Thread: Ebay

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I lucked out on my costume at Ebay a couple months ago (I bought a Supreme Edition Darth Vader Costume for $520 American)

But I have to say, Ebay is like the best place to rip people off

Even if you do get a great deal on an item, you bsaically get raped in shipping costs, insurance, taxes and duties (if u are from Canada like me).

Even worse, I have on regular occasion, seen a store product like from Walmart or Spencer's and seen it double or tripple in prices as a starting bid!!...just recently I have told some of you about the 6.5 foot animated Jason Voorhees I just bought for $250 at Spencer's (i got back $125 back in promo cash cards)...well I just checked at its going for a starting bid of $400 bucks on ebay!!!!!!

There must be a lot of suckers out there who do not do their homework or are just plain stupid!

I'm thinking mabey I should get into this business!

Location, location, location... that's what it's all about. Not everyone is within driving distance of some of the resources that most of us have. So if Spirit or Spensers isn't within 100 miles of someone who really wants the Jason, they might be willing to pay the $$ necessary to get what they want. There are people out there with $$ and don't want the inconvenience of having to track something down. They find one online, and they just buy it. That's my opinion anyway.

I agree with Haunted Host, people who live in small backwoods towns (like I do) are willing to pay more because some items are simply not available or its a big hassle to get them. I could drive 100 miles, spend half the day searching for a store (hope they have what I want) face horrible traffic and probably get lost in the process.. OR I can order from eBay and pay a few extra bucks. Sometimes its worth the extra money just to save the fuel and the stress.

I understand everyones thoughts on this. If you really want it and can't get it anywhere near you then yes spend the extra money. Except here in Canada, it costs more to deliever, and the duty fees are insaine, sometimes half of what the thing is worth. So it is a bit easier to buy within the States.

Originally Posted by Vancouver

But I have to say, Ebay is like the best place to rip people off

Even if you do get a great deal on an item, you bsaically get raped in shipping costs, insurance, taxes and duties (if u are from Canada like me).

I have been a seller on Ebay for almost 8 years. (I started back when Ebay's fees were reasonable and Paypal was FREEEEE!!!!) Long gone are those days though.

Anyhow, this is IN NO WAY a shot at those that live in Canada but I've had so many problems with shipping there that I stopped about 2 years ago. I mailed something with a Customs Form that the Post Office lost, NOT ME, and it was returned to my door 2 weeks later by the PO with no form. I had to re-ship it and I sent an email to the buyer explaining everything AND sent them a copy of the PO's note saying they lost the form. The buyer left me a neg. anyways!

I mailed something else up there with the cheapest shipping possible (at the request of the buyer) and it took 8 weeks for them to get the package. Who did they blame? Me.

I could go on. This has happened to me many times with Canadian buyers. They think I am over charging on shipping but it's just really really expensive to ship there so I just stopped.

Don't get me wrong. There are some shady shady folks doing business on Ebay. All I can say is be careful.

Ya' know, I sold a crib set to a woman up there that couldn't find it anywhere else. Then she wanted the matching lamp and wall borders. I shopped for 2 days to find them and only charged her what my actual costs and shipping charges were. See? There are some good ones, too. *wink*


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I was just stating a fact that shipping cost more, and the border is very tricky. Irritates us as well. I've had some amazing experiences with Ebay shopping, like with people like you Southernbelle. It just sucks that I have to spend more...

Originally Posted by 13mummy

It just sucks that I have to spend more...

I absolutely agree.

I guess I could understand it if this was the early 1800's and you only got your mail once a month because it was coming by pony express!

I sent this PM to Vancouver earlier today... but I can see he's not the only one dealing with the problem.... Here are my thoughts on this issue:

Hello Vancouver!

Just a tip from a fellow canadian, also buying some stuff on e-bay... and other american web sites.

If possible, always have the item shipped by USPS (U.S. Postal Services) - duty is wayyyyyy cheaper than with UPS! (their duty rate is a complete rip-off!)

Also, ask the seller if he wants to indicate a lower value on the package as well as mention that it is a "Gift"... You might be surprised what it does for duty and custom fees!

I understand your pain in buying Halloween stuff (and other) from the US.... It costs soooo much more.... ($850 for your costume! ). Sometimes, it's worth the trip on the other side of the border!

Just thought you'd like to know!

I'm not condemning UPS as they do a great job with fast deliveries, but as 13mummy said, they usually charge half of what the item is worth...

I deal with custom on a daily basis or so, so I know what a pain it can be for you guys to ship something up here.... But I found a solution: I got a shipping address just South of the border!

WickedBB70, oh that's a good idea to get a shipping address south of the border. Did you get a P.O. Box??

I've been selling on line since '03.
I've only had 2 mishaps, one to Australia (lost, never found) and one to the UK (it sat on the truck for 2 weeks, driver just didn't deliver it) finally made it though.

And for those that request "special handling" I can usually get them through without duty charges.