of the item - the low bid/buy it now price draws you in to look at the item.
I haven't had any problems with ebay. Intending to buy a custom made wedidng dress from an ebay seller for a very reasonable price even though the postage is more than half of the cost!
Hi Laura.... I wish you the very best of encouragement (I could say luck but being married is not about luck at all in the slightest). In my honest reflection my wife wished (and continues to do so) that she has went for her weddding dress with her hearts desire. Its a once in a lifetime, make it so. I know your a genuine person so I know you will do the best in your mind..... fantastic..... good girl......
as an ebay seller and buy of a good few years now I have this to add.
Slow senders, I've had a few people who have been slow but something has never got lost but a sarcastic seller isn't very proffessional, make sure he has left you feedback before you leave his otherwise you will certainly get bad feedback in return for no reason!
Secondly with the postage issue, from a seller perspective I always make sure there is a profit made from postage because it helps cover things like paypal costs plus ebay dont take a portion of the postage money, the way I see it the postage cost is there before you buy an item and I always take it into account before bidding, many sellers sell things for 99p then have a huge postage cost so effectively your postage pays for the item. it's a sneaky way of getting around ebay!
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