Reporting Excess Shipping on eBay

[jaydisc]

The problem is that in your assessment of postage rates you are ignoring the documented requirements for fraud protection. I don't think anyone is disagreeing with you about the fact that the postage costs you posted are the likely costs for sending an item of this size for each of those classes, but due to your refusal to acknowledge the fraud protection, we're left to assume that:

1. You don't think sellers should protect themselves for an item of this nature.
2. You think sellers are protected even when using the the shipping methods you posted.

Please let us know which it is, or if it's something I haven't mentioned.

Now, though we haven't gone to far from, let's mildly come back to the topic. This thread is about violations of eBay's policy regarding excessive shipping. How can you ignore PayPal's shipping requirements when discussing violations of this policy? How can you declare that it's "a scam" to use the only shipping method that offers a seller fraud protection?

[DarkHyren]

Still, even USPS Express Mail International is not that expensive.
A small gun like Verno pointed out would only cost $28.95 to ship to Australia, not $43.
You could even safely chuck it in an Express Mail International Flat Rate Envelope if you didn't want to make up a tiny box for the gun.

[jaydisc]

A small gun like Verno pointed out would only cost $28.95 to ship to Australia, not $43.

I agree, and since you and I have extensively researched this (and publicly documented our results), we are aware that $28.95 would be the absolute minimum.

But as said, and will say again, to expect a fee of $5-8 is a completely unrealistic expectation.

[DarkHyren]

I understand sellers want/need protection too, but there should be a better way.
I do think buyers should have the right to have sellers ship in the method they wish.

Maybe a good compromise would be an automated system that the buyer could use (for those sellers that insist on Express) that basically has them waive any rights as far as the buyer protection scheme.
Only of course as far as delivery protection, if the item is faulty or the wrong one the right to claim on that should be left intact.

Of course in an ideal world Paypal would accept the standard Priority Mail confirmation every time, but such is bureaucracy ~shrug~

[kup]

1. You don't think sellers should protect themselves for an item of this nature.
2. You think sellers are protected even when using the the shipping methods you posted.

Like I said, we are arguing different things as I am not arguing neither of those points.

I do think that sellers should have the option to protect themselves for an item but that several take advantage of the Buyer protection requirements to charge absurd amounts to overseas buyers taking advantage of the situation for their own benefit at someone else's expense. Often these sellers don't honor the shipping cost they charge and send you the item at a much lesser cost than what you paid for - The gun seller seems like one of those.

I also believe that friendliness and accessibility to a wider market can benefit the seller just as much as the buyer. Several successful US sellers have proven that since they are highly regarded, in good business and with glowing feedback. Therefore it's also possible to charge a fair amount in shipping cost and still benefit regardless of Paypal buyer protection. I was recently quoted by one of these good US sellers that they will ship me a similar small gun for only $7.50

Now that this is settled and both our perspectives are now well documented, there is no need to continue derailing your own thread trying to score points.

[canofwhoopass_87]

Still, even USPS Express Mail International is not that expensive.
A small gun like Verno pointed out would only cost $28.95 to ship to Australia, not $43.
You could even safely chuck it in an Express Mail International Flat Rate Envelope if you didn't want to make up a tiny box for the gun.

I'm under the assumption that the $43 quote was a generic value; not properly researched and calculated. If you let the seller know that it only costs $28.95 to ship express to Australia, they'd probably change the ebay invoice with the BIN.

I do think that sellers should have the option to protect themselves for an item but that several take advantage of the Buyer protection requirements to charge absurd amounts to overseas buyers taking advantage of the situation for their own benefit at someone else's expense. Often these sellers don't honor the shipping cost they charge and send you the item at a much lesser cost than what you paid for - The gun seller seems like one of those.

I'd like to keep this as an open discussion rather than let it escalate to a debate, but I think you've got things a little muddled here mr kup. You're putting this particular seller in the same class as other dodgy sellers and I don't think that's fair.

Seller A - $9.99BIN Armada Unicron. $90 Worldwide Flat Rate Shipping
Seller B - $14BIN Beastwars accessory. $43 International, Free domestic.

It's obvious seller A is being dodgy, but you're accusing (and have accused in another one of jays threads) seller B of also being "scum" and a "scammer". A only wants to dodge the fees and make more money, B is just ensuring paypals buyer protection policy is met in the case of fraudulent buyers. He really isn't doing anything wrong, probably just had some bad overseas apples. Remember, he ships for FREE within the U.S, so he isn't trying to gain additional profit by surcharging.

I also believe that friendliness and accessibility to a wider market can benefit the seller just as much as the buyer. Several successful US sellers have proven that since they are highly regarded, in good business and with glowing feedback. Therefore it's also possible to charge a fair amount in shipping cost and still benefit regardless of Paypal buyer protection. I was recently quoted by one of these good US sellers that they will ship me a similar small gun for only $7.50

The reason why this seller and others (such as wheeljackslab) have diminished their "friendliness and accessibility" to a wider market is bc of fraudulent claims in which they themselves have lost out. You can't blame them - after so many international buyers have received free items and taken their money, it's understandable that they now strictly ship express internationally with paypal payments.

There are indeed sellers such as therad who charge well under $10 for shipping on small parts, but they probably haven't been in the same boat as people like wheeljackslab.

[jaydisc]

DarkHyren, I think that's an excellent idea.

canofwhoopass_87, that's all perfectly put. Well said on all counts.