Recently eBay Trust and Safety launched a campaign to crack
down on excessive shipping charges.  I say “Bravo!”

Recently I have left a few negative feedbacks from sellers who overcharged me for shipping. Sure, the negative feedbacks I left earned me a few in return – not to mention some e-mails that make interesting readings

In the first instance of me getting gauged by the seller’s shipping department: I purchased a fan pull and the seller sent it to me. The mark up on the postage was $1.63 above actual cost. Now this might sound like I am cheap – but the seller sent the item to me in a recycled box that she had used before.

Next instance (and the most upsetting): I purchased 2 CD’s
from past eBay lives. This person marked up the shipping $6.12

Both of these instances happened in one month!

I do contact the seller before leaving negative feedback and in one case the seller started listing all of his expenses to ship the item to me.  This list included such things as the cost of the shipping supplies (box, mailer, tape, etc.), finding the product to sell, acquiring the product to sell, his time to take a photo of the item, the writing of the listing, the time it takes to list the item, the time it takes him to take it to the post office (I guess he does not know how to use the free carrier pick up of a package),, the gasoline for his car, and even the cost of his car insurance and vehicle maintenance so he can drive the car to the post office!

eBay is cracking down on the abuse of shipping and handling fees.  In a recent radio interview on eBay Radio September 12, 2006, Rob Chesnut the Sr. VP of eBay Trust & Safety addressed the issues of sellers excessive shipping charges

“You are allowed to charge the actual shipping costs that your shipping carrier charges you”  Chesnut goes on to add “Plus the actual cost of the packaging materials.”

This means you can not charge in your handling fees for your time or even a mark up to recover your Paypal fees.  You are to use the handling portion of the shipping charge to cover the supplies that are used to ship the item. This could be the box, bubble wrap, peanuts, Styrofoam, bubble mailers, shipping labels, the ink from your printer for printing the label and invoice, the paper you use for your shipping invoice, shipping tape, etc.

What can you do to help?

First read the listing completely. Do not just jump at a 1 cent license plate and find out after you won it that shipping is $25!

You can refuse to buy items that have excessive shipping charges

You can report suspicious shipping charges by clicking on the Report this item” link which is located at the bottom of every listing live on eBay