I decided to use this space to give an exhaustive explanation of my shipping policy and shipping charges, as the text is too large to include with each auction description.
Shipping professionally is the exact opposite in concept from shipping cheaply. Inferior materials and service is false economy. I learned how to ship breakables when I was a young teen, observing my foster mom, Margie, as she worked in a fine china shop in Burlingame, California. Everything used in the packing was clean and new, and the objective was to have the shipped item arrive in the correct number of pieces, as well as in a clean and visually appealing container.
When I started selling on eBay, I wanted my buyers to have the same experience that hers did. I had bought for some time on eBay before I started to sell, and I was taken aback by the number of items that arrived dirty or unpolished, and wrapped in newspaper, used paper towels, or plastic bags. My initial reaction was: UGH. Occasionally I got the opposite: clean or polished product, wrapped in new tissue, and properly enclosed in a clean and sturdy box. I always tried to thank the sender for his/her professional packing. Breakables arrived in a variety of ways, sometimes damaged due to the choice of the sender not to use plastic fill, bubble pack, and double boxes when prudent and necessary.
I quickly found out that the United States Postal Service would give me free boxes if I signed up to use Priority Mail. This meant that I could use new, clean, and proper boxes at no cost, resulting in the happy fact that I did not have to charge a handling fee to cover the cost of boxes. At less than a penny a sheet, I can buy tissue paper in bulk. For those items which require bubble pack and plastic fill, I can figure the modest cost into the minimum bid price. Occasionally I need to use a box size which is not available in the Post Office selection inventory. In that case, I sometimes figure the cost of that box into the minimum bid price. Another important benefit to Priority Mail is that the delivery time is 2 to 3 days. The longer an item is in transit, particularly a breakable, the more it is handled, and the greater the chances that it will be damaged or mislaid.
I do not believe in offering "free" shipping, as I feel that this is an insult to the buyer's intelligence. The only way to avoid adding shipping charges is to figure the amount needed into the minimum bid price, in which case the shipping is not free at all. However, so-called "free" shipping has become my default, in order to avoid infantile whining about shipping costs. It is hard for me to understand how functioning adults can fail to understand that the cost of shipping is determined by the USPS, NOT by the seller.
Reality is that the Post Office has been raising their rates on a regular basis, and will very likely continue to do so. eBay has made it possible to print labels and buy postage online, a service which includes up to $100 of insurance and tracking at no extra charge.. It is not possible to change what the Post Office charges. Using Priority Mail options over First Class is actually less expensive, as First Class charges extra for tracking and iinsurance, and does not provide free boxes.
Why is some sort of trackable delivery confirmation necessary? I did not know that it is the only proof of mailing that eBay and Paypal will accept until a buyer claimed that she did not receive her purchase. I did have an insurance receipt, and the dispute was settled on the basis of that, eventually, but I learned a valuable lesson when the customer service rep who helped me with the issue told me to ALWAYS get a delivery confirmation if I wanted eBay/Paypal to rule in my favor. I think it fair for eBay/Paypal to now let the seller and buyer have that service at no cost, and I am grateful for that.
Why is insurance needed? A professional seller is expected to know the consequences of shipping uninsured merchandise. If I sold new goods which are easily replaceable, I could choose simply to send an exact replacement if something was lost, stolen, or damaged in the mail. However, I sell old things which are quite difficult to impossible, in some cases, to duplicate. The Post Office and eBay both expect me to make the best choices based on my experience as a seller. If I do not require insurance, and the buyer does not demand it, I am morally and perhaps legally obligated to come out of pocket to reimburse the buyer in the event of loss, theft, or damage. Failure to do so would not only damage my reputation as a seller and affect my feedback rating, but could result in the suspension or loss of my eBay selling privileges.
I do not use UPS because of numerous previous bad experiences with this company. The United States Postal Service has given me many years of virtually problem free shipping. Enough said.
In summary, I use the United States Postal Service based on a good track record, I use Priority Mail because I get shipping materials free of cost, and the delivery time is quite quick. I do not ship without delivery confirmation and insurance because judgment based on experience indicates that both are a wise choice.
Now comes the caveat: if you do not like my shipping costs or policies, you are under no obligation to bid or buy from me. Simply avoid my listings. There are many other sellers who will be happy to do things the way YOU want. Conversely, they are so many great buyers out there who are happy with the way I do things, and they continue to buy from me year after year.
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