Another Great Ebay Move

[Anthony S.]

Originally Posted by Pup6913

Valid point and I agree to some extent. Problem is when the seller adds the insurance to an item and charges the consumer for it they get pissed because they didn't ask for it, or they decide to buy somewhere else, or they give you BS offers for your items to offset the cost of shipping/handling. Another thing is why is it my responsibility for you to recieve your item I am not the PO and do not get paid to deliver your item anywhere but there. This is what we pay the PO for. They offer insurance same way Ebay sellers do, they don't make it mandatory that is why it is optional. Why doesn't the real problem step up and do something about lost and damaged mail

If I sell a card for $10 and add $2 for shipping you are in to it for $12. I go mail it with tracking info but you decided to not get insurance on it because its only $12. You get the tracking # and all is well untill it is lost or shows up busted. Now where in there is this the sellers fault and their responsibility for the item, especialy since you have the choice to get insurance.

Nobody sells to take a loss. I also see this causing a great mail fraud scam.

I sell you an item, you get it and if you don't like it and there are no returns or I refuse return because there is no legitamite excuse for it other than buyers remorse whats to say you have no integrity and file a PO claim for the item just to get some or all Money back????

Ebay is only making it easier for the Scammers out there. Just wait and see and I hope I am wrong.

Mention in your listing that you have to add the cost of insurance to the shipping price, because Ebay stipulates that sellers are responsible for guaranteeing that buyers receive the item(s) they purchased. Every Ebay seller will be in the same boat from here on in.

Also, as the seller, it's your responsibility to get the item to me. We entered into a contract, and I fulfilled my end of the contract by paying you for the item. I didn't buy the item from the post office, I bought it from you. The fact that the post office doesn't mandate that you purchase insurance doesn't obviate you from your responsibility. Furthermore, insurance on a $12 item is negligible.

[WarHoundR69]

Or you can "SELF-INSURE". On the small stuff (Less than $50.00) I do not pay for insurance or DC. I have found that 98%+ of the buyers out there are honest and so far have had no problems. I have saved several hundred dollars on mailing costs by not paying for those services - more than enough to cover the cost of the inevitable "Lost Package".

Over $50.00 I insure & buy DC.

[Jason Carota]

Originally Posted by WarHoundR69

Or you can "SELF-INSURE". On the small stuff (Less than $50.00) I do not pay for insurance or DC. I have found that 98%+ of the buyers out there are honest and so far have had no problems. I have saved several hundred dollars on mailing costs by not paying for those services - more than enough to cover the cost of the inevitable "Lost Package".

Over $50.00 I insure & buy DC.

From eBay's Excessive Shipping Charges Policy:

No additional amount such as “self insurance” may be added. Sellers who do not use a licensed 3rd party insurance company may not require buyers to purchase insurance. This is a violation of state law.

[Edwolf1963]

For what it's worth, I know that when push comes to shove - Seller loses the dispute when it comes to this. The "not responsible for items not received if insurance is not taken line in auctions has never meant anything. Buyer doesn't take added insurance - you can't prove the shipper delivered - you lose the dispute. Period. Regardless of happy-talk in auctions about not being responsible.

The issue is that the buyer fulfilled his/her obligation and you received your money, you are then responsible for the buyer receiving that item - regardless of shipping issues. Same rule applies to merchants across many lines, seller responsibility doesn't end when it's dropped in the mail - I buy something from Sears on-line for example, I don't receive it or it shows up damaged, they don't say "too bad, you didn't accept insurance" - that's already assumed/factored in.

I think that's what they're doing here, fine to charge it - but no longer an option - and no more "not responsible if..." lines, fewer dispute resolutions, etc. When you think of it, really, it's CYA no matter what.

Mind you, I'm not defending eBay - just a basic rule of transaction in this type of manner. I know it's hard to break even w/eBay, let alone any sort of a profit when you factor in the hefty Seller and Paypal fees as well as S & H costs .. but this isn't anything new really. Just clarifying and making mandatory something that should be anyway.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by Anthony S.

Furthermore, insurance on a $12 item is negligible.

Insurance on a $12.00 item is $1.75. Cost to ship a smaller item like a photo in an envelope with rigid backing for protection is about $2.06 with Delivery Confirmation if you get your shipping online. It's about $2.90 if you get it at the Post Office.

Associated Paypal and Ebay fees on that $12.00 item is about $2.05.

Total seller cost to sell and ship this item to the lucky buyer is $5.86 if shipping is done online. $6.70 if brought to the Post Office.

Just roll it in to the sellers costs I guess.

All and all I guess this is a bargain for the seller if all their items grew on a Memorabilia tree they planted in their backyard.


Self Insure?? - That's codeword for seller is "Sh*t outta luck" if the Post Office doesn't deliver item properly or the buyer decides the item was stolen from his front porch or mailbox................whether it was or not.

[Exhibitman]

If Ebay's real concern was merely forcing sellers to shoulder the risk, then it could simply mandate insured shipping and let the seller charge accordingly at checkout. By stating "You cannot charge the buyer a separate fee for insurance, either in a listing or after the buyer has committed to purchase the item" however, Ebay is mandating that sellers set up-front insurance charges. It is impossible to set an insurance charge for an auction item because you don't know the final value. Last week for example I had two 1977 Topps cards soar way past my high estimate of their value and sell for over $100. Unless I jacked the buyer for a huge insurance charge up front there is no way I could have charged for insurance to actual value because I did not know the value. I submit that this new rule is another effort at making the auction seller go away. It wasn't enough to create a huge differential between the listing costs for auction and BIN items, I suppose, so now Ebay pushes the risk and cost of insurance onto the sellers, which is a non-issue in calculating a BIN shipping cost but a huge PITA when trying to calculate an auction listing.

[tbob]

One thing I think is incredibly stupid and wrong is that ebay now limits what a seller charges for shipping to a certain amount. If you are required to clearly state shipping costs in your ad (required by ebay) why can't you just skip items with exorbitant shipping? No longer can you ship an item priority mail (or at least they don't let me) and charge either exact postage for shipping. Actually I was going in the hole because I ALWAYS send with a delivery confirmation. Sending it priority mail was a way of sending it in a stiff, sturdy box for protection plus getting it there fast. Now the guys who use recycled envelopes, sometimes not even padded, are rewarded and can actually charge more than actual postage by sending it media mail. It just doesn't make sense!
BTW- I still see others who send out a poster on ebay and charge $12 shipping for a $5 item but sports card sellers are discriminated against.