From: chance wolf (chance_wolf@shaw.ca)
Date: Sat Nov 20 2004 - 11:21:58 PST
----- Original Message -----
From: "Patrick Jankowiak" <recycler@swbell.net>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 6:03 PM
Subject: Re: [MV] Vendor's take advantage on Ebay
> If I have to use a carton I have purchased, and bubble wrap I
> have purchased, it is unfair for me to not recover the costs of
> those, however slight. I am talking about $1 to $5. $5 gets you a
> 30x24x24 carton and alot of bubble wrap.
Depends, I think, on a lot of things, and I don't think there's any one
"correct" answer. A lot of purchasers are going to look at the price
they've paid for something and your obvious status as a dealer, and expect
you to absorb basic packaging as a "cost of doing business" item much like,
say, the cost of the box the DVD player comes in, or the box that sweater
comes in that you bought from Sears Catalogue. For instance, if I buy a
computer part from someone on the web who obviously sells computer parts all
day long, I wouldn't expect to be charged extra for an anti-static bag, some
foam wrap, and a box - regardless of whether the vendor had to pay for them
or not. Same goes if I buy something from Fair Radio or Antelope Valley or
any of the others - I wouldn't expect to pay for the box - as I imagine
their markup must take into account such "cost of doing business" stuff up
front as part of their business plan.
Just talking in generalities here, but if I come across an Ebay ad that
wants me to pay all their Ebay seller fees, the cost of the ink in their
inkjet printer to print the invoice, the cost of the paper the invoice comes
on, and exactly 2.3 feet of packing tape - I'll just move along, thanks.
Some people might accept that as a valid way of doing business and that's
fine (no "correct" answer in the marketplace, right?), but my choice as the
consumer is not to purchase anything there.
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