E-bay Pricing?
 

Hi again All,

Well thanks to Uncle Sam, I am in the market to obtain another tank. So while browsing through the different seller's stores on E-bay, I noticed that they would have the 2 or more of the same kit but at different prices.
I.E.. Tamiya battle unit, one for $78.99 and another unit for $76.99. Sherman tank for $469.99 and another for $499.99. Please forgive my ignorance but I do not comprehend why a seller would sell the same thing at different prices .

Or is there some twist or loop-hole that I am not aware of that makes this ok do?

Or is it just an e-bay thing?

Just trying to go through unfamiliar territory with out getting blasted by an unseen enemy.

Anyone have insight to how it all works?

Tanks a heap to everyone.

All you tankers keep up the great work you do on your kits and projects.

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

It's most likely that the cheaper price is a bidding auction, and the higher price is a fixed "Buy it Now" price. Just gives you the chance to save a few bucks if you're willing to wait for the end of the auction and hope nobody pushes it up to the higher price anyway.

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

DOH!!! I didn't even think of that. Tanks a heap for tightening the light bulb over my head. :eek:

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

Be very careful of shipping charges be sure to keep them in mind ... remember its Total Cost of Ownership that counts. ....
Also if you have a local hobbyshop that sells tanks you should try to support them when you can.

Your listed as being in VA you may want to check out the April event at the AAF museum in Danville VA. (including 4 days of Tamiya RC tank combat).

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

Oh yes I do go to see Karen about parts and kits. I just use e-bay as a research tool in finding out pricing and everything I would need to complete my kit. Generally as a rule, Karen's prices are way better and I have the added satisfaction of not trusting UPS or anyone else to deliver. Ordering from someplace and then sitting on pins and needles waiting for it to arrive really makes me over anxious. Tanks again to ya'll keeping my head straight.
I is a long haul truck driver and they don't let me out much. :D

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

if you dont care if its tamiya or not, check out matotoys.com

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

Yeah for Heng Long and WSN .. Mato Rocks!

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

Using E-bay for pricing is a little hard. I have found on many items that my Hobby store will charge alittle bit more for the item than say E-bay. But you also have to understand that these E-bay guys are middle men. They take your order from a PC in there house and Send over the request to the Company that sells it. Then they have it drop shipped to your door. You figure At a local hobby store He has to pay Francise, the Rent lights phone internet you name it, a guy at home can make as much as a brick and motor setup with just his Personal PC. Anyway there is a 5-10 dollar differance from E-bay and Hobby. I try to support my Local hobby place and besides if I order something he gets it over nighted and that is real appealing to me cuz I dont have any patiance I want it now. Yeah and b carefull of those SHipping will be calculated after auction. I had a 100 engine new in box cost me 60 for shipping and it was 2 hrs away from me. those e-bay guys are sneaky sneaky.

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

ya s&h is how they cover their cost. after that, its all profit it seems.

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

Guys...

If you check the regulations, overcharging for shipping is illegal, and if there are enough complaints, the seller account may be revoked. But because everyone goes elsewhere and does not report 'em, they are parasites on the newbies.

The main reason they do it is profit. Shipping cost is non-refundable. You can sell a piece of garbage item for a penny, give him the refund, and still sit on the $50 shipping cost. I do comparison shop on eBay... comparing not only price but shipping...

Seeing a DVD trilogy, new in box, within the same province as me (Ontario) asking 17.95 US shipping (only 9.95 for US) and a guy in the US offering the same set, same condition, shipped across the border for $5.00. I ignore the Canuck twit, and bid on the other one, because I can give him more for his item before its not worth it to ship it across the border (that stupid $20 Cdn exemption, where you guys get $200 US)

I've said it once, I'll say it again every time someone seems surprised: If you do NOT report these jerks, you HELP them perpetrate their crime, and rip another poor soul off. Next time a guy here whines about a DOA HL from eBay seller X, think that YOU might have saved him from being ripped off if you'd reported that seller when you saw his ad months ago.

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

I know what you mean. That 1/30 Sherman is 1 cent + 45 usd shipping to Canada. only "good" and i use that sparingly, is that the customs duty is on that 1 cent. I'd rather buy that one off that hobby site first.

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

WhiteWolf,
A little further explanation about Ebay and why shipping charges can be so high. Ebay does not collect it's percentage from shipping, only on the item that is sold. So instead of selling an item for $10 and charging $5 for shipping with Ebay collecting money on ten bucks, they charge $5 for the item and $10 for shipping and Ebay only collects against 5 bucks. This way they have to pay less money to Ebay.

Just some food for thought.

Ken

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

Ken is right, its a matter of checking all angles really. If the selling price is cheap and the postage high ( for the reasons ken mentioned ) then thats ok. Just watch out for the dudes who rip you off for the postage generally.

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

HI..are these rules about over charging for shipping on EBAY GLOBAL as it's getting really ridiculous
55.00 for a 12.50 bid n win
could some let me know ?? I couldn't find it in the rules or regulations
thanks

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

That is stupid! It is obviously crap..... I just buy from MATO.. My first two were from Trinity, the service was fine.. but my Tiger came broken. to be fair to them I never even said anything because I was responsible for ALL THE SHIPPING to fix this... also I ordered a Bulldog and I got a Panther... The Bulldog was for my brother... but he was happier with the Panther... so that worked out. I did make Trinity toys aware of the mistake and said it was OK.. and not even a "Hey thanks for being understanding, sorry about the screw up."

But then all became better when I discovered MATO.... simple, easy, no hassles and they STAND BEHIND what they sell which is unusual in the world of Web Purchasing and Selling.

The only way to drive out those who over charge for shipping.. is not matter what... DO NOT BUY FROM THEM...

Ever think its a scam.... do sellers pay a percentage based on the selling price? So therefore if their profit is in teh handling, they are RIPPING off ebay.... JUST A THOUGHT, ok a few...

KT

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

I agree with the majority of what you wrote, Whitewolf, However, I just found out myself recently that Canadapost has wanky shipping charges. I shipped two simular Items, one to Ontario the other to South Africa. The difference in cost ? $2.00 cheaper to ship to South africa. Got there sooner too! I have found that something that would cost $5.00 to mail in the States will cost 2 to 3 times that here in Canada. I think the Canuck 'TWITS' isnt the guy on ebay as much as it is the guy who sets the postage fees for CanadaPost.

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

Yea, sometimes it is a bit flakey.

I've seen guys in Canada charging upwards of $10 for a single DVD (it costs about $2) with no bulk discount, and then the US guys sell at $5 to $8, with $2 to $4 more for each additional DVD. What do I do? Tell the Canucks to get stuffed cause they are ripping me off, and buy US. As I wrote elsewhere, if you know how, cross-border shipping is managable, if you know some of the 'tricks'. Sending pieces is easy, as the US inbound allowance is $100 USD. Wanna belly-laugh? The Canadian allowance is $20, in Cdn Loonies. About $17-18 depending on where the Loon compares to the US greenback.

I did complete the eBay/PayPal survey they put out a few months ago about this, that was basically a pseudo-petition to match the US allowances.

FedEx and UPS do NOT leave parcel delivery attempt cards... much to their bogus claim that they do) and I've had parcels go back to source before I even knew they were in town. The Couriers only hold a parcel for a week, Canada Post holds for two, and leaves THREE cards: one at first attempt, one a week later, and one two days before the parcel is to be returned)

And an addendum of my 'endorsement of Canada Post is not as strong any more, due to carrier issues. Local carrier claiming a delivery attempt and he did NOT, supervisor calling about the complaint and pratically calling me a lier, asking me to explain why the carrier dinna make his delivery attempt, and trying to badger me into collecting the packate 5 blocks away at the 7-Eleven. I'm rather ill, and lucky to make that trip once a week. I ~tried~ to collect it, and was told the carrier STILL had the *humping* package! (been watching Serenity) Needless to say, I extended my complaint with CP from carrier to include the rude supervisor, and with a contact name inside CP management now, if they do this again, I will see that they get canned.

I'm supposed to get a Carrier handbook, so if any have questions aboput their responsibilities, let me know.

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

Don't forget import duty (for UK residents anyway)

If I buy something from china for £100 and pay £10 postage then I may get hit with import duty for the £100 but if I pay £10 and £100 postage then I'll only get hit for duty on the £10.

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

I also have a mail box in the usa. it helps alot, but some sellers just do not ship to a po box anymore.

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

I'm a power seller on Ebay and learned a few things the hard way. I think the main reason for high shipping is to bypass Ebays final value fees. If you ever get shafted by a seller file an "Item not received" claim with Paypal. Even if you got the item and its a piece of crap. They will lock the funds in his account. It almost always gets results. I've had to do it several times. Its amazing how fast they will email you wanting to fix the problem once they realize that Paypal froze their money!!! If you file an "Item not as described" claim YOU will have to pay the shipping back. If you get something broken or not at all dont let the seller tell you he has to file an insurance claim before he can refund you. Thats BS! and thats not your problem. He owes you your money. Period! A Paypal refund claim will wake him up. If as a seller you put in your listing that you are not responsible for lost or stolen packages, etc. Guess what? You are! You are responsible for that box until it gets to your buyers door. Paypal almost always sides with the buyer unless the seller can flat out prove the buyer got it and its in perfect condition.

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

Be careful of refund scammers too. Some buyers will file a claim if they get a package that doesnt have delivery confirmation or insurance. Paypal requires a tracking number to protect the seller. Without a tracking number the seller is wide open to a bogus refund claim. Overseas shipping is another one to watch out for. You can only get a tracking number by using Express Air or Global Priority. Its expensive but its your only insurance that the buyer cant pull a bogus refund on you. UPS has tracking automaticly.

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

and my favorite scam. This one cracks me up because its actualy been done. Lets say you are waiting for your $XXX.00 Tamiya Leopard that you saved up for months to buy. The box comes in the mail and inside is nothing but a bunch of crumpled newspaper, rocks, etc. The seller got delivery confirmation so now he can PROVE he mailed you a box!! There IS a way to fight this if it happens but luckily it never happened to me so I'm not sure how its done.

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

saw on judge judy back in the day when ipods came out that some kid was collecting boxes from ppl, loading a brick in them and selling them on ebay. poor kid got the gears and was to buy everyone new ipods.

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

HI..It just shows how some people will try any type of scam to get some extra money !!

Here is what I do...
Any Doubts about the seller and of course the post, when the item arrives, I inspect the out side of the parcel for tampering or damage and take photo's after getting it from the post office ( if damaged ) I then get someone with a digital camera and take photo's and or video while it's being opened preferable video of course or if nobody available the humble webcam at home can do the job as well , a witness is always a good idea ..as some items do get opened in the post during transit due to customs or a postal worker being a sticky beak..

even though it might cost a few extra dollars always get that transit insurance against damage or loss , as it happens sometimes a seller can say he or she sent it but with out insurance or the tracking number ( is a must ) there is not much you can do about it with out the proof as I had found out the hard way and have lost xxxx number of dollars all because I didn't have insurance and a tracking number...
[&o] [&o]

RE: E-bay Pricing?
 

Do a search on Ebay for seller alisher71. Read the feedback its funny at first but then you realize what they did. They ripped people off for half a million dollars selling stuff they didnt have. They then ran off to Belarus, Russia with the money. Its a shame to read the feedback because they did it just before Christmas and realy stuck it to the buyers who thought they were buying presents.