eBay Problems Update! Customs strikes again!

[Jahlila]

So, I bought a pony on a whim last night. I stared at the auction before I finally decided I wanted it and clicked Buy-It-Now. Right after doing this, a message popped up saying the seller required immediate payment or else another eBayer could purchase it. I've come across this before but since I always pay right away, I don't pay much attention to it. I woke up this morning to a message from the seller saying that the shipping was quoted all wrong and that I owed another $21.00. I had a feeling the shipping was off because this person is from South America and $4.00 seemed a bit cheap. I checked my PayPal and there is no record of the transaction anywhere. Ebay shows it's paid for but my receipt hasn't posted. Now the seller said he is going to request the difference via PayPal but I still haven't seen any change in my PayPal account and it's making me nervous. I've never had this happen before through eBay. Should I be worried about this? I really want this pony but I also don't want this seller to think I'm trying to cheat him out of anything.  Am I overreacting?

[lovesbabysquirmy]

If they listed a shipping price in the auction BEFORE you bid, the seller is obligated to only charge you that price, and no more.  They are not allowed to ask for extra funds for shipping, it's against Ebay policy.  Sadly however... they do not HAVE to sell to you.  If you report them as a non-performing seller, they are not going to send you the item. 

Really a hard place to be in.... I usually send the seller an entire page of Ebay regulations about how it's their responsibility to quote accurate prices at the outset of the auction! 

Keep us updated!

[Jahlila]

If they listed a shipping price in the auction BEFORE you bid, the seller is obligated to only charge you that price, and no more.  They are not allowed to ask for extra funds for shipping, it's against Ebay policy.  Sadly however... they do not HAVE to sell to you.  If you report them as a non-performing seller, they are not going to send you the item. 

Really a hard place to be in.... I usually send the seller an entire page of Ebay regulations about how it's their responsibility to quote accurate prices at the outset of the auction! 

Keep us updated!

That's what I thought. I just knew something was odd about the shipping. The seller isn't a pony person either. I'm just nervous because I don't want him to file a NPB case against me. I did pay for the item and it's his fault for getting the shipping quote wrong. I'm going to wait and see what happens with this. If I don't see anything on PayPal, I may need to contact eBay and find out where to go from here.

[ponylady]

LBS is correct, sellers are not allowed to change the terms of the listing after the sale.  They should not be guessing at the shipping charges.  And when this happens, the seller has to pay the difference. Just be aware that ebay can't force the seller to ship.

All I can say is it depends on how much you want this item.  Since you already paid, you could tell them that it's against policy to ask for more money & that you still want the item for what you paid.  You can open a dispute if you don't get the item & leave neg. FB & low ratings.

Ultimately the choice is going to be up to you on whether you want to pay the extra shipping charges. Although I do understand that mistakes can occur, it is the sellers responsibility to make sure their listing is correct.

Also as long as Ebay has it on record that the item is paid for, he can not open a case against you.
 

[Unicorn_pops]

Great advice and also adding in, if you want the pony at the price you currently paid and don't agree to pay the additional shipping (which is against ebay policy to do) Then don't agree to cancel the transaction. Just file a case as Ponylady suggested.

[Jahlila]

Thank you for the advice! I do really want this pony but I didn't want to pay the extra $21.00 shipping because he messed up. I worked it out with him and we met in the middle. I agreed to pay half of the remaining shipping. An extra $10 is worth it if I get my pony. I won't say what it is but I will say it's a nirvana I never thought I'd own. I will be sure to update this if things change.

[ponylady]

I am glad to hear that you both could come to a compromise that was reasonable for both of you.

[court2882]

That was a fair way to deal with the situation. I hope that your pony arrives safely

[Ringlets]

I'm really glad that you and the seller could work something out       I hope that you get your pony without any other problems

[Jahlila]

Pony came in the mail today..... And customs has struck again. She has a one inch slice down the back of one leg.  The pony in question? Yellow Columbian Bluebelle. Is there anyway to file a complaint with customs?

[MikeysGrrrl]

Pony came in the mail today..... And customs has struck again. She has a one inch slice down the back of one leg.  The pony in question? Yellow Columbian Bluebelle. Is there anyway to file a complaint with customs?

OMG, why customs why? I don't understand. I keep seeing this horror stories on here, I can't believe that they are allowed to do that. I'm so sorry. I don't have any advice, just a pony hug for you.

[Jahlila]

Pony came in the mail today..... And customs has struck again. She has a one inch slice down the back of one leg.  The pony in question? Yellow Columbian Bluebelle. Is there anyway to file a complaint with customs?

OMG, why customs why? I don't understand. I keep seeing this horror stories on here, I can't believe that they are allowed to do that. I'm so sorry. I don't have any advice, just a pony hug for you.

Thank you. This is my first experience buying and dealing with customs. I seriously want to file a complaint about this. Luckily, the cut is minor and the only way you'd see it is if you squeeze her back leg. I thanked the seller and informed him about what had happened but I'm not pursuing any refund. I got her for less than $100 so I think I did pretty well.

[BowtieG1]

I can't believe customs do this! I'm not sure where you're from but I've ordered absolute huge amounts of toys, old and new from mainly Japan and I've never seen them hacked to pieces like some customs do...

I collect Tamagotchis and if somebody opened the packaging of a mint tama on its way to my house, my gosh, I'd start a war. Its an outrage!

[kellyponyfeathers]

As far as I understand, customs does this with packages shipped from countries where drug smuggling is a big problem. Apparently, it's common to try to hide drugs in toys.  I was told that customs legally can and will open/mangle anything vaguely suspicious, and they don't have to reimburse you. Why they don't just use dogs and/or x-ray machines to search items and protect private property is beyond me. If it were me, I would still phone them and raise bl**dy h*ll. Sorry this happened to you.

[LittleKirara]

I think KellyPonyFeathers is correct, I would bet they cut your pony open to be sure there weren't any drug inside. It's extremely common for drug dealers to use toys like ponies to hide drugs. Thats why when ever I get something from a place like that I have them open the item (like take the ponies head off) so customs won't do it.

I really doubt theres anything you can do about it sadly