It's called postage and handling.

Try running a legit business and see how well you go if you give away things for free.

In business it's called overheads.

The word 'Handling' in 'Postage and Handling' usually means pay for the box, Sticky tape, petrol for my car to get down to the post office etc etc

Try running a business and giving away things for free and see how long you would last.

In business they're called overheads.

It's no wonder nearly all business fail within the first year since they dont factor in overhead costs.

There's a difference between being fair and ripping people off.

sorry about the doubling. I thought the first post didn't send

While I agree that sellers should ALWAYS list their postage fees upfront and it should be up to the buyer to decide if they agree to bid or not, I think there is also an issue with eBay fees here.

Sellers HAVE TO try to make a little bit pf profit on their postage as eBay fees and Paypal become so huge for high volume sellers, making it VERY difficult to stay above waters.

I think that it is totally ridiculous that sellers who list hundreds of auctions every week have to pay the same fees as sellers who only list once in a while. eBay should introduce lower fees for bulk listing and make it easier for sellers to drop the postage fees and their prices, too.

It is very easy to criticize sellers, but at least buyers have a choice of 'bid or don't bid'. Sellers who make a living off eBay can't afford the choice of going elsewhere as there is no competition with reasonable buyer exposure out there. eBay really needs to take a good, long look at themselves and stop being so greedy.

After all, eBay protects the buyers and not the sellers. Sellers have to bear the risks and pay the high fees as well. That is very unfair, as eBay bears no risks at all.

I hope buyers understand this.

I totally agree with you Shelly, the postage on here is outrageous, I study the postage on items to see if it fair before i start any bidding!!!!!!!:_|

I totally agree! A British Seller will ship me out a brooch for GBP2.00

But an American Seller will want US 39.95 for a similar brooch!!

Needless to say I try to avoid American sellers and mainly buy from the British Sellers. However, there are decent American Sellers out there...but you have to look for them.

Well said tatt2 i got 2 hits of ebay bcause it said free post but the seller put £s on for post i said to ebay the seller is a w***er and i was not going to pay up but ebay did me Thank God for feelback

DOES ANYONE HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I WAS CHECKING OUT DVDS AND FOUND ONE SELLING FOR $3.00 AND THEN $8.00 POSTAGE. BOTH SELLER AND BUYER ARE IN BRISBANE. WHY CAN'T EBAY DO SOMETHING ABOUT REGULATING POSTAGE AS THERE ARE SELLERS OUT THERE THAT SELL THEIR GOODS FOR A SMALL PRICE AND THEN HIT YOU WITH UNBELIEVEABLE POSTAGE. THEY SHOULD BE AWARE THAT IT ONLY DRIVES A BUYER AWAY AND IT IS NO LONGER CLASSED AS A BARGAIN.

I would argue that you are paying for Postage AND Handling.
If it costs $4 to post an item and another $4 in time and effort then so be it. if you dont like it, dont bid.

It is easy for a buyer to say that the postage rate should be compulsory, it is not that easy....where an item can be posted in the same state the postage is cheaper than other states, and if posting to WA, NT or TAS from NSW postage rates are higher and different. So not that simple to quote postage rates. However for DVD's which can be sent at letter rates it can. I thought that eBay sorted out the postage rates that can be charged for DVD's, CD's and Books or has this changed? If you don't know the postage rate and the seller does not reply to your email about rates either do not bid or if the postage rate is too high try to negotiate the rate with the seller and if they won't budge then report them and refuse to complete the sale. If you are using Paypal to pay for your purchase then the seller has the right to make you pay for registered mail, most don't but some do. It covers them in case of a buyer claiming that the item was not received and the automatic refund from Paypal to the buyer. It keeps the buyers honest as we all want to know that buyers and sellers are protected from fraud. Currently buyers have the privilege with the "buyer protection" seller have to rely on registered mail although there is some sort of seller protection but it is very limited not like the buyer protection that is unlimited.

Agree with mumsandsons.
I have sold with free postage and received less than 5 dsr for postage costs!!!!
I have sold heaps of items less than 1/2 the price of postage!!! no 5 star dsr
NO MORE.
I can send an item in my state for $7.45 but to the top end of Australia it is $11.30 this is without adding the cost of my packaging, tape, petrol costs etc.
I have been a buyer for years and only started selling but never complained about postage as I knew it was just not about the envelope and stamps.
I have just started to ship worldwide but if someone from USA wins the price would be different to a winner in China so I have to ask them to contact me for postage. Basically you need to judge for yourself and use common sense if you are not happy contact the seller or don't bid

I really hate when sellers use excuses like i had to pay for the box, Sticky tape, petrol for my car to get down to the post office etc etc. And what really gets under my skin is that they don't even take the time to place this sorta info in their descriptions. Sorry i will not pay for you petrol, padded bags, boxs, sticky tape, bubble wrap. If you belive in good customer service you should be supplying these within the postage for free, so you know that your products will arrive safely to your customers.

All those items cost money. You also have to remember that ebays rule stipulated that all sellers must accept PAYPAL, and if you post an item paid with paypal it has to be sent registered otherwise seller is not covered. I would love to sell my items with cheaper post but I must add $2-80 onto every item. I can fully understand why some sellers charge more for postage, while others run the risk of not being covered if a buyer chargesback.