[WWI] ot: Ebay shipping costs

[Andy Bannister]

Chris wrote:

> Perhaps slightly off the point, but a funny experience
> I had on Amazon UK helps show the other extreme:  I
> bought a used copy of "Above the Trenches" from a
> seller.  Then I waited.  And waited.  For many weeks. 
> When I had despaired of getting the book, and the day
> I complained to Amazon UK, the Royal Mail parcel
> arrived.  The book was packed in a stout cardboard
> box, secured with the largest copper staples I've ever
> seen.  In order to open the box, I literally had to
> take it apart around the staples.  When I got it open,
> I discovered the volume was packed with about six
> other layers of packing, including multiple layers of
> bubble wrap, and a final layer of plastic wrap.  The
> book was in brand-new condition.  Shipping cost was
> something like 4 pounds, and the poor bloke must have
> spent that much in new packing materials.  Unpacking
> the book made me understand the reason for the delay: 
> He must have spent almost that much time packing it,
> and then was too tired to take it to the Post Office. 
> I've also gotten shipments from Hong Kong where, for a
> hefty shipping cost, the kit is just thrust into a
> jiffy bag and sent on its way.  
> 
> My own experience on eBay has been overwhelmingly
> positive, but I tend to stick to vendors who have
> proven reliable, and I do check feedback.    

Well, you can't argue with packing like that, especially for 4 quid. Wouldn't surprise me if the slow shipping was due to Royal Mail as much as it was the vendor. I sold a kit to a guy in Warrington (about 25 miles from where I live) and it never arrived at all!! And it wasn't a small kit either. How RM managed to lose it in such a small geographical area is beyond me...

On another note, I was looking at some kits that a guy in the US had on eBay a couple of weeks ago. He had every kit listed as costing $111.00 for shipping to the UK! I was very tempted to email him and ask him if he was joking or just out of his f*cking  mind!! At least he was up front about it though....
Andy

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