On Mon, 2 Aug 2004, Doc Shipley wrote:
> > I bought 2 items from this guy (3823521398 and 3823072220). He charged
> > me $8 for shipping, but from the label on the small box I received
> > (and kept) he paid 2.4 dollars only. Of course he doesn't reply to my
> > emails anymore.
> > I will not buy anything from this guy anymore.
>
> No offense, but that drives me nuts.
>
> What's happening on eBay, because way too many buyers take your
> stance, is that professional and especially "semi-pro" sellers try to
> charge as little as possible for S&H, and then can't afford to pack the
> item correctly. That costs you a lot more than the $5.60USD you're
> worried about.
Yep, packing and shipping is a pain in the ass and can sometimes take up
to an hour. I don't know about you, but I can be doing a whole lot more
with an hour. Fortunately, I have assistans these days, but they still
need to be trained, and I still have to pay them to do the work.
> If I sell you an item, I have to find (and usually pay for) a box
> that fits it for secure shipping, packing, tape, and labelling, and if
> it's shipped USPS, I also have to either weigh it here and print a label
> online, or schlep it down to the PO and wait in line to have them do that.
Hint: you can buy/print USPS postage right from their website now. The
interface is a tad kludgy but it sure beats waiting in line at the post
office for 10 minutes (again, I can do a lot with 10 minutes).
https://sss-web.usps.com/ds/jsps/ds_landing.jsp
> If all that's not worth $5-6 for a small item or $10-15 for a
> PC-sized item, a prospective buyer is welcome to kiss my butt and go
> elsewhere.
I charge a $6 packing fee on my auctions, and even that isn't enough. I'm
just trying to be nice.
Time *is* money!
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
Received on Tue Aug 03 2004 - 00:52:39 BST