| Author | Content |
inanda
Winnipeg, MB
(Zone 2b)
February 21, 2008
12:07 AM Post #4567087
| Has Davedecided if it will be only for DGers or open to the great unwashed as well?
inanda |
gordo
Gulfport, FL
(Zone 9b)
February 21, 2008
02:19 AM Post #4567506
| "What we have in mind is breakfast in bed for 400,000."
...Wavy Gravy - Woodstock 1970
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Terry
Murfreesboro, TN
(Zone 7a)
 February 21, 2008
01:48 PM Post #4568914
| I don't think it will be limited to DGers, although subscribers receive a nice perk - no listing fees. |
inanda
Winnipeg, MB
(Zone 2b)
February 21, 2008
06:54 PM Post #4569940
| OK. Just a ?, not a crit.
inanda |
Dave67
New Port Richey, FL
(Zone 9b)
February 21, 2008
07:18 PM Post #4570023
| I think this new venture should be limited to DG'ers only. Isn't 350,518 people enough to start buying and selling? You have to sign up with E-Bay, new people who want to participate on the auction site should have to sign up to DG as well. I personally would prefer to do business with DGers than with unknown / outsiders.
~2 cents worth... |
Terry
Murfreesboro, TN
(Zone 7a)
February 21, 2008
09:50 PM Post #4570622
| Dave67, sellers will have to have a username, as will bidders/buyers. But that won't limit it to the current DG membership - anyone can sign up for a free username now, and in the future.
DG subscribers will receive the benefit of no listing fees, whereas others will pay a small fee to list their items for sale. |
glendalekid
Tuscaloosa, AL
(Zone 7b)
February 21, 2008
09:58 PM Post #4570652
| Gordo:
Woodstock was 1969. You must not be old enough to remember it, but, alas, I am. LOL.
Karen
|
gordo
Gulfport, FL
(Zone 9b)
February 22, 2008
12:06 AM Post #4571193
| I was there Karen. :-)
Graduated in '69.
As you can probably tell, it ruined my brain for higher learning. LOL. |
zostropz
San Diego, CA
February 22, 2008
12:59 AM Post #4571432
| cool, now I know that Liz and Karen are at least 10 years younger than me. lol
Mark |
gordo
Gulfport, FL
(Zone 9b)
February 22, 2008
01:50 AM Post #4571698
| Let's drink to our legs...
.
.
.
.
.
.
Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies... |
glendalekid
Tuscaloosa, AL
(Zone 7b)
February 22, 2008
11:36 AM Post #4572767
| gordo,
Now I know two people who were actually there! Unfortunately, I was not. I graduated in 1959, the Beat Generation. I am from Los Angeles, so I well remember the Beat coffee houses in Hollywood, though.
Mark,
Nope, Liz is younger than you. Me -- probably not. LOL.
Karen
|
Dimmer
( Kim) Zion, IL
(Zone 5a)
February 22, 2008
03:43 PM Post #4573884
| OK Here is a question and I hopping it comes out right
When you go into Amonzon or ebay they have a little thing on the side that tells you a little about the seller and how long he has been sell and if He been good or Bad . I think that it is call a review.
Will they be having somthing like that?
Why ? I would like to no is I had bid on a Tiffany Lamp started at .99 cent so I bid on it no one else did then I won the Lamp for .99 cent But the shipping was 190.00 dollars
As I called up The person was not a member and had no right to be on the site. . And never did I have to pay for winning that bid or Shipping cost
I was sloppy I didn.t read the review and I myself have been reading all reviews before I Bid or Buy Now I hope that you can understand my question
Thanks For reading
Dimmer(AKA) Kim |
gordo
Gulfport, FL
(Zone 9b)
February 22, 2008
04:11 PM Post #4573975
| 190.00 for shipping?
Dang!!!
|
HaroldS
Glendale, AZ
February 22, 2008
05:12 PM Post #4574173
| What auction site were you on? I can't conceive eBay allowing an auction to be posted without first getting the listing fee and then the final value fee if it sold. I'm not familiar with Amazon' s auction.
This is a common tactic of some sellers to inflate the shipping fee in order to circumvent paying the final value fee. I believe tho, Dave has this subterfuge under control with his auction.
In your case, was the shipping fee shown in the listing? I would hazard that since no one else bid on it, they saw the outrageous shipping charge. It is totally unrealistic to expect a real - or even an extremely poor repro Tiffany Lamp for 99 cents. All sorts of alarms should have gone off. |
Dimmer
( Kim) Zion, IL
(Zone 5a)
February 22, 2008
05:56 PM Post #4574305
| I t was Ebay .There was all kind of Tiffany Lamps and I started out on the first day there were 7 or 8 more days. I never thought that I wood win it and I had to go to work at nights so I forgot all about it. When I saw I was the Winner and that it was that much for shipping I called ebay to checked it out for me and They told me Not to pay he was not to be on there. It was coming from China. I didn't read the review so I just bid But ebay did help that is why I learned a lesson Read Read Read
Thanks For Reading
Kim |
glendalekid
Tuscaloosa, AL
(Zone 7b)
February 22, 2008
08:24 PM Post #4574888
| I've read that sellers in China pay no listing fees, no FVF, and no store fees. As you can imagine, this annoys the American sellers no end. Unless eBay was saying that a Chinese seller's account had been hijacked, I don't understand what they meant by "he was not to be there." Personally, I wouldn't touch any auction from China. Lots of complaints about misrepresentation of the items.
But always check the shipping costs. Also, on eBay if you see an auction like this with small price and a huge shipping amount, there is a link at the bottom that you can report this auction to eBay as fee avoidance. I've done it many times. So has my daughter.
Karen
|
gordo
Gulfport, FL
(Zone 9b)
February 22, 2008
08:31 PM Post #4574910
| I've seen this with bulb ads too.
.99 for the bulb and 8.50 shipping and handling.
A good sized bulb weighs just about a pound, which amounts to about 4.50 in shipping charges. Once the bulb is bid up to around 12.00 or so... |
zostropz
San Diego, CA
February 22, 2008
08:45 PM Post #4574960
| It is in the rules and regulations that you are not to over charge for shipping on ebay. I am a passiflora seller/buyer and I saw someone selling a small plant in a 4 inch pot for something like $3.99 with shipping at $14.15 I think it was. I wanted this plant but when I challenged him about the shipping costs, he told me to mind my own business. I myself can sometimes charge a lot when shipping my passiflora's but I ship them in the pots that they are in. I did an estimate the other day to florida on a 5 lb. box at 18 x 12 x 12 and it honestly came out over $15 so remember at the same time, USPS has gone way up once the box size gets to a certain point. $199 for shipping a lamp, that's definately a rip off, but these plants, once you break the 12 x 12 x 12 mark I think it is, the prices go up on you.
Mark |
glendalekid
Tuscaloosa, AL
(Zone 7b)
February 22, 2008
09:24 PM Post #4575167
| zostropz,
Yes, you are correct. The shipping goes way up after that point unless you can fit it into one of the Priority flat-rate boxes, which is not always possible or feasible with plants. I bought a yucca plant from someone in Mi who charged me $12.00 for shipping. I was astonished when it arrived as the label clearly showed the shipping had cost over $25.00. I sent her another $12.00 toward the shipping, even though she had sent me a note telling me I didn't have to. Not only did it cost more to ship, but it was an extra large, extra nice plant.
However, for the 4" pot being listed at $3.99+$14.15 shipping - report them! If everyone did that, eBay would soon have to take notice.
Karen |
HaroldS
Glendale, AZ
February 22, 2008
10:11 PM Post #4575368
| Anyone that lists the shipping charge in their auction for an item, you have to know it can't be accurate. It is probably going to be too much, rather than too little. USPS, FedEx and UPS all charge based on weight and size of package AND distance. So there is no way a seller can estimate shipping until they get the zip code of the buyer and actually have the box packed. (Unless they know it will go for $4.60 1#, or either the flat rate box or envelope.) Even using those postage calculators is not always accurate. When I ship glassware I always specify "actual shipping cost calculated based on winner's zip code." They know it will be actual cost and not some inflated guesstimate. |
Seed_Sprout
Fountain, FL
February 23, 2008
12:24 AM Post #4575937
| Once you have sold and shipped a gazillion plants you can just about estimate what the weight is on an average plant that you sell. (that is unless it has rained your pots full of water and then you end up losing a dollar or two) Other things that you should consider for shipping charges are your supplies:
Paper and ink for your invoices
Paper and ink for your shipping labels
Shipping cartons if plants are not the right size for the free ones from USPS
Tape to secure the plants
Tape to seal the cartons (USPS has the sorriest glue in the world on those boxes and some boxes don't have the glue at all)
Paper towels or sphagnum to damp wrap the root area if you ship bare root
plastic bags to seal up the root area and then more tape to close it
Newspaper and or peanuts to pack around the plants
Some of us do not have pick up service and must take the packages to the post office. In my case it is an 8 mile round trip so ones fuel must be figured in.
So it is not just the cost of the weight from my zip code to yours. All of these charges have to be figured in at some point of the sale.
|
glendalekid
Tuscaloosa, AL
(Zone 7b)
February 23, 2008
12:33 AM Post #4575979
| Seed_Sprout,
Yes, indeed. There is much more to shipping costs than the postage. I don't sell plants so I don't ship priority which means I must always buy my boxes, and they're not cheap. I have paper, ink, bubble wrap, tape, envelopes, and gas (30 miles round trip to the PO) in addition to the boxes.
Karen
|
HaroldS
Glendale, AZ
February 23, 2008
01:47 AM Post #4576191
| I scrounge for most of my packing materials. Always on the lookout for boxes at the grocery store if they are stocking shelves. (No boxes that contained liquor or aerosol items tho - PO won't take them.) Friends who work get me packing peanuts & bubble wrap that would be thrown out. Sometimes I get those items from freecycle or Craig's List. (You can also place wants there, but they want you to list "haves" once in a while too..) Trips to the Post Office or FedEx are usually planned with other errands. Shipping itself is so high I try to minimize the costs as much as I can.
30 miles RT to the PO Karen ? Whew. Will your mail carrier not pick up your packages? |
GreenThumbsTN
Chattanooga, TN
(Zone 7b)
February 23, 2008
09:32 AM Post #4576734
| Brenda made a great point about other expenses that go into shipping/handling.
also to consider: some states require bare-root (unless greenhouse grown in soilless mix), so one must take into account the time and water it takes to process the plant/s.
I think most people are not trying to gouge on shipping. there are always some exceptions but I am confident that dave and his wonderful staff will put a lid on those practices very quickly. I am looking forward to having a place to sell that will be above the rest.
P.S. i have bought from brenda and she packs nicely! |
glendalekid
Tuscaloosa, AL
(Zone 7b)
February 23, 2008
11:29 AM Post #4577159
| Harold,
No, the mail carrier won't pick up. I sell books so I ship media mail. USPS free boxes are only for Priority and Overnight. USPS pick up is only for First Class, Priority, and Overnight. I also have to pay for Delivery Confirmation, which is free for Priority Mail. The postage rates for media mail took a huge jump last May, especially for the one-pound or less packages.
I tried to get boxes from recycle bins, but getting small, sturdy boxes appropriate for shipping books turned out to be difficult. I found that in visiting three or four recycle bins around town I would come home with maybe one or two boxes. So, if I drove 20 miles between bins to get these, what did they cost me in gas? That's why I buy them. Once in a while I can use a free box for a large order, but not often.
I have not found a reliable source for used bubble wrap so I must buy it, but I do have one for peanuts. The Tyvek envelopes I use for single-book purchases cost $0.31 each, nearly as much as a box costs. I buy my supplies in large quantities so that the shipping to me is kept within reason. The local Office Depot and OfficeMax are way too high to buy from.
I combine mailing with errands in town when I can, but this week I haven't had any errands so the three trips have been strictly for mailing my packages. Yep, 15 miles down and 15 back.
Generally, I have not found that people charge excessively for shipping. If they do, report them. But also buyers do need to understand what goes into putting together that nicely packed box in which the purchase arrived safely.
Karen
|
gordo
Gulfport, FL
(Zone 9b)
February 23, 2008
12:02 PM Post #4577330
| Brenda is right on...
Supplies cost, for sure.
Also, since I'm the Shipping Department (the ENTIRE shipping department. LOL) I know each box like my own child by the time it leaves for it's destination. There are times when I've spent 45 minutes or more making a package secure enough for shipping. As I've already mentioned, I don't factor in the time it takes to wrap the orders.
So, with me, the slight overages take care of my shipping supplies.
If a package weighs in at SIGNIFICANTLY less weight then the amount stated, or if combining orders results in a SIGNIFICANT shipping overpayment - I issue a refund of that amount.
Brenda...I've solved the problem of having heavy pots when it rains. I just segregate the sold plants, or plants I offer for sale, in a sheltered area. No more shipping of unnecessary water @ 4.60 per pound. ! |
HaroldS
Glendale, AZ
February 23, 2008
01:16 PM Post #4577627
| Karen - I sell books too - or rather used to. Collector books have nose dived, even out of print ones, so that I don't list them much any more. Nor do I buy any anymore. It seems Half.com, Amazon, Bookfinders, etc. have every book dealer's entire stock listed on the internet.
I do have to buy the padded envelopes for single books - seldom sell more than one at a time to a bidder.
However, the price of the envelope is always included in the the starting bid for what I need for the book, so that I can still charge actual media cost for mailing it. I agree, media rate has soared. Probably because it was abused so much by some shippers - my last eBay purchase of padded envelopes came as media mail! I've gotten other very non media shipments via media rate too.
I have one postal clerk that is a real pain. No matter how often I get him, he always asks "what's in this package?" I always tell him Books - open it ! And he always replies that he's not allowed to. We go thru this same conversation every time I get him. I now know when he's off, and try to hit the PO then. LOL. So it appears to be an abused honor system if the PO can't determine if it is indeed media material. |
msrobin
Caneyville, KY
(Zone 6b)
February 23, 2008
03:10 PM Post #4578074
| You can get free boxes and envelopes from the USPS website delivered to your home. For the most part, I find the postage isn't that much more than regular mail, so I do usually send packages that way, after charging appropriate shipping costs to the customer. However, it is easy enough to put together the boxes inside out, so that you have a plain brown box. Even if it has a glued seam, you can carefully use a knife to open it up, turn the box inside out, then reglue it with a carpenters glue. I always add a strip of packing tape to the reglued seam. I'm sure I don't use as many boxes as you all do, but it would sure save you a bunch of time scrounging for boxes. I know, it's not exactly kosher, but free is free! |
HaroldS
Glendale, AZ
February 23, 2008
03:31 PM Post #4578162
| msrobin - You are lucky. My postal clerks know what their boxes look like - even inside out. I've seen them refuse one once, altho I have received packages like that. They don't allow us to cut the priority off the top of the free mailing label either and use it for media or parcel post. Now those labels have priority mail superimposed across all the white space. |
glendalekid
Tuscaloosa, AL
(Zone 7b)
February 23, 2008
03:35 PM Post #4578178
| Harold,
Media mail is always open to a random "check" by the PO, which means they can open the box and look if they want to. Your postal clerk is just being a jerk! I've never personally received anything via MM that wasn't kosher, but I'm sure it happens.
msrobin,
I like your thinking, but we cannot use Priority boxes turned inside out for media mail. It is against USPS regs, and there are serious penalties if caught doing that. I often would find used Priority boxes in the recycle bin. I asked the clerk at the PO if since they had already been used as Priority could I turn them inside out for Media Mail. No, was the answer. "A Priority box is always a Priority box."
Karen
|
msrobin
Caneyville, KY
(Zone 6b)
February 23, 2008
04:06 PM Post #4578285
| I stand corrected. I did read everything about the boxes and found nothing stating they couldn't be used any other way. Guess I should have asked.
But on the other hand, the process does work well for other boxes that you can find. I get a lot of smaller boxes from Dollar General, that are the perfect size for shipping presents to the grandkids. |
glendalekid
Tuscaloosa, AL
(Zone 7b)
February 23, 2008
10:14 PM Post #4579728
| msrobin,
You are most correct in that there is nothing on the USPS site that says you can't do that with the Priority boxes. If they are going to be so stuffy about it, they should say so up front.
To me, if they have already been used and through the mail as a Priority package it would make more sense to use them again for media mail or parcel post rather than dump them in the recycle bin -- but the PO has spoken, so there you are. I used some before I found out I wasn't supposed to. LOL.
I do save any appropriately-sized boxes I get from elsewhere, though.
Karen
|
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
February 23, 2008
10:29 PM Post #4579785
| I'm pretty sure they do say it on their website--I had contemplated getting their free boxes and doing something else with them, but I saw the warning on their website and decided not to do it. This was a year or two ago, so maybe they don't have it there anymore but they definitely used to. |
glendalekid
Tuscaloosa, AL
(Zone 7b)
February 23, 2008
10:56 PM Post #4579913
| ecrane3,
I could have missed it, that's for sure. But I've not seen it there.
Karen |
GreenThumbsTN
Chattanooga, TN
(Zone 7b)
February 24, 2008
08:42 AM Post #4581000
| these are the terms that you must agree to when you order the supplies:
I understand that Express Mail, Priority Mail, Global Express Guaranteed, Global Express Mail and Global Priority Mail packaging is the property of the United States Postal Service and is provided solely for sending Express Mail, Priority Mail, Global Express Guaranteed, Global Express Mail and Global Priority Mail. Misuse may be a violation of federal law.
if you turn them and the package gets caught, it will arrive postage due at the recipients location. the postal inspector may also pay you a visit if they deem that you are doing this routinely or if the recipient reports you. |
svplantingfool
South Venice, FL
(Zone 9b)
February 24, 2008
08:53 AM Post #4581026
| I recently got a heat mat, shipped via United Parcel Service, in an inside-out USPS triangular box... Maybe if I took a "blackmail" picture and sent it to UPS I could get free shipping for life??? lol
Cathy |
msrobin
Caneyville, KY
(Zone 6b)
February 24, 2008
09:37 AM Post #4581130
| Cathy, maybe!
~~~~~~~~~~~
Classic case of open mouth and insert foot...
Let me state for the record...I DO use the USPS boxes that I ordered online exactly the way they were intended. It's worth it to me (and my customers) to spend a little extra money to have purchased items get there a few days earlier than regular mail. Although, I AM guilty of reusing a used USPS box, as well as dollar store boxes, that I have turned inside out to send Cristmas and birthday gifts.
I have been properly chastened, though, and will not reuse used USPS again! 'Nuff said", let's move on...:)
|
glendalekid
Tuscaloosa, AL
(Zone 7b)
February 24, 2008
12:11 PM Post #4581752
| msrobin,
As I said I saw nothing wrong in reusing the USPS boxes -- only the PO thinks so. I don't feel you have anything to feel badly about so, please, don't feel chastened.
Moving on here . . .
Karen
|
zostropz
San Diego, CA
February 29, 2008
11:56 PM Post #4607378
| ok, what is the latest, do we have auctions yet? |
summerkid
Rose Lodge, OR
(Zone 8b)
March 02, 2008
02:19 PM Post #4612902
| hey, g'kid ... you know, if you have just ONE priority box for pickup, you can put out as many others as you like. i'm thinking that it might be worth your while to upgrade some random customer's shipping for that purpose, that it might be cost effective versus driving into town.
and wouldn't that random customer think you're the greatest & most generous shipper ever? you could even advertise that one customer each week gets a free upgrade!
would that work? |
summerkid
Rose Lodge, OR
(Zone 8b)
March 02, 2008
02:20 PM Post #4612907
| or, heck, even just ship a $4.60 Flat Rate box to yourself? |
summerkid
Rose Lodge, OR
(Zone 8b)
March 02, 2008
02:26 PM Post #4612928
| Also, the way I handled shipping + supplies cost is by rounding up a pound (I sell kimonos on eBay when I'm not being lazy, a state that can last for years). So if the kimono package, which I weigh before listing it, is 3 lbs 8 oz, I put the weight at 5 pounds. That "weigh" they get an honest amount in the Zip calculator, I don't need to do any further calculations unless combining shipping (in which case I add the pound to the whole package), and I probably break even on shipping. Back in the "Memoirs of a Geisha" days, my kimonos sold for up to $1,200 so I don't chintz on shipping.
I suppose if a customer checked the weight on the shipping label, he or she might wonder why I charged for one more pound, but nobody has questioned it. Certainly, the amount itself is listed right up top in the listing. |
glendalekid
Tuscaloosa, AL
(Zone 7b)
March 02, 2008
05:15 PM Post #4613451
| summerkid,
I didn't know that. I'll check into it. I would have to upgrade 3 packages a week, as I ship 3 times a week. Thanks for the suggestion.
Karen
|
msrobin
Caneyville, KY
(Zone 6b)
March 02, 2008
08:45 PM Post #4614168
| Karen, I have a set price on shipping and send all my ebay packages priority. No one has ever questioned my shipping price. I also offer a shipping discount, but few people take advantage of it. It's worth the little extra money, it just to have the PO pick up your packages. |
glendalekid
Tuscaloosa, AL
(Zone 7b)
March 02, 2008
11:57 PM Post #4615062
| msrobin,
If I sold more expensive items or plants, I would do Priority, you bet. But I sell books, and ship media mail. Priority would cost twice as much as media mail for one book. Most folks won't pay that.
Karen
|
msrobin
Caneyville, KY
(Zone 6b)
March 03, 2008
08:29 AM Post #4615915
| Karen, sorry, I forgot you so books. I understand your point. :) |
glendalekid
Tuscaloosa, AL
(Zone 7b)
March 03, 2008
12:15 PM Post #4616703
| msrobin,
No problem. I appreciate your good thoughts.
Karen
|
1913cat
Robertsville, MO
(Zone 5b)
March 06, 2008
07:45 AM Post #4628847
| One thing that I would like to mention is that there are fees for Phytosantization to ship out of the country, which I will do. I am a licensed nursery and I would need to charge a bit more to help with these costs, so long as there are enough over seas buyers. So the seller needs to let international buyers know the costs of this and also that they only can be shipped when our zones allow it, they made need to pot them til they can get used to there new climate before they can be planted. So also you need to decide if you do want to go overseas with the plants or not. |
Morph
Dayton, OH
(Zone 5a)
March 06, 2008
03:35 PM Post #4630284
| Jumping in late here... I saw something about a site http://www.etsy.com
It doesn't seem to be a great site for selling but it is more appealing than ebay for inserting things to sell (20 cents a piece rather than ~3.25% total of item at ebay). I offer it only as a comparison as I hope/predict that DGs would generate not only more traffic but more marketing buzz... Actually, is there a business plan for achieving that? If so, I think I would participate! |
zostropz
San Diego, CA
March 07, 2008
12:29 AM Post #4632407
| Sorry, I can't read all of these, working 7 day's a week right now. Did we decide yet if we're doing auctions here yet?
Mark |
Marylyn_TX
Houston, TX
(Zone 9a)
March 07, 2008
09:58 AM Post #4633359
| We're doing them! Dave is busily programming, and we are patiently waiting. |
msrobin
Caneyville, KY
(Zone 6b)
March 07, 2008
06:10 PM Post #4635151
| Well, maybe not quite so patiently...LOL |
GrammysGardenAZ
Cochise, AZ
(Zone 8b)
March 07, 2008
06:54 PM Post #4635345
| Dave had a little issue with a storm and his fence. We have to remember that he digs in the dirt before he programs! No hard to understand of most of us have the same priority system! |
zostropz
San Diego, CA
March 07, 2008
09:56 PM Post #4636040
| I'll be patient...Is it ready yet? Is it ready yet? Is it ready yet?
lol
Mark |
Marylyn_TX
Houston, TX
(Zone 9a)
March 07, 2008
11:02 PM Post #4636287
| LOLOL |
threegardeners
North Augusta, ON
(Zone 5a)
March 08, 2008
10:13 AM Post #4637387
| How bout now?? Is it ready now?
(snicker) |
