Absurd PWCC Shipping Cost........BEWARE
 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1910-L40-Mu...p2047675.l2557

As if the shilling isn't enough.....I won an L40 Amherst Baseball leather on ebay last night. It said $15.00 shipping, so I should have emailed them but their Shipping matrix shows $4 for a single item won between $0-$250. I emailed to confirm after winning and was told that it fell in the oversize clause of their shipping. The leather is 2-9/16 by 3-9/16, exactly 1/16 by 1/16 larger than a standard sized card. It comes with an envelope that it came in which is maybe 1/16 larger than that as it fits snugly inside.

I was informed by Bobby Rittenhouse of PWCC that the $15.00 was, indeed, a good shipping charge for the item. Should have checked with them first because didn't think they would try to go with the absurd shipping. SOOOOO.....be sure you look very closely as they do not really understand the true meaning of the word oversized. I'll be expecting this item to be shipped in the sturdiest of containers, double-boxed due to the extreme fragility, in the timeliest of manners.

Finally. A thread that will grow legs :).

haha. I'll be flamed but it is ridiculous. Just trying to help you out with your clicks, Leon...........

Indeed. Far more interesting than a major hobby figure found by a federal jury to have committed market manipulation.

Hey....we can walk and chew gum both around here.........well, maybe better rethink that one.

The shipping price was clearly listed. You should have only bid if you were willing to pay the published shipping cost.

However, as an eBay seller who values customer service I would have offered you a reduced shipping cost if in fact the actual shipping costs were going to be significantly lower than what I charged you.

Sounds right on both accounts.

Yep.

Listed or not, $11 extra for 1/16 x 1/16 larger is a bad way to run your business IMO.

Having gotten shipments from them before, they are not spending 11 bucks extra to ship Tom's item, I can promise you that.

How about HERITAGE!!
 

I was charged $30 Shipping for 1 PSA graded standard size card!!

Maybe I should add a $15 buying cost to my eBay profile and then charge sellers $15 for letting me bid and win their items. Then I'll just point to my profile if they complain.

What was the value of the card?
James

Agreed...if it was a $5,000 card, that is actually cheap.

I started a post here about their shipping fees but I was wrong when I thought they increased the higher the bids went.
Regardless, I still find their shipping fees excessive, especially paying the exchange rate on them, but I thought you guys stateside paid a lot less than what we do up here.
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=252091

Like you'll see in the above post, a lot of their fees don't make any sense, at least in my opinion.

I have paid $75.00 shipping to PWCC for a single, T206 card in a standard PSA flip. But, the shipping cost was clearly stated and i just considered it part of the price and bid accordingly. In other words, I knew what I was getting into. PWCC's shipping is silly expensive/high, but if I see a T206 Matty White Cap PSA 6.5 I must have, let alone thus T213 that cost me $25 in shipping, then I will pay the shipping.

$17 Card.

I agree it’s annoying (ok wrong) to pay almost as much in shipping as you did for the card, and I validate that PWCC’s shipping is wicked high and customer service may dictate that they give breaks to an angry customer when something is an inch large. All I am saying is that it’s tough to get behind a rant about how much shipping someone paid when shipping costs are clearly disclosed; and Tom, in your case, I don’t know if shipping was disclosed, my comment is general in nature.

The auction houses don't shill ....
It's the submitter of the item doing it from home

1300

My guess is that you are paying for insurance on the items and not just packaging and shipping.

Absurd? Absolutely
Spelled out for all to see? Yes
Surprises? No
Frustration? Yes
Answer? If you don’t like it don’t bid or contact them before the auction ends.
Eric Recker

When bidders see a high shipping charge for a single item like that, a lot will dismiss the auction altogether and the item will be won cheaper than if the shipping charge was say $4.00. Works in the buyers favor more times than not; at least in my experiences with items that have an excessive shiipping charge.

What about Christies! They charged me $2300 shipping on a small felt pennant!

(Not true, but I just want to win this one for a change.)

When you use the term BEWARE in all caps it leads me to believe that someone is trying to do something to harm you and they weren't clear about their intent.

The shipping on all items is posted and they have a matrix below the listing that clearly states the potential shipping charges based on size and insurance on the final selling price.

PWCC does a tremendous job on their shipping. They use high quality materials and the item is packed extremely well. For a high volume seller to offer such quality shipping is one of the reasons they have such a large customer base. Compare their packaging for a few bucks more vs. Probstein and it isn't even close.

You got what you paid for. I have no idea what this item should have sold for but as was pointed it out it is very common for bidders to factor in the total cost and base their bid on it. Kind of like going out to dinner and realizing there are taxes and gratuity not included on the menu prices.

To be fair................

I just received a $7.00 credit from PWCC.

"With the envelope and COA together the size is larger than a normal sized card. We have however as a one time courtesy given you a partial refund on your shipping. Thank you very much for participating in our auction."

I'm still paying $8.00 for shipping but either through this forum or whatever force of nature, they [kind of] did the right thing. Just wanted to be sure they got their due.

...

That'd be my guess. ;)

Let me say this, I don't believe, at least in PWCC's case that shipping is one of the reasons that makes them one of the top sellers. Proper shipping goes the sale, any self respecting seller with tell you that. And I don't remember them always charging high shipping costs, they were pretty reasonable at one time. The quality of the items that they auction off is the main reason anyone follows them. I bought 3 Triple Folders from them a while ago and they wanted charge me 45 dollars. After contacting them they reduced the cost to 20. It's overkill, no doubt about it.

Jim

Shipping cost
 

I like PWCC. Why can't they consolidate shipping? A normal ebay seller would. That said, love these 2 new ones even if I paid way too much for shipping.

Won a couple of nice items in PWCC's last auction and was so relieved that, when paying my invoice, there was no 20% vig and no Fl sales tax attached. I didn't even check the shipping charge.

So you think if we were reading stories of buyers have cards arrive that are damaged it wouldn't hurt their sales?

They understand the transaction process and it involves making sure the product makes it to its final destination in the condition it was listed in.

Common sense business practice here.

Understood, but there is a reasonable cost that can be associated with the sale with regard to shipping. I've bought thousands of cards on ebay over the years and maybe had 3 or 4 times when a card arrived damaged. Those were from cards thrown in a paper mailer with no protection at all. Hey, you don't mind paying 50 or 100 dollars for shipping on your cards, then by all means be my guest. As for me, I believe there's always a happy medium.

Jim

I have never purchased a card that would require such a fee as they insure the cards shipped. That said if I bought a card for 20k or 50k I wouldn't blink at paying that fee to feel confident it was coming in the condition I purchased it.


One of the major issues with collectibles is many are low population and aren't exactly replaceable at the snap of a finger. PWCC packaging and shipping takes all concern out of the equation. I think everyone has opened their mailbox with excitement to get their recent purchase and looked at the package and said "I can't believe this motherF+++++ shipped it this way!!" to themselves. Most of the time even with awful packaging the card arrives in fine condition and you move on. But what if it doesn't? The transaction went from exciting to stressful to potentially infuriating.

If I am running a business I am taking the route of dramatically higher quality shipping supplies and packing and passing it on to the customer. The first time I purchased a card from PWCC I paid $8 for shipping and thought it seemed steep. As soon as I got it in hand I was thrilled to pay it.

So many consumer business's spend a ton of money on packaging because it helps create a brand. Everything PWCC does from their listings on EBAY to their shipping to their advertising to their graphs and charts are done to build their brand. Everything is high quality.

I have never consigned a card but after dealing with both PWCC and Probstein it wouldn't even take a second of thought to make my decision and the dramatically better packaging is one of the factors in this.

Nor would most people who had that kind of money to spend on cards.

My problem with their shipping, and others is, it doesn't make much sense paying more or equal amounts for shipping than what you paid for the card.

I was glad to read the OP got a rebate. I asked once, after winning a $20 card from them if there was anything they could do with the shipping, but all I got was a sorry, those are our fees. :(

I knew the cost going in so it's no ones fault but mine, but after that transaction, and others, I quickly started looking around a little more carefully/patiently and found many others out there who don't charge near what they charge, and that was before they raised their current shipping fees.

I agree with Irv.

+1. I won't pay $35 shipping on a $35 card. It limits me to purchasing four figure cards (or close to it) at minimum.

Their fees were not always that high. It just sticks with me that it's a bit of a cash grab.

The good is their shipping is quick. The bad is if you win another item the next day, it's another full shipping charge.

There are too many other sellers on Ebay other than the big two to be gouged on shipping. Period.

Who is charging $35 on a $35 card?

My last purchase through PWCC was a $45 card and the shipping was $4.

I have bought cards from PWCC before and waited to pay because there is something else ending a day or two later that I also want. They have always combined shipping. If you win a card and pay that day then a day or two later win another one that won't combine because the first one is already packed and probably shipped.
James

Close enough, and in case it shows something different stateside, here it is copied.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1952-Topps-...a81&rmvSB=true

Condition:--
Ended: Mar 12, 2018 , 9:37PM
Winning bid:US $42.57
[ 13 bids ]
Shipping: $35.00 UPS Worldwide Saver
Item location:Lake Oswego, Oregon, United States
Seller:
pwcc_auctions (149593 ) | Seller's other items

I see from the listing.


$6.00 Standard Shipping


What am I missing? Did the card ship out of the country?

Irv (Dale) is in Canada.

So the issue is international shipping charges. Does PWCC use the Global Shipping Program, first class with tracking, or is it a customs issue?

The prices I see, and likely what most CDN's see as well. Thought it might be different stateside but previous threads about their shipping fees, nothing was mentioned.

In this thread I started, I listed some other prices I seen and wondered why shipping was all over the place? (post#9)
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=252091

I can't speak for PWCC but everything I have read is shipping charges for cards and especially cards of value that are declared have exploded going to Canada.

Stinks for Canadian collectors.

Global is actually cheaper, which is shocking! I can still find dealers stateside who charge $3.00 dollars for shipping.

They are not insuring cards and sending them with tracking. Totally different ball game and they most certainly aren't putting the value on the customs form at that price.


Complicated issue in reality.

The last time I tried to ship something insured to Canada it was ridiculously expensive and there were just no good options.

PWCC is selling other people's cards. They can't take the risk of an item being sent internationally and some scammer saying they didn't get it.

This has happened to so many collectors over the years. They must send with protection for the seller and unfortunately it costs a lot to send to Canada now.

Insured, not likely, but tracking, yes.

Prices are all over the place. I have seen some as cheap as 6-9 dollars and some all the way up, like PWCC's, over $65. There is no way it costs PWCC that much money to insure, with tracking on cards less than $100-$150 dollars.

Like I have mentioned numerous times before, they are making bank with their shipping fees. :mad:

They're disclosed, and there is no coercion, so I guess I don't really see the issue. Nothing wrong with making a profit, if they are.

It's against E-Bay rules to charge more for shipping than the actual cost, but we know how well that works. :rolleyes:

Regardless, I didn't just stop purchasing from PWCC due to their shipping costs, but it will definitely be a deterrent in the future if I ever decide to again.

Knowing a little bit about what it costs Irv to have cards shipped to Canada makes me question the sanity of Canadian card collectors on a budget. Actual costs are all that I will charge. Conservative valuations on customs forms can help our Canadian collector friends as well.

If I lived in Canada, I probably would not select a hobby that is postally dependent.:eek:

I question it too, Frank! ;)

I have suspected, like what I have posted in post# 15 in this thread, is their shipping fees aren't based on actual costs, they are guesstimated. See for yourself that some of the fees make no sense based on value, or projected value.
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=252091

And, from what I have also always thought is, depending where you live stateside, will also dictate what shipping will cost.

If I am not mistaken, the OP who started this thread and was/is complaining about PWCC shipping fees, also resides stateside. ;)

This is not correct from what I just read you are absolutely allowed to charge a handling fee making it more than actual shipping costs. They will step in if charges are way out of line but saying you can not charge more than exact shipping is wrong

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/s...policy?id=4346

The only way I would allow shipping costs to deter me from bidding is if it made the card more than I wanted to spend. I don’t find addition and subtraction that difficult so I just factor the shipping cost into my bids.

What are the guidelines?
Make sure you follow these guidelines. If you don't, you may be subject to a range of actions. We may limit, restrict, or suspend you from buying, selling, or using site features. All of your listings may be removed, displayed lower or not shown in search results, without refunding any or all applicable fees. You may also forfeit special account status and any discounts. You may be subject to the application of fees and recovery of our expenses in policy monitoring and enforcement.

Shipping and handling costs
Be sure to specify shipping costs and related service charges in your listings.

What to charge

Actual shipping cost: This is the amount for shipping the item. It should be what you paid the carrier.
Handling cost: This can include the cost of packaging materials and insurance cost, if any.

Well, I guess it's all in how you interpret what it says above?
That aside, even with insurance, tracking and packaging, unless your item is being shipped in a bomb and theft proof iron box, there is no way it is costing them remotely close to what they are charging.

I just bought a card from them last week. I paid $428 for the card. Shipping was $6.

Running some quick cost estimates on the UPS website gave me this. Shipping from Lake Oswego, Oregon to Thunder Bay Ontario (because I like the name Thunder Bay). The package details and dimensions are for a 400 count card box shipped with a declared value of just $40.

The quoted shipping cost is $39.07. It might drop a little for a larger metropolitan area in Canada such as Toronto though. Is that a lot for a $40 item, yes of course. But I dont see how any fault lies with PWCC as it would seem they are charging what the actual shipping cost for them is, or very close to it.

https://i.imgur.com/yiDHojJ.jpg

I keep it quite simple. I don't bid on PWCC or Probstein auctions because of what they charge Canadians. I can find plenty to bid on with shipping charges anywhere from $2-$10. I just hate paying a minimum of $20-$32 in shipping from PWCC or Probstein.
Jeff

Well, first off, TB is another 15 hrs north of me or 1427 kms so I am sure it would be more to ship there as opposed to where I am (just east of Toronto)

Regardless, if you go back and read this thread, you will see for yourself it's not just us Canucks who are complaining about PWCC's shipping, it's Americans as well.
For what it's worth, I just received a pkg worth $400 American the other day.
The cards were in top loaders sandwiched between taped cardboard wrapped in plastic placed inside a small box which was placed in a styrofoam peanut filled larger box placed inside a padded large Purolator envelope which was insured and had tracking all for $22 dollars.


I hear you, Jeff. Probstein never shipped to Canada not that long ago but I assume they realized they were losing money so they decided to change that. :rolleyes:

I have never purchased from Probstein and it's been a year or longer since I last did with PWCC. I don't see anything changing in that regard with them anytime soon.

Seems awful cheap. Canadians need to realize. It is NOT AMERICANS FAULT that it cost an arm an a leg to ship to Canada. Canada is considered international.

My mistake, it likely wasn't insured?

"New message from: worldchamps00 Top Rated Seller(342Turquoise Star)
Sorry , no shipping to Canada unless you want to pay for Priority shipping $22. This is the only way to get tracking."

But then I received this from them, which they did. Needless to say, I will be purchasing from them again. :)

New message from: worldchamps00 Top Rated Seller(342Turquoise Star)
Hey, If not to late, I'll ship to Canada if you want to bid. THis lot has exceeded my expectation, so I'll pay the extra shipping if you win. Thanks for the info and good luck if you bid

As far as I know, there are no cheap methods to shipping from US to Canada with tracking. And if you're shipping to Canada without tracking, you're taking a big risk because sooner or later, someone will say they never got their package and you'll be screwed.

It is also not an American seller's fault if they actually want to comply with the law and claim the appropriate item value on the customs form either.

I get all that, but it still doesn't take away that what they charge is excessive.

Read post #15 like I mentioned earlier. They have trimmed/suspect cards being charged more for shipping than the same cards that got a grade.

Like I have also mentioned/noticed, it seems the shipping stateside is not equal as well?
Some look to pay relatively good fees while others, especially those who are complaining in the thread, pay a lot more? Why is that? :confused:

At least for me ... close to 100% of the time I think this is NOT because someone sent something in a flimsy manner. It's because they covered the package with enough tape to wrap an elephant, put it in a box large enough for a TV, had multiple layers of bubble wrap and taping inside ... and I need to go to school to get a PhD just so I could figure out how to open the freaking thing! And it was all for a low grade, $4 common.

Those sellers I stop buying from immediately. I figure since I'm not driving a hybrid ... this is my contribution to saving the planet. You're all welcome.

Cheers,
patrick

It seems like most people are blaming P.W.C.C.. and I don't think it's all their fault. I think Dale mentioned it in one of his threads. Several years ago, e-bay was going after sellers who overcharge on shipping. It was listed in e-bay's rules. It seems today that has changed. Today P.W.C.C. is considered one of the top auction houses in the country, so e-bay gets a lot of business from them. They most likely will not say anything about it. My complaint with P.W.C.C. is shipping time. Here in N.J., we have problems with U.P.S.. Packages take longer to receive from this company using U.P.S. than shipping the items first class. All card purchases are over $2000., P.W.C.C. ships U.P.S. You must contact them to request you want your shipping sent a different way.

Irv,

I get what you are saying as well. And what they charge may be excessive or inconsistent (within the same weight/value range). However as a buyer, I tend to calculate what it costs me out of pocket in total. So I buy based on that. If I think something is excessive (ie shipping), then I might ask before (or even after) I buy the item if that can be adjusted. The inconsistency is definitely a head-scratcher (to be nice), but it is within your control (whether or not to buy).

What isn't (directly) within your control is how much it should cost to safely and effectively ship internationally within the laws/guidelines of the receiving country. I highly suspect that some of the cheap shipping some sellers provide may be 'shorting' something (risk, import value, insurance, etcl), or building it into the price of the item itself.

I would be asking for the $.50 they over charged you. Seller's just steal everything they can don't they! LOL


I am not reading this whole thread but am just making a comment based on a few remarks I read.

I will say there has been times I have over charged on shipping, times where it hasn't been enough to cover it, and even times where I felt sending a note with the few dollars back in the package explaining the refund for shipping because it didn't cost me that much. Not a single time was I ever contacted and thanked for any of that other than overcharging. Simply because of the A$$hole nature of human beings I no longer care and left overs go in the Green column of the ledger now.

Shipping Costs
 

Interesting...i've always found that PWCC is pretty fair with shipping costs considering the card is insured as well. However, if you are looking for similar quality and free shipping and insurance, you may want to look at www.cardboardpicasso.com. They have an Ebay store too but the prices on their direct site are always cheaper.

I will chime in and just going off the top of my head here...
I ship to Canada a lot!
Up 1-8 oz is approx $10(sometimes less) with tracking door to door to Canada
9oz to 15 oz I think is around $14 with tracking. 1 pound on up it gets real expensive.
These prices do not include signature or insurance, just delivery confirmation

Why is it you just joined and every single post has been an ad for that business?? It is clearly your business, so cut the crap and stop spamming the threads!!!

since you are giving an opinion of 2 different businesses, how about posting your name?

100%. Post your name, admit you are affiliated with this site, and introduce yourself. I just checked out your site and you have decent stuff and apparently decent pricing (I don’t really know much after 1920). I think board members would like to know another/new good dealer. So stop with the douchey plugs and adds and just introduce yourself and your outfit.

Ryan Hotchkiss

Gone

That was a quick ban yikes.

local guy too. He asked about advertising. I guess he thought spamming was the answer. LOL

If I knew how to, I would drop a clapping emoji

LOL just pictured a very long hook yanking him off stage.

He decided to take advertising into his own hands.