The MLP Arena
TCB => Trader & Shipping Support => Topic started by: Nimrodel on April 09, 2015, 07:50:05 AM
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I recently won two pony auctions from the same person on ebay. I paid for the first right away (shipping included), not being sure that I'd win the other auction which ended well after I went to sleep. Both auctions stated $3.04 each in shipping charges.
Well, I won the second auction, and right away the next morning I received this message from the seller:
"Hiya! I'll send you a combined shipping wrote tomorrow and subtract the shipping amount that you already paid. :-) "
I was like awesome, what a great seller, now I can still get combined shipping and it will be less! Yay!
I was so totally wrong. Later that day I received an invoice for the second auction, with a shipping charge of $4.83, which is $1.83 more than the $3.04 that was originally stated in the auction. No, an additional $2 is not much, but it's still more than what was originally stated in the auction! How can a seller get away with charging MORE in shipping than what the original auction states?
She does state in her auction "The eBay shipping calculator is often wrong, so please wait to pay until I have sent you an invoice." And yes, I read that, and never once did I think that it would be more than the stated amount. Why would a seller state a lesser shipping amount in the auction, and then raise it? Wouldn't it be a better practice if you're unsure of how to use the ebay calculator, to state a higher shipping amount, and then charge less? It's like a bait and switch tactic.
I feel a little like I've been "had." Has anyone else had a situation like this? What should I do?
:( >_< -_-
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The rules for sellers states that they can only charge for actual shipping costs, extra services (i.e. insurance, tracking, etc.), and reasonable handling fees. http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-practices.html
The shipping calculator is notorious for giving wrong estimates. When in doubt, message the seller directly to have them give you a quote. If they tell you it will cost $X, then you can hold them to it.
I've found, from personal experience, that if the correct weight and dimensions of the item are not added to the listing, then the estimated shipping cost will most certainly be wrong. A lot of sellers do not add this information to their listings - in fact, I don't think it's even a requirement unless you offer international shipping.
Yes, I agree with you that it's a better practice for sellers to over estimate shipping costs. At least, that's what I try to do. Then again, some sellers may think this may scare away bidders.
I don't think the seller is trying to squeeze you for extra cash, so don't feel like you've been "had." I doubt the seller is sitting at her desk going "Muwhaha, another sucker! Cha-ching!" ;)
Personally, I would pay it.
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It sounds like she was giving you the shipping for BOTH auctions in that second auction instead of the half like she promised. I would just send her a polite message reminding her she promised you a cheaper shipping option for combined shipping. She probably just made a mistake and forgot you had already paid for the first auction.
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It sounds like she was giving you the shipping for BOTH auctions in that second auction instead of the half like she promised. I would just send her a polite message reminding her she promised you a cheaper shipping option for combined shipping. She probably just made a mistake and forgot you had already paid for the first auction.
Oops, I missed this! This is probably what happened :)
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While I was typing my response bluerose basically said it. :) Hopefully that's what the seller is doing!
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I messaged the seller, thinking the same thing, but that is unfortunately not the case. She said that she knew I had already paid the initial shipping and that the total shipping for both auctions would be more than originally stated in both auctions, so instead of $6.08 ($3.04 for each), the total comes to $7.91.
I just think the practice of stating an amount for shipping, and then increasing it after the end of the auction is wrong. No, I'm sure she's not sitting in front of her screen going "Muwhaha, another sucker! Cha-ching!" but can you honestly say that this is not a deceitful practice? And were you in my situation and had purchased something on ebay for a specific amount, would you not be taken aback if they suddenly increased the amount?
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Is this within the US? Being sent priority? Or first class? Are they loose or moc?
I'm a G1 seller and it only costs a couple bucks for me to send a pony anywhere in the US first class in a bubble mailer.
This sounds fishy but I don't know all the details.
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It is within the U.S., not sure how it's being sent though. Hmm, that's a really good idea though, I'll message and see if she can send it the cheapest way possible, and then maybe she'll lower the shipping back down. Thank you bluerose9978! You may have just solved my issue. :biggrin:
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Yes, I would check and see if the auction is being shipped by Priority or what. Are the auctions each for one pony? Or are they for groups of ponies?
Two ponies don't weigh much, but if they are sent by Priority mail then $7.91 sounds about right (depending how far they're going).
Hope all goes well and you resolve this with the seller.
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I am pretty sure Ebay doesn't allow you to increase shipping after the auction, if an amount is specifically listed in the auction. Even if the quote is wrong.
Mind you, all kinds of weird goes on with shipping cost nowadays. I saw an auction for a SINGLE PONY the other day being sold from Germany, which apparently meant that shipping to the UK would be 45 Euros, which was MORE than shipping to the US, even though Germany is an EU country, so is the UK, and I know full well that it does NOT cost 45Euros to ship one pony from there to here.
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Yep, not allowed.
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Don't even get me started on eBay shipping! GAH! It's ridiculous. I list my occasional eBay items with free shipping and increase my auction price accordingly. It's just not worth the hassle to the sellers and the buyers. What a mess! Hope you get it sorted!
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Unfortunately since the seller was using eBay's calculated shipping, the shipping costs they enter take priority over the calculated shipping costs, and the buyer is charged the amount that they enter. It's not against eBay's policies to do this, as long as she was using the calculated shipping option.
Hopefully she is willing to perhaps ship it a cheaper way and offer you a partial for your over payment. If she doesn't then make a note that at $7.91, that it does indeed come Priority Mail.
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Unfortunately since the seller was using eBay's calculated shipping, the shipping costs they enter take priority over the calculated shipping costs, and the buyer is charged the amount that they enter. It's not against eBay's policies to do this, as long as she was using the calculated shipping option.
Hopefully she is willing to perhaps ship it a cheaper way and offer you a partial for your over payment. If she doesn't then make a note that at $7.91, that it does indeed come Priority Mail.
How can you tell if the seller is using eBay's calculated shipping? Is there some way I can check so that I know in the future?
And I'm not sure that was the case, because she said that she weighed the item and put it into USPS's site, and that's how she came up with the increased cost.
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I am saying that because you quoted a part from her listing that says she uses eBay's calculator. *bolded part is by me*
She does state in her auction "The eBay shipping calculator is often wrong, so please wait to pay until I have sent you an invoice." And yes, I read that, and never once did I think that it would be more than the stated amount. Why would a seller state a lesser shipping amount in the auction, and then raise it? Wouldn't it be a better practice if you're unsure of how to use the ebay calculator, to state a higher shipping amount, and then charge less? It's like a bait and switch tactic.
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Sorry PonyLady, not quite what I meant. :) This is my confusion to what you posted: So the ebay calculated shipping cost was the $3.04 which is based upon the weight of the item she entered, is that correct? Then why did she say it was wrong and charge me more? Wasn't the estimate based upon the weight and size that the seller entered?
Apologies, I'm not a seller, so I don't know how these things work.
Edit: By the way, we resolved it completely amenably, so all is good. :)
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Huh, so now I'm a bit confused. So the ebay calculated shipping cost was the $3.04 which is based upon the weight of the item she entered, is that correct? Then why did she say it was wrong and charge me more? Wasn't the estimate based upon the weight and size that the seller entered?
Apologies, I'm not a seller, so I don't know how these things work.
Edit: By the way, we resolved it completely amenably, so all is good. :)
It should give the right amount based on the weight/size/shipping method, but sometimes doesn't. Sometimes it's off by a few cents...other times it's off a lot more. It also doesn't take into consideration if the seller wants to insure the item (which is a couple extra bucks if they're using First Class or need insurance above the $50 that comes with Priority). Sellers can add a handling charge when they list their item, but it wont tell you in the auction - it's just added into the calculated shipping cost.
I experience problems when shipping internationally. I'll put in the correct size/weight and it will charge, say $46 to ship via Priority...but it's really something like $32. When it's off drastically like that, I refund the buyer the difference. If it's off by only a $1 or $2, I leave it alone (I've actually cause more confusion sending partial refunds in the past, so I try to avoid it).
The only time it seems to be right (for me) is if I use a flat-rate option.
I've been offering free shipping with my domestic auctions for the last couple of years just to avoid buyers being confused/POed. I know what it costs to ship an item...so I just start my bidding at a higher amount to cover the cost.
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LittleSpiffy, as a seller, what do you do if the shipping is wrong and is more than what was stated in the auction? :) Do you absorb the cost or do you charge the extra to the buyer? This is where my confusion comes in. Lots of people have had issues where they are initially overcharged in an auction, but that cost was specified right from the start, and then sometimes they get a refund. This is a case where I agreed to a shipping charge that was stated both in the ebay calculated shipping area and in the seller's description and then it was changed to a higher amount after the end of the auction via invoice. It was also not due to combined shipping.
I've purchased hundreds of ponies in hundreds of ebay auctions since 2000, and I've never had an issue like this. :blink:
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I'm glad that you and the seller managed to sort it out in the end :hug: its no fun to have to pay more than you expected and ebay does not allow the seller to charge more ..unless it was an estimate using the calculator as PL said.
Personally I never use the calculator. I use digital scales to figure out the costs before I list the item so its pretty accurate ..but If I do happen to stuff up the shipping costs I never ask the buyer for more money, I just cover the cost myself. :awake:
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Yeah, I've never asked the buyers for more shipping money, either. When I first started out on Ebay I just estimated a shipping cost that sounded right to me (do not try this at home) and charged that; it was not enough. (I was shipping FedEx back then, too, for small items; again, do not try this at home.) I ended up losing almost all my profits on several items because of that, and since I paid for the shipping out of my earnings instead of charging the buyers more. But I never made that mistake again.
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I'm glad that you and the seller managed to sort it out in the end :hug: its no fun to have to pay more than you expected and ebay does not allow the seller to charge more ..unless it was an estimate using the calculator as PL said.
Personally I never use the calculator. I use digital scales to figure out the costs before I list the item so its pretty accurate ..but If I do happen to stuff up the shipping costs I never ask the buyer for more money, I just cover the cost myself. :awake:
I don't think the OP and the seller have actually sorted this thing out yet. She's still trying to figure out whether the ponies are being shipped priority or whether she can have them shipped a cheaper option.
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LittleSpiffy, as a seller, what do you do if the shipping is wrong and is more than what was stated in the auction? :) Do you absorb the cost or do you charge the extra to the buyer? This is where my confusion comes in. Lots of people have had issues where they are initially overcharged in an auction, but that cost was specified right from the start, and then sometimes they get a refund. This is a case where I agreed to a shipping charge that was stated both in the ebay calculated shipping area and in the seller's description and then it was changed to a higher amount after the end of the auction via invoice. It was also not due to combined shipping.
I've purchased hundreds of ponies in hundreds of ebay auctions since 2000, and I've never had an issue like this. :blink:
If the shipping is more, but I am still making a profit: I absorb the cost.
It hasn't happened yet, but if the shipping was more, causing me to lose more money than I was making, I would message the buyer and explain the situation. I would give the buyer the option to pay the difference or cancel the transaction.
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Ringlets: Thank you, me too! ^.^ I don’t like conflict and nearly all pony sellers I’ve met are awesome, super friendly people. :-D :grouphug:
Haruna: Eep, I was honestly thinking of maybe selling some of my extra ponies (I have a 10 x 10 storage unit full and need to downsize :-S ), but I don’t think I want to figure out ebay. *head desk* :stunned:
BlueRose9978: We did, thank goodness. :happy: :happy: :happy: I’d hate for the seller to be out any shipping charges, so I just let her know she could totally send it the cheapest way possible. I have no problem waiting for ponies. :newpony:
LittleSpiffy: Makes sense. :) Thankfully I found the PonyFair, which is where I now buy most of my ponies. Makes it so much easier on buyer and seller, and it’s the epitome of a pony buyer’s paradise. :green:
Figured out. Closing the topic. :)
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Edit: By the way, we resolved it completely amenably, so all is good. :)
I didn't see this before. I'm glad everything has been resolved! :)