Richard, I'm glad to hear you've had good experience with this.
That certainly makes sense for items that are unlikely to be
problematic. However, those that might require return can present a
problem because very few merchants will refund shipping costs even if
an item is DOA.
It's a primary tactic used by the crooks who advertise low prices to
deceive the gullible. Product price is lower than what (for example)
B&H charges but after s&h are added in, the total price is usually
close to that of a legit dealer. Then, if you try to return the
merchandise, they'll refund only the falsely low purchase price and
you'll be hit with a restocking fee as well. Oh, and you have to pay
return shipping AFTER getting a an ROA from customer "service".
I would also submit that merchants who do this are less than
trustworthy to begin with. There are more than a few reports of them
sending supposedly new equipment that was clearly a demo model or even
used. When you call to address it, you find yourself in an endless
loop and if you get a hold of someone they'll probably accuse you of
using it and trying to return it, "which is why we have to protect
ourselves with a restocking fee!" Yeah, right.
To paraphrase Monty Python, "Scam, scam, scam, scam!"
Don't ask how I know about this . . .
ScottGee1
On 10/31/06, Richard Lovison <rlovison@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> ScottGee1 wrote:
>
> > I've already vented to this list about inflated shipping and handling
> > prices.
>
> I never let high shipping costs bother me... as a matter of fact I would
> rather bid on items with inflated shipping costs since these types of
> ads don't seem to attract a lot of bidders. I just look at the shipping
> costs as part of the total cost. In other words, if there is an item I
> feel is worth $60, I'll bid $60 if I feel the shipping costs are
> reasonable. If the shipping is inflated, I'll lower my maximum bid the
> appropriate amount. I just picked up a brand new copy of Adobe
> Photoshop CS upgrade for $61 with $20 shipping for a total of $81. Not
> bad in my opinion. A day before my auction ended, a used copy of the
> same software went for $93 and $10 shipping. Go figure.
>
> Richard L
>
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