Geocoin Shipping Cost

October 9, 2010

I've been buying on ebay for awhile and just started selling as well. It seems like some coins have reasonable shipping rates, but most seem to be high. Not sure why people are being charged upwards of $3-$5 in shipping for one coin?

I was able to ship a 1.75" coin to Germany the other day for only $2.28, granted can't use delivery confirmation, but that only adds $.019. I've also received coins from the east coast with delivery confirmation and the shipping was only $2.19.

So please add your comments. Am I just missing something here, or or cachers being over charged Geocoin shipping fees?

October 9, 2010

Add the cost of a bubble mailer to that cost estimate.

And yes, some Epay sellers will try to increase profits by adding to shipping costs. (not picking on the GC sellers, just Eplace sellers in general)

October 9, 2010

Yes, forgot about that. So a bubble mailer adds $0.25, less if you buy in bulk.

8k · October 9, 2010

Add the cost of a bubble mailer to that cost estimate.

And yes, some Epay sellers will try to increase profits by adding to shipping costs. (not picking on the GC sellers, just Eplace sellers in general)

There are paypal fees and ebay fees too.

2k · October 9, 2010

In my experence mailers are a lil costly unless you have them shipped in bulk, also I use lots of tape , then I also use staples and a 3x5 card-there are ebay and paypal fees. Also for me there is a commute to the post office. So I think 3-5 dollers is not to unreasonable so long as the coins are well packaged I have yet to have one I shipped out not make it or one show up empty.

3.4k · October 9, 2010

Add the cost of a bubble mailer to that cost estimate.

And yes, some Epay sellers will try to increase profits by adding to shipping costs. (not picking on the GC sellers, just Eplace sellers in general)

There are paypal fees and ebay fees too.

and shipping costs are exempt from those fees. high shipping is a a profit maker for sellers. after you pay for shipping, gas to the post office and the cost of the envelope, anything over than is pure profit. sometimes it prevents me from buying, but other times, if i feel i am helping someone out, i will pay.

rsg

October 9, 2010

That's a good point as well. On a $15 coin that would come out to $0.74 in PayPal fees and $1.35 in eBay fees. So $2.09 total.

So with that being said, should the buyer or seller pay those fees, or both?

October 9, 2010

i shipped a coin from the east coast of canada to rhodes and it cost me over $3... I cant remember how much but where are the shippers shipping from? is it a flat rate for where ever they are shipping? Maybe they find the most expensive place to ship to and base their costs on that

3.4k · October 9, 2010

That's a good point as well. On a $15 coin that would come out to $0.74 in PayPal fees and $1.35 in eBay fees. So $2.09 total.

So with that being said, should the buyer or seller pay those fees, or both?

the seller, but the cost of the coins should have some of the expected fee amount added to the initial listing price, i think. i don't think jacking up the cost of shipping to cover the cost of the fees is the way to go. but that's just my opinion.

October 9, 2010

When you create and send an invoice out from PayPal, does the seller get charged the 2.9% + $0.30 USD fee? Why not just do a Personal Transfer everything which is free if its coming from another PayPal account.

Edited October 9, 2010 by Team kizb

9.8k · October 9, 2010

Sellers on ebay are allowed to charge for supplies. They not free!

Supplies include mailers, bubble wrap, tape, labels and gasoline. Combined, this adds $1 to my personal shipping charges, which I think is very fair.

And for the record, delivery confirmation is only 19 cents when you purchase it through paypal. Doing so only gives you proof you printed a label, not proof of shipment (a requirement for seller protection). Delivery confirmation costs 80-cents for first class parcels.

October 9, 2010

With Delivery confirmation, even with using PayPal, doesn't the package still get its initial scan when it goes to the post office?

9.8k · October 9, 2010

With Delivery confirmation, even with using PayPal, doesn't the package still get its initial scan when it goes to the post office?

No

See reply in your other post.

October 9, 2010

Just checked a bubble mailer I received that used e Delivery Confirm. Its does show tracking information, but just might be a little delayed at first. To your buyer it would still prove the item shipped and protect the seller as far as if the item was delivered or not. The label showed a printed date of 24Sep.

Detailed Results:

Delivered, October 02, 2010, 12:20 pm,

OUT FOR DELIVERY, October 02, 2010, 8:50 am,

Sorting Complete, October 02, 2010, 8:20 am,

Arrival at Post Office, October 02, 2010, 12:03 am,

Processed through Sort Facility, September 30, 2010, 9:56 pm,

Acceptance, September 29, 2010, 3:41 pm,

Electronic Shipping Info Received, September 25, 2010

Seems to do its job for $0.61 less and save you a trip to the post office.

Edited October 9, 2010 by Team kizb

2.5k · October 10, 2010

It also depends on where it is being shipped from and the weight. When I ship from Canada to the US, a single coin costs $2.27 + tax. Shipping the same coin to Europe costs $4.75 + tax. If I ship 3 coins (bringing it to over 100 grams) the costs are $4.45 + tax and $7.45 + tax. If I want tracking I would have to ship that single coin by expresspost and pay $16.35 + tax to the US and $30+ to Europe.

If someone is shipping from Europe (say Germany) to the US, the fees are horrendous. A 7 euro fee for a single coin is not gouging, it is breaking even.

October 10, 2010

It also depends on where it is being shipped from and the weight. When I ship from Canada to the US, a single coin costs $2.27 + tax. Shipping the same coin to Europe costs $4.75 + tax. If I ship 3 coins (bringing it to over 100 grams) the costs are $4.45 + tax and $7.45 + tax. If I want tracking I would have to ship that single coin by expresspost and pay $16.35 + tax to the US and $30+ to Europe.

If someone is shipping from Europe (say Germany) to the US, the fees are horrendous. A 7 euro fee for a single coin is not gouging, it is breaking even.

My observations were of US to US shipping rates mainly.

Edited October 10, 2010 by Team kizb

9.8k · October 10, 2010

Just checked a bubble mailer I received that used e Delivery Confirm. Its does show tracking information, but just might be a little delayed at first. To your buyer it would still prove the item shipped and protect the seller as far as if the item was delivered or not. The label showed a printed date of 24Sep.

Detailed Results:

Delivered, October 02, 2010, 12:20 pm,

OUT FOR DELIVERY, October 02, 2010, 8:50 am,

Sorting Complete, October 02, 2010, 8:20 am,

Arrival at Post Office, October 02, 2010, 12:03 am,

Processed through Sort Facility, September 30, 2010, 9:56 pm,

Acceptance, September 29, 2010, 3:41 pm,

Electronic Shipping Info Received, September 25, 2010

Seems to do its job for $0.61 less and save you a trip to the post office.

I think I'll stick with what works all the time. If it's scanned, it's in the mail system & the tracking system the same day.

I take it you haven't been in the role of seller much.

Edited October 10, 2010 by AtlantaGal

October 10, 2010

Just checked a bubble mailer I received that used e Delivery Confirm. Its does show tracking information, but just might be a little delayed at first. To your buyer it would still prove the item shipped and protect the seller as far as if the item was delivered or not. The label showed a printed date of 24Sep.

Detailed Results:

Delivered, October 02, 2010, 12:20 pm,

OUT FOR DELIVERY, October 02, 2010, 8:50 am,

Sorting Complete, October 02, 2010, 8:20 am,

Arrival at Post Office, October 02, 2010, 12:03 am,

Processed through Sort Facility, September 30, 2010, 9:56 pm,

Acceptance, September 29, 2010, 3:41 pm,

Electronic Shipping Info Received, September 25, 2010

Seems to do its job for $0.61 less and save you a trip to the post office.

I think I'll stick with what works all the time. If it's scanned, it's in the mail system & the tracking system the same day.

I take it you haven't been in the role of seller much.

No, I haven't. Just trying to learn the ins and outs to become a good seller. Thanks everyone for the great information so far.

3.4k · October 10, 2010

Sellers on ebay are allowed to charge for supplies. They not free!

Supplies include mailers, bubble wrap, tape, labels and gasoline. Combined, this adds $1 to my personal shipping charges, which I think is very fair....

totally agree with you on that. your shipping rates were always reasonable i think.

rsg

3.4k · October 10, 2010

Just checked a bubble mailer I received that used e Delivery Confirm. Its does show tracking information, but just might be a little delayed at first. To your buyer it would still prove the item shipped and protect the seller as far as if the item was delivered or not. The label showed a printed date of 24Sep.

Detailed Results:

Delivered, October 02, 2010, 12:20 pm,

OUT FOR DELIVERY, October 02, 2010, 8:50 am,

Sorting Complete, October 02, 2010, 8:20 am,

Arrival at Post Office, October 02, 2010, 12:03 am,

Processed through Sort Facility, September 30, 2010, 9:56 pm,

Acceptance, September 29, 2010, 3:41 pm,

Electronic Shipping Info Received, September 25, 2010

Seems to do its job for $0.61 less and save you a trip to the post office.

the problem arises with delivery confirmation only, as opposed to insurance, is a scan can be missed at any one of a number of places and if the package goes missing that's it. no recourse from the post office.

i shipped an EXPENSIVE tranquility. used delivery confirmation, but because i had never had any problems i neglected to insure it. sure enough it went missing. it was scanned at one point and then it fell out of the system. never was delivered and i have pestered the post office, filled out forms, etc. but it is gone.

lesson learned.

i insure everything now, even a $15 coin trade. better safe than sorry. so if i was a seller anymore, i would add mandatory insurance to the shipping cost. when the post office is at fault, who takes the financial hit?

rsg

October 10, 2010

I know that in the past people would charge insane shipping rates to make up for the money that Ebay takes out of the final bid price. You could see an item worth $10 go for $2 with $10 shipping when it would only cost a dollar or two to actually ship it. Sometimes it just a way to game the system to make more money.

October 10, 2010

Just checked a bubble mailer I received that used e Delivery Confirm. Its does show tracking information, but just might be a little delayed at first. To your buyer it would still prove the item shipped and protect the seller as far as if the item was delivered or not. The label showed a printed date of 24Sep.

Detailed Results:

Delivered, October 02, 2010, 12:20 pm,

OUT FOR DELIVERY, October 02, 2010, 8:50 am,

Sorting Complete, October 02, 2010, 8:20 am,

Arrival at Post Office, October 02, 2010, 12:03 am,

Processed through Sort Facility, September 30, 2010, 9:56 pm,

Acceptance, September 29, 2010, 3:41 pm,

Electronic Shipping Info Received, September 25, 2010

Seems to do its job for $0.61 less and save you a trip to the post office.

I think I'll stick with what works all the time. If it's scanned, it's in the mail system & the tracking system the same day.

I take it you haven't been in the role of seller much.

If the label was printed at home, then taken to the post office, would that have the same effect?

1.7k · October 10, 2010

Just checked a bubble mailer I received that used e Delivery Confirm. Its does show tracking information, but just might be a little delayed at first. To your buyer it would still prove the item shipped and protect the seller as far as if the item was delivered or not. The label showed a printed date of 24Sep.

Detailed Results:

Delivered, October 02, 2010, 12:20 pm,

OUT FOR DELIVERY, October 02, 2010, 8:50 am,

Sorting Complete, October 02, 2010, 8:20 am,

Arrival at Post Office, October 02, 2010, 12:03 am,

Processed through Sort Facility, September 30, 2010, 9:56 pm,

Acceptance, September 29, 2010, 3:41 pm,

Electronic Shipping Info Received, September 25, 2010

Seems to do its job for $0.61 less and save you a trip to the post office.

I think I'll stick with what works all the time. If it's scanned, it's in the mail system & the tracking system the same day.

I take it you haven't been in the role of seller much.

No, I haven't. Just trying to learn the ins and outs to become a good seller. Thanks everyone for the great information so far.

I sell on eBay and have had some delivery confirmation slips (through Paypal) not be scanned because the buyer receives the coin and leaves me positive feedback but when I check through USPS, there's no information. The best way to track something is to use Fedex or UPS, where it gets scanned everywhere it goes. Of course, this would cost an arm and a leg to ship a coin. So there are trade-offs.

Edited October 10, 2010 by Mauison

October 10, 2010

It really doesn't matter what sellers charge for shipping from the

buyer's point of view. A bidder will be willing to pay, say, $10 for a

geocoin -- Whether $8 for the coin and $2 shipping, or $6 for

the coin and $4 shipping. I offer free shipping because of the

psychological advantage of those looking for a deal. But in

reality, if you compare completed auctions for the same item you

will see that buyers take that into account and subtract from the bid.

It DOES matter to eBxx what sellers charge for shipping, and hence

the recent mandates about stating shipping charges in all auctions.

Ebxx cannot charge commission on the shipping/handling, and that

is why many sellers skew that number to sometimes a laughable

number. If I sold that $10 geocoin for $.01 bid and $9.99 shipping,

to avoid paying Ebxx and Payxxx fees, ... well, thay are ALL over that.

Decide what you want to pay and build the shipping into that price.

Those sellers are trying to rob someone, but not you.

Tracy

9.8k · October 10, 2010

Just checked a bubble mailer I received that used e Delivery Confirm. Its does show tracking information, but just might be a little delayed at first. To your buyer it would still prove the item shipped and protect the seller as far as if the item was delivered or not. The label showed a printed date of 24Sep.

Detailed Results:

Delivered, October 02, 2010, 12:20 pm,

OUT FOR DELIVERY, October 02, 2010, 8:50 am,

Sorting Complete, October 02, 2010, 8:20 am,

Arrival at Post Office, October 02, 2010, 12:03 am,

Processed through Sort Facility, September 30, 2010, 9:56 pm,

Acceptance, September 29, 2010, 3:41 pm,

Electronic Shipping Info Received, September 25, 2010

Seems to do its job for $0.61 less and save you a trip to the post office.

I think I'll stick with what works all the time. If it's scanned, it's in the mail system & the tracking system the same day.

I take it you haven't been in the role of seller much.

If the label was printed at home, then taken to the post office, would that have the same effect?

Only if you stand in line to go to the counter and force them to scan it. Otherwise, it's hit or miss. I know typically they are not scanned until delivered.

2.8k · October 10, 2010

Just checked a bubble mailer I received that used e Delivery Confirm. Its does show tracking information, but just might be a little delayed at first. To your buyer it would still prove the item shipped and protect the seller as far as if the item was delivered or not. The label showed a printed date of 24Sep.

Detailed Results:

Delivered, October 02, 2010, 12:20 pm,

OUT FOR DELIVERY, October 02, 2010, 8:50 am,

Sorting Complete, October 02, 2010, 8:20 am,

Arrival at Post Office, October 02, 2010, 12:03 am,

Processed through Sort Facility, September 30, 2010, 9:56 pm,

Acceptance, September 29, 2010, 3:41 pm,

Electronic Shipping Info Received, September 25, 2010

Seems to do its job for $0.61 less and save you a trip to the post office.

I think I'll stick with what works all the time. If it's scanned, it's in the mail system & the tracking system the same day.

I take it you haven't been in the role of seller much.

No, I haven't. Just trying to learn the ins and outs to become a good seller. Thanks everyone for the great information so far.

I sell on eBay and have had some delivery confirmation slips (through Paypal) not be scanned because the buyer receives the coin and leaves me positive feedback but when I check through USPS, there's no information. The best way to track something is to use Fedex or UPS, where it gets scanned everywhere it goes. Of course, this would cost an arm and a leg to ship a coin. So there are trade-offs.

And even these methods are not foolproof...we recently had our 10/10/10 coins delivered by FedEx. The tracking stated that they were left on my porch, but they were not...they were left on the porch of the wrong house on the wrong street.

In regards to the shipping costs, the seller will recoup their costs (shipping, packaging, eBay and paypal fees) by either incorporating it into the initial cost of the coin for sale or the shipping. I, personally, do not have a problem with that. The seller want to at least break even from their initial investment. When buying, I never only look at the price of the coin. I look at my total out of pocket expenses.

October 10, 2010

If someone is shipping from Europe (say Germany) to the US, the fees are horrendous. A 7 euro fee for a single coin is not gouging, it is breaking even.

Yes It's really expensive. Here are the shipping costs from Germany to New York,

weight over 50 gramme round about 0,11 pounds (this is a 1,75mm, 3,5 thick coin, in a padded envelope)

11,20 USD

without any insurance.

without packing and handling.

3.6k · October 10, 2010

That's a good point as well. On a $15 coin that would come out to $0.74 in PayPal fees and $1.35 in eBay fees. So $2.09 total.

So with that being said, should the buyer or seller pay those fees, or both?

Depends on who you ask. I would imagine that both is fairer. Some direct costs like postage and materials are the responsibility of the buyer but the indirect ones like time to print the label, drive to the post office, answer emails or even launch and administer the auction ought the be the seller's responsibility.

BTW I don't think it fair to expect the seller to charge bulk rates for individual materials used (your plumber doesn't charge you "his" price for the materials used on your job, does he?). Buying bulk is a convenience to the seller but also a means to recoup some of the costs in packaging and driving to the post office to mail the package.

Edited October 10, 2010 by Droo

October 10, 2010

That's a very good point about not expecting the seller to charge bulk rates for material. A seller puts up the money to buy say 500 bubble mailers so that they CAN make a little money to recoup PayPal/eBay cost.

So shipping cost should be based more on what it would cost any one of us to buy a bubble mailer at a retail store, then ship it at the post office. Not what its costing a big seller that buys materials in bulk, weights/prints from home and no trip to the post office.

Thanks for that incite Droo

Geocoin Shipping Cost

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