Small Scale Military Headquarters

Just as an example, the Matorro KT's run on average around $100 on ebay. But the killer is the shipping. I know it costs more to ship from Canada, but $40-$50 just kills the deal. Even here in the U.S., etailers that have them charge $40 for shipping one. I have bought several of the 1/16 tanks in their original boxes (same box as the etailers) from individuals and was charged only $15 for shipping. Why do the etailers want to charge such a large fee, which is a deal killer for me, and yet an individual can ship the same package for $15? Hope some etailers are reading this. I would have a lots more of the 1/16 tanks if I wasn't having to pay another 50% of the original cost in shipping charges.

That's pretty easy to decipher. They're making up the difference on the item AND there is no percentage against the shipping amount collected.

yeap, I found that out with MD "crazy" sale (crazy for some). I thought awesome, I can pick up some stuff real cheap - then found out that the shipping prices had tripled from what they used to be. Spend $30 on a plane and pay $90 - $115 to ship the f#@#g thing.

I have passed on so many Ebay purchases because of insulting shipping charges. And I wouldn't have purchased anything from the Monkey if FedEx business deliveries weren't half the price of residential.
$10.50 (business) to deliver a 262 is good.
$22.00 (residential) is not.



Jeffrey

As a long time EBay seller, shipping charges are the only way to recoup the outrageous Ebay AND Paypal fees. I also think of any profit from shipping charges as an insurance policy against the 2 sellers per year that will do a charge-back or some other mischief to rob me

agreed. The only things you can do with the ebay/paypal fees is to eat them....which cuts into profits so much there is no point in selling anything of low value, pad the shipping cost a bit, or raise the item price, which in turns means more fees paid to ebay...and that is not an option i'm even going to entertain.

This is why the ebay execs have been 'encouraging' sellers to offer free shipping, because they know they'll have to raise the item price and ebay gets more, more, more.

If it weren't for the catastrophic drop in ebay's share price and the subsequent outrage from shareholders, i'm certain the plan was to eventually implement mandatory free shipping, if you want to sell on ebay. But i've noticed ebay has had it's tail between its legs for the last couple of months now. No new rules...no demands......no edicts.

The ebay shareholder meeting is next month and from all reports it's going to be a doozy. I expect John John will be getting the axe before too long and hopefully the rats nest of other ebay executives will be following him out the door.

Yeah, but from the US to the UK or even NZ, it can't be cheap.

I used to average about $140NZ-$150NZ ($70US - $75US) to get a plane (item + shipping). Now its $215+ ($108US). That is just with "current market" items - forget about the lesser available planes! That's why I've been eyeing preowned planes now. Unless I can find an etailer that has resonable prices on both items and shipping (and the planes I actually want). It is getting tough now - no doubt about it. It has actually now became a true collectors market in some ways. Before I could go to MD or Badcat and simply choose which one I wanted next. Now it's a game of hunting down that specific item and deciding weather to pull the trigger or wait until "next time".

(referring to aferg's comments.)

Yep, I think eBay's high-horse riding days are over. Their excessive fees and draconian policies have everyone looking for alternatives. I effectively quit offering product there and have used Amazon, my own e-commerce software, and other solutions. eBay's fees are just absurd and their policies on things like feedback just get worse by the day. They have a monopoly on the internet auction business, and they have had once since the day the courts ruled that third-party auction search engines couldn't crawl their site - it guaranteed their monopoly since buyers couldn't use once search engine to search multiple auction sites.

Jay,
Even though we may be on opposite continents, I feel your pain in regards to collecting.

I jumped into 1/18 late in the game and have been playing catch up since 2007. At this point I own 12 1/18th planes, a smattering of 1/32 airplanes and armor and a couple 1/18 armor pieces. There are a ton of XD items that I missed out on that are climbing in price like crazy.

When speaking to Isaiah at MTS the other day, he mentioned that folks are gobbling up the 1/18 planes like mad.

I'd love to have a bubble top P-47 or P-38 since I never saw one at WM or TRU, but with prices now approaching $200 for either plane, I have to think long and hard about value. I bought my F-18 last week after my F-16 fell through, and knew that my window for being able to afford one was closing rapidly. It is the one piece in my collection I'm truly glad I found and bought. I consider myself lucky with that one.

Perusing Ebay gets more depressing every week watching the prices on planes that I'd like to own, skyrocket astronomically. But in a sense, glad to see the planes that I picked up early on going up in price also.

~Blake

I have shipped to some of our fellow board members in Europe. $30 plus. That is the cost of model sometimes.

I have learned as well to sell shippers that this is a business address. It cuts down on the shipping some what. It is ligit I use my home as an office.

Also, eBay speaking, if the shipping is rolled into the price then there is no real option for a combined shipping discount.

When I first started selling on ebay one of my first buyers told me that he had tried selling but always lost money, so he stopped. Of course that happened because he charged exact cost for mailing and the fees, plus subsidiary costs (trip to post office, etc) just killed him.

I am currently getting dunned by ebay for a low DSR score for shipping charges. I have checked around, however, and find that even people who provide free shipping get threes and fours on that one.

eBay tells buyers that a score of four is a good score, and three is just average but they do not say that anything below a five (the highest) can lead to seller penalties and suspension. They also don't really tell anyone that they score the DSRs on a 30-day rotation so if you have a slow month, and get fours from your satisfied buyers , you are screwed big time.

I think that they instituted the DSRs as a way to get rid of the small sellers. It appears objective but it is badly skewed in favor of the downrating and removal of small sellers.

I have been selling off my 1/6 collection a few figures at a time on ebay (been a member for about 6 years) but I always offer free shipping. Why? I figure most of the people bidding on my stuff are collectors and not other e-tailers looking to buy and then sell at outrageous prices after. I like to think that whoever buys my stuff appreciates the deal and that they are adding to their own personal collection for a reasonable price. Yeah, I eat the shipping, ebay, paypal costs but thats how I dooz it man!

Clearly you are not trying to make a living or even supplement your income. Giving things away is cool and I applaud your generosity. But... why not do that here on our forum where you know that you are dealing with fellow collectors?

I would love to sell and most importantly, to buy from other collectors on this site but as a "new member" I am subject to the six month rule on the buy and trade section. I totally respect that policy and see why it came about. So I will have to wait and post ALOT more. I see good deals from other members and go a little crazy knowing I cant buy some of those great AC but rules is rules!!

Well. You are certainly the kind of seller eBay is looking for. Some one who has no real interest in making money off his sales. Just pay the fees and send out the merchandise. Hang the costs and simply absorb them.

What is your eBay "id"?

Thanks for the kinds words............like my grandma used to say :do unto others..... I am always on the lookout for a good deal...not to say that I am cheap or nothin' Anyway,,,,,I will be putting up a few more 1/6 WW2 figures in the next couple of days or so. My ebay handle is
navbot 45. Thanks again!!

Thank you.