Crazy prices by  Ebay Global Shipping Program  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ErikTheNorwegian
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 17, 2014, 08:53:05 pm
content: [b

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 17, 2014, 09:03:11 pm
content: Quote from: ErikTheNorwegian on May 17, 2014, 08:53:05 pmYou would be lucky if you only pay $114.16. The T&Cs for that dubious services have enough provisions to take whatever they like from you. And no guarantee that the stuff gets indeed delivered.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 17, 2014, 09:07:46 pm
content: Look up drop shippers in the USA and use them. There are a few Aus and NZ users here on the forum that use them.Luckily i know people in the USA who will do the shipping if need be for me.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 17, 2014, 09:12:05 pm
content: Find somebody that'll ship using First Class International. I don't think there's any tracking, but it would only cost a few dollars to ship something that small. Have you checked with Mouser or Digi-Key to see how bad it would be? Mouser has it in stock for $6.95

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 17, 2014, 11:35:24 pm
content: Quote from: AcHmed99 on May 17, 2014, 11:05:36 pmYes, they do:Quote

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2014, 12:56:15 am
content: That is crazy, on the other hand they charged me 155$ for shipping and customs for a 47 lb tektronix boat anchor to the Netherlands.

author: Balaur
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 18, 2014, 07:20:44 am
content: I had good experience with the program until now (knock on wood!).For that 1 pound roll of solder mentioned on the other thread, I only had to pay $17.46 (i.e. half than the cheapest way to send the same stuff from France to US)

author: andtfoot
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 18, 2014, 07:26:58 am
content: Quote from: ErikTheNorwegian on May 17, 2014, 08:53:05 pmThe shipping for that item to Australia is $173.73...

author: ecat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2014, 08:17:03 am
content: The same sell has a HP 34970A listed for $475.00. Standard international shipping, ie not through ebay, cost to the UK?$2000 !http://www.ebay.com/itm/Agilent-HP-34970A-Data-Acquisition-Data-Logger-Switch-Unit-/201028825410?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ece407142At a guess I'd say this seller has no interest in shipping outside of the US. Are they able to manipulate the ebay shipping costs?

author: #foolish
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 18, 2014, 08:32:04 am
content: Obviously not (correctly) set-up for International shipping; delivery to the US is just $3, so something's not right. Probably also not a priority for the seller, $9 parts...B.T.W. I have never found Pomona parts on eBay to be a good deal; always less expensive via "regular channels" (like Mouser).George/

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2014, 09:16:34 am
content: Quote from: ecat on May 18, 2014, 08:17:03 amSome sellers will pick sizes and weights for the shipping information (not publicly visible) that set a convenient prepaid shipping option domestically, in Australia that would be the 500g or 3kg satchels. Also stuffs it up when they try to calculate shipping on multiple items.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2014, 09:21:39 am
content: Quote from: ecat on May 18, 2014, 08:17:03 amBut why then did he subscribe to the global shipping program? eBay doesn't turn that on automatically, sellers need to ask for it.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2014, 11:18:13 am
content: QuoteNothing teaches the seller better than to walk away from a sale.

author: eurofox
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 18, 2014, 02:31:10 pm
content: I bought some instrument and Pomona cables with this procedure and got very decent shipping cost, the only negative issue is delay and tracking with gaps but advantage is no customs delay and possible problems if some documents are missing.

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2014, 11:02:24 pm
content: There has to be something dodgy going on there. I find ebay global shipping to be the cheapest of them all to Australia. I just received a heavy arse HP6632A from the states for a shipping cost of $96AUD

author: romantronixlab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2014, 12:50:00 am
content: Looking at the postal service for that item with I know it is less than a pound weight shipped to Norway is 24 USD, dont know about import tax. So there must be something not setup correctly by the seller.

author: Rick
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2014, 01:27:14 pm
content: Quote from: rdl on May 17, 2014, 09:12:05 pmFirst Class International delivery info is available at your post office. Besides that in our country for example first class mail is treated as registered mail and delivered against signature (the more expensive 1st class mail options).

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2014, 01:56:10 pm
content: Global shipping sounded too good to be true when I've first heard from it. There are sellers that are too lazy/stupid to ship an item to the other side of the world. And this would have enable the buyers to easily solve the laziness. But then something horrible happened, and it automatically adds VAT+ import TAX+Shipping cost, on everything. Now, I cannot really see why an item would have to pax tax four times, when it arrived to the US, when it was sold, and two times for me. It is ridiculous, the awesome system adds 40-50% to the price. And it even does it for items which are below the legal limits to pay import tax. So it voluntarily pays for you. Right now it is cheaper to buy brand new items from a local store (which suck big time) than something with the global shipping.I'm not fine with the chinese system, where everything is a 1$ present from your friend, who lives there, and the stamp said 0.1$ for something which came from the other side of the world, but this is almost as bad.

author: iRad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2014, 06:38:38 pm
content: Quote from: Bored@Work on May 18, 2014, 09:21:39 ameBay turns on the global shipping program for most every listing automatically, and you must remember to turn it off every time you make a new listing. It is very frustrating for sellers and buyers alike. Worst of all, eBay makes it appear that it is the seller that is charging exorbitantly high shipping prices, when he may have had no intention to even offer item internationally in the first place. In the end, the buyer is screwed, the seller gets bad feedback, and eBay laughs all the way to the bank. eBay also recently changed the rules for combined shipping, making it VERY difficult for sellers to provide discounted shipping on dissimilar one of a kind items when combining them for a single buyer. Again, the buyer is screwed at no fault of the seller, and the seller gets the bad feedback. But, since eBay also makes a commission off of all shipping costs, again they are laughing all the way to the bank.

author: pipe
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2014, 06:51:32 pm
content: I hear you. When browsing eBay these days, I pretty much skip sellers from the US. I know that they or eBay are going to rip me off by having me pay hundreds for shipping because they are lazy. It's sad, really.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2014, 07:01:46 pm
content: Quote from: iRad on May 19, 2014, 06:38:38 pmStrange. eBay says you have to join the program as a seller and can opt-out of the whole program.

author: eurofox
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 19, 2014, 07:36:08 pm
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on May 19, 2014, 01:56:10 pmYou don't pay 4 times taxes, I agree that tax was paid originally in the US but this is the rule in Belgium and I think all over EU, goods new or used above 20 Euros are routed to customs, VAT and sometimes import duties and administration cost are added.If you buy a second hand instrument from a company you will have to pay VAT as well, as a private person you get rid of 21%but as a company you can recover it, this is the way it work.Remember Belgium is the country with highest taxes on income generated by work in the world and for other taxes we are certainly the the world top 5

author: edpalmer42
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2014, 07:44:54 pm
content: I live in Canada. I've had both good and bad experiences with the Global Shipping Program.I just checked and the import charges are shown as 0.00 until the value rises to about C$20 (about US$18). Then it jumps to about US$6.50 to cover taxes plus an admin fee. I can live with that. The actual shipping cost is somewhat less than USPS.I had a big problem a few months ago where I bought multiple items from a single vendor and ebay tried to charge me full shipping for each item even though they would all ship in one small box. I told the seller to cancel the sales but he found a way to get me reasonable shipping so we were both happy and to hell with ebay!In the last few years, USPS has boosted international shipping to the point where it's often uneconomical to buy anything from the US. That allows the competitors like ebay to charge more and all buyers suffer. Is USPS actually making more money due to the higher charges or have their international volumes dropped?Ed

author: Mr Simpleton
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 19, 2014, 07:54:23 pm
content: I have the same issue when buying some N-SMA connectors, asked seller if something could be done, and yes she was extremely helpful and I ended up spending a fortune on stuff rather than on shippingStill if one use the Global Shipping you get bitch slapped twice, not only to pay the shipping but then VAT on shipping and fees add up even more!I have had instances where the amount was way below the VAT limit for import even with "normal" shipping costs, but then WHAM $70-80 in GPS "shipping" fees no way to avoid!This sucks!

author: iRad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2014, 07:57:30 pm
content: Quote from: pipe on May 19, 2014, 06:51:32 pmIt's because of attitudes like this that sellers in any country wish to avoid selling into other counties. Most sellers are not looking to rip you off, that is just ignorant talk. Besides, a buyer should know what something is ultimately going to cost you before they buy, and evaluate if the cost and risk is worth it. If you are surprised by the costs, that is the lazy part. We live in a complicated world, no seller should have to figure out what it takes to ship a single one of a kind item via every possible scenario to every corner of the earth. Especially when eBay required tracking of an item, that provides some seller protection against fraud, is mostly unavailable (unavailable at a reasonable cost that is).

author: iRad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2014, 08:05:08 pm
content: Quote from: Bored@Work on May 18, 2014, 09:21:39 ameBay does not force sellers to join (at least not yet), but they can force a seller to remember to opt-out in every listing...

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 20, 2014, 05:32:46 pm
content: Quote from: edpalmer42 on May 19, 2014, 07:44:54 pmBecause of eBay there has been a huge influx of stuff from China with "free shipping" in recent years. The Chinese government subsidizes the sellers for their postage cost. Unfortunately we don't have any Chinese mailmen in America, so the USPS must bear the burden for delivering these items and those costs must be made up somehow. There is no such thing as free shipping. Somebody, somewhere, has to pay for it.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 20, 2014, 06:46:02 pm
content: QuoteMaybe it has more to do with USPS' inefficiency, high labor costs, or just its monopoly?This Chinese subsidy story simply doesn't make logical sense, if you just think a little more bit about it.If you don't believe me, google UPU to learn more.

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 21, 2014, 03:20:03 pm
content: Quote from: dannyf on May 20, 2014, 08:03:32 pmMore like designed to fail investments (well designed to fail for the little people, foreign intermediaries get their cut). Bubbles implosions have been instrumental in keep the current account balance somewhat in check, hard to see it as a coincidence when it just keeps happening over and over (and my parent's pension fund getting deeper and deeper in the hole every time).

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 21, 2014, 03:46:33 pm
content: BTW, China's cheap shipping prices seem to be a result of gaming the UPU rules ... terminal dues are structurally too low for first world countries, basically we pay for the postage through our taxes.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 22, 2014, 12:01:10 am
content: QuoteSo China isn't subsidizing international postage. Instead, governments in the 1st world are subsidizing international postage so they can lose more money and create a trade imbalance against themselves?What does that say about those voters who elected those governments? 1st world voters, 3rd world intelligence,

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 22, 2014, 03:20:04 am
content: The insane shipping prices are not limited to international shipping!I just bought one of those transistor, LRC, etc. tester kits for $20.Seller is in central California, I am in Oregon (<1000 miles away).4-5 day (ground) shipping was FREE.But If I wanted it faster, the only other option was "express shipping" (2-3 days) at$99!!!!eBay is such a big, faceless, bureaucratic company there is no telling whether that is just a programming glitch or if that is the actual plan. And of course, there is no way to actually talk to a human who might know anything about it.

author: iloveelectronics
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 22, 2014, 04:00:54 am
content: Quote from: Richard Crowley on May 22, 2014, 03:20:04 amI couldn't agree more on your above observation.Just the other night I had an issue with a case being filed by a buyer of mine, apparently by mistake, because he closed it voluntarily within an hour. With their current Top Rated Seller policy this would not have been a problem, because the case is resolved. However, they are going to implement this new policy whereby ANY opened case, regardless of whether there's eventual resolution, will be counted against the seller as a "defect". If the defect rate reaches a certain level, we lose our top rated status, and that's a big deal because that means paying much higher commission!I had to call eBay's hotline in the US to try to have this case removed, because their eBay Hong Kong brand has no such powers. So this is an international call. After the initiate wait of about 10 minutes, I was bounced from one person to another, about 6, 7 times! And each time I basically had to explain my situation all over again! And in the end I finally got to speak to someone who was in the right department to handle this, but unfortunately he told me because this new policy was not in effect until August (but would count "defects" in the past 12 months), no formal appeal process had been formulated yet, so there was little he could do except to note it so when I call again in August they would know about the situation! Almost 2 hours on an long distance call for little more than a footnote! Sigh...To all the buyers on eBay, please always try to communicate with your sellers through messaging first when there's a problem, before filing a case.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 22, 2014, 04:36:13 am
content: Just to add that you really should change your eBay password, as they possibly have been compromised. Going to do that right now.Heard this on News24.

author: ErikTheNorwegian
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 22, 2014, 07:45:03 am
content: Well, i now has learnt that buying from sellers on the global shipping program is not anything i do again, their loss.But i did win a dvd, Touch of evil, special editoon. $4.99 and $37 shipping! I did a deal that we made up outside ebay, and ended up paying $15, DVD, shipping and his ebay fees... DVD came promtly NeXT week in the mail. Not that i advice it, but it was a seller With good history and excelent comunication.

author: TheBorg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 22, 2014, 10:23:41 pm
content: Quote from: Richard Crowley on May 22, 2014, 03:20:04 amAsk a question --> ShippingMost sellers are willing to quote you an invoice for the order and can do express shipping for less of what eBay costs. I've been asked to do this, and am totally fine with it (ebay quoted $100+ to ship to finland, but all the seller had to do was message me and request an invoice). Shipping was less than half that.So don't talk to eBay, talk to the seller. Sellers usually make no money on shipping and therefore are fairly flexible about it.

author: mamalala
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 23, 2014, 06:44:57 pm
content: Quote from: iloveelectronics on May 22, 2014, 04:00:54 amAs mostly a buyer on eBay, i fully agree with that. Shit happens from time to time. So far i had no problem at all with sellers from China, Hong Kong, UK, USA, etc. Whenever i had a problem, which is rare anyways, it was always resolved quickly and nicely.I think it is also worth to note that people should check their expectations for much of the really cheap stuff on eBay from China. One can't expect top-quality that stands up to the same qualkity as brand product, while costing only a small fracrtion, including shipping. You get what you pay for, after all.However, as far as that shipping program is concerned, then yes, it is really expensive and crazy. Also, what's rather curious, whenever i see outrageous shipping costs on eBay (not through that silly program), it's most of the time from US sellers. Like, 20$ item, very light and small, shipping via normal USPS for 30$. Or slightly heavier items for 100$+. Seems that strange shipping costs are mostly a US phenomenon, at least from what i stumble upon.One such silly item, randomly picked from one of my open aBay auction searches:http://www.ebay.de/itm/1-OKI-METCAL-SOLDERING-SOLDER-TIP-SCP-DRK50-Cartridge-New-/200958004171It says 8,95US$ for the item, and 36,25US$ for shipping via USPS. That's just silly.OTOH, i had items shipped from US sellers that later refunded me a bit, on their own, because the shipping cost was lower than what they listed.Greetings,Chris

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 23, 2014, 08:55:14 pm
content: Quote from: Richard Crowley on May 22, 2014, 03:20:04 amEbay is not selling you the product an independant seller is. ebay have introduced incentives to get people to list faster postage options by reducing their fees by 15% but many seller don't want the hassle of actually doing express shipping but want the 15% discount so they put the express option on but charge so much no one will use it. I recently reported seller offering free postage on an item costing a few pounds but wanting £120+ for express services.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 23, 2014, 08:58:25 pm
content: I don't know how ebay works outside of the Uk but in the UK the seller sets all prices, ebay just takes 10% of the takings or 8.5% if you have satisfied their premium seller requirements so I have no idea why everyone is having a go at ebay about shipping costs unless they operate differently outside of the UK

author: Sar
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 12:58:35 am
content: Quote from: Simon on May 23, 2014, 08:58:25 pmOn the US eBay you can set the shipping as 'free' shipping (then include it in the price of the item) or flat rate shipping (a service USPS has in the US) or you can use 'calculated costs' (which always screws the seller by under-calculating the actual cost) or a fixed manually entered price to ship.If someone has put in a flat or fixed price to ship, it's usually at least 10% higher than the actual cost because eBay charges the seller a 10% commission on the shipping costs, as well as one on the sale price of the item PLUS the PayPal fees for the money transfer. They charge the shipping commission even if they don't handle any of the shipping at any point for an item shipped within the US or internationally, that's just insane.The global shipping program is affected by a few things which sellers aren't aware of and aren't informed about. eBay doesn't tell the seller what they're going to be charging a buyer for shipping the item internationally. The only shipping cost that the seller sees associated with their item is what it costs to send the item to the eBay international shipping center.Your cost, as a buyer, for the global shipping via eBay includes the cost to ship a package from the seller to eBay + whatever eBay charges to send the package from eBay to you, plus, I'm sure, healthy administrative fees and everything else.Another thing that happens is that when a seller lists an item, they need to enter the item weight, as well as the dimensions of the package the item is shipped in. Because USPS flat rate priority is very commonly used in the US (impatient people want their stuff in 2-3 days) and there are only really 4 box sizes (Large, Medium, Small, Envelope) the medium sized box gets used for a lot of things. Unfortunately that box is fairly large to ship internationally and the large box is even worse.When you select international shipping as a buyer, eBay looks at the size of the box and weight and calculates the cost + the cost to ship the package to eBay + their fees as an intermediary agent. The shipping prices jump up quickly for larger packages using some methods.A lot of the sellers who select the 'global shipping program' in their sales listing are people who would have normally not offered any kind of international shipping in the first place. They have only selected it because it requires no additional effort and it might provide a wider audience for the item. They are the ones most likely to be unaware of how the size of the box and weight greatly affects the shipping costs, I think this may create a lot of the ridiculous shipping prices, but I could be wrong.Additionally, for the seller to be covered against theft and false 'item not received' claims, eBay requires that packages have tracking and that items over US$250 (they changed it recently) require a proof of signature when the package is delivered. Those services, internationally, increase the cost.Wow, that was pretty long winded, sorry about that... probably TL;DR; material

author: iRad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 02:14:31 am
content: Quote from: Simon on May 23, 2014, 08:58:25 pmPerhaps the UK does not have the "eBay Global Shipping Program" (that is the thread title isn't it?), where eBay sets ALL the prices and ALL the FEES. Perhaps eBay still allows buyers to hold payment to request combined shipping in the UK. Perhaps Brits are just better at figuring out how to pack a box of every possible different combination of one of a kind items for every single one of their listings, and they offer that pricing to every country on the face of the earth. Perhaps Brits have more than 24 hours in their day to figure out all those things. And perhaps they are still able to make a profit on a $20 item after spending 2 or 3 hours making the listing. The rest of us will just keep a stiff upper lip and suffer though it.

author: iRad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 02:20:49 am
content: Quote from: Sar on May 24, 2014, 12:58:35 amWell said, but you didn't even cover the half of it...

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 06:28:43 am
content: Don't get me wrong, I am no fan of ebay either but I'm stuck with it. I have an ebid account that sells nothing at all despite me being probably the only seller. Only time I bought something on it it never turned up and I had to use paypal to resolve it as ebid don't have a system like ebay. I also started my own webshop to give customers the option of dealing directly with me but still most as in 99.99% prefer ebay, I make on average a sale a month on it out of hundreds per month.I did hear something about some internation shipping scheme but I've not heared much more about it. I think because I'm selling small stuff I fall under their radar. Frankly anyone that uses a two stage shipping service is nuts and deserves to loose the sale. Simple solution don't buy from these sellers and thery will get the message. Shipping to ebay and then shipping on to the customer is obviously going to be expensive and ebay will screw you every way possible. The ultimate screw over is that they don't pay tax in the UK, I do they don't yet their earnings come from me, a UK citizen. Unfortunately ebay is given a lot of power by being the defacto standard for buyers. As a seller I've got my hands tied. Despite having an auto-responder on my paypal email address telling buyers about my website and ebid I still take the vast majority of sales on ebay.

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 07:54:10 am
content: Quote11%

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 07:56:25 am
content: Well yes because you have to add 10% to your price and then pay 10% on that, in truth it is 11.11111111111111111......%

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 08:05:25 am
content: Quote from: Simon on May 23, 2014, 08:58:25 pmBecause eBay in the US is different. Moron US sellers, too stupid to ship outside the US, can sign up for a global shipping program. Then eBay asks the seller to ship the item to a crocked US company in Kentucky, called Pitney Bowes, instead of directly shipping it to the buyer. From that point on the US seller has no more obligations according to eBay.Pitney Bowes repackages the item (in the worst way possible), selects a carrier for shipment (the cheapest backyard carrier they can find, naturally with the worst insurance policy), does a customs declaration (which you as a buyer agree not to question at all, because Pitney Bowes says so), charges you, the buyer, a premium like a hundred Dollars for that disservice, taxes and customs, and leaves you out high and dry if the shipping carrier damages or loses the item.Pitney Bowes pays eBay a kickback, ups, sorry, a commission, for every such deal they get via the global shipping program. So effectively, you as a buyer pay Pitney Bowes for a disservice, and indirectly eBay for forcing that disservice on you as the buyer. All because a moron US seller shits its pants to ship something to a bloody foreigner.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 08:11:32 am
content: Well simple solution is don't buy from such sellers, they are obviously bad sellers anyway. In the UK pitney bowes makes franking machines, not sure if it's the same company though.

author: Sar
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 08:32:37 am
content: We're not bad sellers, we're just generally not making a living from eBay and have full time jobs otherwise.Having to service you like a cheap hussy and invest a lot of time into a minimal profit item to make a sale isn't really beneficial. And it wouldn't be beneficial for you to do the same for a US customer. If a seller is using global shipping program they mean that they want to ship it easily within their own country, but if you want to pay for it, they'll ship it to you as well.On high dollar or particularly interesting (more rare) items I will do 'normal' international shipping to keep it interesting as long as it's not a restricted export item like krytrons, thyratrons. etc.. But if you want to buy a bar of lead, then ship it internationally, I want nothing to do with that so it'll cost you whatever the simplest method costs.If it doesn't sell internationally, there's always someone in the US who will buy the item eventually. People buy cool electronic stuff just to put it on shelves and look at it (figure that one out!)

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 08:35:32 am
content: QuoteNo, because ebay recently increased their fees in "Business and Industrial" to 11%In fact adding the listing prices ebay helpfully told me that they took 11.8% off me last month. Add to that the 3.4% that PayPal takes, plus the PayPal transaction fee and I loose just under 15.5% to them on most sales.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 08:39:36 am
content: oh, I didn't know that, probably because they want to make megabucks on every sale and office/industrial is full of small electrionic parts that sell for pence.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 08:41:29 am
content: Quote from: Sar on May 24, 2014, 08:32:37 amI sell overseas all of the time, as much as in the UK. if it's a one off larger item I jst put a high shipping cost on the item in case someone tries to be clever and ask that the overseas buyer contacts me to confirm shipping at which point I can quote for the correct country and it will be cheaper than my safety net price

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 09:02:26 am
content: Just don't offer your item to us if you think foreigners don't deserve it. If you think you are clever by letting eBay and Pitney Bowes ripping us off, well you better try to find a local idiot buying from you.Every day millions of Chinese sellers find their way to their local post office or courier office. So do European sellers and sellers around the world. Hey, even Dave finally found the way to the post office after his adventure with a "professional" mailing house.The only ones having a severe problem or severe aversions finding their local post office or courier office seem to be US sellers. And since eBay offers them a deal with the global shipping program were only the foreign buyers are ripped off, they happily sign up.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 09:04:35 am
content: mailing companies would only ever be feasable on large quantities of prearranged items, one offs are going to incur huge costs, that is obvious

author: gregariz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 10:47:14 pm
content: Quote from: dannyf on May 22, 2014, 12:01:10 amNobody is saying anything now but a few years back china post, ebay, and usps came up with the e-packet scheme whereby sellers in China and HK would pay less than a dollar for small packets sent from China to the US.I think its a fair bet that chinapost and usps are being subsidised (chinapost) or raising domestic charges to pay for it (usps).The only way to know for sure however is to figure out how many packets at a dime or less that goes to usps are getting loaded onto an aeroplane, and then figure out whether that pays for the fuel/pilot/operational/maintenance cost to run that aircraft. If you could actually show that it doesn't add up then its probably illegal for usps to be passing that cost on to domestic consumers in the US. That would be a nice court case for a consumer/labor group. Why ebay was involved in the deal at all - and who brokered the deal would also be of interest. If it doesn't add up like alot of people suspect it will probably end at some point, particularly since usps are somewhat broke. However that is probably too late for all the US sellers who have gone away because Chine->US post is now cheaper than US domestic post.Prices in the US for international shipping are high so I suspect that is simply what is driving the lack of interest by US sellers. The only one that is half way sane is the flat rate shipping box service that usps provides. About $16 for a small box and $25 for a slightly larger one. For really small stuff and light goods it is possible to ship it overseas for just under $10 using usps first class mail, but I believe tracking is only to some select countries like canada, aus and uk.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2014, 12:08:34 am
content: QuoteProbably not a very good bet. China Post is hugely profitable - if it were to be IPO'd, it would be one of the largest IPOs ever. I have never heard of them being subsidized, other than here.QuotePostal services are one of those businesses with large fixed cost. So pricing here is on marginal costs - The marginal costs for the items listed above is almost zero.QuoteI wonder why no greedy lawyers have take on that case if it were so full of merits.Quotefor higher volume - ebay is a middle man here. Higher volume means higher fees to ebay.A win-win deal: USPS gets more volume that helps it incrementally offset its fixed costs; China Post gets more business; US buyers benefit from lower prices and better access to Chinese sellers; Chinese sellers get more business and a larger market.The only ones getting hurt are US sellers.From a social welfare point of view, it is a no brainer.

author: iloveelectronics
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2014, 03:13:46 am
content: Quote from: gregariz on May 24, 2014, 10:47:14 pmI'm not sure what the rates were when it first started but now you can't ship anything with tracking for less than a dollar anymore. The lowest rate to ship from China to the US is about $2 for a package up to 60g, through the ePacket system. And it's slightly more expensive from Hong Kong for up to 50g. It is still possible to ship for under a dollar though (for something really light), but only without tracking, which eBay doesn't allow for shipments to the US.

author: gregariz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2014, 03:48:31 am
content: Quote from: dannyf on May 25, 2014, 12:08:34 amHow do you know? It's a state owned enterprise run by a communist party with a monopoly in this space.but a simple google will give some clues...http://www.postalconsumers.org/postal_freedom_index/China_-_China_Post.shtmlhttp://thediplomat.com/2013/06/reforming-chinas-state-owned-enterprises/

author: iloveelectronics
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2014, 04:15:29 am
content: Here's some annual reports for Hong Kong Post (completely separate entity from China Post):http://www.hongkongpost.hk/eng/publications/annual/index.htmThey are a government department but are financially independent and are responsible for their own profits/losses. They have stayed profitable up until the 2010/2011 financial year. The deficits in the last 2 financial years prompted them to increase postage fees by roughly 20% towards the end of 2013.Postage fees in Hong Kong and China are rather comparable so if HK Post can be run as a self sustainable business I don't see why China Post can't.

author: gregariz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2014, 04:34:01 am
content: The problem is and has been for quite some years that because of the lack of transparency it's very difficult to quantify the way in which subsidies are being applied. For example the simple fact that China is managing it's exchange rate with the rest of the world insures that all exported goods are leaving undervalued. In HK Posts example it would be nice to dig deeper into the numbers and understand how much of their revenue is being generated from export traffic from Shenzeng. If the prices on goods were to rise as they should in a market economy HK post would see traffic drop off and then simply move deeper into the red. On top of that HK has a relatively small area to collect from. Imagine the profit equation for the west of China, which then becomes a similar problem as that of USPS. If HK post is in the red, China post might be drowning in debt.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 25, 2014, 06:53:38 am
content: For people moaning about the chinese undercutting us the fact is that plenty of people don't want to deal with china due to shipping time and risk of dodgy goods or being screwed. That is where I find my niche, I provide a fast service and I respond to messages quickly and offer advice to those who ask and am genuinely helpful. No I probably don't earn a lot if i look at my earnings on time put in but that is the nature of retail and there is more money in doing design work and supplying bespoke units.The other side of chinese sellers is worse and i have an example. there are lots of goods being sold for the same or little more than if they came straight from china and typically located in china, glasgow or other large towns. They are chinese sellers that are importing stuff over by the container and selling it from here with a man or two on the ground so practically the same costs as sending from china but you get it faster but still they offer crap service.I bought yesterday a signal generator by mistake as I then found a nice old one with better specs second hand, so i contacted the seller within 1 minute asking him to cancel. I just got a message back with chinese characters in the from address asking what the problem was, so I repeated my request (poor soul probably no speak much english) and immediately get an automated email from ebay saying that it was dispatched which i know is not true. So i messaged him promising him negative feedback, but he won't care, he probably has dozens of accounts on the go moving from one to the other as poor feedback brings each one down. This is a nasty world and the way you get on in business is the old school way, be nice, helpful and honest and you keep your loyal customers

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2014, 11:17:23 am
content: QuoteWith better knowledge?China Post is actually a Fortune 500 company - one of, if not outright the largester employer, in the world. It is in a variety of businesses, aside from postal services. Unlike its peers in the west, it is growing like crazy and tremendously profitable.QuoteIf you understood China, you would come to realize that it is probably the most capitalist country in the world right now.QuoteBe careful what you wish. If RMB were to materially appreciate, we would have massive inflation overnight. And it impacts the poor particularly hard.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2014, 01:18:13 pm
content: QuoteSo true.Our leaders unfortunately are too stupid or too cowardly to lead.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 25, 2014, 01:18:45 pm
content: same for the UK they own the major share in our London waterworks because all business cares about is making profits now so will sell themselves to the devil if necessary to get it

author: lpc32
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2014, 10:18:25 pm
content: Quote from: ErikTheNorwegian on May 17, 2014, 08:53:05 pmThat's not too bad. The most expensive shipping + taxes I see in the country list is about $270.Quote from: Sar on May 24, 2014, 12:58:35 amI read somewhere it's because sellers shifted most of their sale value to shipping.Quote from: gregariz on May 24, 2014, 10:47:14 pmCheap shipping from China isn't only to the US.

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2014, 12:49:53 am
content: Well I got my 50 pound boat anchor shipped from the US for 150$, took longer to get reshipped in the US than it took to my doorstep also the tracking was just stupid. They give you a link to a page and some numbers which looks like they should be part of an URL, but isn't. A small part is the order reference you need on the tracking page and they make you guess what it is, not that it matters because all it said in the end was "Please contact your retailer for more information."Somehow my single parcel shipment transformed into a two parcel shipment too, they send me some commercial stackable trolley by mistake (didn't realize the second box wasn't for me immediately on delivery). The original vendor is a bit slow in replying to me about it though ... doubt he is eager to waste his time fixing the reshipper fuck up (which has no web presence and no email). In the end the shipping rates were good ... the service to prepay customs is really nice (DHL/etc often try to rip you off with extra handling costs if you pay this at the door) but the tracking is flaky and both ebay and their intermediaries lack any avenues for customer service (ebay has no customer service form for it's own reshipping service).

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2014, 01:22:12 am
content: I have had no problems with China Post or HongKong Post. Regular air-mail seems to take about 10 days (8 business days) if on stock.Some Ebay sellers just take their sweet time to send goods, it's not their postal service at fault. I bought some transistors that took a long time (couple of months) but to me that is the exception.Their mentality seems to be shifting into efficiency, maybe because of Alibaba (Also I don't think the name is a coincidence for what it denotes).I wouldn't be too worried, cheap labor is cheap while their employees don't demand raises. Now China has a middle class and they will have more and more demands until they won't be able to undercut everyone else, has happened before many a times!

author: lpc32
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 01:50:37 pm
content: I really hate this style of customer support replies. A lot of fakeness, convoluted sentences, and a general sense that the message was written by a semi-automaton that needs to tick multiple checkboxes.

author: ErikTheNorwegian
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 02:01:00 pm
content: Yepp- agree.. But the icing of the cake is this.."I noticed that you have found a lot of what eBay has to offer, with the excellent deals from our Sellers and the diverse inventory we offer.I took the liberty of locating some items that you may be interested in buying. Please Click Here to view these items. "

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 04:10:27 pm
content: I am going to use a reshipper, it likely will work out cheaper, and will make life easier for me as well. Shipping is more than the stuff in most cases, obscenely so. I can wait, as SAPO will take their sweet time in any case.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 09:18:08 pm
content: QuoteI don't think ebay's position is unreasonable, unless you can prove that their assertion that they collect on behalf of the customs is untrue. I would imagine that all shippers do that.

author: lpc32
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 10:44:15 pm
content: The point is that there's no customs on a $5 DVD with $9 shipping. Maybe there is if eBay's shipping method somehow inflates the price so much that it crosses the customs threshold.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 10:50:33 pm
content: When you are dealing with a bureaucracy, the fact that you didn't get charged a fee once doesn't mean you wouldn't be charged the same fee next time.I suspect that being a large corporation, ebay is likely playing by the rules, more so than a mom-and-pop shop.

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 11:17:24 pm
content: Perhaps you get what you pay for. After buying my (US$20) "NPN PNP Capacitance ESR Inductance Resistor LC Meter" on eBay and using the USPS "Free Shipping", I end up with nothing. USPS claims they delivered the package, but I got nuthin' to show for it. Now it could have been stolen from my front door before I got home from the office (that has happened before). Fortunately, I'm only out $20.I just got notified that I have received my DropCam which I intend to deploy at my front door so I can monitor what is going on there. Now, I ordered my DropCam from Amazon and used their secure locker service, so I can stop by the 24-hour convenience store on my way home, enter my code and retrieve my package from the locker. No extra cost from Amazon, and actually faster (and clearly more secure) than home-delivery. Dunno how they are going to deliver to those lockers when they are using R/C drones, through.By contrast: I also ordered the milli-ohm meter kit from iloveelectronics (here in this forum), and he shipped it from Hong Kong, and I received it (also via USPS) safe and sound two days later. Of course, the difference is that the "NPN PNP Capacitance ESR Inductance Resistor LC Meter" was likely left on my front door step, and the milli-ohm meter came in a padded envelope which fit into my secure, oversize mail box.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2014, 12:09:25 am
content: It probably has more to do with the delivery channel than the seller.