I was looking to buy this plastic item for my laptop. Now this is a very small item, the size of a medium stamp, and very light. It weights about 2-3 grams. I do not know the current post office costs, but you could put it in an envelope and send it across the world and nobody would give it a second look or thought.
The postage cost however mentioned in ebay 34.55$. I asked the seller why it is so high and they told me that within the US they ask 3$ postage (which is normal I think) but for sending it abroad they need to do it through a logistical service(?) and that is their cost.
On other Ebay thoughts, they demand import charges for items send within EU even though some countries do not impose such charges and even though (I think) second hand items below a certain value shouldn't have import charges either. A chat with a UK Ebay representative told me that this is imposed by the UK government and it is for all products from the US. I do not understand why products from China or Hong Kong do not have similar charges. (But forgot to ask that last question).
Now I would understand the need to throttle a bit Chinese merchant expansion to Europe. Ie cheap items flooding the market strangling legitimate businesses. But the need of imposing such high fees on second hand items from USA is completely bafling. I guess some middleman is getting rich, but then again thats a free market. You don't like it you don't buy it. True, but this means that Ebay is loosing a huge amount of potential sales not due to piracy as some claim for music/movies, but from people deeming that for example paying 35$ for postage for an item costing 1$ is absolutely nonsense no matter the excuse.
I hope someone on Ebay is reading and correcting things.
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