That's it, I'm done with e-bay

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

I used to like e-bay because every once and a while you got a deal, or sometimes it was outrageous but if you really REALLY wanted it, at least you could.

Then came the 'helpful' global shipping service that outsourced shipping and duty to Pitney Bowes. That doubled the winning bid amount which made it very deceptive. Still, if you knew, you could low ball your bid keeping this in mind. Problem is, the low bid made winning anything very rare.

But then came the final straw. I found an item with a 'best offer price' and before making an offer I asked the vendor about shipping, and whether he used the 'global ' service which I knew would double the price. "Shipping at cost" was the reply. So I offered $32US and it was accepted. The invoice comes in at $101. I contact the vendor to have him correct the obvious error. No, says he, that's correct. This thing is the size of a plump paperback and might weigh 5 pounds. I go on line to the US Postal Service to get a real price and, well, he's right. They only ship 'express' and, while he did pad it a little bit, it was close to the quoted shipping cost.

So now I figure that even if I was tempted to buy something, the shipping would make it prohibitively expensive. I just don't need it that bad.

I also figure it was part of a master plan.

Step 1: get people used to the great deals available on the internet. Shipping?....a pittance when compared to the savings.

Step 2: wait for the brick and mortar stores to go out of business.

Step 3: jack the shipping when the poor saps have no other choice.