Shipping Costs (You Get What You Pay For)

For buyers on eBay who are not sellers, understanding shipping costs and how they are calculated (and how sellers decide what to charge) can be difficult.  This guide explains our methods so that buyers better understand how and why we charge what we do.

We use eBay's shipping calculator, which calculates shipping cost based on weight and method of shipping.  We only ship USPS Priority Mail (or Priority International), because in our experience USPS Priority delivers packages fastest for the cost (typically 2-3 days), and offers us (and our customers) the ability to track packages.

We do also charge a handling fee (which is factored into shipping cost), which covers salary for a dedicated shipping employee, as well as cost associated with shipping beyond postage -- labels, ink, paper, etc.

This sometimes adds up to what seems like a large shipping cost, but as noted in the title of this guide, you get what you pay for.  We routinely get compliments on our fast shipping time -- check our feedback -- and that's because our shipping charge allows us to ship three days a week and use a premium shipping method.  If you find an item that features free (or very cheap) shipping, check the handling time and shipping method.  Does the seller ship once a week?  Every ten days?  When they get around to it?  Are they sending items parcel post (7 days, NOT including handling time)?  In terms of customer service, we'd rather not sacrifice on shipping cost.

We do offer combined shipping ($3.00 for additional items), which brings down the overall cost but we often have to manually lower shipping before the customer pays for any of the items.  If you buy multiple items from us and do not see a lower per item shipping cost reflected, contact us!

Because we use the shipping calculator to figure out what shipping to charge, the cost is determined by the weight of the item.  This creates a potential problem -- if the weight is wrong in the listing, or if it's listed as being sent in a large box, the shipping charge can be too much.  If you suspect that the shipping is off for an item, let us know! 

Most sellers want both good ratings and happy customers.  And while we can't speak for all sellers, we would encourage buyers to contact us should you have any issue with shipping cost.  If the charge is accurate, we'll let you know, and if it's wrong, we'll fix it.