Beans Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 3 hours ago, Mr mopar said: Prices and shipping are going up and I can't play any more how sad is that . It's gotten so that shipping doubles the purchase price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redscampi Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 5 minutes ago, Beans said: It's gotten so that shipping doubles the purchase price. Or more. I've bought several inexpensive kits in recent months to fill in my collection (which does not need filling). it seems like there's a conspiracy that requires any kit you buy, say you win an auction for $5, to have shipping rounded up so it'll be $30 minimum. Kit costs $10? Shipping nearly twenty. Kit costs $20? Shipping is magically twenty-five. Kit costs $300? They'll still gouge you for thirty bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 I've cut WAY back on buying model cars on feePay, in large part due to exorbitant shipping. But if you shop carefully and don't get in a hurry, you can still usually find deals with reasonable shipping. The actual cost of shipping via USPS has increased recently, but nowhere near what some folks are charging. And it's not always what the auction site estimates. I've also encountered some sellers who have voluntarily refunded part of what they considered to be "too high" shipping costs, and it's nice to know there are still people who aren't out to gouge every last nickel. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beans Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 I get the feeling those selling use shipping as the guaranteed sales price then use the bidding to pay the actual shipping and any over the top profit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbowser Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 I think they use inflated shipping to advertise a lowball selling price, drawing more eyeballs. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 24 minutes ago, bbowser said: I think they use inflated shipping to advertise a lowball selling price, drawing more eyeballs. Definitely some are doing that...and they catch a lot of folks not paying attention, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk11 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 4 hours ago, Bainford said: Shipping is the killer for me. Shipping to Canada from the US is minimum $30-40 for a kit. Not always... 2 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said: ... if you shop carefully and don't get in a hurry, you can still usually find deals with reasonable shipping. The actual cost of shipping via USPS has increased recently, but nowhere near what some folks are charging. And it's not always what the auction site estimates. I've also encountered some sellers who have voluntarily refunded part of what they considered to be "too high" shipping costs, and it's nice to know there are still people who aren't out to gouge every last nickel. Key here is to ask... send the seller a note asking if they'll consider shipping regular basic mail. I'm guessing too many sellers are getting lazy, allowing the site to do their thinking for them and are just following prompts that benefit the site. I've seen listings recently that show shipping at basic rate to be about fifteen US. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 inflated shipping make many find someone more reasonable, because there more people wanting to sell! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobss396 Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 I use only "buy it now". Those bidding days are over for me. I may buy an odd kit here and there, very few as of late with shipping costs of $10 and up. I buy other modeling items all the time, just about every seller combines on shipping so I load up my cart to spread shipping over a number of items. Shipping is rarely over $6 on a small-ish package. 2 shops out by me, a 50 mile round trip. Which equates to 2 gallons of gas, which is $6+ my valuable <cough, cough> time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk11 Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 On 11/19/2023 at 5:59 PM, Ace-Garageguy said: Probably a good thing I have dangity near every model I could ever want, 'cause the more they tinker with feepay, the more I'm getting to hate it. Don't think this will improve your outlook any... now I'm hearing that the purchase price is withheld by the site until they have proof of delivery. Wow. Won't this warm the hearts of those that have had the splendid experience of tracking their items through six or seven states before they finally arrive 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 9 hours ago, mk11 said: Don't think this will improve your outlook any... now I'm hearing that the purchase price is withheld by the site until they have proof of delivery. Wow. Won't this warm the hearts of those that have had the splendid experience of tracking their items through six or seven states before they finally arrive I recently had a purchase from the west coast track from California, through Utah, into Denver--great, just as it should have! Then, it sat for two days, before, instead of being sent to my local PO, it went to Atlanta, where it shuttled back and forth between a couple of terminals, before FINALLY being returned to Denver, and on, to me. 😅 Wow, folks! That's efficient! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Rivard Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 I waited years before taking the plunge into EBay land. It's a learning experience but by being patient and careful there are good opportunities out there. One thing I have noticed is that shipping from EU to Canada is usually cheaper and faster than US to Canada. Doesn't make sense... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niteowl7710 Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 On 3/18/2024 at 4:49 PM, mk11 said: Not always... Key here is to ask... send the seller a note asking if they'll consider shipping regular basic mail. I'm guessing too many sellers are getting lazy, allowing the site to do their thinking for them and are just following prompts that benefit the site. I've seen listings recently that show shipping at basic rate to be about fifteen US. USPS Rates are based on the distance the item travels in addition to its dimensions and weight though. Shipping a single kit in the Zones near me on the Eastern Seaboard will cost under $7 (using wholesale rates), but that same kit will cost nearly $12 to ship into the Rockies, and nearly $14 to go the whole way to the West Coast. Using Ground might knock $2-3 off a full-on West Coast shipment, but that's still around $11.97 for one U.S. shoebox sized model kit. Those are the wholesale discount rates, if you walked into your local Post Office and shipped it OTC (Over the Counter) you're going to pay an additional on top, so that West Coast box will cost $18.05! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Woodruff Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 I have good luck selling 2 kits together. Shipping on 2 kits is usually the same as shipping 1 kit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 (edited) I'm reasonably sure feePay requires a shipping method that includes a tracking number, as there's no shortage of scum-sucking bottom-feeders who will claim they never received their purchase, and put in for a refund otherwise. The default USPS shipping method has been "2 Day Priority" for a long time, but "Ground Advantage" is considerably cheaper, doesn't usually take much longer (though it can be considerably longer) and comes with tracking as well. More and more sellers are using it now. AND...as Len mentioned above, if you can arrange your purchases so that you get multiple items from the same seller, you save a worthwhile amount on shipping, usually. Of course there ARE those sellers who won't combine shipping, and then everything arrives in the same box anyway, where the seller paid less than half of what he charged...and I'll never buy from them again, and I hope the negative feedback I leave for them will dissuade others. Edited March 26 by Ace-Garageguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk11 Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 A check on the US PS site revealed that base shipping of a roughly one pound box from most of the US to points north is about twenty five bucks, so I guess the rates I witnessed are anomalies. But they're out there if you look hard enough... I can still ship a kit south to anywhere on the continent above the rio grande for less than I can send one to the eastern half of this country for. 2 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said: I'm reasonably sure feePay requires a shipping method that includes a tracking number, It sure as heck will make sense to have one going forward to prove delivery if that site is going ahead with that payout plan. Of course, we could just be imagining things: what could go wrong with committing yourself to the Swiss watch efficiency of the ps? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 16 hours ago, Pierre Rivard said: I waited years before taking the plunge into EBay land. It's a learning experience but by being patient and careful there are good opportunities out there. One thing I have noticed is that shipping from EU to Canada is usually cheaper and faster than US to Canada. Doesn't make sense... I agree, about some deals to be had. If you're looking for a particular kit, "save" the search, and check it frequently! A couple of years ago, I picked up a beautiful example of a Monogram California Street Vette for quite a bit less than their going rate, because somebody posted one in the middle of the night, with a great "Buy It Now" price. I jumped on it! I just got a clean rebuilder of the same kit, just the other day, for about $40, shipped, for the same reason. Any day, now, I should have a set of four (A, B, C and D) Starrett pin vises that I got for about $45, shipped. If you're diligent, patient, and realistic, you can get some very nice deals on Ebay! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobss396 Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 I haven't sold on eBay in a while. I used to do almost all postal money orders or cash deals. People sent me a check now and then, lol. I would have to ask my son about the new ground rules, he sells a lot on eBay. I get about 95% of my model stuff on eBay. I have saved sellers that offer free shipping, something to look for. Combining shipping is great, if I need 1 of something, I will buy 2 or more to spread it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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