VERY frustrated! Ebay shipping calculators!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

So... if the international prices went up on Jan 27th... why haven't sellers updated their shipping prices?

I recently bought a BIN lot of ponies, paid immediately, and then the seller messaged me because they wanted $10 more in shipping!    THREE WEEKS have gone past - why did they not list the new shipping prices in their auction?  This is very unfair to international buyers who are trying to spend money!

Is Ebay's system not automatically set up with USPS to estimate shipping costs?  Has that not updated?

Seriously... I understand a seller listing the price and having the prices change that week and having to request more... but it's been THREE WEEKS.  Far more than enough time for sellers to get their wares organized and shipping re-quoted! 

Someone explain this.  I am really bummed out... I hadn't bought anything from Ebay in over 4 years... my very first purchase "going back", the seller tries to violate Ebay policy!  I don't want this to happen again... how do I know that sellers have updated their shipping prices on Ebay?

EDIT:  This is ridiculous.  A corporation as large as Ebay, with as many programmers as they have for the system, should NEVER display inaccurate prices because of an application glitch.    I realize this is not the seller's fault but I don't think the shipping cost was exhorbitant even AFTER the seller told me it would be $25 to ship.  If I mailed the exact package with Canada Post, it would EASILY cost more than that.  Much more.  I'm just offended by the whining about it, I guess. 

[tulagirl]

I am not sure if this has anything to do with ebays system as much as it has to do with sellers not paying attention.  In no way is it ever ok to ask for more money in shipping.  Buying off of ebay is not easy.  I think sometimes things go well and then other times not the case.  I guess in your mind don't let this get to you. Stand your ground onebay policy and don't be upset.  Sellers make mistakes, but it takes quite a bold person to ask for more money after a sale and payment.  Let it be their problem, because honestly its their job to get the shipping right.

Oh andy why have they not updated their shipping?  Probably they had no idea the shipping rates changed that much.  Some people are just sooooo clueless.  Ebay space cadets lol.  Some sellers are not on planet earth. Seriously...

[hellapostalia]

I second this! Making a purchase on Ebay is a binding contract for the buyer AND the seller. The price for the item is set, and the price for shipping is set.

I can't tell you how many times (and I'm positive I'm not alone here) I have not bid on an item I wanted because domestic shipping within the US was $16 or more. For one single pony!

A seller asking for more money for shipping after the end of the auction (because they didn't keep up with the changes in shipping costs) is akin to a buyer asking to cancel a transaction (because they didn't have the common sense to check their bank account and see if they could afford a purchase).

Stick to your guns AND the Ebay rules. You absolutely, positively should not have to pay more shipping fees after the fact b/c the seller didn't do their homework.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I can't tell you how many times (and I'm positive I'm not alone here) I have not bid on an item I wanted because domestic shipping within the US was $16 or more. For one single pony!

This doesn't apply to high shipping prices, though.  I could care less what the charges are... just make sure the quote is accurate.  If you tell me the shipping will be $100 and I click through and purchase the item, I'm paying $100 shipping.  Don't come back and say, "That'll actually be $100.05."  I have enough freakin' math to worry about once you throw in exchange rates on the interest rate of my Visa! 

I thought that Ebay automatically calculated shipping cost with that calculator thing to whatever the current USPS rates were...  or maybe it does that because I search through Ebay.ca? 

What really burns me is that the seller listed it with Free Domestic Shipping so it's not like the seller is losing money from me...  they were willing to "eat" whatever postage costs it would have been to send to say, Michigan, but they can't be happy with the $15 shipping to Canada? 

I sent them a pretty blunt message and have a working tracking number so all should be well within a month... or however long the USPS is taking these days.   

I hope I can make a brag thread soon though!

[Maniah]

Actually, yes. Ebay's system HAS updated. Every shipping quote that ebay has estimated for the packages I have sold, has been accurate.

Sounds like your seller isn't the best You can try asking him how much the box weighs, and try calculating the shipping for it on usps.com to see if he is full of it.

[lunar_scythe]

I wonder if automatic re-lists are updated?  If the seller put in the cost instead of using ebay's system, they may have forgotten they need to update that.

[ponylady]

I am sorry you are having a less than perfect experience with your seller.  But to be honest they did not make a big production about the increase over here.  And ebay only listed it in their Announcements two days before the change.  So assuming that maybe this seller is only a casual seller they very well could not have known.

Also as of late last week ebay's calculated shipping was not updated.  It was still giving out old prices and I know this for a fact as I shipped two seperate items to Canada and had to eat it on a $2 item because ebay quoted it at $2.65 for shipping and it cost me $6.55 to ship. 

It is not right they are asking you for more money, nor should you pay it. But mistakes happen sometimes. If I was you I would send them a polite message and tell them it is against policy to ask for more money. 

Best of Luck and keep us posted!

*edited* as I did not see you had a working tracking number. I guess I wouldn't worry to much about it then till they arrive.  Ebay is full of all kind of crazies though, both buyers and sellers. 

[Maniah]

One thing to consider also, is that the ebay shipping calculator isn't always accurate. It gave Ponylady the wrong shipping quote, but all of mine were correct as far back as Feb 7th. So if your seller used the calculator, they might have been messed up by ebay

I guess there are just so many things that can affect the shipping price accuracy here. It's no fun.

[Stormy31685]

The shipping changes have thrown everyone for a loop, I'm afraid! 

With your case specifically, no you should not be responsible for paying extra shipping, but maybe a little consideration is due under the circumstances.

I would definitely be upset if I were in your position, no doubt, but it would all come down to the question of how badly do I want the item.  If I want it bad, a few extra dollars (even $10-15) might not irritate me enough to turn away from the sale.  To be honest, I JUST had that happen to me this week.  And the seller basically told me that if I did not want to pay the extra in shipping, he had no problems re-listing it with the correct shipping price for someone else.  But I did not want to back out of the sale.

And yes, there have been a LOT of glitches with the shipping calculators - even recently.

Personally, when the shipping changes went into effect, I had buyers who had purchased items over the weekend, but had not paid yet, and I had to send them all new invoices with the shipping increase changes.  I had a buyer who did not think it was fair to pay the extra charges, so he backed out of the sale and I re-listed the item.  I had another buyer who paid on that Saturday, but I was not home in time to ship, and I had to come up with money out-of-pocket for her package.

[FantasticFirefly]

If the seller were me, it would have been painful depending on the item, but it would have simply got sent, it's an ebay contract and all that, if the buyer noticed and sends me the difference later, wonderful, if not, live and learn.

I had that happen on a SSN I bought from a childhood collection. she miscalculated shipping, she had already sent it but let me know nicely while thanking me for my purchase that she was out of pocket on shipping "live and learn" and "wished she had been more careful". I just sent it to her as I knew what it could be like. I was a casual seller too and got bit bad when postage rates went up and I never even saw an ebay notice about it and my nasty PO didn't even warn me when I bought everything in for the original quotes before listing that any changes were happening. I paid out of pocket for every package, nobody sent the extra (I didn't ask, but the totals paid were displayed on each package.). Essentially some of my ponies were given away for free, or cost me money. Because of that little experience I do take note of what incoming packages say,  if I am undercharged I have no issues sending off the difference, unless the seller was a pain in the butt, then I don't particularly care.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

This sounds more like an Ebay issue I'm having then, rather than the individual seller. 

When are they going to show accurate shipping prices?  I was really hoping to start using the site again but I won't shop from there if they can't display accurate prices. 

[FantasticFirefly]

Honestly I wouldn't worry to much about it. Not everyone is having issues with the calculators, and many simply send anyway without saying anything. The worst case that can happen is a seller asks to cancel a transaction if the calculator charged the incorrect amount & you don't want to cover the difference (which I can understand, I budget the shipping into what I'm willing to bid or BIN something for).

[tulagirl]

It could be it depends though.  Did your auction use a calculator or was it a flat rate?   I never rely on ebay's shipping calculaters. I always determine my own shipping for each item.  I had a friend that had nothing but problems with these ebay shipping calculators.  That was enough for me to not be willing to use them at all.  Sure it takes more time to upload shipping for each item but it leads to less problems later.  If your seller used a calculator on her auction then it could be an ebay issue but honestly...its really hard to say as they work well for some and for others they seem to have problems.  Its still up to your seller to do what is right and the point really is they should not be asking for your any extra money.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I'm not sure, Tulagirl.  When I browse, I see the amounts in italics as they have converted to Canadian dollars.  Underneath that, it says "$xx.xx shipping, approx. $xx.xx in CDN". 

I don't sell on Ebay and never plan to, so I didn't think about the difference between the provided app or whether the seller weighed and measured the parcel before listing and manually entered the info. 

I don't really care which method was used.  I just want to see the price I'm paying. 

[tulagirl]

I don't blame you there.  There is a certain amt of info the seller puts in the calculator..weight being one thing.  Then it calculates by location...weight and I think box size.  The seller has to provide information tho for it to work.  If ebay has not put the new rates in..I guess that would be a problem.  Its just confusing in that it works for some.  I wonder if it has problems with international...mystery.