And IS IT OK?
Skip this Page and go to Section 2
Better Yet, See the Spreadsheet
Forget the stuff below. Luke's shipping and handling might be a bit high, but if a person reads the "fine print" and decides to go ahead with the bid, don't be a crybaby and leave negative feedback. I got a DrSeuss Cd for $1 and paid $5.99 for S&H and it cost less than 50cents to mail it in a pice of yellow paper wrapped around it and unisured to boot! but so what? If Luke can make a buck or two of a deal by a bit higher S&H it's not cheating or fraud. It's entreprneural expertise and it's perfectly legal.
So, stop complaining and either poop or get of the pot!
Nobody twisted your arm to buy from him.
One last thing.. this looks good on the books to make a business look like it's not making a profit and may even help reduce overall income taxes if a portion of a house is dedicated to "ebay business"!
And Now My Little whine section, but don't worry; It's not all that bad. Recently I have been e-bay-ing and one thing that puzzles me is the wide range of shipping and handling fees. I can get a pair of pants sent priority mail for $4.50 from California or a CD for less than a buck. A 1/8 scale car in a huge box was $12.50. Media items are the cheapest like a 45rpm record double boxed for $2.50 or a cd-sized box for as low as 57cents. The most I've paid so far, taking into consideration the size of the item, the size of the box and the amount charged vs the amount paid to ship IS currently a CD-Rom disc game I bought from Luke Chong.
His e-bay name is hoggygarage@email.com
I was a bit upset at paying $6.99 for S&H and $1.10 for Insurance(It wasn't insured)So for a $2.99 purchase I got the cd in an uninsulated small cardboard wrapping which left the cd somewhat vulnerable. The package came quickly(7 days!). I've had several come in 7 days and the quickest one in 5 days. So much for the speed of delivery.(excellent)
Now I will bestow more praise. Luke had his non-flexible S&H posted so I KNEW what I was getting into before I ever bid. I tried to get him down but it didn't work. If I didn't want to pay $8.09 S&H&I I could have gone elsewhere. The UP-side was that the item went for $2.99 and the grand total was $11.08 and THIS IS THE BEST PART; I resold the game which, as he said was RARE, and nearly tripled my investment.
So, in the final analogy, a HIGH S&H (&I)even if the seller doesn't follow through and put insurance on the item, DOES NOT mean he is a bad seller. He is only making some profit on his S&H and then using the large S&H as a deduction on his income taxes to even further lessen his taxable income, thus using his e-bay business to keep the US Government namely the IRS from getting their share of his money. I am all for this. They can't touch anyone who uses their high S&H to keep profits to a minimum. Now I'm not actually saying anybody is actually doing that, but why risk losing customers unless you can make out some other way. Well done Luke Chong, and whether or now anyone can understand this page,
IT IS A POSITIVE FEEDBACK.
Always read the fine print before bidding and be prepared to take the S&H into account when bidding.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL EBAY SELLERS
YOU ARE THE REASON WHY WE BUYERS ARE THERE :YOU SELL --- WE BUY
Canadian Orders from the U.S. (E-BAY)
UPDATE OCTOBER 4,2002: I will have a page about buying internationally, and the dangers. I was a victim of customs crooks but not the ebay seller, slave13 , who is a great seller but lives in Canada. I sent cash which he confirmed its delivery but the package never came. Is he a crook? His reputation is excellent so I say "NO" he is honest but Canadian Customs are the culprit if any. Oh, well it was a few raw rookies, no sweat. But only buy from Canada if you don't care if you get your goods. And so much for the so called , "FREE TRADE" agreement. Also use special Canadian money orders if in the U.S.of A. since they are cheaper than international M.O.'s and are accepted throughout Canada. Never deal with a Canadian seller that won't take them, either. Never send cash, only buy item's worthy of some insurance because you might be lucky like me and never get your item, or a consolation item since as the sellers up North will say, "There's nothing I can do." and you are out your bucks!
Remember, if you like his stuff and aren't worried if you don't suceed in getting the item, by all means give it a shot. I was just an unlucky bidder and I would give it another try some day, but I'll use a money order and get insurance or go up to Canada and pick my item up, personally. Ciao.