Odd, isn't it...

[ffutures]

...that when I sell a fairly heavy camera lens on eBay I can get it to the USA in a week, with insurance and tracking, for £17.....

...but if I want to buy a fairly light bit of software from a US vendor on eBay (a disk plus manual in a plastic bag) they quote me up to $50 depending on delivery speed, with delivery at that price still taking up to a week.

Are the US postal options really that crap, or do US vendors just not want to do business with British buyers?

Comments

Re: New eBay technique

[armb.livejournal.com]

And eBay's fees are based on the "Buy it now" price, not the price with shipping included, as far as I can see, giving another incentive to artificially inflate shipping costs to subsidise the item cost.
(I assume there comes a point where eBay object to being ripped off, but maybe if they make enough money from a shop subscription they worry less.)

Re: New eBay technique

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I think eBay would rather have the fees from a few thousand £1 transactions than a few hundred £5 transactions. I don't personally charge more than the cost of postage plus a jiffy bag, or whatever packaging I use, but I can see the attraction for people selling small items.