Do not make the same mistake I made at the "Sharper Image Auctions"

[GingerSnaps]

I went over to the Sharper Image Website to look for an air cleaner and I made the mistake of logging on to their auction area.

I bid on 9 items last night thinking that they would ship everything together like eBay does if it's from the same seller. I didn't take the time to read the fine print and I should have.

I bid on a key finder which was $18.95 and then I bid on 8 more items that sold for $2.95 each and now I found out that they charge you shipping for each item and they do not combine shipping.

You have to register with a credit card so you can't take your bid back and your stuck paying all of those shipping charges.

Why can't they ship everything together? :argh:

[Richardo]

1. They may ship them together: shipping can be a huge profit center

The mark up is huge. :eyes:

[OneBlueSky]

2. s/h is how they make their money . . . n/t

.

[cheezus]

3. just dispute it on your credit card

[GingerSnaps]

4. It's a debit check card

I just called my bank and I can't do anything about it.

:argh:

[henslee]

5. Totally. Don't let them unreasonably exploit "shipping" as a profit center

[hlthe2b]

6. Unfortunately lots of auction sites (including some Ebayers) offset

potential bid losses with exorbitant shipping and handling charges. I've seen some auctions for small lightweight items add 20-30 times the winning bid price with shipping fees. They aren't supposed to, but it is hard to get Ebay to do anything about it. That's the first thing I've come to check before bidding now adays or before ordering online. I made the mistake of purchasing a small, but expensive leather item from a leading online/catalog retailer not long ago, which ships everything in wonderful packaging. Unfortunately, their shipping fees are based on the price of the item and not the weight. I paid $11 for an item that weighed at most 4 ounces plus another ounce or two for their box-- not even priority either. Actual cost should have been a couple of dollars at most, whether USPS or UPS.