Ebay - Rant
Okay, I don't really want to complain about Ebay again. But this comes from the standpoint of being a seller.
Ebay says that your listing fee should cover all the fees. As in there is a listing fee, there is a final value fee, there is a paypal fee. Okay, Listing fee you can figure out because it tells you as you are listing the item. In my experience it's been about $2.00 for how I list. Fine, thats not so bad. But getting into trying to predict the final value fee is kind of impossible. They get a certain percent, and depending on how much you make on an item affects just how much of a percent they get. Paypay is kinda the same.
Sooo, I have found it a lot easier to start auctions out at .99 cent, and having a shipping price that is a little higher.
Problem, you end up with people bitching about a $10 shipping charge. Does anyone have any common sense? Because frankly you'll be playing more either way because either I'm going to list at .99 cent or I'm going to start the auction out at $5. Plus with multiple auctions I state right in the auction I combline on shipping. So bid on one more item.
Anyway, So I explain IN the auction description, Yes I combine on auctions. I also explain I only take paypal. I also explain that I can ship packages internationally, international bidders will have to wait till the end of the auction for shipping total. I have used usps website to try to predict international shipping but the last two times I did it I did not get the proper total and lost money on the auctions. Sorry international bidders but it works a lot better if I physically take the item to the PO and get a total.
Anyway. So what happens.
First question a couple days ago is polite but telling me what my shipping price should be. (SERIOUSLY) The starting bid is .99 cent - I mean what is the worst that could happen? You bid $2 and get outbid so you don't have to buy it?
Another question: International bidder emails yesterday (Thanksgiving) asking what shipping will be to they're particular country. Since it's Thanksgiving I'm not near the items, I'm away. But I decide to go test USPS, not having the items in front of you so you can either A;weigh them or B; measure them makes it impossible to get an appropriate idea. The site gives me anywhere from $15 to $30 variables - not including the outlandish price of $100+++ for some sort of fancy shipping. I have always surmised that they put all the crap on the same plane but ya know it just seems crazy to have 20 different ways to ship all with varying totals.
And Today's question is: Will I take a money order because the persons paypal account got hacked......
Seriously?
I feel bad for the person if this is true but how the heck am I getting someone wanting to bid on my auction with a hacked paypal account. Plus my spider senses go off and I would have to give person my address for them to be able to send me the money order. I never had the problem before because before paypal that was the only way to get money when selling on ebay but now I'm sort of wary of the idea. If the person really wants the auction can't they find a friend who has a paypal account? In this day an age you can get a paypal account fairly easy and you don't have to hook it up to your main checking/savings account.
I went through the trouble of getting a separate account at my bank where I keep a bare minimum of money in it - that way if someone did hack it they wouldn't be getting very much money at all. I do the same thing with credit cards. I have a special credit card for online stuff, so if something ever happens to it, TO bad, the amount is limited, you're not gonna get much.
So anyway, the 3 things I ask people in my auctions not to do...what do they do...do it anyway.
Ebay says that your listing fee should cover all the fees. As in there is a listing fee, there is a final value fee, there is a paypal fee. Okay, Listing fee you can figure out because it tells you as you are listing the item. In my experience it's been about $2.00 for how I list. Fine, thats not so bad. But getting into trying to predict the final value fee is kind of impossible. They get a certain percent, and depending on how much you make on an item affects just how much of a percent they get. Paypay is kinda the same.
Sooo, I have found it a lot easier to start auctions out at .99 cent, and having a shipping price that is a little higher.
Problem, you end up with people bitching about a $10 shipping charge. Does anyone have any common sense? Because frankly you'll be playing more either way because either I'm going to list at .99 cent or I'm going to start the auction out at $5. Plus with multiple auctions I state right in the auction I combline on shipping. So bid on one more item.
Anyway, So I explain IN the auction description, Yes I combine on auctions. I also explain I only take paypal. I also explain that I can ship packages internationally, international bidders will have to wait till the end of the auction for shipping total. I have used usps website to try to predict international shipping but the last two times I did it I did not get the proper total and lost money on the auctions. Sorry international bidders but it works a lot better if I physically take the item to the PO and get a total.
Anyway. So what happens.
First question a couple days ago is polite but telling me what my shipping price should be. (SERIOUSLY) The starting bid is .99 cent - I mean what is the worst that could happen? You bid $2 and get outbid so you don't have to buy it?
Another question: International bidder emails yesterday (Thanksgiving) asking what shipping will be to they're particular country. Since it's Thanksgiving I'm not near the items, I'm away. But I decide to go test USPS, not having the items in front of you so you can either A;weigh them or B; measure them makes it impossible to get an appropriate idea. The site gives me anywhere from $15 to $30 variables - not including the outlandish price of $100+++ for some sort of fancy shipping. I have always surmised that they put all the crap on the same plane but ya know it just seems crazy to have 20 different ways to ship all with varying totals.
And Today's question is: Will I take a money order because the persons paypal account got hacked......
Seriously?
I feel bad for the person if this is true but how the heck am I getting someone wanting to bid on my auction with a hacked paypal account. Plus my spider senses go off and I would have to give person my address for them to be able to send me the money order. I never had the problem before because before paypal that was the only way to get money when selling on ebay but now I'm sort of wary of the idea. If the person really wants the auction can't they find a friend who has a paypal account? In this day an age you can get a paypal account fairly easy and you don't have to hook it up to your main checking/savings account.
I went through the trouble of getting a separate account at my bank where I keep a bare minimum of money in it - that way if someone did hack it they wouldn't be getting very much money at all. I do the same thing with credit cards. I have a special credit card for online stuff, so if something ever happens to it, TO bad, the amount is limited, you're not gonna get much.
So anyway, the 3 things I ask people in my auctions not to do...what do they do...do it anyway.