The conventional wisdom is that we could make more money by charging our buyers "handling" fees, making our minimum bids LOOK lower and allowing us to pad in a little extra for ourselves. It's just not our style.
When it makes sense, we offer Free Shipping and Handling Generally on items weighing less then four ounces or so
WeDO charge for postage, but we DO NOT Charge for Handling in most other cases
We ship worldwide and there is no extra charge for the effort to complete the customs forms and deliver the package to the Post Office, and we are proud to ship to any APO and FPO address. I wonder about dealers who whine about the sacrifice they have to make to stand in line and hand-deliver each APO/FPO package to a postal clerk so that military personnel on an assignment far from our shores can get some small trifle through eBay to remind them of home. I believe that these soldiers make much more significant sacrifices.
Unlike some sellers, our guarantee lasts until you receive the item in good condition. We will refund the full purchase price AND SHIPPING COSTS (if you paid them) on anything damaged in shipment. In our opinion, it is the care in packing and the materials used that are most critical, and that is under our control, not yours. We understand that eBay is making this a universal policy, but, as always, some sellers will complain and refuse to take responsibility.
Our intention is only to simplify and clarify the terms of the sale. Make no mistake, we have no quarrel with any seller who clearly states their policies. Like us, they have made it possible for you to calculate the total cost of your auction lot, and that's all that matters, really. We're just a little different, as all of our friends will attest. :-)
We have been burned several times by sellers who neglected to mention charges until after the sale. Our fault for not asking, but when the one seller billed us $5.50 for S/H on a tiny item that was listed for $1.00 and sold for $2.00, we were floored. When it arrived in a plain manila envelope with 62-cents postage, we felt that we had learned a lesson, not only about buying, but about selling as well.
We could charge you the actual cost of postage, 53-cents for the box, 8-cents for tape and ink, 67-cents for the gas going to the PO, and 7-cents for shoe leather used to walk to the mailbox, etc., etc., but that's not what we want to be.
We know exactly what all of our costs and expenses are, and we set minimum bids that allow me to make a reasonable return on our investments of our time and money. We make sure that all of our cards are on table, and we find that there is no need for any "tricks" to maximize our profits. We try to make ours the old fashion way: We buy well, sell honestly and keep good records and very good friends.
We know there are sellers (perhaps many sellers) who give the rules a wink and a nod. They use "flexible" shipping charges (based not on their costs, but on their ability to hoodwink eBay and PayPal out of a few cents - or a few dollars. I know some sellers will send anything and mark the package "Media Mail" to save postage, and sellers who will gladly check off "Gift" on the customs form to allow buyers to avoid customs charges. We are not like those sellers, and we recommend this closing thought to all buyers. "If a seller is not honest with eBay or PayPal, with Postal Systems or foreign governments, and intentionally misleads them to make a small profit or to allow a buyer a small savings, are you sure that they will honest in their dealings with you?" Just a thought.
Oh-oh! My soapbox is creaking. I have to get off. I hope you enjoy this auction.
Have a Great Day, and
Best from the Green Mountains,
Tom White and Cara Ziegler at Yankee Attics