Re: Fair value for the Apple II on eBay

[drkenb <kbuchholz1107@hotmail.com>]

On Jan 13, 8:58 pm, Michael <michael.pohore...@gmail.com> wrote:

> What kills me is the shipping costs.  $50 for a //c, then another $50 to ship it. Ouch.  Wish I had a better idea what "reasonable" US Postal Shipping costs by weight was ... :/

Hi Michael - Typically, "shipping" is actually "shipping & handling"
and includes not only the cost of the shipper/carrier (USPS, FedEx,
UPS, etc.) but also the cost of the site fees (eBay, Bonanza, etc.),
PayPal fees, and the cost of packing supplies, which are not cheap.
If you're looking at items on eBay, their fees are fairly steep.  Most
other sites are cheaper but they still have fees (the one exception I
know of is blujay.com, which has no fees whatsoever).

How the item is being shipped makes a huge difference.  I use FedEx
which is much cheaper than USPS, especially since it includes
insurance (up to $100) and tracking (not available with USPS).  Folks
sending these units via USPS Priority Insured are paying the most for
shipping.  Parcel Post, on the other hand, can take up to a month to
get to the buyer (typically 1-2 weeks) whereas FedEx and UPS will get
it there within 7 days.

My shipped package weight for a IIc goes 11-13 lbs.  You can get the
shipping cost estimates from any of the carriers if you know your
seller's zip code.  Then add eBay and PayPal fees.  For shipping
supplies, you can go to uline.com and get the cost of boxes, packing
peanuts, tape, etc.  (FedEx supplies shipping labels for free.)  I can
tell you that the cost of a box is the cost of the box cited PLUS
about 40% markup for shipping. Of course, if you go buy a single box
locally at Staples, Office Despot, etc., the cost is higher.  And
check out the cost of bubble wrap, peanuts, etc., locally and the cost
will make your eyes pop!  For shipping, you really need to have 2"
minimum of padding around the item.

Here's a real-life example:  I recently sold a IIc for $89.99 to
someone in NY.  I live in VA.  eBay/PayPal fees were $12.31 and FedEx
shipping for a 13 lb box was $12.14 and packing supplies were $2.00
for a total S&H of $26.45.  USPS Priority would have be $16.80 + $2.25
for insurance ($19.05 total), add $12.31 eBay/PayPal fees & $2.00
supplies for a total S&H of $33.36 for USPS Priority Insured.  Parcel
Post: $12.06 + $2.25 insurance ($14.31 total), add $12.31 + $2.00 for
a total S&H of $28.62.  These prices are for Virginia to New York,
which are relatively close to one another.  Of course, shipping to the
West Coast would be higher.

I typically figure S&H for the west coast since I live in VA, and then
IF the total S&H is less than I quoted, I refund the difference.  I do
not advertise that fact, though, to manage expectations.  If I charge
$30 and then unexpectedly refund $4.00, the buyer is happy since they
were not expecting any refund and were prepared to pay the $30 S&H
fee.  If I charge $30 and the S&H comes to $40, I eat the difference.
I typically do not offer "free shipping" because I would have to roll
those S&H costs into the cost of the item and eBay fees would be
higher since they calculate FVF fees sans S&H costs.

Since shipper charges & eBay/PayPal fees are pretty much fixed costs
that the seller can't do anything about, the only thing they can do is
chinze on the packing materials.  You can use a used box, use
newspaper instead of packing peanuts & bubble wrap, etc., and reduce
the costs slightly, but then you chance the item being damaged in
transit.  Personally, I always hope that the seller doesn't go cheap
on the packing materials, since they are such a small part of the
overall costs.  And I stay away from anyone who will be shipping
Parcel Post as it is by far the worst option available.

Ken
http://www.Apple2online.com