High Shipping Costs Impacting Your Collecting

[launderess]

Looks like everywhere you go from shipping appliances to detergents prices have gone up and are continuing. FedEx announced last week for instance a rate increase, though thus far UPS has kept mum.

On the large appliance side was hoping to land a vintage dishwasher but at $400 to ship the thing from a few states away, don't think that is going to happen.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Dear Lady:

I'm guessing this thread is in response to me backing out on that WP in Reno.
I know fuel prices are up but this is getting a bit exorbitant!
WK78

 

[launderess]

Nah, not a bit.

Just am noticing no matter where one turns it is becoming very expensive to ship anything. It is one of the reasons one has stopped selling things on and purchasing from eBay. For say a box of detergent one is often paying more to much more than one paid for the thing in shipping. The only saving grace are the flat rate USPS boxes.

Appliance wise not owning a truck, minivan or SUV puts me at the mercy of either renting and going to fetch something myself, or hiring a shipper.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Yes, you're right.....
I thought that with the time, with e-commerce, internet, and or all the tendency at making always more distance deals thanks to it, shops and or e-sales/auction or classifieds websites would make sure to guarantee partnerships with shippers to keep costs affordable......
This is not the case yet.....internet has a great potential in this sense for businees, and nobody or very few seems have gotten this concept, nor did empires like Ebay....
I thought that with the time, there would be a race from shippers to offer rates customed and adjusted for websites that of course gives work and ensure a constant flow of packages, may it be a classified website or a platform like ebay, we have tons of customed services to send money but few to ship....
In any ways.....as for paypal, they need to understand that price increasing is not the way to go here if they want to keep e-commerce florid.... they need to concentrate on quantity, and sure having assured a certain quantity of granted "movements" per day/month/ wathever is something they should think about...
But greed is a bad beast.....and is easier increasing....
[this post was last edited: 5/20/2014-16:16]

 

[andic29]

I was thinking the same thing earlier as I was perusing eBay. I found some detergent from Mexico that I wanted to try, it was a tiny bag that was less than 2 lbs. The seller wanted 15.99 for the detergent and another 10 for shipping. Absolutely ridiculous. Since I live right on the border, I have a friend who makes regular day trips to Mexico to see friends and family and he has offered to stock up on as much detergent for me as he can.

 

[launderess]

What set one's mind onto the subject

Was an article in the WSJ a few weeks ago about how high costs are starting to crimp the "free shipping" offers that seem to drive many online retailers these days. If you are a large volume shipper such as Amazon.com or Zappos.com you *may* be able to get good rates from FedEx, UPS or whatever, but your average person or small volume shipper is left at the mercy of the shippers.

U-Ship seems to have become a tighter ship weeding out some of the bad characters. This probably good as often low ball bidders were anyone with a vehicle attempting to make easy money. However to me it seems U-ships service charge rates have increased. Have not used them in a while so would have to research.

 

[danemodsandy]

I'm Stymied....

....With the Corelle Snowflake Blue serving pieces I had hoped to collect.

The problem is, serving pieces tend to turn up one-at-a-time, not in groups, meaning I would have to purchase them separately on eBay and pay shipping on each one individually.

On most auctions I see, shipping runs between $10-20 for a serving piece.

For the five additional pieces I'd like to have, that's very extravagant. And it means I can't really justify it.

So, it really is a problem.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Yes, I see how the average person or small business may be asked more money to ship that one who have larger movements...that is logical.
But was thinking about that a little bigger, maybe too much....
I am starting an ebay business for my sister, I am gonna sell Gold, jeweleries, but mostly watches....
I am about choosing the service to ship with, and could see that there are many new online services meant for e-sellers and everyone relies in a different courrier, these services are third part companies act as intermediaries that guarantee a certain quantity of movements and because of that gets special prices, shipping companies are not involved directly, these services offers cheap shipping fees as long as you proove them you're an ebay seller or have an online shop, they also offer insurance coverage, paid as their business insurance.
Of course the more you ship the less it will cost during the time...
Well, what I was thinking, is a similar thing, but on a bigger scale and slightly different...what I thought would have happened, but never did...
Let's figure out an hypothetical partnership among ebay and Fedex or whatever shipper, Fedex says, okay, since tomorrow for all shipments coming from an ebay transaction, so both if you're a powerseller or someone who's selling stuff from granmas basement, we are going to give the 30% off from our regular quote, plus bonus for powersellers, at the end of every transaction ebay will originate a code to use as a discount from the shipping cost, Fedex will reduce the price to be cheaper you could find, in return ebay will also show banners with the promotion and that fedex is sponsorized as ebay preferential way to ship....
Similarly, could do all the other platforms or classifieds websites with different courriers..... This way, because of advantages in shipping costs, may be an attraction for more to join them , so also for those who indeed are running a small e-shop, other than greater chance to sell they will also have advantages in shipping quotes in joining a bigger community, no bad anyway.
But it will perhaps end in people using ebay to ship gifts to relatives making a fake sale to save on shipping, no bad anyway since always partnership is and they both will make money out of it anyways...
I think it would be a good thing to do for platforms and classifieds websites like ebay, CL, Kijiji etc...
Not sure if it's silly, but I thought this would have happened at some point, but never did....

[this post was last edited: 5/20/2014-17:20]