I have been shopping on eBay for over a year now and have been noticing that certain items such as vintage ballasts and vintage push button light switches seem to be way overpriced. Why is this?

I think it has to do with shipping costs. Some items such as ballasts are heavy and expensive to ship, so the vendor might mark up the price to make a profit.

There’s a pack of four 4-packs of 95 watt GE Misers in early 1990’s packaging for $40.00 on eBay now. As much as I like these bulbs, $2.50 per bulb is too much!  I guess some people understand incandescent enthusiasts like me and figure we will pay anything to have old fashioned bulbs these days. I’m glad the ReStore exists, better prices and no shipping costs.

I think it has to do with shipping costs. Some items such as ballasts are heavy and expensive to ship, so the vendor might mark up the price to make a profit.

There’s a pack of four 4-packs of 95 watt GE Misers in early 1990’s packaging for $40.00 on eBay now. As much as I like these bulbs, $2.50 per bulb is too much!  I guess some people understand incandescent enthusiasts like me and figure we will pay anything to have old fashioned bulbs these days. I’m glad the ReStore exists, better prices and no shipping costs.

The shipping charge is separate from the actual item price. I could not find a vintage push button switch for less than $30 for a single switch! Not even a multi-pack!

I’ve even seen some MV yardblasters go for $150-$200+ and that’s not even including the shipping costs. It really depends on the seller I think.

Being an eBay seller myself, I can say it's hard to make a profit on eBay. I have some items priced really low that maybe I just want to get rid of but I also have some items priced pretty high. Mostly because I do "free shipping" on almost all of my listings so shipping is included in the item price. Then there's the eBay seller fees and PayPal fees. I have been quite surprised many times at how high my eBay selling fees bill is each month. Seems I often am paying all my profits to eBay.

Being an eBay seller myself, I can say it's hard to make a profit on eBay. I have some items priced really low that maybe I just want to get rid of but I also have some items priced pretty high. Mostly because I do "free shipping" on almost all of my listings so shipping is included in the item price. Then there's the eBay seller fees and PayPal fees. I have been quite surprised many times at how high my eBay selling fees bill is each month. Seems I often am paying all my profits to eBay.

What do you sell?

I currently have mostly irrigation items listed but I do currently still have one streetlight and photocontrols listed.

对！eBay上的一个新老库存品的电感镇流器大都在100-200RMB左右，然后运费特别贵！就像我前段时间买的那俩推进牌的RS-3P40-TP快速启动型电感镇流器，三灯管用的，一个13.5美元，当时汇率差不多91RMB，运费美国国内支付了21.5美元，国际运费支付了40.84美元，总共花了我600多RMB！

The real reasons eBay items are expensive:
You can search eBay sales history for an item and see how much it goes for in the past. Then the eBay seller picks the highest ever transaction price and thinks that is automatically what their item is worth. So, they either have a high starting bid on auction, or a BIN price with a "Make Offer" option, that when you make reasonable offer is automatically rejected because seller has set the minimum offer at a few dollars less than BIN.

The internet, in general, is a "double edged sword" in that we can scour the world for some special item, but others can also see how much things SOMETIMES can go for. I have seen this on Craigslist also. Super high prices on items, and when I contact the seller they won't budge. I've had them say "that's what they go for on eBay" uh, no they don't dude! One time something got that much, but you're not on eBay and you don't need to ship so how about bargaining a little?

When selling on eBay you have to consider those things though. The shipping, eBay seller and PayPal fees, cost of packaging, etc really add up. You can't lose money. Well, you can but that's entirely up to you when you're the seller. I've lost money right on a sale a few times. I underestimated the cost of shipping and I sold the item for less than what shipping cost me. I'm very careful about that now. I've also had listings with the make offer option on buy it now listings with free shipping and the buyer made a unrealistic offer. It was a sprinkler I was selling. I think I was asking about $30 and they offered $5. I replied to them I think saying something like it was going to cost me at least $10 just to ship it so I had to decline their offer. So they submit another offer going up $1 to $6. What a joke. I might just start charging exact shipping charges on my listings to avoid it all together. It's a pain though because you have to have the package weighed and measured when you list it.

I feel everybody though. As a buyer I try getting the best deal possible too. I don't pay sky rocketed prices on items. Selling has taught me a lot though.

When selling on eBay you have to consider those things though. The shipping, eBay seller and PayPal fees, cost of packaging, etc really add up. You can't lose money. Well, you can but that's entirely up to you when you're the seller. I've lost money right on a sale a few times. I underestimated the cost of shipping and I sold the item for less than what shipping cost me. I'm very careful about that now. I've also had listings with the make offer option on buy it now listings with free shipping and the buyer made a unrealistic offer. It was a sprinkler I was selling. I think I was asking about $30 and they offered $5. I replied to them I think saying something like it was going to cost me at least $10 just to ship it so I had to decline their offer. So they submit another offer going up $1 to $6. What a joke. I might just start charging exact shipping charges on my listings to avoid it all together. It's a pain though because you have to have the package weighed and measured when you list it.

I feel everybody though. As a buyer I try getting the best deal possible too. I don't pay sky rocketed prices on items. Selling has taught me a lot though.

What is the purpose of PayPal?

What is the purpose of PayPal?

PayPal is a safe way of paying for purchases online and sending money to people. They charge a fee for using their service though. So as soon as a buyer clicks that "pay now" button PayPal has already immediately taken their percentage out of my profits. Then I pay to ship the package. Then after that eBay sends me a bill each month to take their share of my profits.

PayPal is a safe way of paying for purchases online and sending money to people. They charge a fee for using their service though. So as soon as a buyer clicks that "pay now" button PayPal has already immediately taken their percentage out of my profits. Then I pay to ship the package. Then after that eBay sends me a bill each month to take their share of my profits.

Doesn't the buyer pay for shipping?

Doesn't the buyer pay for shipping?

Yes unless you offer "free shipping".

I no longer offer "free shipping" unless it can be shipped by USPS for a fixed rate.

You'll find "customers" never appreciate cost of shipping and continue to low-ball for less than shipping alone.
It's come to the point where I'd rather throw something away than deal with the low-ballers.

But the issue of shipping is separate from the issue of the item prices often being too high these days. People are asking maximum perceived value for something, being inflexible, irregardless of shipping concerns.