Am I off my rocker? Aren't we suppose to be a recycling community? We are recycling our old cars as we speak. So why would packing materials be a problem to re-use??? I recently got into a scuffle with a non-paying high bidder on e-bay that felt the $4.51 he paid for "handling" was ludacrist, especially since I put the item in "a used box, with used peanuts". (Huh?????) I'm no big business, this is a hobby.When I sell stuff on e-bay I box the stuff and my wife waits in line at the post office to ship it. Apparently our time is worth zip and we should take our time out of the 19.00 part we just sold, that ebay took .55 of, then 5% of, then paypal took there cut. No wonder I don't do the e-bay thing much!! I know some may not agree with me here, but I ain't Walmart, just a Joe no-body trying to clean out his garage. o No: OK I'm done, let me have it...:spank:
I signed up with ebay and paypal last month and tried unsucessfully to sell 2 items. Try contacting customer service with your questions, that's a real joke. I think that place is only good if you are selling car parts or antiques and the like. The whole thing ended up costing me around $10 altogether, a cheap lesson. If I ever want to buy something there I guess I'm all set up for it, but after some of the horror stories I've heard I would have to be pretty desperate to try it.:moonu:
actual shipping Shipping is a take it or leave it proposition. If you lay out the costs ahead of time the bidder should have no beef. I always state actual shipping. If I have a used box that works, I'll use it and not charge the customer. If I have to buy a box, I'll pass that on to the buyer. I will reuse peanuts, bubble wrap, etc, but I never charge for my time and effort. I figure others will do the same for me. Of course it depends on the part/item too. I sold a set of large hifi speakers to a fellow in NJ and had a friend drop them off, saving the buyer mucho shipping costs. But I got him to agree with it ahead of time as it did take longer. Depends on the price too. I hate paying more for shipping then the item costs! For example, you buy a CD or DVD for $8.00 and they charge a flat $10.00 to ship! Now my beef is to buy a heavy item (carb) and have the seller stick it in a box with peanuts! The part will grind the peanuts to dust, it gets in everywhere, and the part is toast! :blast: Com'on, at least put the part in an air tight bag! :spank: Better yet, don't use peanuts for heavy parts!
I agree with Jerry. It's not just the cost of materials, even if they are 'previously enjoyed', it's the time it takes to package, fill out the forms, stand in line at the ups store, and the cost of the tape to wrap the box(for what that's worth). I usually pack anything I ship very well so it doesn't get damaged during shipping. When it's something that sold for less than $20, it's hardly worth all the trouble.
:rant:WHAT ???!!!!???:rant: :rant:You shipped something with USED peanuts? How dare you perpetrate such a fraud on some unsuspecting Ebayer!!! :rant: It's people like you who give the hobby a bad name!!! :rant: Where will this deception end!!! :rant: I honestly don't know how you can sleep at night!!! :rant: (actually I just wanted to use that rant guy smilie in a post :rant) It takes all kinds, don't take it personally. :beer
Yeah, sometimes shipping sucks. I just got the plastic duct work (very light) shipped from Canada to Minnesota. The price on the part was fair ($10) but the shipping, becasue it was "over-size" according to the postal service, was $30!:eek2: Not the sellers fault......i wanted the part, I covered the shipping. I've never sold anything on e-bay, just bought things. Sometimes the "shipping and handling" cost seems a little high, but then I think of the time involved to box up the part, as well as perhaps the cost of the box and packaging itself, and I think that for the most part it has been pretty fair for me (although it would be nice to occassionally get it shipped cheaper!):Brow:
Thanks for the sympathy. I thought I would get flogged over this. Honestly I charge 5.00 handling to not only offset my expense, but to give me a buffer when I blow the cost of shipping. Prime example: I sold a 70 455 carb for 40.00, no problem. I figure shipping and "handling" at 19.00, so far so good. I get the actual shipping bill and it was 22.65!!!:eek2: I really feel that in the end it balances out until someone raises a stink because the only ones that SHOULD make any money, apparently, is e-bay! Maybe that's who this guy works for?!?!?p
I can't even believe we are having this discussion. Who the hell moans about used peanuts? These people need to remove themselves from the gene pool! I must say, I've sold TONS of stuff on ebay. I have NEVER, EVER purchased brand new "never used" packing materials. Most normal human beings are elated when their part arrives free of damage, used peanuts or not! You won't get many customers like this, trust me. If you do, tell them you'd be happy to pack in brand new stuff if they will pay for the time and cost of obtaining "never used" materials. Who is this dude anyway? Does he have a bacteria phobia or something? Geez. It takes all kinds. Don't lose sleep over it.
WTF, used peanuts are you kidding? Dis this person leave you some sort of negative feedback or just complain to you personally? It has been my experience that you typically get what you pay for.
I always like to receive items wrapped in a local newspaper. I find allot of interesting news from a paper that came from 1000miles away.:laugh:
I'm totally in agreement with the used peanut guy. Then again, I'm still PO'd that the local tire shop put USED AIR THAT SOMEONE ELSE ALREADY BREATHED in my tires, let alone I have now found out that the SUPPOSEDLY "new" oil they put in my enigne is actually made from OLD DINOSAUR MEAT. WHEN WILL IT STOP? -- Steve
When I run out of "used peanuts" I will intentionally send out local classifieds and autotraders to guys buying parts.
Hey Jerry, I've got some used peanuts I'll sell you. It will save me the ebay listing fee, so I'll only charge $3.00 s/h. I will be packing the used peanuts with other used peanuts though. I just can't afford to pack the used peanuts with new ones... doesn't make sense financially. Plus, by the time you got them, they'd be "once-used" new peanuts anyhow.
GOTBUICK Jerry you can send me all the old peanuts you want if I buy any parts from you, because I will use them in the box when I sell something, If you work on cars whats a little dirty peanuts gonna hurt, he must be a Jewler or a tinkerbell :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Well Jerry, to be totally honest with you, I never like to pay "handling" charges either.. unless they are preset and mentioned in the listing. Then I take the handling charges into account when deciding how high I'll bid. However.... I would NEVER complain about used peanuts! ou: As a seller... I always set my reserve (or starting bid) high enough to make sure I'm willing to sell/box/ship the item. If it's going to be a PIA to box, my reserve will go up to reflect that. I always charge the exact shipping. That way there's no disputes about it, and I can show reciepts if I have to. o No: But all in all.... I'd say your dealing with a real fart-knocker in this auction. :laugh:
thanks rob, i thought i was the only one who read the newspaper that my parts come wrapped in.:grin: i have some peanuts in my garage attic that have been collecting dust in a box for 5 or so years. maybe i should drive over there and fill up his car with them in the middle of the night.:laugh: brad.
I don't think one should ever have to buy a box. Just go to your local supermarket. Egg boxes, usually 30 doz., are great for packing stuff up when moving. And now I can say for smaller boxes, go to your Deli dept. Some of the boxes that I open up are really heavy duty as they have to carry 10 lb. roast beefs, etc. And believe me, they people behing the counter will be more than happy to give you the boxes. Makes less work for us when going back to the compactor.
