Mine are all real, Bill - apart from the ones I imagine I'd like to own. 
When buying postage online I noticed the price only increases in two pound increments, for example 0-2 cost 5.00, 3 pounds cost 7.00 but 4 pounds will also cost you 7.00. Has anyone else ever noticed that when buying postage online?
I rarely look at ebay any longer at all. Yes, no doubt the Global Shipping Program, makes it easy for sellers, but the cost to international buyers is extreme! Fifteen years or so ago, I did a lot on ebay, both buying and selling. It has become ever less attractive and the GSP hasn't helped a bit for an international buyer. And, as has been noted, ebay has become liitle more than a classified listing service for commercial vendors.
Funny thing is, little items from China, things like LEDs, wiring supplies, small tools, arrive with "free shipping." From China! Often with "signature required" for goods of really negligible monetary value. Apparently postal costs in China are mighty low!
It is hard for a CDN to sympathize with our American friends. The USPS flat rate boxes amazed me when I was living in the US. Such a concept would strike terror into the mandarins at Canada Post!
Funny story:
When I was living in FL, I developed a rapport with a local USPS clerk as we had a common interest in Civil War history. I had purchased astronomy gear. One piece of it, an 18lb steel counterwight was surplus to my needs. Sold it to someone in CA. Used a small flate rate box. Took the thing into the post office and stated, sliding the amazingly heavy for its size, package across the counter.
"I'm here to abuse your "if it fits it ships" policy!"
His reply: "Oh we just LOVE it when you do that!"
As he hefted the package he looked at me, "What IS this thing?"
Anyhow, my 18lb pound counterweight went from FL to CA for the small flat rate box price!
In Canada? Don't even ask! Would not make sense to sell a $100 item that weighed 18 lbs! Shipping cost would absolutely preclude doing so!
Added in edit: Checked my records. Actually the counterweight was 21 lbs, not 18. And the selling price was $60, not 100.
Terry Danks posted:Funny story:When I was living in FL, I developed a rapport with a local USPS clerk as we had a common interest in Civil War history. I had purchased astronomy gear. One piece of it, an 18lb steel counterwight was surplus to my needs. Sold it to someone in CA. Used a small flate rate box. Took the thing into the post office and stated, sliding the amazingly heavy for its size, package across the counter.
"I'm here to abuse your "if it fits it ships" policy!"
His reply: "Oh we just LOVE it when you do that!"
As he hefted the package he looked at me, "What IS this thing?"
Anyhow, my 18lb pound counterweight went from FL to CA for the small flat rate box price!.
Reminds of when I was mailing ingots of Cerrobend in small flat rate boxes; could just fit 2 in the box. I handed the box to the clerk w/o any warning of weight and holding it as steady as possible, and stated, "It's got a bit of weight to it...." Bang! On the counter..... Priceless!
And, off it went to its new home.... And, I do happen to have a good relationship with the clerks at the local PO since I'm there way too often - btw, they really appreciate it when you show up actually prepared to mail something vs. holding the item in one hand and asking about the box and asking the clerk to help pack the item......... The PO has to deal with a surprisingly large number of people that apparently have never mailed anything in their lives, are totally clueless, and expect that the folks at the PO will do it all for them - any wonder things get a little slow..........
Lots of interesting stuff in this conversation (now on its 4th page). Seems a lot of folks are unaware of the free stuff from the PO and how to actually ship stuff at the most economic, yet reliable rates. Also seems that a lot of folks don't quite grasp that shipping isn't free and that putting something into a box actually costs time and money, and that time is money. I try to sell on eBay (15 years) w/o losing money on shipping and most of the time I succeed, but not always - cost of business if I'm off on my calculations and measurements. If I overcharge on shipping - I issue refunds. I want repeat buyers and little stuff like giving that refund seems to have real value.
OTOH, there are also an inordinate number of folks out there making money off their shipping rates. I know what it costs to print a label and put something in a box to properly ship it. I just pass those folks by and find someone with a firm handle on reality and wanting to sell competitively - they get rewarded with my business. The others can sit on their inventory and I don't worry about their futures. Time will take care of them.
I think there is some kind of international shipping agreement with some countries. China I think gets it here and the US gets it to your home...something like that.
To illustrate my point . . .
I just bought some stuff from Marty at Scale City Designs. Fantastic customer support and good prices.
Even with the postage, it wasn't TOO bad.
Now see what happens when it's converted to AU$ . . .
The official exchange rate is 0.72 at the moment, so PayPal aren't gouging, at AU$35.94.
I don't know what the transaction cost Marty, but it didn't affect his excellent service. 
Attachments
Images (2)
Max, is identity theft not an issue in Australia? That's a lot of personal information you posted for a bot to harvest.
What, me worry?
Trainlover160 posted:These rates went up for two reasons. Fuel costs and carrier's calculating weight and size instead of just weight.
Unfortunately, when fuel went down it did not get passed onto US. Joe Gozzo
It's simple corporate economics.
When the price of wheat goes up, the price of bread goes up.
When the price of wheat goes down, the price of bread stays up.
Thanks Maxsouthoz we appreciate your business and your compliments as well. we are happy to offer you and all the members of the forum the same quality service on our products as well as TruColor paint and almost everything Walthers offers at a discount, just email us for pricing on anything not on the website.
Yes shipping makes it hard to do business.
A case in point.
Got two switches yesterday from the Bay and both have issues. 
This sucks for both of us, me and the seller.
You know e-bay should not allow someone to put not tested in their add then tell you oh I am sorry. If you can't test it and be sure it works then they should force them to sell them as Parts or Repair. JMHO. and a good one.
So I can get the right switch to work but it falls short on closing all the way swinging to straight, plunger is not pushing far enough. The other left hand, will switch off auto derail but not off the remote posts. Must be a wire issue. They are riveted together so I would need to drill them out to see what is wrong. If I have to pay shipping again then I am out half the cost of the total order. So I may as well just make a project out of the darn things and right it off as a lesson learned. 
Any of you had Lionel O27 modern switches apart?
KRM posted:Yes shipping makes it hard to do business.
A case in point.
Got two switches yesterday from the Bay and both have issues.
This sucks for both of us, me and the seller.
You know e-bay should not allow someone to put not tested in their add then tell you oh I am sorry. If you can't test it and be sure it works then they should force them to sell them as Parts or Repair. JMHO. and a good one.
So I can get the right switch to work but it falls short on closing all the way swinging to straight, plunger is not pushing far enough. The other left hand, will switch off auto derail but not off the remote posts. Must be a wire issue. They are riveted together so I would need to drill them out to see what is wrong. If I have to pay shipping again then I am out half the cost of the total order. So I may as well just make a project out of the darn things and right it off as a lesson learned.Any of you had Lionel O27 modern switches apart?
The lesson you should have learned is - "not tested" = "for parts or repair" or "not guaranteed to work"
Since they said "not tested" - it's safe to assume they don't know anything about the product, or even the hobby - and probably don't have the gear to test.
Bid accordingly - you had somehow assumed or convinced yourself they would work - that's your mistake - not the seller who described the items the best they could.
Its not a great approach for sellers - because, it casts doubt on your item (or it should!) - and will likely result in a lower price (compared to a tested item) - but sometimes, it's all you have.
Its a gamble for sure - sometimes you win - sometimes you have to fix 2 switches.
Rovingsign,
That is JYHO,,,,, have a nice day!
When you look at this guy he sell lots of train stuff. Don't try to tell me there are not dishonest sellers out there. The point is.
If I have to pay shipping again then I am out half the cost of the total order.
KRM posted:Rovingsign,
That is JYHO,,,,, have a nice day!
When you look at this guy he sell lots of train stuff. Don't try to tell me there are not dishonest sellers out there. The point is.
If I have to pay shipping again then I am out half the cost of the total order.
Oh - for sure...but check his feedback, that's why they have the reputation system.
"Untested" does not equal "works fine."
Don't try to tell me there are not dishonest sellers out there.
Of course there are. That goes for EBay, train meets/shows, this board, and even brick and mortar stores.
As for KRM's issue with received non-working switches.......
I wonder how EBay would handle a complaint about an item that didn't work when the listing says "untested".
Anybody have any experience with this?
Personally, I take the term "untested" to mean "not working, as is"
C W Burfle posted:Don't try to tell me there are not dishonest sellers out there.
Of course there are. That goes for EBay, train meets/shows, this board, and even brick and mortar stores.
As for KRM's issue with received non-working switches.......
I wonder how EBay would handle a complaint about an item that didn't work when the listing says "untested".
Anybody have any experience with this?
Personally, I take the term "untested" to mean "not working, as is"
CW...I wondered the exact same thing a couple years ago. There was an item I wanted in the worst way, and it was listed as "untested". I didn't depend on the sellers view of how returns were handled, because in the big scheme of things whether sellers know that or not it's ebay rules you need to follow and not much else matters.
I called Ebay direct and they told me at that time that if purchased the sale would be considered "final" because by listing as untested the seller was basically saying "as is". Not sure if that still applies, but I imagine so. When I see any item that says "untested"...I figure I have a bit less than 50/50 chance of it actually working. No matter how you look at it you're taking a chance because the item is "untested". I personally don't mind when sellers say that, I simply bid accordingly.
An example of what I mentioned above by nothing else matters except Ebays rules: This is going back a couple yrs also. At that time a seller could say in his listing that if you want insurance, you better pay extra for it or he wasn't responsible. That's not how it is or was in Ebays eyes though...if a buyer purchased something back then, it was up to the seller to get that item to them safely. If the item didn't arrive safe and sound, it was not the responsibility of the buyer, it was up to the seller to rectify the situation or else Ebay stepped in to help the buyer. Moral of the story always purchase insurance if you are a seller because in the eye's of Ebay, until that item reaches it's destination safely, you're responsible. Not sure if this applies today yet, but I imagine it does.
Ebay changed alot of rules a few years back to protect buyers. Not sure what or if something happened to facilitate those rule changes...
KRM posted:If I have to pay shipping again then I am out half the cost of the total order.
This is the thing I never understood. Even in cases where you're sent the wrong thing or it's totally not what was described, the buyer has to pay to ship it back? How is that the buyer's financial responsibility?
I recently won a listing on what I thought was a WW2 railroad operations manual and what I got was totally different. I demanded the seller pay postage both ways because he agreed he'd put the wrong item in the envelope. I guess he realized I wasn't asking too much because he just refunded all my money and said to keep the item I got (which is of no use to me) as it'd cost almost as much as the entire sale anyway.
That is not common at all, though.
At that time a seller could say in his listing that if you want insurance, you better pay extra for it or he wasn't responsible. That's not how it is or was in Ebays eyes though...if a buyer purchased something back then, it was up to the seller to get that item to them safely. If the item didn't arrive safe and sound, it was not the responsibility of the buyer, it was up to the seller to rectify the situation or else Ebay stepped in to help the buyer. Moral of the story always purchase insurance if you are a seller because in the eye's of Ebay, until that item reaches it's destination safely, you're responsible. Not sure if this applies today yet, but I imagine it does.
Makes sense to me. The seller does the packing and chooses the shipping method. So how can the buyer be responsible?
I received an item sent priority mail where the box was ripped and 4 of the 18 items were missing. WAs told by the seller that it was up time to put in usps claim. Pain for $10. On a different note, people selling 1-3 dollar items are making the post office a fortune. I see this with figures. Sellers need to figure shipping costs in the selling of their products.
I received an item sent priority mail where the box was ripped and 4 of the 18 items were missing. WAs told by the seller that it was up time to put in usps claim. Pain for $10. On a different note, people selling 1-3 dollar items are making the post office a fortune. I see this with figures. Sellers need to figure shipping costs in the selling of their products.
Did you open a case with EBay?
If so, what were the results?
I've bought & sold a ton of trains online. Either via the bay or here on OGR. As others have said, the shoebox works great for most rolling stock. I usually order (for free) 2-3 bundles of these from the USPS website & just keep them on hand in case I sell something. I always save old packing material as well. Helps cut down on the cost. Average freight car shipped is between 8-11$. The price of shipping is expensive, but it's part of the deal to buy trains these days. The shipping price does help me decide if I really want an item though. I've seen people asking an insane amount for shipping on something I know would cost half as much to ship. Those people I bypass. Being informed & educated helps make you a better consumer .
chinatrain99 posted:I received an item sent priority mail where the box was ripped and 4 of the 18 items were missing. WAs told by the seller that it was up time to put in usps claim. Pain for $10. On a different note, people selling 1-3 dollar items are making the post office a fortune. I see this with figures. Sellers need to figure shipping costs in the selling of their products.
Yep, I got a non-train item that was crushed and the seller said it was up to me to file the USPS claim. I was NOT happy and his feedback reflected my experience.
As for small items, I have made two O scale figure purchases within the last few months where I waited and bought about 30-40 bucks of them all at once. It's worth the postage as it costs about as much to ship a dozen as it does for one.
USPS Priority Mail comes with insurance - up to 50.00 value is covered.
If the item is worth more - you have to buy the extra insurance.
I just screwed up recently - I sent a guy (maybe one of you!) the wrong Switch Lamp lens (real, not model)
Next day, I packed up the right one - shipped it.
I didn't even really broach the subject of returning the wrong one - It was my mistake - first step - make it right.
I might send the guy a return shipping label for the wrong one - if he agrees. I'm not going to insist on it...
Since these are sub-20 dollar items - I might just call it a wash and move on.
One of the rare occasions where it was resolved with out eBay intervention...
Here's a doosey! - I listed an old parlor guitar - nice instrument but needed re-built. I think the opening bid was 75 bucks or so.
A fellow contacted me and offered $350.00 if I would end the sale and ship it to him.
SURE! And I did.
About 2 weeks later I got a message from the guy saying "I think you charged me too much for that guitar."
I told him to open a case...never heard from him again.
You can't make this stuff up!!!
p51 posted:Yep, I got a non-train item that was crushed and the seller said it was up to me to file the USPS claim. I was NOT happy and his feedback reflected my experience.
Was the item packed well? If so - why leave negative feedback?
If it wasn't packed well - then leave feedback to that effect...but don't blame the seller because the PO crushed your item.
It IS up to you to file the claim! That's how it works - not just some nutty idea your seller had. It's your item - and you paid for the postage. ( I think thats how they look at it legally)
Did you file the claim?
Damaged during shipping is a PITA for both buyer and seller. It's common that neither understands the claim procedures of the various shippers and their packing requirements.
A couple of years ago, IIRC, I had a buyer receive an item that was damaged in shipment. USPS required all shipping materials be retained (which only the buyer is in a position to do) and the item returned to the local post office (again, a task only the buyer can do) as part of the claim procedure initiated by the seller. This is a pain for the buyer, but it's necessary for a claim to be successful. Claims are necessarily a collaborative process for buyer and seller. In this case, the claim was paid.
As I mentioned, this occurred a couple of years ago, so I may not have stated things correctly. But, buyer and seller should familiarize themselves with the packing requirements and claim procedures of the shippers used to protect each other. And that is certainly true before leaving negative feedback for a seller on eBay.
Roving Sign posted:p51 posted:Yep, I got a non-train item that was crushed and the seller said it was up to me to file the USPS claim. I was NOT happy and his feedback reflected my experience.
Was the item packed well? If so - why leave negative feedback?
If it wasn't packed well - then leave feedback to that effect...but don't blame the seller because the PO crushed your item.
It IS up to you to file the claim! That's how it works - not just some nutty idea your seller had. It's your item - and you paid for the postage. ( I think thats how they look at it legally)
Did you file the claim?
It was very badly packed, he used a manila envelope so it was no surprise it was damaged when it got here.
The guy was such a jerk about it. Yeah, I filed the claim as I had no other option.
It is a problem with E-bay policy if you ask me.
At any rate I worked it out with the seller and came up with a plan to see if I could salvage what I got with what I had and did get the bad worn out switch fixed.
Here is what I had with a worn out point.
This is what I ended up with after putting some parts from my switch on the one I got. So life is good. It is good to be retired.
The guy with the $350 guitar sounds like my neighbor. He tries to negotiate prices down from free to you pay him.
Roving Sign postedIt IS up to you to file the claim! That's how it works - not just some nutty idea your seller had. It's your item - and you paid for the postage. ( I think thats how they look at it legally)
Did you file the claim?
No, I don't think so. Regardless of how the seller got the money to pay for the shipping, it's the seller who does the shipping and insurance and it's the seller who has the legal right to deal with a damage claim.
From UPS site:
"If the claim is issued, a Damage/Loss Notification claim letter will be emailed, faxed or mailed to the shipper of record; UPS will not send the claim letter to a receiver"
cjack posted:Roving Sign postedIt IS up to you to file the claim! That's how it works - not just some nutty idea your seller had. It's your item - and you paid for the postage. ( I think thats how they look at it legally)
Did you file the claim?
No, I don't think so. Regardless of how the seller got the money to pay for the shipping, it's the seller who does the shipping and insurance and it's the seller who has the legal right to deal with a damage claim...
The UCC also provides that the seller has all duty to deliver as agreed.
