Need some eBay advice, guys. (Long post)

Like a lot of you on this site, I keep an eye on the eBay listings, and make bids every now and then, and sometimes purchase some interesting old "junk." (After all, "One man's trash is another man's treasure.")

I won the bid for an unusual old spark plug earlier this week (final bid was around $15), and when I got the invoice from the seller, he wanted $9.20 to ship it via Priority Mail.

I wrote back and asked if he would ship it Parcel Post, since I've had spark plugs shipped for as little as $1.35 on a couple of occasions, but he said that he would only ship it Priority.

OK, fine. I wrote back again and asked for an explanation of the $9.20 for Priority, since the Postal Service's website tells us that you can send up to 2 pounds Priority for $4.05. Even if you add Delivery Confirmation (50 cents) and a small "handling fee" (if you feel you must), you should still be able to ship that plug for around 5 bucks.

Well, he refused to budge, saying that the shipping calculator on the auction listing page gave anyone who entered their ZIP code the same rate to ship the item, $9.20. If they thought that was too high, they shouldn't bid.

Well, guys, in all honesty I never checked the shipping calculator, because when I saw that the item would ship Priority I knew that it would be well under the 2-pound minimum rate, and would easily go for $4.05 base rate.

(As an aside, I can ship nine pounds via Priority Mail for $8.35. Nine pounds for eight thirty-five! And a spark plug weighs what, a few ounces? Should I have checked with the seller to see if this was a nine-pound spark plug?)

So, what are your opinions? Is the guy being unreasonable? Or am I? Should I just shut up and pay the inflated rate? A few bucks isn't going to break the bank, but it really is the principle here. It galls me to think of paying more than double the actual shiping cost.

I strive to deal honestly and fairly with everybody, and I expect the same from them. In this matter, I don't feel that this is the case.

I welcome everybody's thoughts and opinions. Tell me what you think, and be brutal, if you must.

Thanks, Geo. D.

mono.

Mahalo,
doogdoog

2. Report the excess shipping charge to ebay.

They have a new policy where they are cracking down on gouging by sellers. This probably isn't enough to get him in trouble, but it's worth a try.

If he ships USPS flat-rate, it costs him $8.10. And he may well be doing that. I frequently do because I don't like dumpster diving for boxes and such. As well the cost of tape, the time it takes to package it all up, and running it to the post office (twice if I'm not flat rate shipping).

So personally, I don't see his shipping charges as necessarily being that off the wall.

Wally

A lot of sellers price stuff really low, then make up the differece with a big shipping charge. They are hoping folks snap up that whatever it is for a dollar, then find themselves committed to a $25 shipping fee.....

Always check the shipping....always. Even if eBay is changing the rules to only allow shipping charges of actual cost, then the sellers will have handling fees again, as they did in the past.

Consider yourself lucky, at least he isn't charge $20.