In 2000 first class mail was $.34 for a stamp, yesterday it was $.73. Shipping prices have more than doubled at the same time.

I think if you use a third-party bulk shipper you get a decent discount from regular USPS rates.

Do nonprofits get a discount as well? I see a Goodwill store selling 22" LCD monitors with a standard $8 shipping charge (Fedex).

Yesterday I got in a HD 5870 with the long support on the back and shipping was $6.50, no idea how you can ship something that long that cheap at USPS.

China gets a third world shipping discount so anything you order from there is super cheap shipping (would cost me more to ship same item one state over in the US).

Shinatama wrote on 2025-03-06, 16:01:

I do not sell on ebay much, but I feel like this thread is very US centric. I do not know about shipping costs in America, maybe it is cheaper. But here in Europe, something like 20-30 euro for shipping is not completely unreasonable. The absolute cheapest international postage, up to 1 kg, is an easy 18 euro. Add the materials, and my own time to package things properly so that you actually get the thing you paid for in one peace, is not free either. This is especially important on ebay, where buyers are protected (and that is a good thing).

It is absolutely true that some sellers jack up the shipping costs to the extreme. Often it is a sign that the seller is either misinformed, unwilling to ship or a weirdo. In case of the two former, a simple message may solve the problem. Can't do much about the third one, so it is all about finding a different seller.

This American has had to abort bids because he would be paying through the nose to import something from an EU nation; rates from the UK & Commonwealth are much more reasonable (while devices priced to sell tend to ship free from Japan).

Amibay???
This is community for old computer lovers with great feedback system, and You could buy or sell almost everything from everywhere.....

Unknown_K wrote on 2025-03-06, 16:42:

China gets a third world shipping discount so anything you order from there is super cheap shipping (would cost me more to ship same item one state over in the US).

Postage on returns to China is always exorbitant compared to what they pay to send. It's been a point of contention at the Universal Postal Union for years because the discount was intended for post-colonial countries who receive more than they send, whereas China has become the world's factory. Invariably Chinese sellers will tell you to keep the unwanted item and send out a replacement. If you return it anyway it'll just bounce right back refused and you've wasted £20-40 in postage.

butjer1010 wrote on 2025-03-06, 18:53:

Amibay???
This is community for old computer lovers with great feedback system, and You could buy or sell almost everything from everywhere.....

Amibay is very EU centric. I gave up on it after seeing most of the sellers there restricting sales to either their own countries or within the EU.

I can see EU members keeping sales local because they would have to deal with VAT on imports, shipping gets pricey, and you have time limits to PayPal disputes and stuff just takes too long to deliver. For old gear you also have PAL vs NTSC and 120VAC to 240VAC issues.

Shinatama wrote on 2025-03-06, 16:01:

I do not sell on ebay much, but I feel like this thread is very US centric. I do not know about shipping costs in America, maybe it is cheaper. But here in Europe, something like 20-30 euro for shipping is not completely unreasonable. The absolute cheapest international postage, up to 1 kg, is an easy 18 euro. Add the materials, and my own time to package things properly so that you actually get the thing you paid for in one peace, is not free either. This is especially important on ebay, where buyers are protected (and that is a good thing).

It is absolutely true that some sellers jack up the shipping costs to the extreme. Often it is a sign that the seller is either misinformed, unwilling to ship or a weirdo. In case of the two former, a simple message may solve the problem. Can't do much about the third one, so it is all about finding a different seller.

A few weeks ago I had some luggage shipped from Austria to the Netherlands (don't ask). For a carry-on size case with a weight of 9 kg, it only cost me about €30 (€20 + €10 for additional insurance).

There are several international shipping services operating in Europe, so it really shouldn't be that expensive when you shop around a bit. Or you can use a platform like Eurosender, which compares and picks the best courier for you, depending on what origin and destination you specify.

So maybe it's about the minimum price (even for lighter and smaller packages) being on the exorbitant side?

I would be nice if sellers on eBay would offer the option for the buyer to send for a courier and arrange pickup. Because indeed, some sellers appear to "hide" part of the actual item cost in the shipping fees, so they can advertise a lower (misleading) sell price.

Unknown_K wrote on 2025-03-07, 04:56:

I can see EU members keeping sales local because they would have to deal with VAT on imports, shipping gets pricey, and you have time limits to PayPal disputes and stuff just takes too long to deliver. For old gear you also have PAL vs NTSC and 120VAC to 240VAC issues.

Yep. I blew the fuse of a Tandy 1000 that I had purchased from Greece, but actually turned out to be a North American model. The plug was cut off, but I should have checked the voltage information on the backside of the unit, before I mounted a European plug on the end of the cord and plugged it in. ⚡ 💥 🙈

(I replaced the 120V PSU with a PicoPSU. The machine is still working, thankfully.)

Shponglefan wrote on 2025-03-07, 00:40:

butjer1010 wrote on 2025-03-06, 18:53:

Amibay???
This is community for old computer lovers with great feedback system, and You could buy or sell almost everything from everywhere.....

Amibay is very EU centric. I gave up on it after seeing most of the sellers there restricting sales to either their own countries or within the EU.

There is a lot seller from USA, and i have sold few Amigas in USA?!? Maybe there is some seller that won't send to USA, but there are no lot of them. Why wouldn't i sell anything in USA, when everything is paid over paypal friends and family in advance, so there is no chance to someone won't accept package?

digger wrote on 2025-03-07, 09:59:

A few weeks ago I had some luggage shipped from Austria to the Netherlands (don't ask). For a carry-on size case with a weight o […]
Show full quote

Shinatama wrote on 2025-03-06, 16:01:

I do not sell on ebay much, but I feel like this thread is very US centric. I do not know about shipping costs in America, maybe it is cheaper. But here in Europe, something like 20-30 euro for shipping is not completely unreasonable. The absolute cheapest international postage, up to 1 kg, is an easy 18 euro. Add the materials, and my own time to package things properly so that you actually get the thing you paid for in one peace, is not free either. This is especially important on ebay, where buyers are protected (and that is a good thing).

It is absolutely true that some sellers jack up the shipping costs to the extreme. Often it is a sign that the seller is either misinformed, unwilling to ship or a weirdo. In case of the two former, a simple message may solve the problem. Can't do much about the third one, so it is all about finding a different seller.

A few weeks ago I had some luggage shipped from Austria to the Netherlands (don't ask). For a carry-on size case with a weight of 9 kg, it only cost me about €30 (€20 + €10 for additional insurance).

There are several international shipping services operating in Europe, so it really shouldn't be that expensive when you shop around a bit. Or you can use a platform like Eurosender, which compares and picks the best courier for you, depending on what origin and destination you specify.

So maybe it's about the minimum price (even for lighter and smaller packages) being on the exorbitant side?

I would be nice if sellers on eBay would offer the option for the buyer to send for a courier and arrange pickup. Because indeed, some sellers appear to "hide" part of the actual item cost in the shipping fees, so they can advertise a lower (misleading) sell price.

Sounds about right, actually. Shipping heavier packages is much more cost effective. Of course with heavier items come the costs of more packing material, but yes, it is cheaper to send packages over 5 kg here. For example, the difference between creating a label for a 1.5kg package over a 10 kg one is only 4 euro! The destination country within Europe also is a factor sometimes, some carriers have different pricing tiers for groups of countries while others offer a flat rate for everything.

You may be able to find a specialized carrier that can give you a better price in bulk, but they aren't interested in small time like me.

I see on ebay UK that someone is currently trying to sell a Voodoo 2 for £225. Worse it's listed as for parts or not working (so no return if not working), and they have clearly shown that it has component parts knocked off or distorted. Who would pay this much money for such a thing? It's nuts. Voodoo 2 may be desirable, but they aren't that rare. They come up frequently for less than this.

Voodoo, check. Overpriced, check. Components knocked off, check. Perfectly normal but at least they're upfront about it not working.

vvbee wrote on 2025-03-08, 19:51:

Voodoo, check. Overpriced, check. Components knocked off, check. Perfectly normal but at least they're upfront about it not working.

someone will have to fix it before a youtuber buys it and uses it in "my retro rig", again (and again..)