300% overcharge on EBAY shipping??

andre2010

Hi Everyone,

Wonder if you can help around Ebays policy on international shipping.

I purchased an item from ebay from an American User. he stated that he would be sending it through first class mail etc and charged 30 dollars for the shipping. Which i assumed was the amount. But when the package arrived, it wasnt first class, it was standard and he only paid 9 dollars for it.

Dont get me wrong, the package arrived and the items where as listed, but i asked him about the fee and he said its a flat rate that he charges! Is this allowed, the shipping was almost as much as the product. I mean if he is allowed do that, then fair enough, wont be using ebay again, it just seems ridiculous that he gets an additional 20 dollars for nothing.

RasTa

Tell him you will be leaving neg fb if he doesn't refund the shipping

andre2010

RasTa wrote: »

Tell him you will be leaving neg fb if he doesn't refund the shipping

Oh i will, if he did something wrong. Im just not sure if EBAY users are allowed just put a flat standard rate and overcharge for international shipping like that. EBAY have some strange rules and i certainly dont want to ruin his reputation on EBAY if he wasnt in fact doing anything wrong

Hunchback

I had a similar experience before, and the seller said that the reason why the postage was so high was to attract potential buyers to his product by making it appear cheaper, but recouping the money on postage. I am open to correction, but I believe he is within his rights to do this, but as I said, I am open to correction

Miaireland

When it comes to postage with ebay, its buyer beware. By bidding on the item you are agreeing to the postage rate. I agree it is hard when the item is from the US.

You could ask the seller for a refund of some of the postage fees but he doesn't have to refund you. Otherwise leave appropriate feedback.

mikemac

It's all over ebay and been going for years.

The product is cheap to attract people in. The postage is hefty but the overall price is fine so you make the purchase

The seller uses cheap postage and pockets the difference.

Standard tactic realy for many.
They earn more from the postage then the margin of the product

Eircom_Sucks

all about charges

higher the price the more he pays in fee's

lower the price feck all he pays

and he doesnt pay anything on money received for fee's

user1842

Add an extra 2 to 3 dollars for packaging though, so that $12. Tell him to refund $18.

I refunded shipping loads of time to customers on ebay. Fair is fair.

Nody

andre2010 wrote: »

Dont get me wrong, the package arrived and the items where as listed, but i asked him about the fee and he said its a flat rate that he charges! Is this allowed, the shipping was almost as much as the product. I mean if he is allowed do that, then fair enough, wont be using ebay again, it just seems ridiculous that he gets an additional 20 dollars for nothing.

He can charge you 20 USD more shipping or 25 USD more in the price due to Ebay's fees only affecting one of the two; which do you prefer?

GarIT

andre2010 wrote: »

he stated that he would be sending it through first class mail

He mis-sold the product. You should definitely get the difference back. and leave bad feedback for him lying about the shipping.

andre2010

Well the item in question wasnt really any cheaper than id buy it here, it just wasnt available here. so its not like i got an item for 30 dollars but cost 100 here. It only costs 30 euro here, just wasnt available. so its not like he really lowered the price and re couped the fee. which i would understand, but not what he did. Ive emailed him again for greater clarification, but i will definately leave negative feedback if not resolved. or perhaps neutral, as the items were perfect in his defence

NuMarvel

As GarIT says, you should follow up with him about the type of postage used. Also, when you're leaving feedback, you also have the option to leave detailed seller ratings about 5 categories, including postage and packaging charges. I think if you leave a low rating for this, eBay ask you to give them more information.

andre2010

ok i got this as a reply: it seems understandable but let me know what you think:

I understand and am sorry if you feel that shipping was alot i understand your concern. The shipping cost to you were shown before you bidded on the item and listed in the auction. The shipping cost is up to the seller and eBay lets you know the price ahead of time. I charge more for shipping international because by the time i pay for the boxes, tape, packaging materials and money spent with gas in my car to drive out to the shipping office plus the extra time to fill out paper work to ship international it cost me alot so this is part of the shipping internationally to me. Alot of sellers do not ship international because it takes alot of time to fill out all the paperwork at the post office to ship something outside of the US, there are custom documents and also their is a greater risk if there is a problem with a item that it will be harder to resolve. If someone tries to cheat in the United States we can use our legal system to take them to court. If someone tries to cheat outside the US it costs alot of money to try to sue them overseas. This takes alot of my time and i charge more for overseas because of this. I hope you are understanding as i only ship overseas for extra charges as a convieance but wouldn't sell internationally if i couldn't cover the extra costs.

GarIT

andre2010 wrote: »

ok i got this as a reply: it seems understandable but let me know what you think:

I understand and am sorry if you feel that shipping was alot i understand your concern. The shipping cost to you were shown before you bidded on the item and listed in the auction. The shipping cost is up to the seller and eBay lets you know the price ahead of time. I charge more for shipping international because by the time i pay for the boxes, tape, packaging materials and money spent with gas in my car to drive out to the shipping office plus the extra time to fill out paper work to ship international it cost me alot so this is part of the shipping internationally to me. Alot of sellers do not ship international because it takes alot of time to fill out all the paperwork at the post office to ship something outside of the US, there are custom documents and also their is a greater risk if there is a problem with a item that it will be harder to resolve. If someone tries to cheat in the United States we can use our legal system to take them to court. If someone tries to cheat outside the US it costs alot of money to try to sue them overseas. This takes alot of my time and i charge more for overseas because of this. I hope you are understanding as i only ship overseas for extra charges as a convieance but wouldn't sell internationally if i couldn't cover the extra costs.

His response is what would be expected to be said by a seller. You can't say it's not true because you don't know anything about his situation. It just has to be accepted.

Getting back to the shipping though you said it was supposed to be first class. If deal was done within Ireland under Irish law you would be entitled for the full cost of shipping to be refunded because it was not as described. As technically the sale was made in the USA I don't know if or how the law would apply. But you should still attempt to get the full amount back.

andre2010

thanks for the advice guys. i will get onto him about the mis selling of the postage type, but i cannot really do anything else. i think i will just not leave any feedback

andre2010

true, ive sent him another message. will see what he says. as i said, besides the postage issue, everything came as described, albiet a little late due to standard post

Max Power1

Mr.S wrote: »

Leave negative feedback if he doesn't refund you.

.

Why?
The postage charge was clearly displayed.

the groutch

his response is total BS, trying to charge you for his form filling time, and "anti-scam insurance".

don't only tell him that you're gonna leave negative feedback, but also tell him you're going to report him to ebay for fee circumvention (charging excessive postage to avoid fees)

if you really wanted to take it out on him, you could make a paypal claim for the full amount as "item not received".
if he has no proof of postage (which he probably won't because of sending it standard instead of registered), paypal will almost certainly rule in your favour.
it might not be honest, but neither was he

pleasant Co.

Max Power1 wrote: »

Why?
The postage charge was clearly displayed.

According to the OP the seller didn't use the displayed postage method, opting instead for a cheaper, slower and less reliable option.

BengaLover

andre2010 wrote: »

ok i got this as a reply: it seems understandable but let me know what you think:

I understand and am sorry if you feel that shipping was alot i understand your concern. The shipping cost to you were shown before you bidded on the item and listed in the auction. The shipping cost is up to the seller and eBay lets you know the price ahead of time. - Ebay have nothing to do with what the seller charges! I charge more for shipping international because by the time i pay for the boxes, tape, packaging materials and money spent with gas in my car to drive out to the shipping office plus the extra time to fill out paper work : ebay only allows for postage and packaging, not time and gas! to ship international it cost me alot so this is part of the shipping internationally to me. Alot of sellers do not ship international because it takes alot of time to fill out all the paperwork at the post office to ship something outside of the US, there are custom documents and also their is a greater risk if there is a problem with a item that it will be harder to resolve. If someone tries to cheat in the United States we can use our legal system to take them to court. If someone tries to cheat outside the US it costs alot of money to try to sue them overseas. This takes alot of my time and i charge more for overseas because of this. Was this condition stated as part of the listing? I hope you are understanding as i only ship overseas for extra charges as a convieance but wouldn't sell internationally if i couldn't cover the extra costs.

Unfortunately you cant really do much and if you hint that you will leave negative feedback unless he refunds some costs then you are going to get in trouble for what they call 'feedback extortion'.
What you could consider doing is opening a paypal case with 'Item not as described' ;there is a box to tick when opening a dispute of this kind that specifically applies to shipping cost issues. You could then state the amount of refund that you require, in this case the difference between what you paid and what the seller paid..Its a long shot but the seller might just agree to it to save hassle.

Our man in Havana

Just leave neg feedback without warning.

Max Power1

Mactard wrote: »

According to the OP the seller didn't use the displayed postage method, opting instead for a cheaper, slower and less reliable option.

He still sent the item, and the buyer recieved it undamaged

Not warranting a neg imo.

allthedoyles

Rememember the basics of eBay / auction sites everyone .

When you buy an item , you enter a legally binding contract.

There is no use closing the door after the horse has bolted .

If it gives you inner satisfaction , then neg feedback should do , but in my opinion is not warranted .

Beware of leaving negative feedback , unless he has already left feedback for you , and even so , he can follow up with further negativity in your feedback profile .

It takes time to get used to the swings and roundabouts of online shopping.

Our man in Havana

Sellers cannot leave negative feedback.

pleasant Co.

Max Power1 wrote: »

He still sent the item, and the buyer recieved it undamaged

Not warranting a neg imo.

That does not change the fact that the seller advertised the use of a more expensive postage service, and charged a more expensive postage rate, for a service the OP never received.

The OP is fully entitled to seek reimbursement, if the seller refuses to offer any refund on postage costs then the OP can very well leave negative feedback as the seller used falsified information on his/her auction with regards to postage.

BengaLover

Sellers cant leave negative feedback for buyers.
If you decide to give him negative feedback, he may request that you retract it - you are not obliged to retract feedback, but at this point the seller may refund your excess postage costs as a sweetener to get you to do so..DONT complete the retraction form until he actually pays the refund tho..

Max Power1

BengaLover wrote: »

Sellers cant leave negative feedback for buyers.
If you decide to give him negative feedback, he may request that you retract it - you are not obliged to retract feedback, but at this point the seller may refund your excess postage costs as a sweetener to get you to do so..DONT complete the retraction form until he actually pays the refund tho..

Ive seen seller's manage to get negatives removed over shipping costs because they were displayed in the listing (and thus accepted by the buyer when they bidded)

I think the threat of a negative in this case will work better than leaving one. (if the seller has any nous it will be removed)

allthedoyles

Sellers cannot leave negative feedback , but they can leave negative comments , and can also follow-up with further negative comments .

Many buyers are also under the mistaken illusion that shipping costs actually cover the stamp on the package .

This is incorrect , and it is well known that there also handling charges , administration charges / stationery / carrier charges involved in the dispatch of a single package .

Al Capwned

That does not change the fact that the seller advertised the use of a more expensive postage service, and charged a more expensive postage rate, for a service the OP never received.

The OP is fully entitled to seek reimbursement, if the seller refuses to offer any refund on postage costs then the OP can very well leave negative feedback as the seller used falsified information on his/her auction with regards to postage.

Bottom line is that you pay for Postage & Packaging, not just postage. If you are entitled to a refund (questionable, imo) it would only be for the price diff between 1st and STD postage.

GarIT

alproctor wrote: »

Bottom line is that you pay for Postage & Packaging, not just postage. If you are entitled to a refund (questionable, imo) it would only be for the price diff between 1st and STD postage.

The law says if you are mis sold a product or any part of a product you are entitled to all the money back.

Our man in Havana

Ebay are outside the scope of the law. There be the problem.

JustAddWater

CKonetheonlyone wrote: »

I had a similar experience before, and the seller said that the reason why the postage was so high was to attract potential buyers to his product by making it appear cheaper, but recouping the money on postage. I am open to correction, but I believe he is within his rights to do this, but as I said, I am open to correction

The single reason why I hate EBAY and wont use it

GarIT

Our man in Havana wrote: »

Ebay are outside the scope of the law. There be the problem.

I know but I was just using that to make a point to the person that said at most the op should get the difference back.

Max Power1

Our man in Havana wrote: »

Ebay are outside the scope of the law. There be the problem.

Ebay are not the police, if the OP wants to pursue the legal avenue they are more than entitled to, however I dont see why they would have a case.

Our man in Havana

Ebay just want their fees at the end of the day. Other than that they don't give a fig what sellers charge for shipping.

BengaLover

allthedoyles wrote: »

Sellers cannot leave negative feedback , but they can leave negative comments , and can also follow-up with further negative comments .

Wrong, this is against ebay rules. If a seller leaves a negative comment under the guise of a positive rating it will be removed.

Joe10000

It's been done to me and it is very annoying but I just had to accept it.

When I wrote to the seller she said she was handicapped and getting to the post office was a very time consuming process. Not a lot I could do.

allthedoyles

Joe10000 wrote: »

It's been done to me and it is very annoying but I just had to accept it.

When I wrote to the seller she said she was handicapped and getting to the post office was a very time consuming process. Not a lot I could do.

I have given unpleasant buyers plenty of negative feedback , and it has not been removed .

I hope it was'nt you Joe !

jor el

allthedoyles wrote: »

I have given unpleasant buyers plenty of negative feedback , and it has not been removed .

It will only be removed if the buyer complains about it. The text of a feedback comment is largely irrelevant anyway, since practically no one looks beyond the overall rating.

A Dub in Glasgo

I can't believe the amount of hot air in here

The US seller ships internationally which is a rarity initself and is up front with the charge for shipping internationally.

The buyer wanted the seller to ship internationally and was happy with the charge for shipping internationally.

The seller ships and the buyer receives the goods without a hitch. The buyer looks at the cost of the stamps and stomps feet about unfairness.

I once bought something from Argos and got it delivered and they charged me a standard fee which was nothing like the cost of the stamp. Should I take them to court?

Our man in Havana

Some people are fools and just roll over and accept this carry on.

A Dub in Glasgo

and what carry on is that?

Our man in Havana

Thieves on ebay robbing people on shipping costs.

A Dub in Glasgo

How can they be thieves when the buyer has agreed to pay the fee? It should be noted that the fee covers more than the shipping cost.

BengaLover

But its against ebay policy to charge excessive amounts for p&p, AND to charge for petrol, car parking while you go into the po etc etc.
A pound or 2 overcharging isnt so bad, given the cost of a jiffy bag and a printout invoice.
You really cant blame someone for feeling quite miffed when you pay £10.00 for something to be sent to you and you see that the seller only paid £3/4 for it.
Especially if something is coming from another country and you have no idea of Royal Mails postage costs for example.

A Dub in Glasgo

The only way a buyer can feel miffed is if the seller did not send the item using a service they paid for eg if I pay for first class, I expect the seller to send it first class and not second.

If people are miffed that a company or seller is making a profit on the sale, they better get used to being miffed as that is what selling is all about. Buy low, sell higher

pleasant Co.

A Dub in Glasgo wrote: »

The only way a buyer can feel miffed is if the seller did not send the item using a service they paid for eg if I pay for first class, I expect the seller to send it first class and not second.

That's exactly what happened to the OP of this thread

A Dub in Glasgo

Mactard wrote: »

That's exactly what happened to the OP of this thread

I know that although that is not the gripe for a lot of people here. Even if he sent it 1st class and is cost €15 there will be people moaning as he charged €30.

If the seller has failed to send the item as per the service purchased, the buyer has no real come back other than putting a negative or neutral on feedback. I would also avoid using emotive words like robber or scammer in the feedback as the seller can get the feedback removed by ebay. It is better to state something like

'Not happy, paid for 1st class, seller sent 2nd class & failed to compensate'

than

'Scammer alert, robs people on shipping'

Our man in Havana

Ebay is full of such chancers. It is against the rules to bump up shipping costs to avoid fees. That is exactly what the vast majority of sellers do.

I don't care what the moral majority think, it is wrong to charge someone x and then only spend y. Thieves is all they are. They can burn in hell for all I care.

A Dub in Glasgo

So you are happy to pay €100 for an item that is made up of €95 and €5 p&p and you are not happy to pay €98 for the same item made up of €70 for the item and €28 p&p?

Strange way of of viewing prices you are willing to pay

BengaLover

ok, heres an example:
An irish seller recently on ebay had a pandora bracelet for sale.
Bracelet was down at 99c buy it now with postage of 25.00, this was for postage within ireland

So you are happy to pay €100 for an item that is made up of €95 and €5 p&p and you are not happy to pay €98 for the same item made up of €70 for the item and €28 p&p?

Thats blatant fee circumvention.

And like OMIH said earlier, its wrong wrong wrong to charge X and then pay Y.
I dont think I would have many Adverts customers left if I were to charge 99c for a Tommy Hilfiger shirt and then ask for 20.00 postage.
The other side to the coin is, postage costs ARE stated on the listing, if you think they are too expensive, theres no harm in contacting the seller and getting them to double check.
Some sellers genuinely think its going to be a lot dearer to post to Ireland and are happy to check out the real cost and change it to get a sale...
Others are just out to pocket the extra they make.