Should Second-Hand Buyers pay back YOUR shipping?

Sellers can charge whatever they want for the item, in my opinion. What matters is what someone is willing to BUY, and if by tacking on the extra shipping charges and whatnot the seller has priced themselves out of the market, then too bad for them - no one will buy their item, and they'll just look silly. I also agree with destiny up there, that if they want to charge all this extra shipping, then they had better state it upfront, instead of springing it on you.

 

Anna put it perfectly: If you're willing to pay the money, it doesn't matter what factors go into the price of the doll and frankly it's none of the buyer's business.

Let's flip the question over: If the price is super low to the point that it's a steal, are you going to sit there and tell the seller that you don't think it's fair to them, the seller, that they're selling it so low? Will you offer to pay more? I mean, it's only fair, right? Furthermore, is it any of your business why the price is so low?

Bottom line is if someone decides to sell there Bobobie for $3000, it's none of your business why it's marked so high. All you have to ask yourself is, "Am I willing to pay this much?" And if the answer is No, move on. Who are you to preach about market ethics?

 

I think that as the item's owner, sellers have the right to ask for whatever price they want. If you disagree with what they're selling for, then just don't buy it! It's really no big deal.

 

It's simple: Sellers can ask whatever price they want for whatever reason. You get to decide whether or not you want to pay it.

 

If the item is sold out, and it's popular, I recoup all my money, if it is not sold out, but not meant to live here, well sometimes I not only eat my shipping costs, I have to sometimes sell it for lower, but such is the nature of any collecting, don't you think?

 

It's really up to the seller.
But, one would be wise to steer clear of crazy sellers like that. If you're smart, you'll check shipping for yourself and you'll know if you're being over charged. No point in beating around the bush.

 

Obviously sellers are free to factor in their original shipping costs if they want to, but I think it's really weird to openly state that in your sales post. I don't care what components make up the final cost of the item - I just want to know the price I have to pay.

I definitely think it would be wrong to exclude the original shipping charge you're adding on from the price listed in the thread title. I'd be pretty annoyed if I saw something for $500+shipping and then opened the thread to find out it was actually $500 + $50 of the seller's shipping + $50 shipping to the buyer + $? PayPal fees that the seller is too lazy to calculate so the buyer will have to do it for them. If you want to sell an item, you should make it as simple as reasonably possible for the buyer.

 

I think that's a little off. I think the seller can charge what they wish but secondhand selling isn't stock marketing. You can't buy low sell high and stuff. With LE's, it's understandable. But as a seller, you also have a responsibility not to rip the buyer off. What if the buyer doesn't know they're being ripped off? Perhaps they should have researched but a buyer should be able to trust the seller.

Anyway, when it comes to brand new dolls, though I still don't like it, I can allow a seller choosing to add their shipping costs to the doll when selling it. But for a used doll, that's been already loved, it's just strange that you'd sell it like you're the company itself. No matter how well you took care of it, it doesn't change the fact its been played with before. As the original consumer, you decided to pay for it. Now that you don't want it? You pay the price. You made the original choice to buy it. Just cause a seller can sell at any price they want, doesn't mean they should​.

Just my opinion on things.

 

I think it's the seller's right to ask for whatever price they want on their item, as it is a buyer's right to decide whether they want to pay for that price or not. I actually don't see anything wrong with it. If I don't agree with that price the seller is asking, I will just not choose to buy it. But I can understand if the person wants to cover the cost that they paid for the item, especially if the item is still untouched.

 

I do not yet have access to the marketplace, so my opinions are based on my experiences in buying and selling on other forums. I agree with many of you that sellers can and have a right to charge whatever they want for whatever they want. This is balanced by the fact that buyers have a right to not buy anything that they think is overpriced. I feel strongly that buyers should educate themselves about average secondary market prices for particular items, not only to get the most for their hard-earned money, but to dissuade sellers from trying to overprice things they sell on the secondary market.

That being said, I feel that it is in poor taste for sellers to ask buyers to pay shipping, PLUS what the seller paid to have the item they are selling shipped to them in the first place. And at the risk of offending anyone who charges two shipping fees, I don't think that doing this is a wise and well-thought-out business move. At the very least it annoys potential buyers and leaves people with the impression that the seller is overly focused on making a profit at the expense of a fellow BJD enthusiast, and at the worst could cause potential buyers to look elsewhere, thereby causing the seller to lose out on potential sales.

I'm not an uptight, rigid, "follow-the-rules-or-else" sort of beotch, but when a seller CHOOSES to sell through PayPal, they contractually agree to abide by PayPal's rules, one of which is that Sellers (NOT Buyers) pay the Seller's fees. That's why they're called "Seller's fees"! I don't like having to pay the fee whenever I utilize PayPal to sell an item any more than anyone else does, but I do it because it is my responsibility when I am the Seller. So I simply will NOT buy from any Sellers who ask potential Buyers to pay THEIR Seller's fees! This is another not-so-bright move that can cause potential buyers to look elsewhere and go without rather than buy from you. AND you risk PayPal closing down your account if they find out that you are breaking a major rule. How would they find out you ask? A lot of people who do a great deal of buying on the secondary market are getting pretty fed up with sellers who ask buyers to pay their seller's fees, and when they have a bad day at work or their dog dies or their significant other cheats on them, etc., a seller who asks buyers to pay their fees could very well be the last straw in the potential buyer's crappy day, and this leads to them turning you in to PayPal to gain a sense of control over their life. Or maybe someone has a grudge against you, or whatever. IMO, it's not just wrong, it's unwise and risky.

 

This is a rather interesting topic as I have bought and sold many large scale Iplehouse dolls and the shipping from N Korea is upwards of $78.00 a pop. I tend not to try to recoup the shipping cost but the fact is, everytime I sell one (these are brand new dolls mind you with no face up in all their original factory packaging) I end up loosing the shipping costs.

The next doll I sell, I will surely be passing the shipping costs onto the buyer. The way I see it, if they pay all the shipping cost that they would have paid if the doll came from Asia, they are still escaping the sevral month wait that they would have had to endure for that doll. Now if I was selling a used doll I would just charge them the local shipping amount depending on the agreed upon carrier and service options.

 

If a seller chooses to tack the shipping they paid on top of their item, that's their choice. A buyer should be smart about what they buy and do their own research to find out whether or not they're being overcharged.

 

If the state of the market allows, I would be glad to attempt it. Worst case scenario, you don't get people interested n the doll until you have lowered the price over time, right?

I have, and will continue to, pay for items that are listed at a greater value than what they are conventionally listed at (to a reasonable amount, of course). To me, the time saved from domestic vs. international shipping, a detailed and honest condition report, information on what it actually fits, and communicating with a fellow collector is well worth the extra money.

 

I actually find it really funny to watch the MP. I'll see a doll go up with some extras that they're not willing to split and maybe a custom face up (the quality of these varies, but most of the time I'd want to wipe it regardless), and it'll start off as like $550 (I usually stalk the mini section, since MSDs are my thing).

Then, as the weeks roll by and no one buys it, the price will slowly drop from $550 to $500 to $450... And down until it's $300. And then usually the doll will hover there for weeks and weeks and either be bought or have to drop even further and the owner try to sell the extras in other areas of the MP.

I think buyers are already voting with their wallets ;P

 

I have always considered shipping fees to be part of the cost of anything I purchase that must be shipped to me. My budget takes into consideration not only the cost of the doll itself but the S/H fees as well as any potential customs charges. If I am not willing to pay the shipping... I don't get the item.

In my experience, it's no worse than paying someones' "handling" fees that are tacked on with the shipping; which, in several cases has been extremely high.

Basically, shipping (and handling) becomes part of the cost of the doll for me.

 

It's an open marketplace, if your not comfortable with the price. You can always make an offer and negotiate

 

No, they shouldn't. Because if that's the case, I could just buy the item new. I don't care if I would get it sooner, I have more time than I do money.

Sure, it's ultimately up to the seller what the price is, but more than likely it's going to sit there until they either lower the price, or a desperate buyer comes along. Dolls and doll stuff aren't houses or property, they lose value over time! You ARE going to lose money, accept it, don't make us pay for your indecisiveness/indiscretion/situation. Well you might ask 'What's the big deal? It's only $2 more, or $10, or $50....or whatever...."...I could ask you the same thing, but the only difference is that I can probably buy whatever used item you're selling at new price, brand new.

 

people already voiced my opinion - sellers can price their items however high or low they want, and buyers can choose whether they are willing to pay that price.

whether shipping is part of the deal is moot, the baseline argument for any kind of pricing applies above.

 

Absolutely not. In the situation that they tell you that you need to pay for the doll, the shipping they paid, as well as shipping to you? I think thats the sign of a bad seller. The seller was also a consumer when they first bought the doll and shipping cost is a sacrifice that they made. If they decided they didn't like the doll and is going to sell it, I mean, they can sell it for full price if they so choose, but to also add on their own shipping costs is IMO bad seller ethics.

Of course, a seller can sell their doll at whatever price they choose to. But just because they can doesn't mean they should. Yeah, as the original buyer, you are losing out on money (especially if its a brand new doll). But you took that risk to begin with.

 

I think the sellers are free to price it how they want but my view on it is that it's pretty stingy. How would they like it if they wanted to buy a second hand doll but it's already gone through more than one owner and everyone did it their way? OOPS. Then they have to pay at least triple the shipping fee. Really if they want to charge for their shipping fee, they don't have to say because that's how I see it is: I see the base price of the doll + everything but the shipping fee to be the actual price. If they like it like that, they may as well say "plus x for face up, plus x for accessories, plus x for box and papers, minus x for yellowing" and so on. :/ When it's like that, it could come up to more than the original price of the doll in which case, I wouldn't order from them.