It’s Not a Bargain if the Shipping Charges are Inflated
January 4, 2008 by Deborah Ng
Filed under Deals on the Web
Yesterday I was shopping around online for a book I’d like to read. I’m in the process of catching up with all my work after the holidays, so I’d rather not have to go to the mall for one book. The library has a long waiting list. I checked Amazon, Ebay,and the usual suspects and found a couple of second hand books with very reasonable prices. Then I spied the shipping charge. The book had prices ranging from $3.50 to $7.99 with shipping charges ranging from $7.00 to $15.00.
Pay $10 to $23 for a $7.00 book? I don’t think so.
I used to love Amazon, mostly for the convenience. Now it’s become a marketplace for inflated shipping prices. Ebay is even worse. I know that by looking at the package, many people are looking to make a profit on the shipping charges. Sometimes a huge, hefty profit.
Now I always ask myself, is it worth the convenience for me to pay the inflated shipping charges for this product? In this case, I just put my name on the library’s waiting list.
Image by Matthew Hull via Morgue File.
I’ve encountered the same problem with shipping fees. I’ve been especially disgusted by EBay – previously a favorite with me. As a result I’ve done little shopping online this past year. Their greed has lost them my business.
Glad to see someone writing about this. Great site. Glad to have found it, I’m enjoying it.
Gilly
Why limit yourself to just eBay and Amazon? You can go to a website called “AddAll” and simultaneously search multiple online second-hand bookstore to find the cheapest total cost — shipping included.
For CDs, try “AMusicArea”.
Just add the book to your shopping cart until you hit $25 and shipping is free at Amazon. If that doesn’t work for you, you can always go to a store in-person.
I thought Amazon Marketplace sellers had to adhere to certain shipping charges–for books, anyway? I’ve never seen anything above 3.99, and when I’ve sold books I don’t recall having seen an option to set my shipping price…
Barnes and Noble shipping charges are standard charges per book. Unfortunately, if you order more than one book per seller, it’s still a per book charge. However, you can find used books at a decent price sometimes.