Posted by Lonny on January 10, 2000 at 18:44:44:
In Reply to: Shipping Costs posted by JR on January 10, 2000 at 11:43:48:
Somebody earlier brought up the idea that if you don't want to pay the freight, don't bid on the item. While that may work well with, say, trumpets, where there are literally hundreds for sale at a time, it seems to me that this method won't work as well for a tuba. I have had some success on eBay by contacting sellers ahead of time and negotiating shipping with them for a certain carrier, etc. What probably won't wash with a seller is if you wait until AFTER the auction is over to voice these concerns. I agree that some sellers are using S&H to boost their take in this whole scenario. It kind of reminds me of the "great" deals on TV that charge upwards of 30% of the purchase price for S&H.
For $400, I'd seriously think about a road trip. Do you know any travel agents? pilots? There's always Travelocity or Priceline.com. You do want to play it first, don't you?!?