QuirkyKapers Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 I bought two different audios from the same seller on ebay. I emailed to see if they would combine shipping. It was funny because they actually emailed me and asked if they could combine it. (They had shipping listed as standard shipping UPS ground.) They said they would like to combine but would it be ok to send it via media mail. They didn't give a lower price for the combined shipping. So, I emailed back and said just send them separate because I didn't want them shipped media mail and would rather have them sent separately via standard shipping UPS ground like they had listed. I apologized for all the back and forth. They said that would be fine. The next day, they emailed back after shipping the items and said they ended up combining the shipping via ups ground because separatly it would be over $20.00 but they shipping still cost $5.00 more than what they had listed the shipping rates to be. However, to show their good will they were not going to charge me the shipping difference. This cracked me up because don't people who usually sell on ebay make sure they have the correct shipping rates since they can post that rate and the winner pays the shipping fees in addition to their winning bid? I just am scratching my head. I haven't responded yet but I think I will just say Thanks. (That will be my good will by not making a big deal out of the mistake seller made ;)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pqr Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Some sellers are new and everyone makes mistakes. Given the fees eBay charges and then the cut that PayPal takes, it is hard for many sellers to actually make anything. It is a risk that one takes but that $5 may have been their entire profit. This is not a big issue and I agree, just say "Thanks" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I would just pay the original invoices and leave it at that. The seller may be new and not realize that they cannot change the shipping amount after the auction ends no matter how much shipping actually costs. A seller tried to charge me extra recently, but I only paid the amount from the auction. She did end up shipping it after calling eBay and hearing from them that she could not do that, but she sent me a nasty email. :confused: Not everyone has a scale, but if she was concerned she could have run by the PO prior to listing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I've seen many sellers who are smart enough to include a link to calulate shpping based upon zip. if they have a standard shipping listed, but shipping is more, they get to eat the difference. You agreed to a set amount, they can't raise that ceiling. I wouldn't even acknowldge their "aren't I so wonderful for not charing you MORE than you agreed to pay?". (rolls eyes.) I'd just send off a "thanks for letting me know my items have shipped." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I've seen many sellers who are smart enough to include a link to calulate shpping based upon zip. QUOTE] I did this for my last set of auctions last week and still ended up eating a couple bucks. AND ebay now charges a % on shipping fees for sellers (to encourage free shipping). I paid as much for shipping fees for ebay as I did for selling fees. All told, about 18%. A friend of mine now bumps the price up by enough to cover shipping so she can offer free shipping. I'm not going to do that, but have found another way to recoup costs. It's a tough ebay world out there. ITA, last week I also refunded 2 buyer's some shipping because the calculated shipping charged them DOUBLE the cost. I refunded half their shipping because I didn't feel right charging them $10.50 for something that only cost me $5.25 to ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 That was really nice of you! I am sure they appreciated it. I haven't sold on ebay for a long time. I always thought it was more hassle than it was worth. I will have to keep all the extra charges in mind if I decide to go that route in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Shipping can be a pain to figure out on eBay. I use the shipping calculator (is that what they used?). But, I have to go through a process first to find the shipping cost if it were to ship across country and then take a percent of that and add that to my opening bid. I never would have done that before....but eBay ruined it by charging FVF's on the shipping. :cursing: That still makes me mad. No matter how careful I am....I will still sometimes get burned on shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennsmile Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I had a stroller deal go bad as they didn't know that to ship the stroller it was going to cost a mint and wanted me to pay the different which was $50... I was the buyer and bid my max. They were not happy with it so they cancel the auction after it ended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 They didn't have a shipping calculator. They just listed what the shipping would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 last week I also refunded 2 buyer's some shipping because the calculated shipping charged them DOUBLE the cost. I refunded half their shipping because I didn't feel right charging them $10.50 for something that only cost me $5.25 to ship. I've done that in the past too. Now....it's harder to do that, because eBay charged you a FVF on $10.50, not the $5.25. Again, regarding eBay fees: :cursing: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in LV Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I sell a lot on Ebay, and I'm pretty familiar with approximately how much most items cost to ship. It's not uncommon for me to see a seller with a shipping cost that is so low that it would never cover his actual cost to ship. I'm guessing they often results from using a template from a previous item sold & forgetting to change the shipping charge. I always offer to combine shipping costs. Interestingly, it sometimes costs me less to ship the items separately than it would together. Once a package goes over a pound, the cost skyrockets compared to First Class Mail. But even if I ship them separately, I give a small courtesy discount since they purchased multiple items. As a PP stated, sellers are not permitted to charge you more than the actual listed shipping charge. HOWEVER, if you request a service that is more expensive than what they have listed (e.g., they specifically listed media mail & you want Priority), they are certainly allowed to charge you more at that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 They didn't have a shipping calculator. They just listed what the shipping would be. Ouch! That's not a good idea....because how do they know where in the world (or at least in the United States :D ) you are in relation to them? The further you are they more it will be. I guess they guessed wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I had a stroller deal go bad as they didn't know that to ship the stroller it was going to cost a mint and wanted me to pay the different which was $50... I was the buyer and bid my max. They were not happy with it so they cancel the auction after it ended. Yikes! Sounds like a negative was in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 I had a stroller deal go bad as they didn't know that to ship the stroller it was going to cost a mint and wanted me to pay the different which was $50... I was the buyer and bid my max. They were not happy with it so they cancel the auction after it ended. After all the time to bid and watch and hope to win...I wouldn't have been happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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