shipping charges....you decide...

michael minarik

Here are 3 auctions on this site for the same cal rifle and here is what the seller charges for shipping: #3789625: 45-70, $25.00 shipping, handling, and insurance/ #3821658: Buyer pays $30.00 shipping/ #3772564:19.95 for S+H( this one is about right and the rifle has a scope and is a collector's piece with the straight stock). I know what I think! How one justify's $30 0r $25 charges for a long gun is a joke. After 30 years of this I recogize it might cost $30 or $25 or even more to ship a $1000+ item but not a $300-$400 item. If these items were for sale at a g-shop in my state even sales tax would not be as high as these shipping costs. Sure somebody will respond and say "well, i have an employee who must prepare and package the item so this adds to my cost" B_S! What about the customer who comes in, spends an hour with your employee examining and handling an item then says "let me think about it" turns around and walks out. Does the shop owner then add $5 to the cost of that item because the employee wasted an hour? Chicanery, Crookery call it what you want anyone who bids and then pays that kind of shipping cost must have money to burn or is a blithering idiot!

hacker

some sellers charge for their time and effort in packaging and going to the post office to mail things. some charge for boxes. some just add a few extra bucks for themselves. it doesn't do much good to complain about it. take the shipping charges into consideration when bidding. if you think a seller is asking too much don't bid.

i never make misteakes.

michael minarik

Hacker, you migh have a point but UPS comes to these places to delivery and make pickups so the g-shop does not have traveling time to and from but just imagine the cost of an item if Remington or Winchester used the same rational as some of these seller's do? What do you think your Rem 700 would cost then!!!! A fact I FORGOT to take into consideration is the cost that these site's charge for selling. I do not think all this glitter and special effects scenerio (who needs a smiling face in a sentence I can pick up on your personality by understanding what you write and how it is writtien) for this or anyother site is TRULY necessary to be a success A VERY SIMPLE black and white format WHICH IS REALLY SIMPLE would suffice and be less costly to operate...

Boomerang

Mike - First off I am not a dealer, just a gun enthusiast. I will sometimes sell a gun that I get tired of and use the money to buy another. The lowest it has ever cost me to ship a rifle was about $18.00 via the USPS and it was insured for $400. The highest was about $27 via USPS and it was insured for $800. To ship a handgun via UPS Next Day Air it has has cost me from about $28 to $45 depending on weight and shipping location.

Sad to say, but it cost just a little more money to do business these days. If you think it is way out of line, then check shipping cost calculators on the UPS and USPS websites.

Like the guy said, factor in bid price and shipping costs and if it is too high, then don't bid. Life is too short to worry about these little things.

Boomer

Protect our Constitutional Rights.

Iconoclast

Michael, I'm not going beat dead horses on shpg charges, but as to the listing decorations, these "extra services" cost the sites virtually nothing except some one-time coding efforts, so it adds virtually nothing to their expenses. But it does add to their bottom line. By themselves, these slight incremental extra expenses cost the individual seller almost nothing per item, but multiplied by "X" number of sellers across "Y" number of auction listings, it can - I suspect - be a nice chunk of change for the site. GB and the other sites aren't running their operations to go broke. And the fees here are not ridiculous as they are in multi-millionaires club called eBarf. My $0.02

michael minarik

Shipping fact: I paid the asking price plus $20 for shipping to a Seller in Wyoming who sold me his $900 Remington!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How does this compare to a Seller wanting $30 to ship a $300-$400 Marlin 45-70. True for Alaska and the Islands shipping will be different but most sellers tell you to those places shipping will be extra but in the mainland USA???! USPS will ship a hand gun from Dealer to Dealer for half what UPS charges and dellivery time is not that much different...except UPS is raping fire arm owners and look at how UPS treats shippers when they file a legitimate claim for damage.... You are right though...shop around. About the bid or no bid on an item because of the shipping cost's: well I always ask "I will buy your item if that price includes shipping?"...9 outta 10 x's the response has been favorable. I just think that in too many cases these costs are over inflated and if so WHY? As for the decorations on this site...they cost period! Sometimes there is such a visual overload of colors, schemes and such that it is a negative. Yup, I am a real dumb * when it comes to computor(er) stuff so I really do not know all the complexities of such work but take this new format for this 'discussion forum'...i think it sucks...i still can't figure out how to edit or delete from my posting or the same for a comment I may post on an other topic..tell me it is better! As for the number of stars I get, who cares, is not the content of my contributions more important than the number stars I get? Do I need to know the screen size what for and why... Why after entering my password and ID must I continue to do the same ALL THE TIME this redundency is ludicrious! Hell, I can't even get this thing to preview so I can edit...show's how dumb I am... As to the Fees for selling on this or any other site I don't theenk they are bad but they pay for all this glitz and glamour which I do not think is necessary...K-I-S-S. ABOUT ME BEING A D-*...please do not second that...LOL

Mercury

I'm not a gun seller, but it is simple:

IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE SHIPPING PRICE, DON'T BID!!!!

Merc

NO! You may not have my guns! Now go crawl back into your hole!

****************************************

"Tolerating things you may not necessarily like is part of being free" - Larry Flynt

Edited by - Mercury on 05/02/2002 17:43:47

Big Sky Redneck

This is why I buy most of my guns at stores. By the time you go thru the hassle and wait plus the added expense of shipping it makes dealing alot easier when you just walk in to a store and walk out wiht it. Also don't forget about the FFL fees when it arrives. By the time you are done with that good deal you can add $50-70 to the price of it, then add the waiting time, is it worth it? Don't get me wrong, I do buy from the auction from time to time but these "bussiness men" and top dollar sellers are taking the "good" out of the deal.

ref44

I agree...if you don't like the shipping cost, don't bid. But a career in customer service taught me that a person deserves to know why he is losing business. Some don't take it kindly, but I always tell a person why I don't bid on an item I would otherwise if shipping was lower. Some respond favorably. I generally price my items such that I can ship FFL to FFL for $8-$12 on most handguns.