Overcharged On Shipping For Poorly Packaged Item On Ebay

I have been selling and buying on Ebay for 10 years and every once in awhile I see something that baffles me.

I paid $2 for shipping for a card and the person sent it in a top loader in a plain envelope for 44 cents. To me this is not right. There was no receipt or indication of the item number.

When I ship I put the card in a top loader and then a team bag. The card is then wrapped in the receipt and put in a bubble envelope. On each side of the card I put 1 packing peanut for maximum protection. Inside the U.S. I give delivery confirmation.

When you use paypal shipping the delivery confirmation is only 18 cents.

When you buy envelopes or labels in bulk such as 250-1000 then the cost is minimal. I have no problem with paying $2.50-3 or even $3.50 when the proper packaging is done but when its not it is just stealing money from the buyer.

Ebay has changed rules that hurt sellers because of sellers who ship improperly. It is because of a few uncaring sellers that the many have to suffer but it may be the only way to stop this problem.

Buying Sports Cards On Ebay

I speak to lots of sports card collectors and I get a lot of different responses about ebay. Some will buy on a regular basis from ebay and say they get the best deals imaginable. Others say they have lost money and gotten damaged cards. Should you buy on ebay or beware of ebay?
Here is some advice that might help when shopping on ebay
1.Research the product. Find out if you can get it cheaper elsewhere and make sure you know the Beckett book price before you buy and item on ebay. You want to get your money's worth.
2. Check the dealers rating if the seller has more than 5 negative feedback or they are all very recent then be careful. You may really want the card but its not worth taking a chance. I've seen sellers with more than 100 negatives. The odds are they do not care. If you see someone with zero negative feedbacks the odds are you will be happy.
3. See if the seller has a return policy.
4. Make sure the seller has a good scan so you can have an idea of what you are seeing.
5. Ask the seller questions if you have them. If they respond and are helpful then you can feel safe. If they don't then beware.
6. If you do have a bad time on ebay remember that if the seller doesn't have delivery confirmation on the package you can get a refund when you pay through paypal.