Hi
Kindly bear in mind that it's not always the sellers.
I sell on ebay. I'm an infrequent seller but have been at it for 11 years now. Some of you have bought from me so I can honestly say this. First off, I sell in order to make money to buy and keep things that I like to have. Stuff in my "theme". I certainly am not an expert on everything that I buy to sell but try to learn enough to be dangerous (to myself) and usually get things cheap enough to sell on for a bit of profit. Sometimes I'm lucky and there more profit to be made. I have my own set limits; I don't deal in MVs, large bits or weapons, and try to stay with Commonwealth uniform and "accessory" Militaria. Antenna's to Force Z patches. That sort of thing. I do not make my living this way but also do not use my household income to fund my hobby.
Everything that I sell, I clearly and honestly describe, list a starting price usually not far above what I paid for it and most often well below retail/market (if I know) and offer a winner shipping costs. These are based on experience over time. I do not subscribe to their Global Shipping Program. I put a Domestic, US and "everywhere else" shipping price in the sale details. Tracked and insured in almost every case. Domestic and US Letter (so a cloth badge or something flat like a document) I usually send for free. Airmail letter abroad only if the value is negligible. Even then I don't allow sales/shipping to some countries. In fact I use the exclusion lists and do not ship to many parts of the world. Italy, Russia, China and S. Africa among them. Too many burned me in the past saying it never arrived. Packages or Parcels go Tracked and Insured. Anything listed for or likely to make more than $75 goes tracked and insured anywhere.
Very labour intensive and requiring a certain amount of familiarity with shipping options based on package sizes and weights. Lots of communication with Buyers. I also do not live next door to a Post Office. If I overcharge, I refund to the half dollar. If I undercharge, I eat it. May as well; my fault and I probably did just make money from the person.
I don't think that I'm like the sellers you all are talking about and believe me, I'm almost giving up on ebay too but as a seller. Fees (ebay, Paypal, Shipping, GSP etc etc) aside, dis-honest buyers was always my biggest turn off. I'd like to help out my buyers with cheap shipping but too often that is recipe for failure. One guy paid me in stamps, once long ago, because I never specified that I would not take stamps!! Many begged for cheap un-tracked shipping and then "it never arrived" and I send back all the money cuz Ebay says so. Even when I show them the begging emails!! I learned that unless I know you, you get squat for consideration.
IMHO, ebay always favoured the buyer but now, due to seller "protections", it's the sellers that are forced to not offer in-expensive shipping. Sure many overcharge and eBay's GSP it a cash-grab but I guess that's the beauty of a free market economy; you don't have to buy it. Ebay is not a mom and pop operation anymore and little guy sellers like me have a hard time dishing out 17+ % of any profit back to fees as much as these buyer complaints above but at least I sleep well at night know that I go out of my way, as a seller, to not screw over a buyer.
regards
Darrell
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