Gemstone Buyers Beware!

Some U.S. Gemstone Sellers are taking you for a ride when it comes to shipping and here is why.

Example: 15CT or 15 Carats of Gemstones only weighs .10 of an ounce...that's right folks...just 1/10th of 1 ounce...

Check it out for yourself:  Go online to metric-conversion.org/weight/carats-to-ounces.htm and put in the carat weight of the gemstones you will be buying on eBay...you will be shocked if you have never done this before.

What is going on here is really a psychological game being played on the unsuspecting buyer.  For after all, it is gemstones we are buying is it not...and aren't they valuable?  Here is where the mind deceives us.  Being that we think the gemstones are valuable, we seem to overlook the extortionant shipping price.

Using Paypal's shipping system, a seller can ship a 2 Ounce 12"x 9"x 1" Bubblewrapped Envelope for a mere $1.39 

Folks, it take 150 carats of gemstones to equal 1 Ounce.  The bubblewrapped envelope weighs .8 of an ounce.  Round that up and you have a 2 Ounce Package.  To be fair, lets say the envelope costs .40 to .90 cents (I buy these by the bulk of 100 so my own cost is only .28 per envelope), but for arguments sake, lets use $1.00 in case your seller is not an astute buyer of supplies for their eBay business.  Even at $1.00, your total shipping cost should be $3.00 or less on 150 Carats of gemstones...$3.00 if the seller needs a .61 cent handling fee. 

You should pay no more than: Mailer - $1.00 + Postage - $1.39 + Handling Fee - $.61 = $3.00 for 150 Carats of Gemstones.  If your seller is charging you $5.00 or higher...you are being gouged.  Even Priority Mail in a Flat Rate Envelope is only $4.80.  eBay Sellers also have access to free 7"x 7" x 6" shipping boxes that they can ship a pound in for $4.80. 

What can you do if your seller is charging you more?  On the auction page itself, you can report the excessive shippping amount by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page that reads: Report this item

If you have already won the auction, you should also email the seller and inform him that his or her shipping price is too high and that you will not pay this amount...do this at the same time you report the excessive shipping to eBay.  Often the seller will drop his price, especially if you legitimately point out to the seller that you know what it costs to mail your package.

Also remember that a seller can pad the shipping price with handling charges in the eBay Seller module which inflates the shipping price on the shipping calculator.  Many buyers are unaware of this fact.