# ebay buyer wants to combine shipping, but i dkd not offer it, what is my response? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 6, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-wants-to-combine-shipping-but-i-dkd-not-offer-it-what-is-my-response/480028 "2009-01-06T02:56:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-wants-to-combine-shipping-but-i-dkd-not-offer-it-what-is-my-response/480028/81 "2009-01-06T17:41:03Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > Well, at this point, I am pretty much done with them. In My first batch of ebay sales that I sent off this afternoon, I took a LOSS on postage. I did my best to estimate everything, and when I was done at the PO, I paid like ten dollars more than I charged the buyers for postage. Add in listing fees, sales commission, paypal fees and it becomes a joke. Just wondering - what did you end up charging the buyer for postage? ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-wants-to-combine-shipping-but-i-dkd-not-offer-it-what-is-my-response/480028/82 "2009-01-06T17:55:24Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > If you’d follow the thread, you’d see that she’s not a professional seller; she’s just getting rid of some junk. There’s nothing to be squeezed out _from_. The few things that I’ve sold on eBay have been in the same vein; I’m no pro seller. I _always_ tack on a couple of extra bucks to the calculated shipping costs – it’s something that’s intrinsic to the interface. Is it profiteering? Hell no. It’s a couple of bucks. It covers materials. Do I calculate my materials to the penny? No way. Most of them were bought years ago, but they’re still not free – just unused. If I were a business would I make a more careful accounting? I certainly would. Whether I lose or gain a couple of bucks either way is completely insignificant. If the purchaser know what’s he’s expected to pay up front, there’s no cause to complain. I have zero negative/neutral feedback in my 10 year account history to back it up. See Post #55 where she says she has more “upscale” stuff to sell. I was trying to point out that it may not be the best place for it. And I agree that tacking on a buck or two for shipping/handling is fine - I do the same. But what this OP admitted to was that he was trying to ensure profit from padding the shipping fees. That’s not so good. Any semi-experienced seller will know about Media Mail and things like that. The OP’s stance that it will somehow be more worthwhile to package and mail 15 different boxes, rather than one bigger box, is another telling clue that he is trying to jam his customer into paying more. [QUOTE=Balthisar;10656951Again, she’s not a pro looking to build a customer base. It’s the pros that have killed eBay. eBay used to be such a great place to get a bargain on person to person sales. Craigslist is great, but doesn’t have national exposure. I honestly don’t know how eBay stays in business with the pro sellers that they have. **Why pay $5 including s&h for a gadget to some “pro” that can’t even get a proper website** , when I can pay the same $5 including s&h to get it from a real company? Looking back on my history, my last purchase on eBay was years ago. Thank goodness I can still use it to unload my crap at higher than average prices to people that aren’t smart enough to look elsewhere.[/QUOTE] Bolding mine… This may be different according to how you use ebay. As I stated above, the higher cost of using ebay is worth it to the mid-range seller. I paid $119 in fees to ebay last month. I could get a dedicated website with shopping cart, 24/7 support, etc., for $69 a month. It looks like big cost savings, right? But when you factor in costs of advertising, it’s stupidly more expensive. Like I said, I went back and forth on this, but it looks like eBay is becoming a mid-level marketplace. [Etsy.com](http://Etsy.com) is becoming the go to site for crafter items, and at some point, someone will get smart enough to publicize and popularize one of the other, more garage sale, auction sites. That makes sense to me as an evolution of a marketplace. Start-up to domination to competition… ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-wants-to-combine-shipping-but-i-dkd-not-offer-it-what-is-my-response/480028/83 "2009-01-06T18:09:30Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > So when I am bidding on multiple items from a seller myself, I should just ASSUME that they will combine shipping, even though it is a specific criteria for an auction? Good to know! :rolleyes: Sure, it’s usual and customary, but make sure it’s items THAT ARE SHIPPING FROM THE SAME FACILITY. If the seller is drop-shipping or has multiple warehouses, then combined shipping silly; the seller can’t get everything in one box cheaper than in multiples. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-wants-to-combine-shipping-but-i-dkd-not-offer-it-what-is-my-response/480028/84 "2009-01-06T18:12:52Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > Well, at this point, I am pretty much done with them. In My first batch of ebay sales that I sent off this afternoon, I took a LOSS on postage. I did my best to estimate everything, and when I was done at the PO, I paid like ten dollars more than I charged the buyers for postage. Add in listing fees, sales commission, paypal fees and it becomes a joke. > > It is no secret that ebay has become a seller unfriendly place, with jacked up fees, tighter restrictions, and the unholy acquisition of Paypal, so they can charge you double. At this point it seems they want to squeeze all the profit for themselves. Fine-o. Let them tax the beanie baby traders, who seem to be happy to ship stuff back and forth across the country at no profit to themselves. > > I am not a bored indolent housewife with a breadwinner paying my mortgage. I have a family to feed. It is seeming more and more that ebay is not a serious place to do business. I note that their stock price has tanked in the last couple of years as well. > > If I can’t charge a reasonable shipping and handling fee that protects me, screw them. Can’t you estimate postage with a scale? Isn’t it possible to add up fees & commissions to determine the opening bid that will earn you a profit? Why didn’t you specifically state that you won’t combine postage? Are you using eBay as a “serious” businessman–or just to dump some extra stuff that cost you zero dollars? I’m a proud Liberal who has learned to check the shipping & handling fees before placing a bid. If I think they are excessive–no bid. (China, glassware & folk art need careful packing; books, not so much.) eBay is not about to run out of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-wants-to-combine-shipping-but-i-dkd-not-offer-it-what-is-my-response/480028/85 "2009-01-06T18:18:32Z")
I’ll note that due to Media Mail (the old Book Rate), you could get dozens of these things in one small box, and the postage would probably be under $5. This kind of buyer probably wouldn’t appreciate paying more for Priority Mail… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-wants-to-combine-shipping-but-i-dkd-not-offer-it-what-is-my-response/480028/86 "2009-01-07T00:33:32Z")
I don’t think you’re obliged to combine shipping, and the buyer should ask before bidding, but in your circumstances, I’d pack it all in a box and charge the buyer cost plus materials. You’re still not making a loss. (Edited To Add: I see you say you did lose on it, but there was no good reason why you should have) One reason you probably do want to combine shipping is that your buyer can leave Detailed Seller ratings for each item. Stiff him on shipping and your stars are probably toast, which means nobody will ever see your auctions in their search results again, or eBay will start putting arbitrary holds on your incoming paypal payments, or some such. One occasion when you probably DON’t want to combine shipping is in the case of expensive goods such as consumer electronics. It used to be the case that it was impossible to use a single proof of delivery to support your side in defending an item not received claim for both parcels - so the buyer could claim non-delivery on both items and end up winning the claim on one of them. Not sure if that can still happen, though. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-wants-to-combine-shipping-but-i-dkd-not-offer-it-what-is-my-response/480028/87 "2009-01-07T01:16:47Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > Just for an example, here is a typical listing: > > [cite](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&item=170290012971) Why are you shipping a book by first class mail? Use Media mail, it is about a dollar cheaper for a 13 ounce package. For a 4 pound package, it is over $6 cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-wants-to-combine-shipping-but-i-dkd-not-offer-it-what-is-my-response/480028/88 "2009-01-07T02:30:02Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > Why are you shipping a book by first class mail? Use Media mail, it is about a dollar cheaper for a 13 ounce package. For a 4 pound package, it is over $6 cheaper. Actually, those items are probably in the 1-3 oz range, where First Class is cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-wants-to-combine-shipping-but-i-dkd-not-offer-it-what-is-my-response/480028/89 "2009-01-07T06:28:31Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > I guess the lesson is, don’t sell inexpensive things on ebay because it just isn’t worth the trouble. That would be a shame, because I have bought many items on ebay with similar prices and “Shipping and Handling” and am very glad to have them. The lesson is to sell it for more than .99 cents. What a lot of successful dealers do in your case is to bundle similar items at a higher price. they also limit their time spent presenting the product based on the expected return. An Item that could sell for an expected profit of $100 should get more attention than an item with an expected profit of $1-$5. You are new to this and learned some lessons that some dealers never seem to grasp and it didn’t cost you much. consider the $10 mistake in postage a valuable lesson. What you’ve gone through is a good thing and should be viewed as such. You’re looking at this like it’s a failure when in actuality you’ve passed eBay 101 and are ready for the next level. Oh, and you asked what the\*\* right thing to do\*\* was. It was to bundle them. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-wants-to-combine-shipping-but-i-dkd-not-offer-it-what-is-my-response/480028/90 "2009-01-13T11:57:06Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > I guess you can sell any damn thing on ebay. Barnum was right. Barnum did **not** say “There’s a sucker born every minute.” We try to fight ignorance here. Also: _usury; separate; winning_. Your shipping charge should cover the cost of shipping. If you want to make more money off the deal, charge more for the actual product. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-wants-to-combine-shipping-but-i-dkd-not-offer-it-what-is-my-response/480028/91 "2009-01-13T14:27:55Z")
Friday, I asked an eBay vendor about combining shipping on some used books I wanted to buy. Sat, I went ahead & bought the books w/ a note to please combine shipping & immediately got an e-mail directing me to the vendor’s non-eBay site (not even mentioned on its eBay page) that said they couldn’t combine shipping. So I asked to please cancel the sale. Happily, they have. I will admit they didn’t have to & I would have paid but I would have mentioned the dallying on the answer in their feedback. Shipping to me includes postage AND materials/effort to ship. Combine the items into one package and add a fair $2-4 to the postage. Now, I will say that [Half.com](http://Half.com)’s shipping cost is AFAI can tell actually part of the fee the seller pays [Half.com](http://Half.com) so its sellers aren’t as free as eBays. And yes, I know [Half.com](http://Half.com) is owned by eBay. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-buyer-wants-to-combine-shipping-but-i-dkd-not-offer-it-what-is-my-response/480028.md?page=4)