Increased shipping costs

[ukshaun]

There's always ebay. One major beef i have is with sellers that make use of something called ebay Global Shipping Program
It sucks because it's expensive and slow. I spotted a piece on sale for $200. The Global Shippng Program wanted to charge $100 import fee? that's a whopping 50% of the item sale price. It's lousy enough having to pay the usual (US - UK) 20% import fee. 50% is a complete joke.

[Mepaphoros]

Originally Posted by gagaliya

dimension weight cost more, but is not a valid justification in this case.

As someone quoted the regular rate for ground is ~$140, anyone with a commercial account gets 50% off regular rates. Someone like sideshow's volume you get at least 70% off. The real shipping cost is more like $50-60

The shipping cost we are getting a few years back is the real shipping cost sideshow pays, i remember 15-20lb statues from west to east coast was $20-30 shipping.

Unlike sideshow statues that goes from $300 to $600 in a few years, ups shipping rates go up only slightly every year.

It is obvious sideshow is trying to squeeze every penny out of the buyers, overpriced shipping is just another method. A lightbulb must went off, given at the time of preorder buyers will not know the shipping cost, and they can basically charge whatever they want at shipping time, if you cancel, you lose the deposit. What a brilliant idea!

Another reason to wait for in stock before ordering, so you know the exact shipping cost. I am at a point where just dont care to preorder anymore to try score an EX on the rare chance it may be sold-out when shipping. Given all the risks one takes with preorders. All my orders are only in stock orders now, then i know exactly what i am getting and paying. Let someone else be the guinea pig. The days of preordering everything with dozens preorders pending are long gone.

/rant off

[Vpuik]

Did some simple non scientific calculation using X-23 as an example in a 12x21x25 box standard UPS rate.

Pre 2015 shipping weight: ~14 lbs (12+2 for box)
2015-2017 dimensional weight (166 modifier): 38 lbs
2017+ Dimensional Weight (139 modifier): 46 lbs

SS Domestic estimated rate: 28 lbs
SS International estimated rate: 46 lbs

No wonder shipping costs are going up with even the current domestic discounted rate being double pre-2015 rates.

[Vic Viper]

Originally Posted by ukshaun

There's always ebay. One major beef i have is with sellers that make use of something called ebay Global Shipping Program
It sucks because it's expensive and slow. I spotted a piece on sale for $200. The Global Shippng Program wanted to charge $100 import fee? that's a whopping 50% of the item sale price. It's lousy enough having to pay the usual (US - UK) 20% import fee. 50% is a complete joke.

Talk to the seller some might be willing to work with you if you're serious about buying.

I had a guy from Australia contacted me about a piece I was selling on eBay. long story short, I ended up revised my listing and ship the package through USPS Priority Air myself instead of the GSP. I ended up saving him about 50% of what the eBay quoted for the GSP which also includes import duties and what not. To be honest I really have no clue how eBay come up with these quotes since I never enter any information regarding the size and the weight of the package in most of my listings since I offer free domestic shipping.

It's a hard time selling on eBay so I tried to work with the buyers. The only good thing about the GSP is that if something happens, they're suppose to take care of it with the buyer.

[gagaliya]

Originally Posted by ukshaun

There's always ebay. One major beef i have is with sellers that make use of something called ebay Global Shipping Program
It sucks because it's expensive and slow. I spotted a piece on sale for $200. The Global Shippng Program wanted to charge $100 import fee? that's a whopping 50% of the item sale price. It's lousy enough having to pay the usual (US - UK) 20% import fee. 50% is a complete joke.

unfortunately for large boxes like statues, global shipping is the only way. There is no other way to ship them for regular sellers. if you use ups/fedex to UK, you get charged $300-600 in shipping, only high volume shippers like sideshow can use ups/fedex for international shipping. USPS priority international won't accept them because it is above their dimension limit, unless you got lucky and the guy accepting the box doesn't bother to check.

for smaller items, usps priority/express international is definitely the way to go, but again - unfortunately most international buyers refuse to deal with us seller who ships direct - they only trust global shipping for some reason.

I buy/sell many expensive cgc graded comics. Had bunch European buyers who insist on using only global shipping to buy my $2000 comics. I explained to them i could just ship via USPS express international directly to them that will only cost them $50 in shipping, instead of $30 shipping + $300ish custom fees via global shipping, and that global shipping is less reliable for small expensive items since you are at the mercy of ebay's shipping center to relabel the box correctly and not damage it.

But most refuse and will only buy via global shipping...who am i to argue if they want to donate $300 extra to ebay...

world is full of clueless people.

[gagaliya]

Originally Posted by Vic Viper

To be honest I really have no clue how eBay come up with these quotes since I never enter any information regarding the size and the weight of the package in most of my listings since I offer free domestic shipping.

I know exactly how they do it, it's a very complicated formula that basically depends on the item category, price of the item, and domestic shipping fee you put. Those 3 inputs go into their calculation along with a static mapping of each country's custom fees/rules, it is then compared against similar items they shipped in the past, and you get the international shipping fee + custom fees.

It's best estimate, they lose money on large heavy boxes a lot of times (if the seller is smart..will just leave at that), but makes tons of money on small expensive items from global shipping, and net net still makes a lot of money. Next time anyone that goes to their ebay annual event to "help" the seller, ask the ebay reps there if they actually pay all the custom fees ebay / pitney bowes collect from buyers via global shipping to the respective country government, and watch them spin and spin without giving a direct answer.

[WhistlingTime]

Originally Posted by Vracula

Collectors in Australia are suffering too, I wish they would make exclusives available here or get rid of exclusives altogether.

Indeed. The weak dollar doesn't help, but combined with the shipping, acquiring an EX down here is a bit of a silly proposition nowadays.

Out of curiosity I had a look at the Mr Freeze PF.
At retail, the regular can be had here for A$1200. To bring in the EX from Sideshow it would be around the A$1550 mark (assuming minimum US$150 shipping).
So in the case of Freeze, that little Nora effigy ends up costing around A$350 (US$230). It's a nice addition but you would have to be a hardcore Freeze fan to justify that purchase.

With the shipping though, I do wonder whether part of the premium is to do with it being an express service. They usually get here within 3-4 days and I was very surprised when one showed up on a Sunday.

[Y3E]

Originally Posted by ukshaun

There's always ebay. One major beef i have is with sellers that make use of something called ebay Global Shipping Program
It sucks because it's expensive and slow. I spotted a piece on sale for $200. The Global Shippng Program wanted to charge $100 import fee? that's a whopping 50% of the item sale price. It's lousy enough having to pay the usual (US - UK) 20% import fee. 50% is a complete joke.

I don't know how these custom fees are calculated. Some items that has fees shouldn't and then there some that are not consistent. I am a sucker for Target Exclusive bluray movies and some sellers would be selling the same items for virtually the same price yet custom fees are different. You would think the amount would be nearly the same.

Originally Posted by Vic Viper

Talk to the seller some might be willing to work with you if you're serious about buying.

I had a guy from Australia contacted me about a piece I was selling on eBay. long story short, I ended up revised my listing and ship the package through USPS Priority Air myself instead of the GSP. I ended up saving him about 50% of what the eBay quoted for the GSP which also includes import duties and what not. To be honest I really have no clue how eBay come up with these quotes since I never enter any information regarding the size and the weight of the package in most of my listings since I offer free domestic shipping.

It's a hard time selling on eBay so I tried to work with the buyers. The only good thing about the GSP is that if something happens, they're suppose to take care of it with the buyer.

You are good seller Vic. A few of sellers I contacted basically told me to jump in a lake or made up an excuse it cannot be changed and once you are in GSP you cannot change.