eBay shipping prices are OOC.

[FT35]

Seeing shipping fees in the $5-15 range (yes...$15) for 1-2 cards valued under $100 within the states. $4.50-6 is becoming common for mostly single, regular cards in top loaders, no insurance (which is odd seeing most people ship single, sometimes multiple boxed/bubble-wrapped P2020 cards in bubble mailers for free).

Honest question: are any of you facing these types of shipping increases in your state for first-class packages under 4oz.? I’m in the Midwest and still able to ship a bubble mailer weighing up to 4oz. anywhere in the US for less than $3 through eBay. Is that not the case everywhere?

[HRoark]

I might be slowly becoming a stubborn old white dude, but I refuse to buy anything with unreasonable shipping cost, even if the price + shipping is in line with comps.

[LVDan]

I don’t blink at anything up to 4.50 then I start waving my fist at the sky.


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[glen87]

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm#_c037

go down to the "First-Class Package Service—Retail / Retail Parcels" section

you will see a 4oz package ranges from $3.80 to $4.20 (prior to any shipping discounts). so it depends on which zones are involved.

[CSprings]

I offer free shipping and just include it in my list price. With eBay charging fees and tax on shipping charges there's really no benefit to having them. Another buyer benefit is that you earn eBay bucks on the entire purchase with free shipping whereas you won't earn it on the shipping fees otherwise.

[danthemansstore]

Originally Posted by CSprings

I offer free shipping and just include it in my list price. With eBay charging fees and tax on shipping charges there's really no benefit to having them. Another buyer benefit is that you earn eBay bucks on the entire purchase with free shipping whereas you won't earn it on the shipping fees otherwise.

I believe in this too but I think buyers hate seeing the shipping packed in for some reason. I’ve had few multiple item checkouts in my eBay store over the years and I question if it’s because buyers dont care about the Bucks but they care more about the bottom price of the actual card.


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[rman112]

Just add it in the total price.

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by CSprings

I offer free shipping and just include it in my list price. With eBay charging fees and tax on shipping charges there's really no benefit to having them. Another buyer benefit is that you earn eBay bucks on the entire purchase with free shipping whereas you won't earn it on the shipping fees otherwise.

I believe tax on shipping varies by state, and only like half or so of the states make the buyer pay tax on shipping. For example, I do not think shipping is taxed in California for eBay purchases....but someone else who lives in CA can confirm this. In these cases buyers sometimes want you to take away the free shipping and adjust the price, with a shipping charge added.

[towerymt]

For a long time I would take padded envelopes to the post office and pay for postage over the counter. $4.00 or slightly over $4 sometimes from east coast to west coast. Recently started selling a bit more and I got a printer after the initial shutdown. Now I'm finally buying postage through ebay and saving about a dollar per package.

Remember...Ebay takes fees out of what you charge for shipping:

We charge a final value fee when your item sells.

This fee is calculated as a percentage of the total amount of the sale. The total amount of the sale is the amount the buyer pays, including any shipping and handling charges. Sales tax isn't included in the calculation.

Just confirmed...$12.40 final value fee on a card I sold for $120 + $4.00 shipping.

Padded mailer ~$0.50 bought in bulk (10 or 12 in a pack, not hundreds)
Postage via ebay ~$2.76 - ~$3.15
Paper, printer, toner, tape, time. Let's say 5 cents and I work for free.

$3.50 +/- $0.25. I charge $4.00 and get $3.60 from ebay after fees, so on average, it covers costs.

Anyone charging less than $5.00 is probably not getting rich on shipping overcharge. $6+, maybe they're spending more on materials, or want compensation for their time. Free shipping? Your $80 card may show up PWE.

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by FT35

Seeing shipping fees in the $5-15 range (yes...$15) for 1-2 cards valued under $100 within the states. $4.50-6 is becoming common for mostly single, regular cards in top loaders, no insurance (which is odd seeing most people ship single, sometimes multiple boxed/bubble-wrapped P2020 cards in bubble mailers for free).

Not sure what you're talking about. I haven't seen any shipping increases at all.

[discodanman45]

Originally Posted by FT35

Seeing shipping fees in the $5-15 range (yes...$15) for 1-2 cards valued under $100 within the states. $4.50-6 is becoming common for mostly single, regular cards in top loaders, no insurance (which is odd seeing most people ship single, sometimes multiple boxed/bubble-wrapped P2020 cards in bubble mailers for free).

Honest question: are any of you facing these types of shipping increases in your state for first-class packages under 4oz.? I’m in the Midwest and still able to ship a bubble mailer weighing up to 4oz. anywhere in the US for less than $3 through eBay. Is that not the case everywhere?

Most sellers, myself included, let ebay calculate the charge for shipping. If you put in 4 oz USPS First Class it will show up at $4.20 or higher. Many people may choose 8 oz just to be on the safe side for shipping. Sometimes if you use heavy cardboard and try to package safely, it will slightly go over the 4 oz limit. Even though you get a discount from ebay for shipping, like another person said you pay 10% on the shipping cost. Most cards I see are between $4-$5 to ship, which is expected.

[dashcol]

When I send out packages in the US from SC, they range from $2.89-$3.89 depending on where they are going.

This is why I just call it $3.50 for shipping and call it good. Sometimes it’s a little above cost, sometimes it’s a little below cost.

I am fine with up to $5 shipping for one card depending on what it is and how bad I want it.

[molly1984]

Originally Posted by CSprings

I offer free shipping and just include it in my list price. With eBay charging fees and tax on shipping charges there's really no benefit to having them. Another buyer benefit is that you earn eBay bucks on the entire purchase with free shipping whereas you won't earn it on the shipping fees otherwise.

if you are a small time seller one downside of the free shipping is that if the buyer returns you have to refund the item price, so you will lose some of the shipping costs.

Originally Posted by FT35

Seeing shipping fees in the $5-15 range (yes...$15) for 1-2 cards valued under $100 within the states. $4.50-6 is becoming common for mostly single, regular cards in top loaders, no insurance (which is odd seeing most people ship single, sometimes multiple boxed/bubble-wrapped P2020 cards in bubble mailers for free).

Honest question: are any of you facing these types of shipping increases in your state for first-class packages under 4oz.? I’m in the Midwest and still able to ship a bubble mailer weighing up to 4oz. anywhere in the US for less than $3 through eBay. Is that not the case everywhere?

A year or so ago USPS made some changes that i think affect people more in some parts of the country, though i dont recall if they depend on weight. But size of the package factors in like the dimensions, and also location. So some sellers may put in a fee that reflects the worst scenario and i think sellers that live in the middle of the country may have a slight advantage as they are between both coasts. but shipping from east to west coast costs more.

one other thought particular to cards could be handling - since top loader prices have gone up maybe people add a little more handling cost

[dwillard]

Paying more for shipping than you paid for the card?? No thanks

[rman112]

Originally Posted by dwillard

Paying more for shipping than you paid for the card?? No thanks

Would you choose a $5 card with $5 shipping, or a $11.50 or $12 card with free shipping?

[albatross7979]

I ship from PA, under 3 oz ranges from $2.74 to $3.18 or so, depending where its going. I refuse to ship PWE, because its a hassle that I don't want to deal with as a shipper, and I hate receiving cards that way. If you don't care about the condition your card arrives in, or the problems that could arise from PWE, thats cool, you can buy from someone else. I was charging $3 flat on single cards and offering combined shipping, but bumped it to $3.50 for single cards and $4 for graded cards. No one is getting rich charging $3.50 to $4 for cards.

When people message me asking about shipping PWE, I remind them that its a hassle for both of us, and I encourage them to look at my other items and that I'll give a nice discount on shipping. That works in a bunch of cases. If I lose a few sales because of it, it doesn't bother me. I feel better shipping using a bubble mailer, and I feel better receiving my cards in a padded mailer, because I value the condition my cards arrive in.

[FT35]

Originally Posted by albatross7979

I ship from PA, under 3 oz ranges from $2.74 to $3.18 or so, depending where its going.

This is my pricing as well. Could be location-based pricing. I just figured most sellers would ship through eBay’s shipping module and pay the discounted USPS rates that are available to eBay sellers, print off your own label—then have them pick stuff up for free from your mailbox (or front door if it’s a priority package).

The new standard seems to be $4-4.20 as someone pointed out (post office rate). But using the eBay shipping route cuts that way down. Most of us likely qualify for that discount and service but I guess there’s a lot of people who decline that discount, manually take their stuff to the post office everyday still, and pass that extra fee on to the buyer??

[dwillard]

Originally Posted by rman112

Would you choose a $5 card with $5 shipping, or a $11.50 or $12 card with free shipping?

Well if the $12 card was really $12 card and not a $5 card with shipping added to the price then I’d take the actual $12 card. Otherwise easy pass on both.

[rman112]

Originally Posted by dwillard

Well if the $12 card was really $12 card and not a $5 card with shipping added to the price then I’d take the actual $12 card. Otherwise easy pass on both.

My point is that when it comes to higher shipping prices, is the total price not the most important thing money-wise?

What you're saying only makes sense if shipping costed a seller nothing. Do you want sellers to eat all shipping costs so that that $12 auction is for an ACTUAL $12 card? Sounds incredibly selfish to me.

[nowiamsad]

the amount of whining in this hobby is OOC.

[FT35]

Originally Posted by mfw13

Not sure what you're talking about. I haven't seen any shipping increases at all.

Not sure what I was thinking. I must have lost my ability to comprehend basic things like numbers! Now that I RE-look at shipping prices on eBay, there are literally zero, 1-2 card listings (valued under $100) with basic, first-class bubble mailer shipping fees over $3 on eBay. It’s all $2-3 again. This new talk about me and others seeing $4-5 shipping on regular cards becoming more and more common is not actually a real thing.

[auctionjmm]

Adding shipping into the price of the card is a killer for bulk orders and cheap singles. Buyers won't touch those listings because they know they are overpaying. I do lots of 20-40 card orders because the shipping is separate and I only charge an additional .10 cents per item sold.

A 10 card order of $1.00 cards from me costs the buyer $13.15.

If they buy those same 10 cards from a seller with free shipping (built into the listing price), they are going to pay $40-$50.

[daeve]

I live really close to a PO so I always ship from inside the office. Also have heard horror stories about pre-paid and tracking #'s, and I understand them - I see people with pre-paid just drop off huge boxes full of stuff all the time with nobody there to check them in about 50% of the time. I'm sure they do but it's only a minor inconvenience to me at the moment, so I don't print my own.

As for prices, yes they've gone up - especially shipping to west coast, it's usually $4.20 now for a graded card. If it's a single raw card usually $3.95-$4.06

[RL 1953]

maybe you should look at topps and what they overcharge for shipping

[mcgoo2]

Under $3? I didn't realize there was that big of a variance between locations. Postage alone costs me $4 out here on the west coast.