Charged too much for ebay shipping, seller not responding

[gazzy90]

I was recently charged £7.90 shipping for a package from uk. When I got it I noticed that the actual shipping price was £5.15. And the dolls were packed in a plastic bag envelope, so nothing too fancy or expensive. Just some bubble wrap around them.

So that's a difference of £2.75, which is almost 4 euros for me. That's not little, I can get some take away with that money!
So I messaged the seller a few days ago, but haven't received a response. So what should I do about this? It's no tragedy, but I would like that money back, why should the seller keep it?

Should I open an ebay case? Isn't it a bit extreme for £2.75?
I did re-message the seller today, but I don't appreciate being ignored. Then again they don't have any active sales atm, so maybe they're not checking their ebay?

[Ringlets]

I personally wouldn't open a case over that amount as it is quite a small  overcharge (ok, it is still an overcharge and your seller didn't exactly  wrap the dolls well or communicate with you either, so I'm not saying you shouldn't feel disappointed or anything, it's just not worth a case IMO  ) . If the seller continues to ignore you though you could ding the star ratings when it comes to communication and shipping 

[bluerose9978]

My question is did it state in the auction that it was a flat rate cost or a calculated cost? If so, then you agreed to that amount in the first place and eBay would take the seller's side on this one, sorry. It's possible that they calculate not only the shipping cost but their eBay fees into the shipping cost, as a lot of sellers do. Unfortunately, the fees aren't that cheap.

[CupidStrikes]

I would assume for that amount that the extra is to cover packaging/handling and fees (sellers have to pay fees on shipping on Ebay now, I think?) - Ebay calls the shipping charge "postage and packaging" so I doubt they would see anything wrong with the seller covering their costs. I personally wouldn't open a case for those reasons.

It's out of order the seller is ignoring you, though, and I agree with Ringlets on dinging stars for communication.

[gazzy90]

My question is did it state in the auction that it was a flat rate cost or a calculated cost? If so, then you agreed to that amount in the first place and eBay would take the seller's side on this one, sorry. It's possible that they calculate not only the shipping cost but their eBay fees into the shipping cost, as a lot of sellers do. Unfortunately, the fees aren't that cheap.

None of the above actually. I just got an in invoice for combined shipping after the auctions ended, there wasn't a shipping quote before.
I would think it's unfair to add your fees to the shipping costs. I mean, it's ebay, you know you're gonna get fees, add them to your items for sale or something. And fees are a part of ebay anyway, you choose to sell there, you get fees. It's not fair to charge your buyer x1.5times the cost of actual shipping to get them back. But that's just me.

[Aadra310]

I'm with CupidStrikes.  eBay makes seller's pay fees on shipping, too and not just the listed item.  That could account for some of the overcharge.  As a seller, I always try to overestimate shipping by about $1-2 (depending on package size) to cover what most people call "handling."  This is my packaging materials, fees, and a slight cushion in case I underestimated package weight by a few ounces.  If I don't do this, I break even or even lose money on some items.  So, I doubt that your seller came away with much pocket money from the shipping. 

Some sellers don't try to work in the necessary fees in the item price because that can deter some customers.  If a pony is "worth" about $5 but they are selling it for $8 to cover all the fees, lots of people will pass it up to look for the $5 pony even if the shipping is higher!  It's just a game sellers have to play to try to find the right combination of attractive price and actually making a little profit.

I also agree that they should message you back, though!  Not cool!  And a better pack job certainly wouldn't hurt.

[NoDivision]

I do the same as Aadra and bump up my shipping costs a little for the same reasons. It's pretty normal on ebay and it is not against ebay policy to include a handling cost. Obviously there are times where the shipping cost is completely excessive but I wouldn't say this is one of them. 

[banditpony]

Should I open an ebay case? Isn't it a bit extreme for £2.75?

You will not get any money back if you open a case. So the best thing to do is politely message your seller, and hope that they might refund you.

[LadyMoondancer]

I'm with CupidStrikes.  eBay makes seller's pay fees on shipping, too and not just the listed item.  That could account for some of the overcharge.  As a seller, I always try to overestimate shipping by about $1-2 (depending on package size) to cover what most people call "handling."  This is my packaging materials, fees, and a slight cushion in case I underestimated package weight by a few ounces.  If I don't do this, I break even or even lose money on some items.  So, I doubt that your seller came away with much pocket money from the shipping. 

Some sellers don't try to work in the necessary fees in the item price because that can deter some customers.  If a pony is "worth" about $5 but they are selling it for $8 to cover all the fees, lots of people will pass it up to look for the $5 pony even if the shipping is higher!  It's just a game sellers have to play to try to find the right combination of attractive price and actually making a little profit.

I also agree that they should message you back, though!  Not cool!  And a better pack job certainly wouldn't hurt.

Yes, it's all psychological.  It's the same reason sellers will start with an opening bid of $5 with a reserve of $60.  People who will happily bid up to $60 . . . will not put down a starting bid of $60.

But back on topic, eBay does allow sellers to charge a handling fee as long as it isn't excessive.

Also keep in mind that eBay's shipping calculator is a lying liar.  I've had it overcharge buyers, undercharge buyers, and make crazy claims like "Oh, shipping a 4 lb box from the US to Australia?  $16!  8D"

So it's also possible that the seller wasn't trying to get an extra fee, but the shipping calculator happened to spin in their favor on this auction.

[flying_narwhal]

I'm with CupidStrikes.  eBay makes seller's pay fees on shipping, too and not just the listed item.  That could account for some of the overcharge.  As a seller, I always try to overestimate shipping by about $1-2 (depending on package size) to cover what most people call "handling."  This is my packaging materials, fees, and a slight cushion in case I underestimated package weight by a few ounces.  If I don't do this, I break even or even lose money on some items.  So, I doubt that your seller came away with much pocket money from the shipping. 

Some sellers don't try to work in the necessary fees in the item price because that can deter some customers.  If a pony is "worth" about $5 but they are selling it for $8 to cover all the fees, lots of people will pass it up to look for the $5 pony even if the shipping is higher!  It's just a game sellers have to play to try to find the right combination of attractive price and actually making a little profit.

I also agree that they should message you back, though!  Not cool!  And a better pack job certainly wouldn't hurt.

^  I agree with all of this. I don't think it is enough of an overcharge to cause a fuss over. If you are concerned about combined shipping costs you need to ask a seller before the listings end how much it would cost for items X, Y, and Z to be shipped together. The reality is that shipping costs are more than just what is paid to the post office, whether or not one agrees that this should be the case.

[ClosetAvalanche]

The cost of shipping is for shipping and handling which can include the cost of materials, gas to the PO, the time to actually package the items, ect. The overcharge is really miniscule, and opening a case won't get you anywhere. I think the wisest thing to do is to ask for a shipping quote before buying. I don't think it's fair to ding the seller's stars as they haven't done anything wrong.

[gazzy90]

So after messaging the seller again, I got this response:

"The 7.90 paid, was for postage and packaging. So the remainder of what you paid was for packaging and the extra paid to the post office for insurance in case it got lost."

I'm sorry but this a lie! £5.15 was the stamp on the package, so no way they paid insurance to the p.o.!! If the package was insured, it would be stated on it! I understand charging a bit more for packaging materials (although they didn't even use a bubble mailer!) and for fees, but lying to your buyer like that?

Here's what I replied:
"I'm sorry, but if the package was insured, it would say so on the stamp and the price would be higher.
Also, 2 small pieces of bubble wrap and a simple bag (not even bubble) envelope costing that much, no way."

Never got an answer back! And I'm actually upset, ignoring my messages, lying to me - is that nice seller behaviour?

I'm sure you guys will disagree, but I think I'm going to leave negative feedback. Overcharging, ignoring and lying - isn't that enough?

[prancingstag]

I'd knock the stars way down and leave a neutral. As there were no problems with the actual item, the method/time/speed of shipping, etc. I wouldn't think it warrants a negative... But often I find that the difference between a neutral or a neg is how much the seller annoys you, if you feel emotionally that a negative is fair, then go right ahead. Wilfully lying and not communicating promptly are pretty bad tactics for a seller - they could just have said that it was for packing materials and transport/handling costs, or even paypal fees, that would be understandable. No need for lying about insurance when it's something that can easily be disproven by looking at the label.

[gazzy90]

I'd knock the stars way down and leave a neutral. As there were no problems with the actual item, the method/time/speed of shipping, etc. I wouldn't think it warrants a negative... But often I find that the difference between a neutral or a neg is how much the seller annoys you, if you feel emotionally that a negative is fair, then go right ahead. Wilfully lying and not communicating promptly are pretty bad tactics for a seller - they could just have said that it was for packing materials and transport/handling costs, or even paypal fees, that would be understandable. No need for lying about insurance when it's something that can easily be disproven by looking at the label.

Thanks for the support prancingstag

I just left negative feedback actually, I've been avoiding doing it for days, but I couldn't help it. And I actually saw that a few days ago someone else also left negative feedback, so mine was not the first:
"No happy doll missing wing seller did not seem to care!"

So there you go, seller just doesn't care!

[Tribble79]

This is exactly why I don't sell on eBay... Even if you bend over backwards you can never make every buyer happy... I don't think that small amount was that much of an overcharge and honestly when I buy something I don't think I ever look to see if the postage they paid matches the postage I paid. Now if it seemed excessive I would check but don't think that's ever happened in my 15 years of buying on eBay... I always check shipping before I bid and if its more than I want to pay I look for a different auction. However if its been many days and they haven't responded to your questions the stars do need reduced on communication and shipping. I don't think I would give a negative as I think you can open a case if they feel tat the feedback wasn't deserved, and if thats proven, I think you get dinged for it but I'm not positive.

Good luck in whatever you chose to do!