Crazy shipping fees?
Summary: The discussion centers around the topic "Crazy shipping fees?" initiated by an-966666, who appears to be questioning or commenting on high shipping costs. gutterpunkz05, k1ooo-slr-sales, springyzone, and clockwork_planet participated in the discussion, likely sharing their thoughts or similar experiences about shipping fees. The interaction seems to involve a few back-and-forths mostly from an-966666 responding to others, indicating a possibly active conversation or even seeking solutions or common grounds regarding the shipping fees issue. However, specific details or resolutions are not clear from the thread.
So, I thought it was about time i asked, Why is the shipping so high on some items? Often from USA but not always. The items in the attached images are pricy, but as you can see the postage costs are enough to purchase this item on its own, so it cannot be insurance. Is this ebay setting the shipping costs? The item up for auction, the shipping costs are more than the current bid. This item may weigh 300-500 grams once packaged. 500 tops!. I could get guitars posted from usa on ebay cheaper. And I don't think it's the sellers because all listings are crazy postage. I would like to understand what's going on. Obviously I will not purchase anything with postage costs like this. Thanks.
clockwork_planet
·8 months agoI'll bet the crazy high prices are NOT using eBay's GSP - I've used that a few times and while the prices can be high (and the shipping can be SLOOOW) they are at least terrestrial (eg US$800 watch = US$57 postage and US$85 tax).
The crazy high shipping costs from US sellers (and websites) are more likely because they use rack rates from FedEx or UPS that are just off the charts for international shipments, and the sellers can't be bothered checking or adjusting for anything outside of the US or including USPS as an option.
I have bought stuff before where I've politely asked the seller (pre-sale) to double-check their international shipping cost and they've been horrified at what I was seeing. They had no idea it was that high. They made an enquiry for me and confirmed postage at a fraction of that. Of course some just say "take it or leave it", but it's worth asking.
springyzone
·8 months agoYes, crazy prices, enough to turn anyone off.
My understanding is that some items from USA are not sent direct from the seller.
The seller may have elected to sell to overseas countries via eis, which is ebay international shipping.
eBay International Shipping | eBay
It gives the seller some protection from buyer claims etc which can work out very expensive if there is trouble and a buyer opens an ebay claim.
Eis is very expensive as far as shipping costs go though. Part of that expense is probably for the protection it offers sellers. After all, it is buyers who are up for the extra costs.
A seller could send things much cheaper if they were to sell to you directly and post the items off themselves, but quite a few sellers just don't want to be bothered taking the risk, especially with expensive items, and I can understand that.
Your best bet is to try to source the items from Australian sellers or from a different online site, perhaps.
an-966666
OP8 months agoJust a side not, The item i posted screen shots of, sells for between $250-$430USD so (roughly $375-$645AUD) from the company. So I I won't be buying from ebay if i do. But the shipping cost is more than the price to buy the item from AYN directly (or in the case of the auction, the seller on ebay). So I don't buy the seller/buyer protection/postage insurance angle. Thanks anyway.
springyzone
·8 months agoPostage prices do not always reflect the cost of an item, even here in Australia. It's usually just based on size and weight and where it is being sent to.
I understand what you are saying, that the postage charge on the items you saw seems ridiculously high for what they weigh.
But if sellers are using the Ebay international shipping program, the postage prices on that are notoriously high. We've seen a lot of other people complain about it.
The seller may not even know or care about what exact postage is being charged, it is not their concern, it is being handled by Eis. And I assume the shipping charge probably differs, depending on the location of the buyer, so it may be much more affordable if you live, for example, in Canada.
Yes, your best bet is probably to buy elsewhere. Ebay isn't the best choice for a lot of things.
k1ooo-slr-sales
·8 months agoa thread from years ago 👇
https://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying/GSP-stupidity-documented-on-this-thread/m-p/1708839
an-966666
OP8 months agoThanks for this. I think it explains the problem (If this is the only reason, sellers not being detailed enough filling out the shipping information). It seems it could be fixed. I assume at this stage, if they fixed it someone in the GSP program would lose money in one way, and ebay because they get a percentage from the postage. Though from another point of view they could sell more items and ship more items, which could make more money in the long run. Cheers
an-966666
OP8 months agoAnd that thread is 10 years old... They won't fix this apparently 😞
gutterpunkz05
·8 months agoI see the $460 item is now about $650 and over $1000 including shipping. As such the 10% GST can no longer be collected by ebay.
gutterpunkz05
·8 months agoNote the $460 item states 10% GST will be added, this is because ebay is required to collect the GST on items below $1000 and they are not entitled to add any charges for ccollecting the tax. For the items over $1000 GST is collected by the shipping agent and they are entitled to charge any amount they like to collect and remit taxes, these aditional charges are commonly listed as duties and can often be 20 - 30% of the total purchase and shipping cost. Also note shipping by eIS is normaly high, as they take on all risk and responsibility for international shipping and returns.
an-966666
OP8 months agoI have purchased item from USA before with attached gst, The gst is calculated and added at the checkout, and is not reflected in the listed price. I know this because I have got a shock before calculating the list price plus shipping, then going to check out and seeing total is more due to gst. It's an easy one to forget lol. But that doesn't explain the shipping. Thanks anyway