According to Auctionbytes, eBay President of North America, Bill Cobb will make some type of announcement about dealing with sellers that gouge buyers by charging high shipping rates.I have experienced this problem first hand in the past. I used to sell a great CD set that taught people how to speak Spanish. The set was 8 CDs and I would sell on average one set a day. The retail price for the item was $29.99 and I would list the set on eBay for $24.99 plus $5.00 for shipping and handling.
Then along came a seller that would list the same item for $19.99 plus $9.99 shipping and handling. Even though I was listing the set for less money overall, the $19.99 seller was outselling me 2 to 1, leaving me no choice but to play the same game. I went to $18.99 with $9.99 shipping and handling and my sales went back to their usual level.
The only fear that I have about eBay clamping down on shipping rates is that they figure out a way to incorporate some type of fee in the process.
This kind of thing seems like a problem through out the entire catalog/order online/as seen on tv industry.
Far too often I see a product advertised that has a great money back guarantee, but that's because the incredibly over inflated shipping cost is more than enough to pay for the product.
I'm a little surprised that people go for that kind of stuff. And as far as PayPal goes, when I find two products from two different sellers, I add up the total cost, including shipping, when I make my decision.
Posted by: Sean | June 12, 2006 7:06 PM | Permalink to Comment