Shipping charges?

[markmitchinnh]

Is it just me or are shipping charges now through the roof? I was looking at an item on Ebay and the price was $12.00 and yet the shipping charges are $20.00? That's crazy stuff right there. I swear some folks up the shipping charges just to make more money cause they know there item is not worth more.

[mdmead]

Agreed. I just take the approach: Is this overall price (shipping and purchase) what I'm willing to pay? I don't care how the seller comes up with their numbers... as long as I think it is fair.

[Rebel]

Nothing fires me up more than inflated shipping cost. I've been in the transportation business for along time and have run across this same issue with many customers in the past. This subject has been taken to court many times and as it stands right now, as long as the shipper lets you know in advance what the charges are, he's in the clear.
When I was on the other side of the business, shipper side,,I required all suppliers to supply me with their actual shipping cost and if I couldn't move the product cheaper than they could,we'd pick pick up the entire freight cost and if they were cheaper I'd allow them to keep their carrier if they were paying the shipping but they were required to have a seperate line on their invoice for frieght cost which enables you to know what the actual cost is per item shipped. In other words, the shipping cost was not hidden with the cost of item purchased.

[astrozam]

LOL...you boys wanna see shipping charges! move to Canada and order something from the States, not only do you get the crazy charges that your complainin about, but you get hit with brokerage fees AND Duty AND you have to pay tax! for the item. I was looking at a little brass compass worth $15 U.S on Amazon the other day, they wanted $29 to ship it...lol
this thing was the size of a container of dental floss...incredible!....

[JTalley]

Shipping is outrageous... I sold something on eBay once- a small thing, a bit bigger than a computer mouse- I figured it would be no more than $7 to ship it. I (stupidly) didn't make sure before putting it up... I didn't make anything off that- everything went to shipping. The fact that it's so high is leading people to believe that sellers are marking them up, and while some of them are, many aren't.

[MountainManJoe]

Zam's right. Most goods in the US are cheaper than up here, but after all the shipping it's usually not worth buying. And often enough, shipping will cost more than the item itself. AND it's quicker to get stuff from China than over the border. Something's not right there.

[Rebel]

That border thing will change down the road but I won't go there now.LOL

[astrozam]

That border thing will change down the road but I won't go there now.LOL

Very true my friend, and by then shipping charges will be the last thing to worry about.

[doyoulikeithere]

Recently, I wanted to buy some of those headlights that you can insert H4 bulbs into from the back, for my Gen 1 vans.
I looked around in Canada, and was able to find them for about 90 bucks/thepair.
From Ebay-USA, I bought 3 Autopal headlights (w/no H4 bulbs inside) for 11 each, plus shipping came to 75 total.
I had 2 before, but 1 caught a rock, and smashed, so I got 3 more.

Anyways, I have noticed, and now I am very carefull to insist that anything I get from ebay-usa ships with the post office.
Anything that gets shipped with UPS I avoid like a plague due to exhorbitant brokerage fees due COD (at delivery)

UPS's fees are at least 3 times more costly that the flat 5 dollar customs brokerage charged by Canada Post. If there is no duty or tax due, there is also no 5 dollar fee.

Many Many Times, a seller will mark the item as a gift, and/or write a very low price in the paperwork, and there is no fee, from Canada Post. They just hand it over and say, bye bye now.
UPS still would charge big brokerage fees, regardless. I refuse to buy or accept anything shipped x-border via UPS ( AKA OOPS )

I worked as a shipper/receiver, for manufacturing plants, for over 15 years.