Shipping fees being asked for on an ebay auction with "Free Shipping"

[Sumire]

I won two auctions from a seller who advertises "Free Shipping" on their auctions. However, in the description it actually reads: "FREE SHIPPING IS FOR ANY ITEM SOLD FOR OVER $15 OR ANY GROUP OF ITEMS THAT TOTALS $100 OR MORE THAT ARE SHIPPED TO A UNITED STATES ADDRESS. YOU MUST LET US KNOW THE ITEMS THAT YOU ARE PURCHASING FOR THE CUMMULATIVE FREE SHIPPING OFFER. otherwise, the shipping IN THE UNITED STATES is a flat fee of $4 for the first item and $1 for each additional item. International shipping is flat fee of $10 per item."

Okay, that's weird, right? I've had people offer free or reduced shipping if you purchase a certain amount or if you buy so many items but the listings themselves, individually, have the shipping costs included. That way if you win auctions you ask for a combined invoice and then pay the reduced or free shipping. Easy peasy. Now I've paid for two auctions and just now received an email (in my spam folder) saying I owe $4 shipping (nothing about the auction I won ten days ago).

This feels off to me. He just told me "You have a $4 shipping charge.  Please pay by PayPal" If I just send him money through PayPal, unconnected to an auction, I'm not protected at all, am I? I don't know if he sent a similar email about the last auction and it got lost in my spam folder too. So now I have two auctions that ebay and Paypal say I paid for quickly and completely but which may never be shipped because the seller is telling me I need to pay shipping. What are my options at this point?

[bluerose9978]

Sounds like this person is just trying to avoid eBay fees. This is against eBay's policy and this auction needs to be reported immediately. I hate eBay fees, too, but if this auction says $0 for shipping then they need to honor that no matter how much you buy additionally from them.

[Galactica]

If it is for an ebay auction- you shouldn't make payments outside the listing because that would violate the ebay terms.

He can send you a revised invoice if you think the shipping charge is fair given the terms, but it should be sent through ebay so you are both covered.

[LadyMoondancer]

Did you buy the item using your phone?  eBay sometimes falsely advertises free shipping on phones.

[Sumire]

Thanks for your advice everyone. I will try contacting the seller and seeing if I can get re-invoiced through eBay so we are both covered. I don't want to not give him a chance to fix the mistake before taking it up with eBay. Oh and LadyMoondancer, thanks for the information, I didn't know that about buying on my phone. I am pretty sure I bought both items on my computer but I'll be keeping an eye out from now on!

[Taffeta]

Ebay does sometimes mess up, full stop. I've had free shipping come up on auctions which are in the US and I know they're not going to free ship to me, but for some reason Ebay glitches a specific auction and forgets I'm in the UK and so gives me the wrong price. I swear, there are a lot more bugs on that site now than there ever used to be.

Good luck resolving it. Definitely only send money with a valid ebay invoice so that you are protected and if it seems off to you, take it up with Ebay and let them resolve it. That way you're safest.

[bluerose9978]

Ebay does sometimes mess up, full stop. I've had free shipping come up on auctions which are in the US and I know they're not going to free ship to me, but for some reason Ebay glitches a specific auction and forgets I'm in the UK and so gives me the wrong price. I swear, there are a lot more bugs on that site now than there ever used to be.

Good luck resolving it. Definitely only send money with a valid ebay invoice so that you are protected and if it seems off to you, take it up with Ebay and let them resolve it. That way you're safest.

But if you read the OP, it says that "free shipping is for any item over $15" otherwise it's $4 and the seller proceeded to invoice the $4 with PayPal. This tells me the seller did this intentionally.

And another reason I believe this seller may be doing it this way is because eBay offers more perks to sellers who offer free shipping. They can get more free listings and be listed as a power seller and get a bigger discount on shipping. So don't let this seller fool you. I'm certain they are violating eBay's policies.

[Sumire]

To catch my kind advice-givers up, the seller shipped one collectible to me saying no one had ever remarked on his invoicing for postage outside of eBay before and that I could send the $4 once I received the item. He didn't, however, send the first collectible I won and now he appears to have relisted it.

When I asked (through eBay's ask the seller) if due to his shipping one item and not the other, I still owed him $4 for the first item and $1 for the other or if due to being shipped separately I needed to pay $4 for both, he replied that he was totally confused and believed he shipped the first item to the wrong person and gave me his phone number to contact him.

This is getting stranger and stranger and despite the first item I won being something I have wanted in my collection for years, I think I'm going to have to give up on this. I reported the listing to eBay and started a request for the item he hasn't shipped to which he responded I needed to send a "PayPal transaction confirmation number for the shipping." At this point, I don't even know how much he wants!

[bluerose9978]

It is possible he is clueless as how eBay works but most likely he's just counting on the fact that people don't know eBay's policies and he is pretending to be clueless and wants your money or won't give you the items. It's best that you report his auctions to eBay and file an item not as described case if you didn't receive everything you paid for. At this point, I might even give eBay a call and let them know what's going on and ask for their advice and how to proceed.

[Haruna]

This seller is actually making me kind of angry. It sounds like he's violating Ebay's rules left and right, whether through ignorance or malice. He is not allowed to charge you any more than the auction said in the actual listing, and he advertised free shipping; his text in the description portion of the auction doesn't change that fact. When you create an auction, there's a section for shipping and a section for the item description; whatever he might say in the description portion of the auction, the listed shipping price is the listed shipping price. Then initially emailing you and asking you to pay $4 through PayPal and not Ebay is also against Ebay rules; all transactions must go through Ebay.

And now in response to your item not received case he wants you to tell him the PayPal transaction number for the $4 shipping he asked for but that you wisely didn't pay. This guy . . . I would second bluerose's suggestion and advise you to open an item not received case for both of the items you won (it sounds like you've opened only one case so far?) and then call Ebay to see if they can help you get the seller's attention any more than you already have. They're known for siding with the buyer and they should be able to help you. Good luck!

[Sumire]

So, I did give up on the second item. With a hope that this would protect other sellers and buyers from his tactics, I called eBay. They canceled the sale and returned my money which is not the outcome I wanted since I really, really wanted the collectible I won. Now, however, his listing of what appears to be the same item (which he put up before I started my request) is still up, still offering free shipping, still saying it isn't actually free unless the auction ends above $15 in the description. I am disappointed.

[bluerose9978]

So, I did give up on the second item. With a hope that this would protect other sellers and buyers from his tactics, I called eBay. They canceled the sale and returned my money which is not the outcome I wanted since I really, really wanted the collectible I won. Now, however, his listing of what appears to be the same item (which he put up before I started my request) is still up, still offering free shipping, still saying it isn't actually free unless the auction ends above $15 in the description. I am disappointed.

Did you explain to the eBay rep what he is doing? I'm guessing they just gave him a "mark" on his account because no one else has complained because they are only interested in taking his money. I wonder whether they sent him a message letting him know it is against their policies to do what he is doing? Because if he is getting away with it, why shouldn't more people start doing it?