Calling all Ebay Gurus

[Keith]

A little advice needed please guys.

I wanted to buy an item which featured a BIN option. The price looked OK - cheap but OK, but then I noticed the postage was exactly the same as the item price.

£17.50 GBP which made the item, in reality, £35.00 and perhaps NOT such a great deal.

Then I noticed he was but 20 miles away so I wrote and asked if I could pick it up and save the postage and this is his reply.

English is not his first language clearly but I am struggling to understand what advantage he gains by listing the goods thus, and he is not the only one doing this.

To me it's confusing and unnecessary but to him?

Ah, well dear readers, that is what I am asking of you..

Shoot.

PS He is undoubtedly a trader, not an individual.

"Dear friend,
Sometimes we make the item at the FREE shipping cost and sometimes we add the item price to the shipping cost.That's why you feel the shipping costs is so high. But our total price (price +shipping cost) is the lowest price on eBay. You know all the buyers buy the item base on the total price (price + shipping cost), not base on price or the shipping cost.
Our total price (price + shipping cost) already is the lowest price on eBay. It is nearly no profit sale. Hope that you can understand. We will provide the best service to you including the delivery service and warranty service.
Sorry we do not accept customer pick up items by themselves.If you want to buy, then please email us your paypal email, then we will send the paypal invoice to you. Then you can pay for it and then we will send the item to you within 1 day and then send you the tracking number.
Best regards"

So, what do you make of it?

 

[Jack]

Keith, that is a simple tactic used by many evilbay sellers to increase margins.
Fairly typical.

 

[Bob Fechter]

Whatever I buy on eBay, I ignore the price of goods vs. price of shipping. Goods plus shipping is what its going to cost me. Period. Don't get in a huff here, Count Alucard, Igor is just trying to beat the Bay at selling fees.

 

[Ron Earp]

It's a fellow trying to make a buck. Nothing new.

 

[Larry L.]

...Igor is just trying to beat the Bay at selling fees.

Bingo...

 

[Keith]

Cool. I knew that there had to be some advantage and as I am a buyer not a seller some things are not that obvious to me. Thanks all..

 

[Keith]

Whatever I buy on eBay, I ignore the price of goods vs. price of shipping. Goods plus shipping is what its going to cost me. Period. Don't get in a huff here, Count Alucard, Igor is just trying to beat the Bay at selling fees.

True, me too, but on this one there was no postage, and then somewhere obscure there was a "cannot calculate postage for your area contact the seller" type message.

So, quite an elaborate system. I told him to sod off.

 

[Bob Fechter]

True, me too, but on this one there was no postage, and then somewhere obscure there was a "cannot calculate postage for your area contact the seller" type message.

So, quite an elaborate system. I told him to sod off.

Jolly good, cheeky old sod! ;~)

 

[Charlie Farley]

It's the same on USA ebay.
I wanted to buy some smoker biscuits made by Bradley, for my smoker.
Biscuits $ 17.00 a pack for 48, postage to UK $ 54.00.
Jesus I could send a Sherman tank by UPS Tracked for that....
So I ended up making my own biscuits.

 

[Pat]

Keith, there is a section allowing one to ask about the product. Ask if local pick up is available in lieu of postage. I've done that and sometimes they waive the fee and when they don't I bid elsewhere.

 

[Keith]

Hi Veek yes, I did ask him and that was the answer I got so I passed on that one.

Whatever the reason they do it (seller fees or whatever) the practice appears to break some consumer protection legislation as regards distance selling so I for one will not be buying from a seller who lists in that manner.

I am quite sure EBay will eventually jump on it if it starts getting out of hand - it must cost them millions.

 

[Bob Fechter]

They have a new formula that includes shipping into their fees, screwing the honest guy/seller as usual.