Large Scale Central

Not a problem

General Discussion
#1

I’m finding some sellers on eBay take won’t ship to Hawaii or Alaska on eBay. This is especially using USPS and even using Priority Mail which might be just a little more money. Just had Trainz.com turn me down as I wanted to bid on something on eBay that they had listed. I do think it is something to do with eBay’s shipping calculator and it has been at times way off on costs and that might be the base of this problem.

eBay is slowly losing my business due to their polices. Charging fee on top of shipping costs was just about the last straw that stopped me from selling anything on eBay. Pay Pal is just the same. Can we say GREED ?

I’ll still bid occasionally if shipping costs are within reason and the party will ship to Hawaii. If not? It’s not my loss.

The hand basket to hell is filling up with the way business is done…

Is your story welcome ? Of course, let it rip.

Cheers TOF

I see that trainz.com has fixed their listing for shipping to Alaska & Hawaii on eBay and now will accept bids from us. Just .50 more than regular costs on Priority Mail shipping. Well looks like I can bid on their listings when they have something that I just got to own. Cheers for Trains…

TOF

#2

Darryl,
I’m one of those people that won’t ship to Hawaii, Alaska or Canada.
The shipping is very high even using the US Postal Service.
I’ve had to dig in my pocket to pay the extra cost and still have people complain that the shipping was too high.
And if they return the item, I’m out the high cost of shipping it to them.

I recently shipped a moderate size locomotive here on the East Coast. $14.95 Priority Mail. I priced the same locomotive to California, $60.95 Priority Mail.
The standard rate, no “oversize” surcharge. Of course, Alaska and Hawaii are even higher.

Parcel Post is cheaper, but then people complain about slow shipping.
Ralph

#3

Ralph

I see where you are coming from. BUT

We have bought different things from the mainland and the shipping was just a wee bit more than normal for Priority Mail. Have had a few items come through UPS and couldn’t see much difference in shipping costs at all. Just the other day I received the big USPS Priority Mail box from BTS in West Virginia, they make train & building kits and the cost was just over $12 for shipping 5 thousand miles… Bought quite a bit from them too over a period of time…

Most of us train nuts here in Hawaii don’t might paying a little more for shipping and expect it to be but to refuse a sale even after willing to pay the extra amount is just plain wrong. Actually the problem I’ve been turned down twice recently was, eBay does not set up for shipments on their calculator for Alaska or Hawaii and both stores said they did not know what the shipping costs would be. Gee what did they do before eBay ? Some business I have found they do not want to find out what the shipping cost are even if it takes a few minutes to find it out. If it isn’t cut and dry, they don’t bother and would rather lose business. Trainz was one of them. Not to smart. Won’t go back there ever again.
myfavoriteplace in Texas has gone the extra mile and has does hundred’s if not thousands of times more business than most other sellers on eBay as they know how it’s done. I have bought quite a few thousands of dollars worth of trains through them and still get something every once in awhile even though I have too much stuff all ready. Just can’t get that monkey off my back.

Aloha TOF

#4

Yeah, it’s very “funny” with eBay and PayPal. After years of abstinence I found some stuff that I “really needed”. The sellers first shopping cart wouldn’t/couldn’t ship to Canada, their second one was doing a similar “nut” of a different kind. That left eBay which wanted to treat all’“Buy it now” items with separate shipping costs etc.

Wellll, I fired off the third email to the seller, advising him that unless he could give me one invoice total, including all the items and one shipping charge the deal would be off. Amazingly that must have made the right impression.
It will need to be very special before I use my new (renewed) eBay account again. Life’s too short for that crap! :frowning: :frowning:

#5

I’ve unloaded a lot of N and Z scale on ebay since January. I got an email stating

Starting May 31, sellers who fall below eBay’s minimum performance standards may have their buyer payments show as pending in their PayPal account for a period of time to help ensure successful fulfillment.

Your account was below the minimum standard as of this writing. If you’re subject to this update, you’ll be notified when you list and you’ll receive an email notification from PayPal when your funds are pending. You’ll also find information in My eBay showing the estimated date funds will be available and steps you can take to help get your funds faster.

So I went and checked my account.
Performance Above standard
Policy compliance High
Account status Current

I don’t know what they want. but I am glad I don’t need to sell anything else.

Roger
former ebay seller

#6

Roger,
That may have been a “fishing” attempt by someone if it wasn’t in your eBay messages.
Ralph

#7

I have never sold on eBay, but in the last couple of months received a few of these messages about my ‘selling’ account.

FWIW

Bob C.

#8

Worried about shipping? Try shipping to Australia. Last invoice was $198.00 postage for eight Bachmann Thomas pieces of rolling stock by USPS! Nothing for FedEx or UPS to charge $300 shipping for a piece of LGB rolling stock, or $600 for a locomotive.

As a seller many times over the years (I refuse power seller status as you have to maintain a high level of regular sales/listings), I have found that allowing bidders to pickup from home affects your eBay credit rating. When the bidder fills out the feedback on the listing, he does not rate shipping as there is no actual shipping. This failure to rate shipping performance reflects in my eBay rating as a seller. I am doing the bidder a favour by allowing him pickup and saving him the cost of shipping and I suffer with poor shipping time performance!

In response to Roger’s statement about pending funds in PayPal, then, as a seller, I would be reluctant to post an item until the funds were actually confirmed in my PayPal account. Making funds pending is not going to improve a seller’s performance.

#9

Darryl,

No problem, have anything you buy shipped to our house. We won’t forward it on to you, but will let you know how we are enjoying it and whether you should continue to spend your money that way. :wink:

#10

Ric

Sounds interesting but I’ll wait for a better offer.

Cheers, TOF

#11

When I get messages like that I check to see where they came from.
I also look the see if the were sent undisclosed recipient.
If either is suspicious then I erase the message after I send a copy to ebay and or paypal.
They will let you know if it is lagit.
David

Roger Houser said:
I've unloaded a lot of N and Z scale on ebay since January. I got an email stating

Starting May 31, sellers who fall below eBay’s minimum performance standards may have their buyer payments show as pending in their PayPal account for a period of time to help ensure successful fulfillment.

Your account was below the minimum standard as of this writing. If you’re subject to this update, you’ll be notified when you list and you’ll receive an email notification from PayPal when your funds are pending. You’ll also find information in My eBay showing the estimated date funds will be available and steps you can take to help get your funds faster.

So I went and checked my account.
Performance Above standard
Policy compliance High
Account status Current

I don’t know what they want. but I am glad I don’t need to sell anything else.

Roger
former ebay seller

#12

OK, send them to me, and I’ll keep them for you.
You’ll be back soon.
100% of my friends who retired and moved to Hawaii returned after a couple years.
Nice place to visit, not to live.

#13
Darryl Noble said:
Ric

Sounds interesting but I’ll wait for a better offer.

Cheers, TOF


Darryl,

What are friends for? I’ve helped out some of our Canadian friends like this many times. They buy good stuff, but sometimes with funny road names.

#14
John Bouck said:
OK, send them to me, and I'll keep them for you. You'll be back soon. 100% of my friends who retired and moved to Hawaii returned after a couple years. Nice place to visit, not to live.
John

True about living here in Hawaii as it is not for everyone.

We have been visiting the Islands every year for the past 15 years and finally moved here last December. Wouldn’t move back to the mainland for anything. We love it here on the Big Island and it’s the last stop in life for us. Weather temps have been between 65 and 80 in the last six months and we like most others around us have no heating source or air conditioning. My old tired bones likes it here so I’m stuck living in paradise.
We have children and grandchildren that we do visit there but that is it. Actually going to visit everyone in Oct and taking Amtrak around the country for 15 days and then back here on Hawaiian Air, the only way to fly.

Everyone makes their choice and that is good if that is what they want.

On need to have anything sent to someone else and I appreciate the offers but if I can’t have it sent here, I do find someone that will ship to Hawaii. Actually there are darn few that don’t ship to Hawaii.

Cheers to all, TOF

#15

I never hesitated to ship anywhere, though sometimes I had to tell the buyer, “The shipping is likely more than you’re paying for the item. Are you sure you want it?” Always they said, “Yes, thank you.”

Only problem I ever had with shipping was to… Florida? After 4 weeks, I sent the buyer back his money and got the right forms from the PO. The next day, he emailed me, “Guess what showed up today? I paypalled you back the money.”

#16
Ric Golding said:
Darryl Noble said:
Ric

Sounds interesting but I’ll wait for a better offer.

Cheers, TOF


Darryl,

What are friends for? I’ve helped out some of our Canadian friends like this many times. They buy good stuff, but sometimes with funny road names.


Hehehehe :lol: :lol: You just gotta love it! :lol: Funny road names, eh?! Wonder what those would be , other than from below the 49th.

#17

Darryl, any company voming that’s traveling light? Just have them pack a suitcase with your train orders and bring them along!

#18

Cheers Doug

Now that most airlines are charging up to $50 for a second bag, I won’t give that a second thought. Actually I am getting what I need from those that do send to Hawaii and the shipping costs are too bad. I should be well stocked by now with the essentials like track & switches so I really can do without ever buying anything else. It has taken many years to assemble the empire and now I had better put the kits together and finish the layout but what the hey, I got the rest of my life to get er done…

TOF

#19

Darryl, send me an email please.

#20

I’m looking forward to seeing the first train “hit the road!.”