[meteorite-list] shipping

From: Mark Miconi <mam602_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Dec 31 15:09:22 2004
Message-ID: <000f01c4ef74$9ab03320$d7e16a44_at_ph.cox.net>

Tom,

Ebay will tell you and do so in their user agreements that they "Only
Provide The Venue" for the auctions/sales to occur. They do not police their
site for everything that goes on....more and more they have to rely on the
users to police themselves. Go look at antique/Persian rugs on Ebay. Lots of
dealers that are very reputable. Look at the pricing....some start at a
dollar and have a fixed shipping cost of $199.00, others have starting
prices at $150.00 and up and have a $45.00 or more depending on where you
live shipping cost. I have bought several rugs online from both types. The
average 8 x 12 foot rug is about $45.00 to ship to me. I look for the
reasonable shipping terms and then go for the item I want.

As a seller on Ebay (desertcrystal) starting my 6th year I can honestly say
that bidders do not read auctions and they do not ask questions. I do not
care if the item sells for one penny....THAT IS NOT what it is going to
cost.
Shipping should be your first concern anytime you are buying....nothing is a
deal if the seller is making money on the shipping and by bidding on an item
and then arguing about the cost is wasting time. Ebays rules are if you
bid...you agree to the terms STATED in the auction at the time you bid.

Anyone that bids should have first read the entire auction, they should
UNDERSTAND what they read and if they still have questions they should ASK
first before bidding. Simple common sense. I can not tell you the number of
bidder I have had that never asked a single question about an item or the
shipping until the auction was over and at that point, at least as far as
this seller is concerned your pissing up a rope with me. You bid, you won,
you pay, I ship, transaction over plain and simple.

I answer 30 emails a day on average, many asking about the item, most about
the shipping. I answer every question, I offer alternatives to issues, I try
to accommodate any bidders reasonable request, special handling, really
anything, as long as it is BEFORE the auction ends. I also charge a handling
fee because we pack very well and professionally and that costs money and
that cost we pass onto our bidders as a handling fee. BUT every seller that
packs fragile items has to recover their costs for materials and they either
do it in the starting price or in shipping/handling fees. I prefer to be
upfront and say there will be a handling fee, I only ever charge EXACT
shipping costs, plus handling....25 cents a sheet for bubblewrap and $1.00 a
cubic foot for peanuts and that is EXACTLY what I pay.

If you look at my feedback our customers love our shipping and packing. I do
not sell meteorites. If I did I would charge exact postage for whatever
service they bidder wanted and only $0.12 - $0.25 cents for bubblewrap and
only if it was really needed to protect the stone. I have used bubblewrap
here that is not good for antiques but is great for metal and other things
that won't shatter and since I get it free I give it away.

My whole point is...90% of the problems on ebay is a lack of communication
and understanding. Bidders need to ask questions, know the terms and
understand what the costs will be. REPUTABLE sellers will have no problems
answering questions, they will have reasonable costs and they will work with
the bidder. IF every bidder did this the bullshit sellers that charge $25.00
to ship a thumbnail size piece of stone will not be on ebay long...they
would not have bidders because the bidders would have asked questions and
found out that the seller was screwing them and then would not bid.

Please...everyone, If you are going to buy on ebay, ASK questions of the
seller BEFORE you bid. Know what it is you are buying, what it will cost to
ship and be sure you have no lingering questions. IF the seller does not
answer the first email, send a second as lord knows how reliable email is.
IF the seller does not answer or does not have the answers that make YOU
feel good about the sale DO NOT BID. There will always be another chance at
ANY item on ebay...all it will cost you is the time to find it. Nothing will
ever replace the time spent arguing about something that could have been
avoided 9 times out of 10 with a simple question before that mouse goes
click.

Mark Miconi
Phoenix AZ

Mark M.
Phoenix AZ

"At least once every human being should have to run for his life, to teach
him that milk does not come from a supermarket, that safety does not come
from policemen, and that news is not something that happens to other
people." - Robert Heinlein


----- Original Message -----
From: Tom AKA James Knudson <peregrineflier_at_npgcable.com>
To: Dave Harris <entropydave_at_ntlworld.com>; metlist
<meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Friday, December 31, 2004 11:57 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] shipping


> I don't get ebay, one well known over seas seller has a $25 shipping fee,
> that's fine, but if another seller sells an identical meteorite at the
same
> starting price, but with $2 shipping, form what I have seen, the
meteorites
> will sell for the same amount lets say $15 in the end, even though they
have
> to pay $23 more in shipping, do they just not care what the shipping
charges
> are?
>
> Thanks, Tom
> peregrineflier <><
> IMCA 6168
> http://www.frontiernet.net/~peregrineflier/Peregrineflier.htm
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dave Harris" <entropydave_at_ntlworld.com>
> To: "metlist" <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Friday, December 31, 2004 9:29 AM
> Subject: [meteorite-list] shipping
>
>
> > Hi!
> > Well, the eBay shipping saga is finished and I am not completing the
sale.
> > He refused point blank to reconsider the shipping charges of $25 for a
> > thumbnail specimen, but I did notice that on his new auctions he made 2
> > critical changes - one was to have a proper starting price (so he no
> longer
> > has to sell as $65 for $1) and also much more plausible shipping
charges.
> > So, negative feedback all round!!!
> >
> > Not a happy ending but he obviously did not want to nurture business
like
> > all of you (and me) want to.
> >
> > Sometimes I am deeply saddened by the stupidity of Mankind....
> >
> >
> >
> > best for the New Year!
> >
> >
> > dave
> > Sec.BIMS
> > IMCA #0092
> > ______________________________________________
> > Meteorite-list mailing list
> > Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
> > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
> >
>
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Received on Fri 31 Dec 2004 03:09:15 PM PST