eBay is a thicket for scams. The crooked sellers bank on the bidders not reading or looking at the item carefully and just throwing a bid out there. Like anything, you have to do the research. Research their recent feedback and their overall feedback score. Scout around for similar figures and see if you can gather up a price point. If there's a supersize picture, find some official photos and compare. Even the slightest coloration differences should set off bells and alarms.

I also noticed alot when going on ebay that some figures have a low price and then the shipping and handling is up in the $20 to $30 range and the seller is swimming in shipping and handling fees

 

And then when you get the figure you find out the shipping was only $5! yeah I stay away from those sellers also. Or I will wait until the end then bid my lowest which is usually more then what the last guy bid, so to offset the shipping cost and piss off the seller a little

 

They are all about getting as much of our money as possible. Which I can't blame them. But they need to be reasonable. I remember when I sold my Brave Max to a guy in Canada. I told him shipping with insurance and confirmation would be $30. he was shocked he thought it should have been around $60 or something. When I finally mailed it off to him it came to $41 for shipping. he asked me if I wanted him to send me the other $11 to cover the shipping and I said no. he had already spent about $400 at that point so I wasn't worried about the $11.

 

What i've done when i encounter those way over the top shipping and handling charges is that i contact the seller and i ask them to send it to me without the insurance and track number and give me the base mailing option that is the cheapest. I save huge amounts on S&H by asking that. The prices that you usually see are the prices that have all the bells and whistles attached that the seller uses to cover his/her own ass. If your willing to take the risk and have the figure sent uninsured and without a track number then you save heaps. It hasn't failed me yet.

I also noticed alot when going on ebay that some figures have a low price and then the shipping and handling is up in the $20 to $30 range and the seller is swimming in shipping and handling fees

 

And then when you get the figure you find out the shipping was only $5! yeah I stay away from those sellers also. Or I will wait until the end then bid my lowest which is usually more then what the last guy bid, so to offset the shipping cost and piss off the seller a little

 

They are all about getting as much of our money as possible. Which I can't blame them. But they need to be reasonable. I remember when I sold my Brave Max to a guy in Canada. I told him shipping with insurance and confirmation would be $30. he was shocked he thought it should have been around $60 or something. When I finally mailed it off to him it came to $41 for shipping. he asked me if I wanted him to send me the other $11 to cover the shipping and I said no. he had already spent about $400 at that point so I wasn't worried about the $11.

 

What i've done when i encounter those way over the top shipping and handling charges is that i contact the seller and i ask them to send it to me without the insurance and track number and give me the base mailing option that is the cheapest. I save huge amounts on S&H by asking that. The prices that you usually see are the prices that have all the bells and whistles attached that the seller uses to cover his/her own ass. If your willing to take the risk and have the figure sent uninsured and without a track number then you save heaps. It hasn't failed me yet.

 

Insurance costs $1 for every $100. The tracking number is included in the insurance price. Delivery Confirmation is 50 cents You got the sellers attention, but not by much, while they have their way with you. best options are the ones who do Parcel Post and Flat Rate Priority with the proper box.

I also noticed alot when going on ebay that some figures have a low price and then the shipping and handling is up in the $20 to $30 range and the seller is swimming in shipping and handling fees

 

And then when you get the figure you find out the shipping was only $5! yeah I stay away from those sellers also. Or I will wait until the end then bid my lowest which is usually more then what the last guy bid, so to offset the shipping cost and piss off the seller a little

 

They are all about getting as much of our money as possible. Which I can't blame them. But they need to be reasonable. I remember when I sold my Brave Max to a guy in Canada. I told him shipping with insurance and confirmation would be $30. he was shocked he thought it should have been around $60 or something. When I finally mailed it off to him it came to $41 for shipping. he asked me if I wanted him to send me the other $11 to cover the shipping and I said no. he had already spent about $400 at that point so I wasn't worried about the $11.

 

What i've done when i encounter those way over the top shipping and handling charges is that i contact the seller and i ask them to send it to me without the insurance and track number and give me the base mailing option that is the cheapest. I save huge amounts on S&H by asking that. The prices that you usually see are the prices that have all the bells and whistles attached that the seller uses to cover his/her own ass. If your willing to take the risk and have the figure sent uninsured and without a track number then you save heaps. It hasn't failed me yet.

 

Insurance costs $1 for every $100. The tracking number is included in the insurance price. Delivery Confirmation is 50 cents You got the sellers attention, but not by much, while they have their way with you. best options are the ones who do Parcel Post and Flat Rate Priority with the proper box.

 

why would anyone charge for a tracking number? if done through paypal it should show up automaticly to the bidder. when i use ebay i do add a $2.50 s/h ($4 for bigger items) for supplies and the gas i use going to the post office. insurance normally cost $2.50... i've never seen it for $1 before.

I also noticed alot when going on ebay that some figures have a low price and then the shipping and handling is up in the $20 to $30 range and the seller is swimming in shipping and handling fees

 

And then when you get the figure you find out the shipping was only $5! yeah I stay away from those sellers also. Or I will wait until the end then bid my lowest which is usually more then what the last guy bid, so to offset the shipping cost and piss off the seller a little

 

They are all about getting as much of our money as possible. Which I can't blame them. But they need to be reasonable. I remember when I sold my Brave Max to a guy in Canada. I told him shipping with insurance and confirmation would be $30. he was shocked he thought it should have been around $60 or something. When I finally mailed it off to him it came to $41 for shipping. he asked me if I wanted him to send me the other $11 to cover the shipping and I said no. he had already spent about $400 at that point so I wasn't worried about the $11.

 

What i've done when i encounter those way over the top shipping and handling charges is that i contact the seller and i ask them to send it to me without the insurance and track number and give me the base mailing option that is the cheapest. I save huge amounts on S&H by asking that. The prices that you usually see are the prices that have all the bells and whistles attached that the seller uses to cover his/her own ass. If your willing to take the risk and have the figure sent uninsured and without a track number then you save heaps. It hasn't failed me yet.

 

Insurance costs $1 for every $100. The tracking number is included in the insurance price. Delivery Confirmation is 50 cents You got the sellers attention, but not by much, while they have their way with you. best options are the ones who do Parcel Post and Flat Rate Priority with the proper box.

OOh er missus..

 

why would anyone charge for a tracking number? if done through paypal it should show up automaticly to the bidder. when i use ebay i do add a $2.50 s/h ($4 for bigger items) for supplies and the gas i use going to the post office. insurance normally cost $2.50... i've never seen it for $1 before.

 

Some sellers will say a tracking number is separate. As for your charging for gas? and a handling fee is that on top of the normal shipping price? I never charge for supplies or gas. I get all my boxes and stuff for free, and even though the post office is about 8 miles away from where I live. I would never charge a buyer for gas.

 

And the most I have ever paid for insurance on a package was $3 for $300 of insurance. which comes to $1 per $100

It depends. For USPS Insurance and eBay Buyer Assurance purposes, you have to use a signature confirmation option. Using just delivery confirmation isn't enough. I've had a claim refused by USPS because I didn't require a signature. ergo, I will only ship with Signature Confirmation. As for insurance, USPS lost 2 packages on me last year and because of signature confirmation and insurance, I got my postage AND the eBay fees refunded back to me.

 

I wouldn't say that excessive shipping fees are necessarily the sign of being porked. Check the weight, find out the shipper's zip code and do a rate quote on USPS.com. If the shipping is $3 or more of a difference, I'd question. I know I will not ship a thing unless it's insured and with sig conf.

I just sold a ton of stuff on EBay. Got the shipping quotes and listed everything fifty cents higher.

 

When I shipped, everything was a dollar higher then what I posted.

 

Sucks, but I posted the price, so the difference was mine to eat.

 

Shipping is a fickle thing, some benefit, and others loose on it. All I can say is if it seems unreal, contact the seller. I recall one time a guy selling a minicon Liftor with $14.95 shipping. I contacted the guy, and he dropped it to $4.

 

That still seems high, but but there are other costs involved beyond the stamp. Thats why it's shipping & "handling" hell, just finding a box the right size can be a task in itself(tell me a 10 mile ride to my mom's house don't cost nothing, you sit with her)

Personally, I HATE signature confirmation and try to avoid buying from anyone who requires it. How the heck do I know if i'll be home when the post man comes?? I could be out at work on a job site, at the gym working out -- out living life. After they come by once, then you have to go down to the post office to pick it up - costing me more time, inconvenience and gas - not to mention the HOUR i'll spend in the post office line. NO THANKS! The neighborhood is fine - leave it at the door - i'll be a happy camper when I get home.

I used to spend 8 hours a day on evilbay buying figures, and then selling the SAME figures back for a profit of 100% markup or there-abouts. So it just goes to show you that you can find anything for whatever price you want if you do the work. ;)

 

And i cant stand the figures you KNOW aren't worth the listed price, that DO bring up cost of other figures of the same genure (genair? *sp) It show you just how STUPID ppl can be! lol