aucbay on eBay = Douche

aucbay, or Primal's Axalon is the name of his eBay store, is a US seller of Transformers parts.

He is one of the biggest douches going around. He lists good looking parts but states exorbitant prices for international postage. Up to $55usd to post a single missile etc.

I've had an email stoush with him before but I thought I'd share the latest one with you.

I'd hoped his attitude toward actually making a sale and helping a customer might have mellowed. I was wrong.

I wrote:

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Hi.

If I was to win upward of 10 of your Beast Wars Parts auctions, how much would postage be to Australia? I can't see it being anywhere near the price you seem to chanrge for a single item. Cheers

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To which I received in reply:

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If it is all parts $35 via express mail

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To which I replied with:

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Hi. Thanks for the info. It stills seems a bit pricey though, so would I have a guarantee that I'd be refunded whatever money was left over if the cost of postage ended up being less than $35?

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To which I received in reply:

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No cause a box costs money to. I recomend u purchase from
simeone else who ships first class international
thx have a good day

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To which I replied with:

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That would be an expensive box.

Why even offer International postage if you're simply going to go out of your way to be unhelpful to overseas bidders?

I'm trying to put some cash in your pocket but you're finding every excuse for me not to, and then fob me off by directing me to source another seller. It all seems very back to front.

Sorry for being such an inconvenience to you and your business.

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To which I am now awaiting a reply but do not expect to receive one.

As I said, douche.

You know whats funny, I was looking at some of his auctions today. I do believe charging that much for postage is ridiculous. Wankers.

A fair few US sellers do this to International buyers unfortunately.

If they don't want to ship overseas or wish to charge exorbitantly for it that's their prerogative. Why would you keep harassing them with niggling emails?

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Originally Posted by SamLoi888

If they don't want to ship overseas or wish to charge exorbitantly for it that's their prerogative. Why would you keep harassing them with niggling emails?

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Because he wants to buy Transformers at a FAIR price.

They shouldn't be trying to make money off of postage - that's the post office's job.

To ship 2 lb (1kg) via Express is $39.00
To ship 1 lb (.5kg) via Express is $33.50
The minimum charge for Express is $28.95

If anyone wants it bad enough they will pay that amount.......I bet most of us who buy accessories to complete transformers have had cases where we don't agree with the postage amount but have still paid just to get it!!!

If you dont agree then just walk away.

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Originally Posted by SamLoi888

If they don't want to ship overseas or wish to charge exorbitantly for it that's their prerogative. Why would you keep harassing them with niggling emails?

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Kaiden is correct. I actually want to buy these items, instead of them coming up in the searches I do of eBay.

BW parts don't come up that often, they aren't as readily available as G1 parts seem to be. There aren't 2nd hand stores lining the internet stocked with parts. There are a couple of online stores but there stock is minimal.

So when you do find a resource it gets you a bit excited. But an unhelpful seller who would rather pay relisting fees than actually sell items is a douche in my books.

One thing I (still) don't understand is why eBay sellers always quote high prices and seem to charge more for shipping. I've discovered from buying privately on TFW that shipping from the US is nowhere near as much as these (to use the colloquial term used above) wankers charge.

For example, I've had:

AM Prowl complete and 7 MMs - shipped for US$8
Misc lot of 12 MMs - shipped for US$7
TM Blurr - shipped for US$9

And all the above arrived within 1.5 weeks.

So I still can't understand how these douche-bags charge so high as if the world was oblivious to their evil.

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Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

One thing I (still) don't understand is why eBay sellers always quote high prices and seem to charge more for shipping.

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I think, as jaydisc, points out, that it comes down to an insistance on using Express mail, which then covers them if there's a PayPal scam (which happens) - they're not covered if they use the untrackable, regular, First Class Air. The problem with First Class Air is delivery can't be confirmed - so if a buyer claims the item didn't arrive and demands PayPal protection, there's no way to check if it's a legit claim or a scam.

These guys are running businesses and I guess have decided it's worthwhile for them to outprice some international buyers rather than risk PayPal scams.

It's a little silly of PayPal, since it shifts a huge cost for that coverage to the buyer - in the case of small items we're looking at the postage tripling. And since the shipments need to go to the PayPal address, international buyers can't use a proxy address (although I guess a US based friend couled buy and then ship on, regular mail). A better solution would be to incorporate a fee at the buyer's end (say a $1 fee if 1st Class Air is used).

It's worth mentioning that priority mail international is actually trackable (in most cases) but very few sellers seem to know this.

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Originally Posted by llamatron

It's worth mentioning that priority mail international is actually trackable (in most cases) but very few sellers seem to know this.

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But does that alone make it qualify for paypal?

No, as we've discussed numerous time in numerous locations before, it's more about what information is shown in the tracking. We've collectively tried to gather various tracking results to see if we can determine the difference, but to this day, whether Priority qualifies is ambiguous at best, whereas with Express it's a sure thing. If I was shipping from the USA, I would also always be shipping Express. I would not risk the chargeback. I don't think it's fair to persecute sellers for protecting themselves.

I would say I'm with the Affirmative on this one.
I lost one missile from my TM2 Cybershark, certainly not enough to justify buying an entirely new one, but no-way in hell Am I paying fifty-five U.S to ship it.
No way!!

I know how you feel i want to get these
Transformers 1984 G1 Bluestreak "MISSILE LAUNCHER" Pair

But paying $4.99 for the item and then $27.50 for shipping are they crazy :(

I've seen this blokes prices b4 and just walked away, to be asking nearly 50$ postage is rude in anybody language for something that will fit into a cd postage bag..

Also if you look closely at his stuff you will notice that he has pulled apart a perfectly good toy and is selling all the parts separately like you would a car......thats what pisses me off the most with this guy...

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Originally Posted by Tabias Prime

Also if you look closely at his stuff you will notice that he has pulled apart a perfectly good toy and is selling all the parts separately like you would a car......thats what pisses me off the most with this guy...

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lots of sellers do that. Notably, this seller from Japan called Tokyobancho. He has sold rare Jap exclusive pieces part by part. He recently sold a "complete" Minelba by splitting it into each part and netted around US$1000 in total.

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Originally Posted by rampagesss

I know how you feel i want to get these
Transformers 1984 G1 Bluestreak "MISSILE LAUNCHER" Pair

But paying $4.99 for the item and then $27.50 for shipping are they crazy :(

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Heh, they aren't even Bluestreak's launchers. Those are Prowl's.

Bluestreak has Red launchers doesn't he:confused:

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Originally Posted by 1orion2many

Bluestreak has Red launchers doesn't he:confused:

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Right on the mark. Dunno why the guy hasn't done his research :mad:

So Rampagesss, if you are after the Red Launchers for Bluestreak, I think I have a spare pair, or they are with Jamie at the Parra fair. If you don't find them beforehand :p

I don't see the issue personally.

As Verno said he's a very niche seller out to make a profit by shipping very small and reasonably scarce parts. Basic economic theory dictates that he sets his prices by the rarity of the item, and given the context it would seem wise to go for the most secure postage method.

At the end of the day no one is forcing you to buy from him. As much as I understand that shopping around for a cheaper price isn't too much of an option, he's not performing a public service.

i agree on this ebay seller-way too expensive postage prices! i have messaged him several times about this and didn't even get a reply! that was probably a good thing judging by his replies to you! such a shame as there are some great figures,parts and junkers available-but not at that postage price!

I mean if we all pooled together and made the biggest purchase ever from him, the postage might be worth it.

But I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

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Originally Posted by Verno

I mean if we all pooled together and made the biggest purchase ever from him, the postage might be worth it.

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This would be the only justification for a purchase from a seller like this - a big group order. If they've been scammed by a few bad apples from overseas, I think they should eliminate international shipping altogether. It just creates hassles and I can't imagine they'd make much money selling to non U.S customers.

Wonder how therawhyde is still managing to send stuff first class international..

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Originally Posted by canofwhoopass_87

Wonder how therawhyde is still managing to send stuff first class international..

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He prolly has not much bad buyers :D. Even though he never responds to pms consistently, you never get a bad vibe that your gonna get gipped.

Sadly it continues:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/TRANSFORMERS-...item53d4779395

While I'd be more than happy to shell out $5 for the only piece of RID Megatron I'm missing, the postage cost of $36.50 is practically highway robbery.

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Originally Posted by Paul Agnew

While I'd be more than happy to shell out $5 for the only piece of RID Megatron I'm missing, the postage cost of $36.50 is practically highway robbery.

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I whole heartedly agree with you there Paul,

Whilst the Dollar is enjoying near Parity with the Greenback, I continue to find that anything from the states via eBay proves to be fruitless with regard to Sellers overly inflated Postage costs.
I still find that postage from the UK is leaps and bounds more appropriate and hence draws me to English auctions far more than US ones.

Personally I think Robot Kingdom is absolutely loving the High Aussie Dollar at the moment, they made a killing yesterday with just my purchases. ;):p

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Originally Posted by Paul Agnew

Sadly it continues:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/TRANSFORMERS-...item53d4779395

While I'd be more than happy to shell out $5 for the only piece of RID Megatron I'm missing, the postage cost of $36.50 is practically highway robbery.

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BAHAHHAHAA XD

Wow this seller really is an ass...

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Originally Posted by Paul Agnew

Sadly it continues:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/TRANSFORMERS-...item53d4779395

While I'd be more than happy to shell out $5 for the only piece of RID Megatron I'm missing, the postage cost of $36.50 is practically highway robbery.

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This seller has simply chosen USPS Express as their method (believed by many to be a requirement for PayPal seller protection) and has let eBay automatically do the calculations based on a weight of 1lb. along with a handling fee of $3. While he probably could have entered a weight below .5lb, this would only have reduced the price to the Express minimum of $31.95.

It's unfortunate, but necessary for sellers to cover themselves by using that expensive shipping rate (provided they do actually use it). If not, they may have trouble meeting the conditions for Paypal coverage.
It's been raised several times now, but people have to realise that as long as the seller uses that shipping rate, the seller doesn't have a choice if they want to cover their own asses with Paypal's requirements.

What annoys me more is sellers on other boards who use the excuse for not shipping outside of the US because it is too expensive to ship overseas. I would put the question to them that if someone is willing to pay the postage, what's the problem? I just see it as a front for saying "I don't want to send anything overseas because I don't trust them and feel I will get ripped off when they say they never received it" They would have the same protection under paypal as if they used ebay would they not?

Slightly off topic, but similar situation.

I'm not so sure PayPal Seller Protection exists for non-eBay transactions, but I am sure that a buyer's credit card protection ALWAYS APPLIES. So naturally, that's a bit one-sided. Note that I'm not complaining as CC buyer protection has saved me on numerous occasions.

Unfortunately, as you can see in this thread, many international buyers can get pretty infuriated at high shipping costs (observe the word "douche" in the thread title), so for many Americans, who have such a large market at their domestic doorstop, the benefits simply don't outweigh the risks.

In my opinion, the irony here, is that the stye of complaint heard throughout this thread is likely to be one of, if not the, major cause of your complaint.

It's quite possible that many US sellers have copped abuse from foreigners for quoting the necessary expensive postage costs, and just decided they don't want to risk that sort of abuse anymore (by only selling to Americans from now on).

On several occasions it has happened to me that the price they quote is much more (50%-70% more) of what it actually cost them.

can people stop trying to provide perfectly rational explanations for these high shipping charges? other people are trying to vent their frustrations here! :p

I've had similar dealings,
I recently bought a group of 3 legends figures, wheelie, cosmos and warpath.

Anyway, the combined postage saved me $2 0ff the $8 each that the guy was going to charge for postage. pretty steep.
what ticked me off was when I recieved it, he had spent about $4 on postage, and I can assure you VERY little on the packaging. over constant emailing afterwards he refused all but the smallest refund on postage. by the time I got around to going to give him negative feedback the listing was too old to give feedback to. this was danny237706 from malaysia.

On the other side of the coin, I recently bought a baseball glove from a guy in the states who initially was charging $40 postage, I asked about First Class International which other sellers were using, he looked into it, charged me $20 postage in the end then refunded me another $2 after he'd been to the post office and found it was cheaper than he expected. He also said that it was fully trackable.
This guy is on my favorite sellers list. Too bad he doesn't sell transformers gear.

In short, excessive postage seems to me to often be an excuse to make more money off an underpriced or relatively cheap item. I realise there aren't a lot of options sometime but it's eBay, there will always be someone else selling what you want who's not trying to jam you with postage. just wait a while and give your business to those who deserve it.:cool:

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Originally Posted by UltraMarginal

In short, excessive postage seems to me to often be an excuse to make more money off an underpriced or relatively cheap item.

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In some cases more than others:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Alot of the time i will simply email the seller and ask how much for postage to Australia and they usually send me a proper, reasonable price compared to the one listed in the auction. :)

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Originally Posted by Sky Shadow

In some cases more than others:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....=STRK:MEWAX:IT

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LMAO!!! I thought ebay didn't allow things like this! :confused:

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Originally Posted by UltraMarginal

I realise there aren't a lot of options sometime but it's eBay, there will always be someone else selling what you want who's not trying to jam you with postage. just wait a while and give your business to those who deserve it.:cool:

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So true. This is what I live by when I go on eBay. Just gotta be patient.

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Originally Posted by Sky Shadow

In some cases more than others:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....=STRK:MEWAX:IT

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"flat rate shipping applies all".
that's rich