RE: [CR]Re: Outrageous shipping charges

(Example: Framebuilding:Tubing)

content-class: urn:content-classes:message
Subject: RE: [CR]Re: Outrageous shipping charges
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2005 08:49:12 -0800
Thread-Topic: [CR]Re: Outrageous shipping charges
Thread-Index: AcUNNG6lGeetoQXLTsCNm7oQQaqX/gAAFYqg
From: "George Argiris" <George.Argiris@mitchell.com>
To: <PBridge130@aol.com>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>


It's not off topic, all I by on eBay is bike stuff.

george argiris san diego, ca

-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of PBridge130@aol.com Sent: Monday, February 07, 2005 8:45 AM To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]Re: Outrageous shipping charges

Assorted comments, blah, blah, blah, off-topic, but at least not whining: --I used to share Peter Naiman's feelings on this subject. Feels, emotionally, like a rip-off. --I've lost money shipping a few times, by trying to save buyers money.

Bummer, especially when shipping a Cinelli 1-A that just auctioned for five or six bucks. --I got tired of scrounging boxes and started buying them. Costs money. I still save and scrounge boxes when possible, out of a recycling mentality. --Ditto bubblewrap, etc. --Takes time and energy to go to the PO. Time is money. --Many buyers have come to expect priority delivery. Many buyers get impatient around day four. Fast delivery helps to ensure happy buyers. --I rarely charge less than five bucks to ship anything, and I usually use priority. --On the other hand, a number of times, I've sent listmembers, and others, assorted stuff for nothing, as a favour. Free stuff, free shipping, free mailing materials. Others have done the same for me. --In the commercial world, the costs of overhead are reflected in the retail price. How much markup to charge is the choice of the seller, and how much markup to pay is the choice of the buyer. Sellers who don't calculate overhead in their retail prices often have trouble keeping the lights turned on. (cf: competition in the marketplace, and, generally, the theory of supply and demand.) --If I have a bunch of transactions going on, I start to feel kind of "commercial", and ebay costs, paypal costs, packing costs, etc., start to feel a lot like overhead. Frankly, I don't mind recouping a buck or two on shipping. --With all due respect and empathy, I no longer share Peter Naiman's feelings about shipping charges. On the other hand, I do check shipping charges carefully before buying or bidding. Recently a guy on the bicycles marketplace newsgroup wanted $65 bucks to ship a frame, and the entire newsgroup informed him, bluntly, that he was out of line. The marketplace in action, and it's a beautiful thing. (cf: Adam Smith and "the invisible hand".)

Cheers,

Peter Bridge
DenCO