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So I'm not new to Ebay by any stretch of the imagination. I've bought and sold on there for years.
I decided to type in Stampin Up Rare, just to see what pops up. Well someone has ONE STAMP SET.......ONE for $199.99. Who in their right mind would spend that kind of money for one stamp set??? I can understand if it was a huge lot of sets and papers and punches etc But for ONE SET?
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Life is NOT a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely BUT...to skid in sideways, chocolate in hand and screamingWOOHOO-WHAT A RIDE!
If it was Wild, Wild West I'm not surprised. Hard to find and people lose their minds. I will admit that I paid $45 for a set that I really, really wanted and couldn't find. It comes down to how rare and how desirable, I guess...
ok - I know I'm obsessive compulsive when it comes to my stamp collecting, but really, $200.00 for a stamp set! I have a problem with being taken advantage of when it comes to ebay. I don't mind someone getting a fair price or making (somewhat) of a profit, but that is ridiculous! I really appreciate those folks who want to see their stamps go to a good home and are willing to settle for a price that is reasonable. thanks to all of you on this site who seem to share that ideology. nanette
Yeah, there's no way I would pay that much for stamps, no matter how badly I wanted them. But as long as buyers continue to pay outrageous prices, sellers will continue to gouge. I can't even get a fair price for the cards and jewelry I make when I try to sell on Etsy, so I don't know how sellers find people to pay that much, but they do. I, too, appreciate the fair selling practices here on SCS.
When I see a price like that on EBay, I then specify SOLD and COMPLETED auctions only for that item and take a look at what people are actually paying, and how many of those outrageously priced auctions ended without a single bid. Sellers can set any starting price they want, doesn’t mean it will sell. Even on some of those retired and really sought after stamps, I think a seller would do better to cut their starting price to one third of that and let the buyers bid up over time.Sometimes “the fever” takes over and a buyer will go higher than they planned after investing time over a few days of bidding. They don’t want to lose it.
I don’t like gouging either and those offering sets with a high buy it now price are obviously indulging in a bit of that but people can be weird about “rare” or sought-after items. I listed a single embossing folder on (UK) eBay some years back. I think I started it at 99p. There were several people who clearly really, really wanted it and in the end it went for about �20 - yikes!
Some stamps, whether SU! or others (the PSX botanicals spring to mind) just seem to send some people a little crazy on what they’re willing to pay. The rest of us would rather just spread that money around and have more toys to play with ;)
__________________ ~ Susan - Celebrating 19 years as an SU demo! Grammy to Anna 15, Elizabeth 14, Nora 12, Abigail 12, Kendall 10 , Isaac 10, Evan 7, and Hudson 3 with me in my avatar Proud to be SCS Fan Club Member since the beginning!
It is a little nuts. I have just recently started back up stamping and went on there to see what was new - I about choked when I saw some of the prices! I then came back to SCS and also to the PTI forums and started looking there instead. I suppose everyone has that one thing they would walk through fire to get - for some, it must be a stamp set :p
__________________ "For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack" ~Rudyard Kipling my gallery
It isn't just Stampin' Up stamps that have those kinds of prices! I love Kliban cats (the fat tabby cats from the late 70s early 80s) and ONE stamp can be listed for $50! It's crazy.
SU Jar of Haunts listed for $54.95 and the shipping is $36.95! and no wooden blocks involved! Ridiculous! I don't browse E-bay anymore, prices were too high and shipping was a rip off, greedy sellers as far as I am concerned. My pet peeve is sets labelled rare that are currently available in the catalogue, wish there was a way to comment on the posting, I would say "still available, google SU website to find a demo!"
lynkim, just curious...is it because you're Canada that the shipping is high? Certainly I've noticed over the last few years that eBay postage to the EU has in most cases become prohibitive:-(. Most Etsy postage is far more reasonable.
Im from australia and though i dont have any stampin up sets i do have other brands and they do aame thing here i mean was looking at hero arts background stamps on ebay AU and one was buy it now for $180 theyre like $15 to $20!!!!
But even independent retailers here can charge a fortune maybe not that high but higher than elsewhere so depending what it is i may try MFT directly (has cheap international postage) or simon says stamp or 123stitch or Stuff4craft all of these are im the U.S.
Theres stores here i use as well but one of them stopped selling stamps and dies mostly and sells everything else just not stamps or dies cos china is coming out with copies that are like $2 and when i say copies i mean ebay says unbranded but its a direct copy of a MFT stamp set is this illegal???
And it even has free post i know these stamps are probably crap quality but if ur new how would u know and so the shop said people are buying the cheap dies and stamps rathee than the brand name ones and its a difference of like $15 to $20 AU for the same MFT stamp set from ebay AU someyimes they cost $25 to $27 a set AU which is not $18US at all so thats abother reason why i shop in US stores even with postage and the exchange rate its cheaper than buying it here
But the chinese versions are $2 or $3 au instead of like $25 so i guess if you donr have the money i just wait till i do and cos i sell cards for charity i get the money back that i spent on products tp buy new products
Erin, if you do try ordering direct from MFT, just check the options carefully. Perhaps they have changed their shipping policies again, but a few years ago I had to stop buying from them because the customs and brokerage fees were making it financially not practical to buy from them. If she's gone back to using USPS first class international I think you'd be fine, though.
I do notice with eBay that a lot of international shipping is now their Global Priority option with prepaid duty, but it's hugely more expensive, and often applied to an item which isn't expensive enough to pay duty on in the first place.
Ack, I cannot contain myself ... supply and demand my foot. We are not talking gas and oil here, we are talking about a rubber stamp, and that rubber stamp could be reproduced at the drop of a hat. This does drive me a bit crazy as we get it a lot here in Canada, making it cost prohibitive for most. I have been in talks with Amazon for months now trying to clean up the listings, and finally things are getting better. There are all kinds of people out there wanting your hard earned money ... they need to be ignored when it comes to purchasing.
Erin, if you do try ordering direct from MFT, just check the options carefully. Perhaps they have changed their shipping policies again, but a few years ago I had to stop buying from them because the customs and brokerage fees were making it financially not practical to buy from them. If she's gone back to using USPS first class international I think you'd be fine, though.
I do notice with eBay that a lot of international shipping is now their Global Priority option with prepaid duty, but it's hugely more expensive, and often applied to an item which isn't expensive enough to pay duty on in the first place.
And most things are duty free if you are in Canada.
I guess I am going to be the only one to say I do ok on ebay...but I am very patient. I have waited up to 2 years to get a stamp-I go there for discontinued and closed companies usually.
There is a terrible thing about charging more than the mfg for new product that you could just order direct. I guess people dont comparison shop?
Yes some people there are out of their minds. I once saw a Japanese one for 7 thousand. Right now there is a stamping bella for 1 thousand...no idea why.
And they are not even always new and pristine! Give me a break. Why would I give you 50 bucks for a very stained PSX floral?
I have seen the same stamp for 2.50 at the same time it is 20 with someone else or more...you have to poke around.
I like ebay a lot for is just seeing what's in the world. I learned a lot from there about companies and what types of images I dont like or do.
The post office rates did pop here. Companies were not lying about that. And I have no idea what values trigger the customs or not by country.
For what it's worth-it goes both ways. There are some Australian companies I like but the shipping is high.
ETS: I dont mind not new stamps btw. I just wont pay as much for them. I likely am going to get ink on them.
Theres stores here i use as well but one of them stopped selling stamps and dies mostly and sells everything else just not stamps or dies cos china is coming out with copies that are like $2 and when i say copies i mean ebay says unbranded but its a direct copy of a MFT stamp set is this illegal???
It is an infringement on the stamp designer's intellectual property rights, yes. But the rights holder has to be the one to contact eBay and request that the items be taken down. Beyond that, it's terribly difficult to enforce intellectual property rights cross-border.
I have seen copies of MFT stamps and one Sweet Stamp Shop set. I thought there was another company I'd seen copied but I can't recall who at the moment.
Today I have a problem with Hobby Lobby and The Paper Studio decorative paper they sell. The paper is no longer a true 8.5x11", it is 10 15/16 x 8 7/16; a loss of 1/16" on the side and top of the sheet. Not knowing this, I cut my paper to 5.5x4.25" as usual. I noticed half of the 4.25" sheets were shorter than the other half. Well, thinking that maybe the paper was a bit long I cut those longer ones down to the same size as the others. The same for the 5.5" side of the cut papers. So now I have 4 3/16" x 5 7/16" papers instead of 4.25 x 5.5". I still don't realize this is an issue until I finish the card bases and am preparing to put the canvas together onto the card. I make all my own cards (white cardstock cards) and always cut them to 8.5x5.5 and score at 4.25. Perfect for 8.5x11" paper. I had white edges showing all over the place which required me to cut the actual card down to fit the canvas. All in all, this was a real PITA. I checked several of The Paper Studio decorative papers and each of them measured less that the standard size stated on the back of the paper. My finished products ended up being 5 3/8 x 4 1/16". I know 1/16" doesn't seem like much but it can really mess up the standard measurements. Hopefully, this won't happen to anyone else.
The thing to remember regarding EBay is that a stamp set can be listed at a certain price, but that does not mean it sells at that price. I have watched some sets listed by the same seller for years. You read that right.... years. I always joke with my hubby that those sellers promised their spouse they would list their stamps for sale, but for some strange reason they just never sell?!?!
I admit, I am selling off years of Stampin' Up! stuff, about 20 listings at a time on Ebay every week. I don't have the time or energy to have a local sale, and I don't want to mess around selling any other way.
I don't do buy it now. I start my auctions at the suggested list price that Ebay suggests, and then let nature take it's course. Yes, there are people who will pay high prices for some things, but other auctions are going for low prices, and it all evens out. The owl builder punch I just sold I started at around $36 because that's what was suggested, and it sold for $51 because that's what someone was willing to pay. I don't feel bad. People bid what they want to, and I don't feel guilty for it.
I also only use priority mail, and there are people who ask why...I don't want to pay for packaging or insurance, yet I would be the one that would get stuck giving a refund if something gets lost in the mail so I am going to work with what will keep me from taking a loss. I only use first-class for single stamps and I combine for multiple purchases.
I've had limited edition My Monthly Hero kits sell for almost $100, and I don't feel guilty, just happy that I can buy some new toys without dipping into our family budget. I've got too much stuff, and if I can get a small return on the thousands of dollars I have spent on this stuff over the years, good for me and anyone else who does likewise.
I sold 5 or 6 things (counting the stamps & dies as a single item) on Ebay a few months ago. I hadn't sold anything on EBay for years before that. My main reasons for doing so were 1) I desperately needed the space and 2) I have 2 DD's that started college this year (not twins, one just graduated early). I went the middle of the road route on what I sold stuff for. For example, one set was selling for $90 to $125+. I listed it for $65 and added a bunch of extra stuff when I packaged it up to mail. In total, after fees, I ended up with about $250 in my PayPal account. That money sits in my PayPal account, and I've been using it to pay for postage for boxes of stuff I donate. I think everyone makes out. The person who bought it still got it for way less than it is selling for, I had room for the new SU goodies I bought, and I was able to donate boxes of stuff (which cleared up even more room) without dipping into family funds.
Odds are I won't be selling anything again anytime soon. It's stressful to me. I worry I'll miss whatever it is I'm selling even though I've had it for years without using it (lol), I worry about what to price it at, I need to make trips to the post office that's 20 minutes away, I need to remember to leave feedback, make sure I have decent packaging material, guess what type of goodies they will like (ribbon, embellishments, stamps, candy, cookies ...?). I'm sure those things probably sound minor to most of you, but it adds up.
For years I've felt that prices on eBay for SU can be ridiculous, and have advised new SU fans to be very careful before snatching the first thing they spot no matter the price. Since it's really just demonstrators who care whether a set is retired or current, the frenzy gets fired up when a set appears that isn't listed by 10 other sellers at the same time.
I didn't realize that the bay gives "suggested" pricing to sellers now.
It isn't just Stampin' Up stamps that have those kinds of prices! I love Kliban cats (the fat tabby cats from the late 70s early 80s) and ONE stamp can be listed for $50! It's crazy.
WOW, what is with Ebay's prices?
