Why do ebay sellers charge outrageous shipping costs?

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Dr Kain

CoG iTrader
I've been buying specific cards on ebay, but I've noticed something, a lot of sellers charge outrageous prices for ONE card, especially additional cards. I was just looking at an auction for Terraforming, the seller wants .90 for the card, $3.99 for shipping for the first one, then an additional $1 for each card. Thus, if you buy 10 copies of Terraforming, that's $9 for the cards, and $12.99 for shipping. Now I know there is no way in hell 10 cards is going to cost $13 for shipping no matter what method (sans Overnight) you use. I can understand $2-4 for the first card, and maybe 10-25 cents for each additional card, but NOT $1+!!

Anyone else irritated by this?
 
i sent 6 cards in the mail for regular posting price. lol

like 2 dollars or something like that.

either way, um, they just do it to take your money.
 
I sell on eBay quite often, as well as buy so you're getting an unbiased point of view here (unbiased to the point that I know exactly why people have hiked up prices).

1. The obvious reason, they want to make the maximum amount they can on the card, but it's not always that...

2. eBay charges the seller a surcharge to place the card on eBay, it's not like they're getting their full amount if they charge exactly what the card is worth and what shipping cost. The charge they charge differs, and it's not just a single charge. First they charge you when you place the item on eBay, and then they charge you another percentage of whatever the item sold for. So you get a double whammy. They're actually losing money, so what's the point in selling then if you're losing in the end?

3. Not only eBay charges, but PayPal (which is an eBay company so I guess you could argue that it is eBay, but anyways) charges as well. Sure the free account that most people have doesn't. But when you're an eBay seller it's normally a good idea to have the PayPal premium account. They don't charge you a monthly fee, but they remove a certain percentage of whatever is placed into your PayPal account from another account. For instance, let's say they take 15% of what I'm already supposed to get. And let's say you're giving me $10 (shipping and all), I only see $8.50 of that since PayPal takes the other $1.50 for themselves.

In the end, someone who is selling something for $0.90 and has a $3.99 shipping charge is barely breaking even after you keep in mind all the charges they've encountered along the way and the fact they have to then pay for the envelope (bubble I'm assuming) and top loader that they're shipping the card in.

So after I starting selling cards on eBay myself I started to also understand why people do have those shipping costs and began to accept it. Those eBay stores are trying to make a bit of a profit though, the average person can break even at only $2.00-$2.50 for a shipping charge (which is normally what I charge).
 
If you are dealing with a Store Front type business on E-bay (or even some individuals who are trying to justify this part-time business they have) you are being charged what is generously called Shipping and Handling. When they have to go to the trouble of digging up the card you want and getting it labeled and on its way to you they have to be making something for that right? (Okay they shouldn't, but they are going to one way or another if you want the card from them :) )

Yet another reason to look locally for what you can get even if it costs a tad more. I have a rule that I like to follow when buying cards (and I buy a lot of cards, I'm usually the guy people come running to when I go to the shops because people know they can get good money for the cards they've been collecting for me). My rule is if at all possible get the cards from local players at as good a price as they could get for it on e-bay. My Reasoning is I'm putting that money back into the local gaming community who are going to go out and buy more packs and come back to me with the treasures that are hard to pull and thus it is easier for me to get my hands on the cards I'm after. I send my money out on E-bay for the same cards even if I can pay $8.00 instead of $10.00 it just means less cards circulating here in my neck of the woods and less people looking for me to get me the cards I'm after.

If you don't have a lot of players looking to sell cards in your area the Battle City Trading here is a great way to get the cards you need and you shouldn't be out more than actual shipping to send them what you are trading.
 
I buy and sell on eBay a lot too. What an early poster posted about the reasons were dead on. People without stores will usually try to get their profit on the shipping rather than the card itself. That is why they call it Shipping and Handling, although a lot of people stretch what the handling part means. I also do not like paying huge shipping fees just to pay their eBay fees and Paypal fees. Sellers should remember it is not the buyers responsibility to pay your fees in order to sell your items in the first place. It would be like a grocery store asking me to pay for the paper and plastic bags they are using to put my groceries in. Just retarded. The general rule for me is to not buy a card with more than $2 shipping. eBay is a fantastic place to get your cards at if you shop smart, shop S smart.
 
Yes, I understand the whole being charged for ebay and paypal, I sell and buy as well. However, I am NOT going to add on shipping charges unless I am not 100% sure of the shipping cost since when I weigh an item, it doesn't always have the bags or whatever I throw inside the box to secure the item. However, that is the seller's problem and should not be put onto the buyers. If they want to charge $3.99 for one card and do priority shipping, fine, that is different. However, adding $1+ for each additional card is just pushing it because priority would end up being $3.85 whether it was 1 card or 25 cards (anymore would probably add an extra few cents.

I just got 200+ cards from a seller called NDTCC (awesome seller btw), and shipping came to $12, and that I can understand. Plus that was 14 auctions worth I won from him, and that is still less than $1 for shipping per auction.

Heck, if I were to sell cards on ebay (which I wouldn't because there is just no profit involved), I wouldn't bother charging them shipping since it would cost me 1 whole stamp to do so.

Helpoemer, what is your ebay user name? This way I can look up what auctions you have (if any).

anthonyj, you're lucky. I have two shops in my city that sell singles, but I already bought everything from them I wanted (minus the God cards, but they want $40 for each one), and I don't know anyone other than my girlfriend that guys the cards.

Tiso, $3 is usually my limit unless I end up finding another seller who would end up giving me a better deal. Like the Skull Archfiend (DC version) I just bought. One seller wanted $6.95 plus $3.99 shipping on it, where as another seller had it for $7 plus $3 shipping, so I bought it from him.
 
yea i seen thouse charges for stuff. it gets price to sell stuff online. atleast ebay style places.

makes sence how they make money.
 
Dr Kain said:
Yes, I understand the whole being charged for ebay and paypal, I sell and buy as well. However, I am NOT going to add on shipping charges unless I am not 100% sure of the shipping cost since when I weigh an item, it doesn't always have the bags or whatever I throw inside the box to secure the item. However, that is the seller's problem and should not be put onto the buyers. If they want to charge $3.99 for one card and do priority shipping, fine, that is different. However, adding $1+ for each additional card is just pushing it because priority would end up being $3.85 whether it was 1 card or 25 cards (anymore would probably add an extra few cents.

I just got 200+ cards from a seller called NDTCC (awesome seller btw), and shipping came to $12, and that I can understand. Plus that was 14 auctions worth I won from him, and that is still less than $1 for shipping per auction.

Heck, if I were to sell cards on ebay (which I wouldn't because there is just no profit involved), I wouldn't bother charging them shipping since it would cost me 1 whole stamp to do so.

Helpoemer, what is your ebay user name? This way I can look up what auctions you have (if any).

anthonyj, you're lucky. I have two shops in my city that sell singles, but I already bought everything from them I wanted (minus the God cards, but they want $40 for each one), and I don't know anyone other than my girlfriend that guys the cards.

Tiso, $3 is usually my limit unless I end up finding another seller who would end up giving me a better deal. Like the Skull Archfiend (DC version) I just bought. One seller wanted $6.95 plus $3.99 shipping on it, where as another seller had it for $7 plus $3 shipping, so I bought it from him.
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I forgot to mention my limit was $2-$3. If I go above that it is because they have something I want card wise. I know I usually get a good deal on shipping for a good amount of cards for only $5 if I buy a certain amount.
 
I have had this experience selling on e-bay. I sold a card for $5 with $3 shipping. By the time I got the card mailed out, paid postage (which was 2.60), paid for the envelope and for confirmation of delivery and finally getting billed by e-bay, I lost $.40 on the deal. I don't sell there any more, it's not worth it.
 
Actually I'm not typically buying from shops. I'm buying from players. Shops are fine for an occassional card here or there but they are unlikely to have many of the cards I'm looking for most of the time because the players will come to me before they sell for less than half what going rate is for the cards from a shop (the shop has to double what they are putting into the card to bother buying it, displaying it, and eventually selling it). I can't tell you the number of times I've watched somebody bring their binder full of cards to a shop and get offered pennies on the dollar. I've watched as the exact same card that they could only give $5 for gets placed in the display case at $25. Buying singles from a shop doesn't put my money back into the gaming community. The shop will make their money from the players I'm buying from. Since they will be the ones selling the packs (unless they are severely overpriced then it will be Walmart :) ). If you want to nickel and dime haggel for the lowest price stick to E-bay (it turns people off to feel like they are being taken advantage of). But if you watch what cards are going for from the various sources, Beckett, E-Bay, and a couple other prominent internet retailers. And you are willing to pay what the cards are going for. You can certainly find somebody who will sell you those cards for what you could buy them for online. And most will be very happy to do so (since they aren't likely to be able to sell it for more even if they put it on E-bay since E-bay, PayPal and shipping will also figure into profitability). The only downside I've found is I often can't take my kids to an arcade, or walk through the mall without somebody coming up to me asking me to buy a card. My wife isn't so fond of being reminded how much money goes into this game so I'd be happier to keep things more localized to the tournament nights.
 
Tiso said:
It would be like a grocery store asking me to pay for the paper and plastic bags they are using to put my groceries in. Just retarded.
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Umm... here in Ireland shops do charge for the plastic ones €0.15 each, there's a tax on them (as there were too many being thrown out and floating around the streets as rubbish) so this is how the shops deal with it.
As to shipping I don't usually have a problem with sellers overcharging, there are the odd few though...
(think there was one who quoted ~$15, on the package the value paid had been ~$7, then there's one who for larger orders just multiplies the price for shipping one by the number you order, this is when shipping DHL and I'm certain that they run on weight brackets and not a simple doubling up system.)
 
Im not a seller on eBay, but come on... If you start your bid at .50 cents, do you really think that someone isnt trying to shoot as low as possible to that number with their bid?

I mean, sure, you can charge 3.99 for shipping for something like, "Skull Servant", and who's going to buy it? I could spend that same amount on the pack and probably get the card myself.

The point is, you are only going to make your money from the "Flavor of the Month" cards. Remember when youi could get almost 100.00 dollars for 3x D. D. Assailant, but the game itself sold for 30-35 bucks and eventually went down to 19.99. Who was going to spend 100 for 3 now, especially when it was only going to cost at best, 60, and you get 9 cards plus 3 games you can turn around and sell on eBay or at Gamestop.

Ferocious bidding is where its at. If there are hundreds of Sellers out there putting the same thing out, eventually, that 258th Seller is going to take the brunt of the lowest bid because the demand just wasnt there.

But hey, SOMEONE is going to buy what you are selling. I guess if you have the volume, you can eventually strike it rich, but if you are looking to always come out ahead without putting out a reserve price (which I'm sure many people hate), good luck....
 
Hmm... Well, I don't know. But I do know I have seen several ultra rare Solemn Judgments and ultra rare Summoned Skulls with a buy-It-now! price of $0.01, and a shipping charge of $3.99. Now why would they even be selling that, unless the shipping charge was greatly exagerated? I think what they're doing is putting up a low price so that they appear on your search results, and then nail you with shipping. Makes it very hard to determine what is really the best deal.
-pssvr
 
masterwoo0 said:
Im not a seller on eBay, but come on... If you start your bid at .50 cents, do you really think that someone isnt trying to shoot as low as possible to that number with their bid?

I mean, sure, you can charge 3.99 for shipping for something like, "Skull Servant", and who's going to buy it? I could spend that same amount on the pack and probably get the card myself.

The point is, you are only going to make your money from the "Flavor of the Month" cards. Remember when youi could get almost 100.00 dollars for 3x D. D. Assailant, but the game itself sold for 30-35 bucks and eventually went down to 19.99. Who was going to spend 100 for 3 now, especially when it was only going to cost at best, 60, and you get 9 cards plus 3 games you can turn around and sell on eBay or at Gamestop.

Ferocious bidding is where its at. If there are hundreds of Sellers out there putting the same thing out, eventually, that 258th Seller is going to take the brunt of the lowest bid because the demand just wasnt there.

But hey, SOMEONE is going to buy what you are selling. I guess if you have the volume, you can eventually strike it rich, but if you are looking to always come out ahead without putting out a reserve price (which I'm sure many people hate), good luck....
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Remember when Cyber Harpie Lady was selling for over $50-$100? I thought it was funny when it was released in Shonen Jump as the exact same promo. That shot down the price fast.
 
That just goes to show how ridiculous some people make these cards out to be "worth-wise". Cyber Harpie Lady is in how many decks ANYONE has seen???

I saw one in a Shonen Jump Magazine (yes, it was still there!!! lol) at one of the Stores I play at. I just tossed it back in the Magazine Rack and bought the Embodiment of Apophis one, even though I really didnt care much for it either, but who knows, it could be more playable than her.

I would probably buy a Summoned Skull for 4 bucks, but then again, I dont want one either, so I dont know what they are really worth. As far as Solemn Judgment, those are like wallpaper for me now, so I really wouldnt spend over 4 bucks for one, but I'm slightly biased since I have quite a few.
 
The reason those cards sold for that much is because of the Sneak Peak events. A lot of people, myself included are not able to go to those kind of events, which makes those cards rare, UNTIL Shonen Jump decided to step in and offer those exact Sneak Peak cards every 3-4 months in their magazine. So whoever were lucky enough to make a vast amount of money on them were lucky, those who were dumb enough to spend all that money on a card that eventually got released in a $5 magazine I laugh.
 
A few tips about why sellers charge what they do.

- The store that has it as $.01 BUY IT NOW! and $3.99 S&H.: Remember E-bay charges a fee based upon what you start the listing at. So it is cheaper to list it at $.01 and make up the difference in S&H.

- Combined shipping: I usually charge $2.00 S&H for U.S. orders and $3.50 for international. I ship an item in a Top loader inside a bubble envelope. I also usually offer combined shipping for $1.00 per additional item. So sure, if you win 10 of my auctions, your S&H would amount to $11.00, but if you were to buy each of those items seperate, you would be paying $20.00. So you are saving money there.

One thing to remember, if you don't like the price or terms, keep looking. E-bay has such a huge community of Yugioh card sellers, that you are bound to find a deal you can accept.
 
papewaio said:
A few tips about why sellers charge what they do.

- The store that has it as $.01 BUY IT NOW! and $3.99 S&H.: Remember E-bay charges a fee based upon what you start the listing at. So it is cheaper to list it at $.01 and make up the difference in S&H.

- Combined shipping: I usually charge $2.00 S&H for U.S. orders and $3.50 for international. I ship an item in a Top loader inside a bubble envelope. I also usually offer combined shipping for $1.00 per additional item. So sure, if you win 10 of my auctions, your S&H would amount to $11.00, but if you were to buy each of those items seperate, you would be paying $20.00. So you are saving money there.

One thing to remember, if you don't like the price or terms, keep looking. E-bay has such a huge community of Yugioh card sellers, that you are bound to find a deal you can accept.
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Of course, we can search around on eBay. The problem with sellers are they think we are supposed to pay THEIR fees. We are not. We only supposed to pay for our item and whatever shipping and HANDLING charges that come up. We do not pay for your eBay seller fees by paying huge shipping prices is what they do not understand. It is a fee. In order to sell something on eBay you have to pay your fee. It is like paying a cost for activating a card. You have to pay first, out of your own. I would laugh if I went to Suncoast and they also asked me to give them money for the handling of the item into the bag and the price of the bag.
 
I have bought and am preparing to start selling on ebay, but from the beginning (because I have been considering selling for a long time) I have understood why sellers charge out the rear for S&H. Pretty much Helpoemer316 is dead on. Here is the breakdown.

1) Posting cost: Ebay charges for you to post an item, whether it sells or not. If the auction doesn't sell it, then they will let you relist the item once free. The higher the starting asking price, the more you are charged to post the auction. This is why you see a lot of auctions at $0.25 with shipping at $2-4, because ebay only charges a penny to post an auction with a asking start of up to a quarter.

2) Selling cost & reserve: when you actually sell, ebay charges a percentage of the selling cost (on top of the cost you paid just to post it). If you placed a reserve price and decided that you don't want to sell because you didn't get at least the reserve, you pay a hefty surcharge (in comparison) to keep your item and NOT SELL it.

3) paypal: paypal charges a percentage AFTER they get their automatic charge (something like $0.57 per transaction). Then they use a percentage scale for everything after the automatic charge, which sometimes ends up more than a dollar......what a lot of cards close around.

4) shipping) bubble envelope. stamps. top loader. delivery confirmation. Nuff said.

I have also dealt with NTDCC. They only charge a quarter per additional card, if I remember correctly. This is also implying that 1)you pay for all items in one payment, saving them the extra 57 cents each time and 2)they send them in one envelope, 2 cards to a top loader, saving them money again. I had no complaints about NTDCC, they are good and recommended. Just keep their methods in mind of why they combine shipping costs.
 
Actually ebay charges 25 cents (or was it 35 cents) for anything listed between .01-.99, thus, if you are going to sell a card, you might as well list it as .99 if you are so worried about some charge. As a seller, you have no right to charge the person extra fees just because you get charged them. It isn't like ebay forced you to put your item on there. If you don't like the fees, sell on your own website, OR don't get an ebay store. You know how much I cringe seeing a card at .01, but the shipping is $3.99. Hell, there was this seller that wanted $7 for shipping for 1 card because he "ships it UPS." Who the hell would ship a card through UPS???????????

Nonetheless, thanks for the interesting viewpoints guys. Keep them coming.
 
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