Shipping quote... out to lunch or not?

DSChamber

DSChamber

Well-Known Member
Hey... I recently won an Akai EA-G80 equalizer on eBay for $4.99 ... it's a bit dinged up and needs some TLC but from what the seller said, it was working fine.

Before I bid I asked for a shipping quote from the seller, he initially came back with $40.00 ... He said to me via email "40$ Had to get a more accurate weight before giving the quote hence the delay."

That was via US Post Office, regular air mail parcel post... 6-10 business day delivery option. From Zip code 97124 (Oregon) to Canada (my postal code is A1W 4T1). That to me seemed to be on the high side as I have had different things shipped from the US before with all different kinds of weights/dimensions and I know roughly what shipping will cost. The seller went on to say in an email " Yes I will be shipping by USPS, should be 40$ If for some reason it is more I can let you back out."


So the auction closes and I am the only bidder... I win it for $4.99... I am a very happy AK'er... although this EQ isn't in perfect condition, I got it for a good deal....

So I reply to the seller and ask him for the final price... $4.99 + shipping/handling.

He comes back with $55.00..... I sat there blinking at the screen. $55 to ship an EQ which cannot weight no more than 10 lbs at the most???

I would like this EQ but not at $60 US...for that price I am sure I can come across one that is in much much much better condition.


I replied to him asking how he got to this $55 price, how much did he put in for "handling"... still awaiting a reply.

So my questions are ....

1. Is $55 out to lunch to ship this EQ via USPS?

2. If he says $55 is the final price should I (or even could I) fall back to his email where he gives me an out?

Thoughts... comments...

If I have to pay $55 shipping I will just because I don't want to have a red mark on my eBay record... but I don't like being taken for a ride either....
 
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I recently got a power conditioner through USPS at about 25 lbs or so.. it was $21 to ship... I also got a pair of Altec 511 horns in a large box, about the same weight, that were about the same...

The guy is high on his shipping costs.. however, if you figure the packing materials, the time, and the price of fuel to get to the shipping place, then I guess it might justify the extra $20 or so that seems too much..
 
I will see what the seller comes back with, he seems like a sensible guy and actually runs an eBay business... I mean if the actual shipping charge is indeed $40 then I wouldn't have a problem with an extra $15 even though I think if he was going to charge that much for "handling" he should have been up front about it, handling is a pretty static charge for most stuff, give or take a few $$ depending on the size of the box... When I sell/ship things I will always be up front on what I will add (if anything) in the way of handling...

I just don't like "making up the difference" to a seller with inflated shipping/handling when an auction doesn't close higher than they want...not saying that this is the case.....it is my first thought when I win something for cheap and then the shipping quote comes in seemingly inflated.

Guess I will see what the seller comes back with.....
 
Shipping to Canada for a 15lb package is

Priority Mail® International 6 - 10 Days $34.70

Shipping to Canada is like shipping overseas.
 
OH.. Sorry.. seeing this is shipped to Canada, yeah, I would say in line.. just be thankful you aren't buying new and paying customs fees...
 
$55 is high to Canada, but Canada is international and higher now that the USPS discontinued surface mail last May. I just sold an LP to a guy in Germany. $24.00 is what the USPS wants to ship it PMI, which is the only insurable option. They won't insure 1st Class.

The $40.00 really is much more reasonable, but if the carton exceeds certain sizes the rate changes too.
Good Luck!!
 
A surprise is hitting many here in Canada with shipping from the US. The USPS has discontinued the regular shipping and the alternatives are very expensive. I found it interesting that USPS took this step as if to dissuade persons from using it while Canada Post advertises eBay cooperativeness in an effort to have customers us it. Not the 1st time I've found the differences in approaches between the countries to be so oddly opposed. Some years ago when I was commuting between the countries each was in the grips of a turndown and each was experiencing difficulties with tax collection. I was in Canada heading south when listening on the radio the Canadians were discussing reducing the interest rates on late payments for low income earners and self-employed individuals. The country does not have the penalty provisions of the US. They wanted to make sure the people, especially in the lower income groups had enough money to put bread on the table and after the tax burden would not be a back breaker. They also have a "fairness" committee that could forgive the interest on application. As I crossed into NY, I picked up on the US news and strangely Congress was wrestling with the same issue. Their approach was to propose a new regime of penalties and hike up the interest rates to a new formula over the older fixed rate. They also were discussing a new set of rules permitting seizures and liens. The resulting bill was passed and introduced a system of penalties that most tax preparers can not even begin to explain, and have to have software to see if the assessments are correct.

Each country has its advantages and disadvantages but it seems to be that in Canada they look at helping individuals in society, a concept the US has seemed to have lost sight of somewhat. It seems to have focused on the business of the country. With the elimination of reasonable shipping by USPS, it leaves only FedEx, UPS, etc.
 
I sold some heavy gear ( including a Phase Linear D-500 at over 60 Lbs) to a gentleman in Montreal. I had a very rude awakening to the new MAIL options. USPS wouldn't even ship it (over 60 Lbs), and UPS wouldn't insure it (I didn't have the 30 year old original packaging). Fedex Ground wanted an arm and a leg, plus duty fees, to drop off the packages at a residence rather than a loading dock.

In the end I drove the items up to Plattsburgh, NY, and the buyer was kind enough to cross the border and pick them up. I handled the bulk of the miles, and he got to deal with customs. I combined it with a trip to visit family in NW Connecticut, but it still made for one hell of a road trip.
 
The seller is being very reasonable... he replied back and said he was pretty sure that this was the price... but he did say that if it turns out to be less then he will refund it to my PayPal acct....

I don't mind paying for shipping, if I know going into a transaction what I can expect, if he came back to me in the beginning and said shipping was $55 then I may not have bid....but then again maybe I would have....this is a specific EQ that I have been looking for..

I try to keep in my mind "Would I pay $60 for this EQ if it was at a local thrift or local sale".... if it was in really good condition I would, but like I said above, its a bit rough around the edges and needs a new power cord, some serious cleaning, and a slider needs to be bent back straight....I was sort of thinking that this EQ was worth, to me, about $35-$40 shipping included, that is why I only made one bid of $5.00...

So I will PayPal him the money, and hope it arrives in one piece and maybe get a refund on the shipping...I won't go back and try and get out of the deal...I am a man of my word.

Here's a pic of the EQ in case anyone is wondering...

S6300518.jpg


S6300522.jpg
 
Unless the auction has flat rate shipping, I get a shipping QUOTE before bidding on anything. Not an estimate. Shipping costs have to be part of the contract.

Anyway, why do some of the sliders on the EQ have an illuminated LED above them?
 
elgato8905 said:
Why didn't you check the shipping charges before you bid? That's what YOU should have done.
Click to expand...

I did check the shipping charges before I bid... I checked USPS.com (going on a rough idea of weight... I know that 15 lbs is a over estimation)... it said $34.00 to Canada via the 6-10 day option..

And I also asked the seller directly... he came back to me in an email and said "$40"... he even said he took a little longer to get a charge for me because he had to get a more accurate weight of the unit...

I was fine with the $40... then after the auction ends he comes back and says now it's $55.00

If he is working in handling, for packaging, time, materials, I have no problem with that... I would rather he did spend some time and materials to make sure it was packaged properly... my "beef" is that this should be disclosed to a potential buyer before they bid if they ask. If he said "The shipping charge will be $40 that the Post Office will charge plus I charge $15 for handling" then fine, I would have been informed and could judge myself accordingly, bid or not bid.
 
willyrover said:
Unless the auction has flat rate shipping, I get a shipping QUOTE before bidding on anything. Not an estimate. Shipping costs have to be part of the contract.
Click to expand...

I did get a QUOTE... straight from the seller... see my post above.

Anyway, why do some of the sliders on the EQ have an illuminated LED above them?
Click to expand...

This is a feature of this EA-G80.. the green leds above each slider will light up when a certain output level is hit... depends on the position of the slider. This is sort of like a "spectrum analyzer" of sorts...
 
If you wanted to back out, couldn't you just pay the $4.99 for the Akai and tell him to keep it the EQ? He makes his money, and you are out of a bad deal for only $5!

$50 buys ME a heck of a lot of music and other equipment at LOCAL sales, with out shipping involved.
 
Do you know how much the EQ weighs? How much weight does the packing add?

The international postage calculator isn't very specific with box size or start/destination. Must be fixed pricing, unless this is a basic calculator.

A 15 lb. package costs $34.70, 20 lb. at $41.70 and 25 lb. at $48.70. +$7 for every 5 lbs. added.
 
So basically for the shipping quote to be $55, the weight of the EQ would have to be 30 lbs!!! LOL... Ummm, not possible.... I know vintage gear is heavy, but I own receivers lighter than 30 lbs :)
 
VintInfinity said:
Do you know how much the EQ weighs? How much weight does the packing add?
Click to expand...

The EQ can't weight anymore than 10 lbs, seriously, I have a big Sansui SE-9 EQ which weights 11 lbs... and the Sansui is big/bulky...

It would measure 17"wide X 6" high X 14" deep ... packing material isn't going to add that much weight... so the final box should be around 21"W x 10"H x 18"D ... that gives it 2" of space all around the eq...

I am waiting to hear back from the seller... I asked him what the weight and package size was....

Maybe he made a mistake somehow.... either that or he is shipping it in a wooden crate :)
 
If I understand things properly (and it’s possible I’m out of line here). USPS gave up playing with Canada because it just wasn't worth it. Stuff stuck in customs, fees and duties following the whims and fantasies clause, etc. It just wasn’t worth the USPS man power to follow through with this stuff.

Strangely, shipping from Canada to the U.S. is relatively cheap and efficient. Hmmm…
 
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