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12 comments

Free Shipping turned horribly wrong!

Posted May-31-07 20:05:55 PDT

Well I tried offering free shipping on several items I was selling, it ending up costing me.... One buyer was from Hawaii and it cost me $11 to ship a $15 dollar item.  I have been having a tough ebay week.  I don't want to go into all the details because it might scare off some future buyers!  Just kidding future buyers, you are safe with me!  For all you ebay sellers, I am sure you have had or will have a week like mine.  Not just free shipping that goes horribly wrong, me underestimating shipping costs is starting to annoy me.  I sold a phone system and charged about $50 to ship UPS.  That ended up costing me $110 to ship.  (That included having to buy 2 big boxes.)

Ahhhh the shipping debate continues.... Come on and tell me your free shipping or any shipping cost nightmare so I won't feel so crummy.....

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Comments
mypinkmimosa
I've been bitten by the new Shipping Bug too.
May-31-07 20:08:29 PDT Report this comment
marketplaceboutique
I not having a good night with shipping either & dont want to scare anyone off myself lol. Not a fun night.
May-31-07 20:08:54 PDT Report this comment
bluediamondproducts
First off specify free shipping items only ship within the U.S. Next, how could it cost 110.00 to ship a phone? E-bay has a shipping wizard to figure costs.
May-31-07 20:09:32 PDT Report this comment
lullaby*lake
I always charge actual shipping. My brain doesn't work fast enough to do anything else.
May-31-07 20:10:45 PDT Report this comment
whiteshastadaisy
I've "given" stuff away because of not figuring shipping right or starting an auction too low and getting one bid. Do you have a scale? It's the best thing but I still have been known to undercharge shipping.
May-31-07 20:12:09 PDT Report this comment
ckb2950
I never offer free shipping.
May-31-07 20:12:40 PDT Report this comment
artfromthealbum
First off, Hawaii is technically the US and not international shipping. So in the future I will specify continental united states.
Second, it was a phone SYSTEM. It had about twelve handsets and a CPU. I had to ship in two boxes, it was painful.
Third, I have used the wizard and sometimes it works well and sometimes it doesn't.

I am just sharing because I know other people are in the same boat. Hope that clarifies for you...
May-31-07 20:13:29 PDT Report this comment
marketplaceboutique
My combined ship ended up costing more tonight. At least someone got a great deal!:)
May-31-07 20:14:03 PDT Report this comment
treasuregiftsforless
I think I'm going to stop, too because I'm loosing money, just the same.
May-31-07 20:17:35 PDT Report this comment
lullaby*lake
Oh, that's true. I have gotten messed up by combined shipping.
Marketplace, that's a good attitude. You have to just smile and keep going. Every business loses money on some transactions.
May-31-07 20:19:15 PDT Report this comment
jodilee0123
If you have a FedEx close by your home, check them out for shipping. UPS is way higher in cost around here than FedEx. It might save you some bucks in the end. Yeah, I pay a bit out of pocket every now and then, but every once in awhile I have an item sell for way more than I expected--so it makes up the difference!! Ebay is basically a hobby for me, though, so I am not dependent on the income (although it helps out greatly!) Keep smiling!!
May-31-07 20:26:43 PDT Report this comment
madcat1010
When in doubt, always overestimate and then refund the difference when using the calculator.
May-31-07 21:24:12 PDT Report this comment

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