Hi,

        I would like to pass on some common shipping tricks I often see on Ebay. I would also like to pass on a few tips which could save you some money on shipping costs. I will not bid on auctions with excessive shipping costs no matter how much I want the item.

Trick 1.  Some sellers will put in a greater weight in the shipping calculator than the item actually weighs. You think you are paying the actual shipping cost but extra dollars are coming out of your pockets.

Tip to counter this is to compare the same item from a number of sellers to get an average cost to ship on this item.

Trick 2.  Some sellers will ship a light item by media mail and add some extra dollars when it is very cheap to ship this way. An example would be a photo, comic, paper items. Sometimes 1st class is cheaper ( and faster ) on light items. Email the seller before the auction if only media is offered on light paper items. Ask them how much to ship 1st class. I've done this many times and often they will come back with a lower rate and I get it faster.

Trick 3. Handling charges that are excessive. Ebay does allow some extra cost for supplies but some sellers use this as an excuse to make more money on shipping. Report excessive shipping cost to Ebay to investigate.

Trick 4. Some sellers charge for insurance but you don't get it when the package arrives. You question them and they say they are" self insured ". They took your money for insurance but all they did was take your money. Email them ahead of time to see if they actually purchase insurance.

Trick 5.  Running up costs on small BUT high dollar items. This is the most offensive trick of all. I will quite often see items that are lightweight but more expensive shipped for excessive costs just because they sell for more, BUT THEY ARE STILL USING THE SAME METHOD OF SHIPPING!   Question them always on this. If they won't come down on the price don't buy from them. You will always find one like it on Ebay. If not now later on.

Tip. Get combined shipping if you win more than one auction from the same seller. Most do combine shipping.

Tip.   Get on the USPS web site and the other carriers web sites to get a general idea on the hows and whys of shipping.

If this guide was helpful to you please click yes. I would appreciate it! I'm here to help.