can i get some advice from Aussie eBay sellers please:)

[LeRoy]

hey guys thanks for taking the time to read this and if u can give me some feedback/tips/info on selling on eBay internationally that would be super
basically im a collector for over 23 years and just buy cards with the odd trade here and there depending how much time i get away from work/life/family etc...im not too keen on selling especially with all the horror stories i here from time to time but over the last few weeks ive been testing the waters on selling stuff on eBay to recoupe so $$$ i spent on vet bills and helping a friend out with cancer recently, i really wanted to offer my cards to Australian bidders only but lets get realistic u kinda need to offer worldwide shipping to broarden ur interest therefore getting maybe more for ur cards etc...lucky for me most of my sells have gone to Australian bidders but ive had a guy from France (pretty sure he's not on OCT coz of his bad english and i searched thru the members list and couldnt find him) who's been complaining about a few things since he got his cards...
so here's my situation: i had international shipping prices up ($10 standard, $20 registered with tracking + insurance, combined items free of charge...aussie shipping was $3 standard $5 registered) on my page clearly and this French guy won a couple of cards and paid str8 away no worries or concerns and i sent out same day...now he's contacted me after he's got his cards and is complaining my shipping was too high( he paid the standard $10) coz it says $5 on the padded bag and the toploaders are 2nd hand and not new and wants to be compensated the difference...now str8 off im not out to make $$$ off shipping costs in any way or form but i do live deep in the country of WA and going to the post office during working hrs in person down here is about a 45min-1hr mission and involves a lot of driving & fuel plus a bit hard at times asking my boss to leave my job while i should be working, its even harder when buyers all pay at different times therefore i have to make 2-3 trips to make sure they are getting sent in a timely fashion..

ok so i have a couple of questions for ya...

1) how much do u Aussie sellers charge for international shipping- standard and registered on eBay? are my prices to high considering my circumstances? and can the shipping cost include handling etc or does it have to be whats on the front of the package?
2) if i list a price for international shipping on my listing, the international bidder bids and wins, pays for item without saying anything about the charges but then when they get the goods start complaining my shipping is too high is that on me or is it the sellers fault for not reading my discription properly? do i have a leg to stand on if he takes it further?
3) is it ok to use 2nd hand toploaders for shipping? i only passed on some 2nd hand top loaders i got when i bought cards off someone else...yeah they weren't 100% brand new but they were good enough in my opinion to be used to ship the cards without damaging the cards but he's complaining they are rubbish and wants new ones even though i peeled all the sticky tape off the person before me put on it etc...i personally couldnt care less about the condition of top loaders i get sent coz i buy new ones for my collection/presentation/storage...is he being picky or am i the one who's being funny?
4) whats the best and quickest way to talk to someone who can't speak english thru eBay? he's trying to write in english and is making no sense and im sure when im writing to him he's struggling to even get thru the first line haha
5) is it even worth shipping and dealing internationally on ebay in the 1st place and are there any countries i should avoid in the future if i do sell more soon?

at the end of the day my cards and their condition speak for themselves and i wanna be a great seller, get no neg feedback etc but i don't wanna get walked all over by powertripping buyers who wanna change my costs at will that i have in place for all to see from the start, i wanna stand my ground but will it just be more trouble than whats it worth... the thing that bugs me about this guy is he got 2 very nice rare cards dirt cheap and he's complaining over a coupla bucks

 

[banzini]

example:

I usually state "shipping and handling is $10, please ensure you understand this PRIOR to placing your bid. If you're not happy with these terms please do not bid."

This is pretty upfront and if they have a ***** about it after the auction they can go jump. They didn't have to bid!

You stated shipping was $10, If he leaves negative, so be it - you are in the right and you outlined what the terms were in the auction. If he's having a moan about it, redirect him to the auction page and point him to the shipping terms (as you did in the auction). Maybe let him know the cost covers padded bag, shipping cost, toploaders and time spent packing his items. Remind him you were doing this for him in order to get his card to him in best possible condition.

If he complains further about this after contact, ask him why he bids on auctions and doesn't comply with the terms outlined, that is the true issue here.

Best of luck!

 

[GarnettFan4Life]

I think factoring in a handling charge given your situation is fair. Try and explain this, google translate might help? People see the cost on the bag and assume that's all there is, they forget about the bag itself, top loaders etc.

He also should have said something before paying, not once received. Your cost was clearly stated. If you receive a negative, eBay may or may not remove it, who knows with them crazy people!

I think second hand top loaders are fine. It's to protect the cards in transit.

Avoid Philippines, Taiwan etc as they have a higher likelihood of doing the scam paypal claim in my experiences. You may think registered post covers you but it does not, as evidenced in my case.

 

[LeRoy]

thanks for ur advice Ben...u make some valid points and ill take that on board cheers:v:
i definetly did state on the auction that they were the costs but from what u said wording the description is so important when listing cards etc!

---------- Post added 22-09-2011 at 10:28 PM ----------

I think factoring in a handling charge given your situation is fair. Try and explain this, google translate might help? People see the cost on the bag and assume that's all there is, they forget about the bag itself, top loaders etc.

He also should have said something before paying, not once received. Your cost was clearly stated. If you receive a negative, eBay may or may not remove it, who knows with them crazy people!

I think second hand top loaders are fine. It's to protect the cards in transit.

Avoid Philippines, Taiwan etc as they have a higher likelihood of doing the scam paypal claim in my experiences. You may think registered post covers you but it does not, as evidenced in my case.

yeah i just read ur thread about ur Garnett PMG /50...that blows mate makes my blood boil when i read stuff like that im pretty in-experienced in selling in general so im only taking my buying knowledge into this and hoping i don't run into problems, eBay just sounds less and less a selling option after reading stuff like what u've gone thru, things have changed so much since i last sold cards on there a few years ago...is it best to just give him what he wants and move on regardless of whats right or wrong??? a few bucks in my case sounds so petty compared to ur case(s), then again who's to say he's not gonna neg me anyway

 

[GarnettFan4Life]

thanks for ur advice Ben...u make some valid points and ill take that on board cheers:v:
i definetly did state on the auction that they were the costs but from what u said wording the description is so important when listing cards etc!

---------- Post added 22-09-2011 at 10:28 PM ----------



yeah i just read ur thread about ur Garnett PMG /50...that blows mate makes my blood boil when i read stuff like that im pretty in-experienced in selling in general so im only taking my buying knowledge into this and hoping i don't run into problems, eBay just sounds less and less a selling option after reading stuff like what u've gone thru, things have changed so much since i last sold cards on there a few years ago...is it best to just give him what he wants and move on regardless of whats right or wrong??? a few bucks in my case sounds so petty compared to ur case(s), then again who's to say he's not gonna neg me anyway

Also see my eBay/paypal scam thread where registered post still offers no protection, if they say it was not as described they can get a refund. Fact. So wrong.

If you want to try and preserve your feedback, just refund $5 and be done with it. Otherwise explain the sitch with travel and effort to post and they may understand. They may neg though then you have to go through the appeal process.

I wouldn't on principal since you stated the cost AND they didn't say anything until they received the goods.

 

[banzini]

You're welcome Leroy and good luck!

I wouldn't on principal since you stated the cost AND they didn't say anything until they received the goods.

I agree - what's worth more, a positive rating on eBay or selling out to some dude in France who has already received cheap cards from you? I would prefer the cash in my pocket and my principles upheld. You stated the terms, he has no leg to stand on.

 

[matty83]

Yeah you are in the right mate if it was me i would seriously tell him to get #$%^ed.
Every time i look/bid on an auction i check postage, doesnt matter is its local or international.
If i think postage prices seem a bit high then i take that into account before i put my max bid in.
It just seems so logical

To be honest even when i recieve packages i never even look to see what the seller has actually been charged to post it
I guess because i have already allowed for it in my bidding.

This dude sounds like he is trying to scam you tho so be very careful.
ie. if he ends up sending the cards back, tell him first that you video taped yourself taking the cards into the post office and packing them.
This may stop him sending back stupid worthless base cards and toploaders (sorry matt)
If he still sends the cards back make sure you video yourself opening the package.

 

[supertoad]

Mate although I'm new to the card industry I am kind of experienced in selling/shipping small items to the U.S.

1. Learn how to list on ebay.com

2. Learn the time differences from east to west, from memory I think New York is 12 hours behind us whie Cali is 17 hours behind, or the other way round lol. So learn how to time the start of you auction say it ends on a night and at a time which isn't too late or early for either coast. You can tell ebay what time you want it to start/finish.

3. Mate stay away from non-english speaking countries how about that? US may be where more customers for this product are anyway.

4. Why not trial a bit and list a bunch of cards that you aren't really attached to but are attractive enough to get a sale? Make it U.S. and Australia only and see how it goes. And make sure you let us know of the auction so you increase your chances? You can even list the link in a thread.

Ok, good luck with everything.

 

[A_Iverson_I]

1) how much do u Aussie sellers charge for international shipping- standard and registered on eBay? are my prices to high considering my circumstances? and can the shipping cost include handling etc or does it have to be whats on the front of the package?

$10 is rather excessive mate TBH. It obviously depends on the weight and girth of the item but for stuff like one or two cards I used to charge $4 USD for postage. He probably shouldn't be complaining seeing as you wrote the price of your shipping in your item description, however, I'm not having a go at you or anything, but it really annoys me when I question sellers on their high shipping prices and they say stuff like they have to factor in tape, fuel, their time, ink (yes, even Ink LOL).

The way I see it is the seller knew they would be up for these costs when deciding to sell the item and hence shouldn't try and put them on the buyers. Your situation is a little different though with the PO being so far away.

If I chose to bid on something with high shipping prices I wouldn't complain if it came through with a lesser shipping label, unless it was extreme or something they promised and I didn't get (such as paying for registered and getting standard); however I would still be a little annoyed they are getting the buyers to cover their costs.

What I would do is this...... mention your situation in your description and state why your prices are so high. Another way to do it is not run to the PO every time you have to ship something..... you could say something in your description such as "I can only get to the PO once a week (or mention a certain day you go)" so then your buyers will know it may take awhile to get their card and you can reduce the amount of times you need to go to the PO and hence reduce your costs and time spent delivering items.

3) is it ok to use 2nd hand toploaders for shipping? i only passed on some 2nd hand top loaders i got when i bought cards off someone else...yeah they weren't 100% brand new but they were good enough in my opinion to be used to ship the cards without damaging the cards but he's complaining they are rubbish and wants new ones even though i peeled all the sticky tape off the person before me put on it etc...i personally couldnt care less about the condition of top loaders i get sent coz i buy new ones for my collection/presentation/storage...is he being picky or am i the one who's being funny?

I think using 2nd hand toploaders is absolutely fine unless you are charging him for them, which because of your high postage prices he probably thinks you have.

 

[GarnettFan4Life]

It's called shipping and handling for the purpose of factoring in a small amount for handling lol. If I had to drive an hour to the PO I'd charge it in there too! People will always complain though after not reading the auction properly!

 

[greatersports]

i know this is a old thread but i was just wondering on what time in AEST is the best to sell cards for american customers. early in the morning or late at night?

 

[lilreddevil]

i know this is a old thread but i was just wondering on what time in AEST is the best to sell cards for american customers. early in the morning or late at night?

In the middle of the day. This is generally when NBA is on so I'd assume that it's eveningish/night over there?

 

[drobfan8]

In the middle of the day. This is generally when NBA is on so I'd assume that it's eveningish/night over there?

Yeah spot on, I find around midday is when ALOT of stuff ends. Monday midday our time mostly. Others may know of another time. I find this is generally when alot of stuff goes for sale also.

 

[WoobieZarz]

So what was the outcome of this one?

I know this discussion (topic, not THIS thread) has been around for years!

I recently asked a seller in the States about their postage for a $14 listing being $38 bucks. It's very steep and it's basically my factor in choosing to or not to buy this item, but as we've all said, it's right there in B/W BEFORE we bid/buy.

So how'd you get on with this one?