Ebay rant..I won a auction and the seller is local but they won't let me pick it up

[The Rossness]

A guy listed his charvel socal on ebay. I sent him a line, said I'm local and told him I'd pay him in cash. I'm meeting him at the mall later today.

[leok]

The only negative feedback I ever got on ebay was when a guy tried to charge me $50 to ship an amp. I bought the exact same amp from another seller that was alot further away and it cost $12. I would tell the guy to go to hell out of principal but that's just me.

 

 

He was nowhere near being off on shipping an amp unless it was a micro marshall, I probably would have negged you too if you put up a fight about 50 bucks for shipping a freakin amp?

 

for a 1000 dollar guitar shipped on the same coast you are on, shipping is about 30 bucks. cross country it is about 50 or so, these are UPS prices. If your guitar is worth 300 then yes the price goes down a little, especially if you use UPS. I see some very strange notions of what it takes to ship on this thread. I have shipped over 50 guitars in '09 alone.

[gtrjones]

Geez I make a simple post and get called out for being a dick and pain in the ass. I think it would be easier for the seller as he wouldn't have to pack it for shipping. I've sold on Ebay since 1997 and have had a few local buyers. I've never thought they were a pain in the ass because they wanted to pick up instead of having it shipped...I thought just the opposite.

 

 

1. Did you ask the seller BEFORE you bid, if you could pick-up local?

 

2. Why do you believe that YOU get to dictate the terms of the auction, after the fact?

 

You asked, the seller said no. Why is that hard to understand.

[gherb]

I agree....you are supposed to ask that stuff before even bidding.

 

I honestly agree with the seller...I don't want ebay or craigslist or HC people coming to my house...creepy.

[Lonnie99]

I actually charge a bit LESS for shipping than it usually costs. I've shipped at least 75 guitars all over the country and 5-6 countries in Europe. I know full well what it costs. Makes my item even more attractive, and I don't mind an extra couple of bucks here and there.

[vidiot72]

OK, let me break it down here.

-7 years ago I bought a small combo amp on ebay

-The amp was listed as "Buyer pays ACTUAL shipping"

-After I won the guy tried to charge me $50 for shipping.

-I KNEW that this was way too much, this wasn't my first rodeo!

-I refused to purchase the amp thus incurring negative feedback, no problem

-I bought the exact same amp (cheaper even!) from another seller and it was $13 (actual) to ship. I between shipping charges and getting a better deal I ended up saving like $75!

 

My comment was simply an example of how sellers try to screw buyers by gouging them for shipping. I even stated that I understand inflating the shipping charge a little but some sellers are just out of control. that's one of the first things I check when I look at an auction. I would do it again if I was in the same situation.

[leok]

OK, let me break it down here. -7 years ago I bought a small combo amp on ebay -The amp was listed as "Buyer pays ACTUAL shipping" -After I won the guy tried to charge me $50 for shipping. -I KNEW that this was way too much, this wasn't my first rodeo! -I refused to purchase the amp thus incurring negative feedback, no problem -I bought the exact same amp (cheaper even!) from another seller and it was $13 (actual) to ship. I between shipping charges and getting a better deal I ended up saving like $75! My comment was simply an example of how sellers try to screw buyers by gouging them for shipping. I even stated that I understand inflating the shipping charge a little but some sellers are just out of control. that's one of the first things I check when I look at an auction. I would do it again if I was in the same situation.

 

 

 

You say it's not your first time around a rodeo, it's not mine either. What kind of amp was it? 13 bucks for actual shipping is very suspect. If it was smaller than a blues jr, then yeah you might be right. Like a smaller marshall solid state (cause of the weight) could make it through a neighboring state for that much.

[vidiot72]

It was a hartke kickback 10, it might have been $18 but it was definately under $20. 7 years ago is a long time to remember exact shipping. Was that you that was selling that amp on Ebay way back in 2002? If not then why are you picking apart everything I say? The point is:

 

simply an example of how sellers try to screw buyers by gouging them for shipping

 

[gherb]

It was a hartke kickback 10, it might have been $18 but it was definately under $20. 7 years ago is a long time to remember exact shipping. Was that you that was selling that amp on Ebay way back in 2002? If not then why are you picking apart everything I say? The point is:

 

 

but take into account shipping rates have gone up in the past few years....7 years ago is like saying "back in the good old days I went to the candy shop and got all I wanted for a nickel."

 

I recently sold a tele plus to a guy in california and it costed me $94 to send it in a hardshell case via UPS GROUND. I obviously put it in an oversized box and padded the {censored} out of it with packing peanuts, but as a buyer I want to know that it will show up in good shape.

 

I don't mind paying more for shipping if I know it will be packed well. And hell, IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO PACKAGE SOMETHING WELL. The fee on ebay is for shipping & HANDLING.

 

I think it is slightly fair to charge a little more to cover packing materials and the time it takes to box it up.

[knukklhead]

My bad. He's not trying to rip me off on shipping and I'm not trying to get a better deal. I just thought it would be easier to pick the neck up. I'm completing the auction and moving on.

[leok]

It was a hartke kickback 10, it might have been $18 but it was definately under $20. 7 years ago is a long time to remember exact shipping. Was that you that was selling that amp on Ebay way back in 2002? If not then why are you picking apart everything I say? The point is:

 

 

I feel the same way about buyers sometimes, they like to tell me what things cost and what not and bottom line is certain people have reasonable expectations and other people don't. Plugged in the kickback (which is smaller than a blues jr), it's 20 bucks from Raleigh to MA and 45 from Raleigh to LA. Probably was cheaper back then, and if you were buying it new then he wouldn't have to pay anything for packing materials, 50 would seem a little high, I'd have to agree.

 

As a seller though and as someone said above, I usually toss a price and include shipping, people like to think about prices without add ons. Just like I hate sales tax, I wish the stores would figure that stuff out before pricing.

[vidiot72]

I just sent a very heavy schecter ultra III in a bag and a very very oversized box that was stuffed to the rim with packing to south florida for $23.00. USPS insured.

[djfrank]

I always pad my shipping price when I sell on eBay. Covers me on packing stuff, driving around town rounding up guitar boxes, and of course absorbs some of eBay's fees. I always state my price in the auction so there is no surprise. The shipping is the ONLY part of the transaction that eBay/Paypal does not get their greedy hands on (well actually, paypal does get their 2.75% or whatever)... Which always makes me think eBay sellers who advertise "free shipping" are poor business people.

[leok]

Which always makes me think eBay sellers who advertise "free shipping" are poor business people.

 

 

Hardly, it makes an easier sell many times. If you are worried about the ebay fee on the shipping part then I'd say your deal isn't covering what it needs to in the first place. IF you are in it for the buisness part of things, if not than you probably don't sell all the time and none of this matters.

 

but I don't really rely off the auction part usually, I want to set my buy it now so the person takes it, and that means you got to do whatever you can to get an itchy finger to pull the trigger. and that number has everything already worked out.

[mdintx]

My bad. He's not trying to rip me off on shipping and I'm not trying to get a better deal. I just thought it would be easier to pick the neck up. I'm completing the auction and moving on.

 

 

I can see one reason for sticking to shipping it. As a seller, he will have no proof of delivery of the item. You could go pick it up and say you never got it. Paypal would side with you since there's no proof of delivery. It's sad that it's come that with ebay and Paypal. I've done some local pickups and it was great. But these days, ebay seems overrun with scammers.

[djfrank]

I don't mind paying more for shipping if I know it will be packed well. And hell, IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO PACKAGE SOMETHING WELL. The fee on ebay is for shipping & HANDLING. I think it is slightly fair to charge a little more to cover packing materials and the time it takes to box it up.

 

+1. No doubt it takes a lot of time and materials to pack a guitar properly. I probably use half a roll of packing tape alone.

[knukklhead]

mdintx, you and a few others stated shipping would give proof of delivery protecting his end of the deal. I totally agree.