h a l f b a k e r y
Idea vs. Ego
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As a dedicated ebay nut it never stops infuriating me when I get overcharged for postage. Sometimes this is intentional on the sellers part, sometimes it is just due to lack of postal knowledge.
The USPS has books on figuring out postage but they are not very user friendly, and ebay has a postage
calculator but there seem to be too many variables for that to be very accurate (acutal weight, postal zones, box vs envelope, etc).
I propose a credit type card that is only used for actual postage fees. When completing a purchase on ebay (or any other internet site) and selecting the type of shipping desired, the seller would receive a card issued transaction number. This number would be given to the post office (UPS, Fed Ex, DHL, etc) when the package is sent. This number would link the purchase, your card account, and your address.
The postage cost would be billed to your account. You would receive a monthly bill just like any other credit card.
No other mailings could be billed to this account since they wouldn't have a card issued transaction number, such as bulk mail or your utility bills.
For an added monthly fee package tracking and insurance could offered on all items.
If sellers wanted to charge a "handling" fee they could state so in their listing, leaving you to decide if you were willing to pay it, but it wouldn't be hidden in a shipping amount anymore.
Short name, e.g., Bob's Coffee
Destination URL.
E.g., http://www.coffee.com/
Description (displayed with the short name and URL.)
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A fully online
postal service that you hold a 'credit
card' for that gets swiped when you
take it into a post office, then the
transaction basically switches between
the post office and "the service". Or a
van might
turn up and pick your stuff up and you
swipe your card in some slot that the
driver proffers. |
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Only you have the credit card, no seller ever gets the actual card. When the purchase is processed the credit card company issues a number. When the seller goes to ship the package they tell the post office the number (good only for that purchase) and the post office bills the credit card. Sorry if this wasn't clear. |
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This is called "FOB Origin." |
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No reason it can't be incremental. As you track your item around the globe your card tells you how much freight charge it has racked up. Not so good if it is accidentally rerouted to Antarctica, for a while. |
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[contract], how is this FOB Origin? As a student studying international shipping who thinks he has a fair idea of what FOB means, I don't see the relation. |
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As I understand it, "FOB Origin", without further specification to the contrary means that the buyer is responsible for shipping charges (and takes ownership of the goods immediately when the carrier signs the BOL). It seems similar in that the buyer is paying the freight charges. I don't think it implies anything specific about payment methodology or rates. |
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Half - - dead on. You're right that it doesn't imply use of a given payment method, solely that the buyer is liable for shipment. This HB idea includes a dedicated credit-card notion and some other frills, but essentially this is just saying "the buyer will be responsible for the shipping and payment therefor." |
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