The uncertainty about international postage costs at Heritage has put me off bidding from time to time. You have to factor in the cost of postage to determine whether it is worth bidding, particularly on lower value items. If you don't know how much postage will be prior to bidding it makes it very difficult. On higher value items it is not so important. My last two purchases have been for very large posters and postage charges for those were reasonable.
I sell a heck of a lot of posters on ebay and they do things very differently there. Buyers on ebay expect full tracking and insurance plus gorilla proof packaging but they also expect very low postage charges. If you charge what is perceived as being too much for postage you get trashed in the ratings. I often lose money on postage and I'm sure other sellers are in the same position. Postage costs will continue to rise and I certainly understand that Heritage cannot be expected to lose money on postage and packaging but I would like to know how much postage will be before I bid. John Reid PO Box 92, Elanora, Qld 4221, Australia <http://www.moviemem.com/> www.moviemem.com <http://www.ozefilm.com/> www.OzeFilm.com <http://www.ozemovieposter.com/> www.OzeMoviePoster.com <http://www.ozeauction.com/> www.OzeAuction.com <http://www.bodycorporatenews.com/> www.BodyCorporateNews.com <https://www.facebook.com/moviememmovieposters?pnref=lhc> Like us on Facebook <http://stores.ebay.com.au/Daybill-Movie-Posters?_trksid=p2047675.l2563> my ebay Australia Store <http://stores.ebay.com/JOHN-REID-Original-Movie-Posters> my ebay US Store From: MoPo List [mailto:mopo-l@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU] On Behalf Of David Kusumoto Sent: Friday, 10 July 2015 1:00 PM To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Subject: Re: [MOPO] HA shipping costs I find it totally unacceptable, which is why I have asked other MOPO members if they have had similar experiences. Why some have a problem with that I fail to understand. If MOPO exists to allow collectors to discuss matters of importance to members (and they don't all live in USA) and not simply for advertising sales, then surely the business practices of one of the hobby's biggest players is a matter for discussion? Your question, in my view, was reasonable, Tommy. At MoPo - like elsewhere - there are fiefdoms of fans for this or that dealer - or for this or that auction house. Unfortunately, any question that sounds legitimate to "consumers" - which also sounds like an attack on these disparate fiefdoms - causes some to reflexively rise to their defense, dishing out metaphors and analogies, mixed with the occasional fact or direct/indirect quote designed to challenge YOUR sanity, e.g., to make you appear dim-witted, dodgy or worse for even querying the group. Everyone, MYSELF INCLUDED, is guilty of this from time to time, as we have our faves and biases about who's great, who's good and who we should avoid because of documented or confessed spotty service or bad behavior. Even known scammers who have been dragged into courts or in the news media - have allies on these boards. Just keep in mind that the lion's share of contributors are merchants peddling their goods - and to be fair, most have a lot of expertise, e.g., the recent discussion of "The Third Man" was especially enlightening. But the downside of merchant dominance on public forums like MoPo is I can only count on one hand the number of pure consumers and non-full-time sellers who choose to contribute to MoPo REGULARLY. It's too brutal for them because they fear being attacked by paper cuts of sarcasm. The vast majority of MoPo's small membership are customer lurkers who are being offended every week - whose identities I learn about via private messaging as a consumer advocate. Even the marketing of goods, which is a primary service provided on these boards - is fraught with controversy. If some forum members believe it's done too frequently - or - in the eyes of some, too flamboyantly - (as some felt Bruce H. did before he left MoPo) - this is frowned upon, esp. benchmark-based advertising which compares merchants with other merchants. What's common everywhere in advertising is taboo here - yet the disapproval, in my view, is expressed most loudly - and almost entirely by competing merchants, not consumers. -d. _____ Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 15:54:01 +0100 From: tommymb...@gmail.com Subject: Re: HA shipping costs To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Since March 2012, I have bought a total of 182 items from HA, ranging in price from $16 to $621. They have obviously posted many packages to me in that time, and mostly without any complaint on my part about shipping costs. Recently, however, I have had cause to question the cost. The last shipment I received was initially invoiced to me at $147.06, which I queried. I was informed that HA had charged me at Fedex retail rate and not their discounted rate, so the invoice was reduced to $103.25. Even so, that was expensive for a small box of folded posters, especially considering that the previous charge from HA was for 3 packages sent together containing a mixture of rolled and folded (approx. 11 folded, 3 rolled including 1 linenbacked, 3 lobby cards) for which I was charged the not entirely unreasonable amount of $122.75. I asked that they quote me for shipping before sending any future packages, and I received a quote (comparing like for like) of $221.97. That was for 13 folded and 1 rolled (linenbacked) poster, similar to that previous shipment in size but almost $100 more. I asked for a breakdown of the cost on 20th June but received no reply until yesterday, when I was sent exactly the same quote with no reference to my query. (As a matter of interest, the value of the posters in question is just over $1,000 so not, as Simon deemed to suggest, cheap purchases.) I buy from several other U.S. dealers and have found their postage costs to be reasonable, and certainly never as expensive as Heritage. I have been willing to pay their shipping charges, however, as obviously they have an attractive offer, in the same way most people are prepared to pay their buyers' premium even though other online poster auctions don't have one. In this instance, though, I find it totally unacceptable, which is why I have asked other MOPO members if they have had similar experiences. Why some have a problem with that I fail to understand. If MOPO exists to allow collectors to discuss matters of importance to members (and they don't all live in USA) and not simply for advertising sales, then surely the business practices of one of the hobby's biggest players is a matter for discussion? Tommy On Thu, Jul 9, 2015 at 3:36 PM, Helmut Hamm <texasmu...@web.de> wrote: Am 09.07.2015 um 13:28 schrieb Simon Oram <fab5fre...@btinternet.com>: Look Heritage's shipping charges for the weekly slots are expensive for overseas buyers on cheap items or items that you thought you got for a bargain price , so move on and don't buy from them anymore or better still set up an address in the US to get all your stuff sent there, if you can. What more do want? Simon, with all due respect, but I also had my grievances with Heritage's shipping department in the past. Several years ago, they had GREAT rates with Fedex, two-day international delivery, for less money than USPS Priority Mail. Unfortunately, the Heritage shipping department was repeatedly unable to give me ANY estimate upfront. Nobody over there was able or willing to tell me, what the best option for my deliveries would've been. In consequence, I had to make a blind choice, and pay whatever they charged me. I mean, we're not talking about a couple of bucks here: Take a $10 poster purchase, with buyer's premium you're at roughly $25, add $40 for shipping and 19% import tax, you end up paying $77 for what started out as a $10 poster. In consequence, I complete gave up bidding on low-key items with Heritage, since they usually ended up costing me WAY too much money. On a related topic: I guess I am somewhat sensitive about shipping costs, but I still have to see the reason why so many ebay sellers feel they are untitled to grant themselves a substantial premium for shipping outside the US. None of those guys would dare to charge $25 for a domestic package, that costs them $5 to ship, yet they have no hesitation to charge $40 for an international package, that costs less than $20 to ship. Also, the common shipping option I see listed is Priority Mail International. For most of my incoming packages, that's a waste of money. It DOES take an extra click on the USPS website to find the cost for First Class Mail International, and one more click to choose the free 'delivery confirmation' option, which will provide full tracking all the way to Germany. Then again, why go the extra mile and ship for $20, when you can make your buyer pay $40 and ship Priority? Helmut _____ To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L <https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1> &A=1 Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
