opinion needed on shipping charges

[electric-pixel]

Hi folks,

I want your opinion on this:

interested in an auction and i have emailed the seller on what would be the charge. I usually do that as a just in case because a lot of people put an average price and adjust the price when i send them my address.

However i have encountered a person who says that she has to tack in all those extra charges ( insurrance , signature registration, special packing tape )  and that it costs the seller money to do this and all that stuff and bla bla bla. Even tough the seller says on the auction that they would ship first class mail for a reasonable price now the seller comes up with double that amount because they are just paranoid about the transaction. I also told her that i needed a definite price but she could not give one to me. I tried to make the seller understand that i would accept a cheap shipping method and it was not big deal for me but the seller is sticking to her gun that shes got to insanely protect the package at my own cost. Its nothing expensive but every desirable that i need and i would pay a decent price but i think the seller is just out there with the shipping portion of it.

That being said i did ask the seller to modify their auction to reflect what she wants to do with the shipping should another international bidder bid and win on the auction but so far it did not happen.

now comes the opinion part.

Is the seller trying to scam me?  Do they have the right to ask of me an exhorbitant amount of shipping money for a shipping method i do not want.

Also what if i win and pay the seller this amount and they do not use the amount as indicated and pocket in some money saying that it was for handling fees.

Is there a way to protect yourself from that or get some money back from the transaction? I dont care about leaving a tip if the job is well done and i felt i got a good deal on the auction but i hate people who try to make money on the shipping part of their auction because the auction did not go so well...

I am afraid i might do well on the auction but get tacked an insane amount of money for the shipping fees at the end. Can the seller actually do this to you?

I know all of this screams stay away but....

let me know what you think.

[i*m-still-here]

I can tell you how I deal with these situations.  It doesn't always work but it usually does.

First, the seller and I agree on the method of shipping.

Since I buy a lot I already know what the actual cost will be via USPS, but you might not and if you don't then you're not in a good position to do this.

I tell the seller that I'll pay as billed and then he/she can refund the overpayment after shipping.

It works like a charm most of the time and get my refund as agreed.

[marnotom!]

If sellers are setting up their listings properly, they shouldn't have to provide an "average" shipping price.  It should be right on the listing page, possibly even calculated by eBay based on information the seller provides on the items dimensions and weight.

Sellers are not allowed to ask for more in shipping than what's on the listing page.  If you think what the seller is asking is fair, then buy the item.  If you don't think it's fair, either point it out to the seller or go find a different seller.  Personally, I think you shouldn't be asking sellers to clarify their shipping charges; it just opens up cans of worms like the one you're dealing with right now.

If you have a pretty good idea of the item's size and weight, look up the USPS shipping rates and see what's available for an item that size:

http://ircalc.usps.gov

All this stuff about "special packing tape" and especially "signature registration" is a lot of bunk if you ask me, although I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that your seller is trying to scam you.  They may simply be ignorant of the fact that signature confirmation can't be purchased as an "add on" for international mail.  Unless they're seriously switching directions here and going for a carrier such as UPS or FedEx, which brings a whole new set of problems for you.

[electric-pixel]

I usually check on shipping because several times the seller uses a calculator that over charges and it did save me money. If i had paid the charges as posted sometimes on some auction i would have lost like 10$ or more, moeny i can put on another item. 99% it turns out well, people dont complain or become extravagant like this one. I will verify with seller. Maybe she is in for a little suprise and all those tacked fees she talks about cant be put on like she said.

What i am wondering about is if she really over charges me like for 10$ or more can you complain to ebay to get your money back.

I have paid people  for shipping when it seemed appropriate and i got and they had charged me like 10$ that what it really cost me since the  the shipping cost is usually indicated on the box somewhere. Usually i let it slide because the seller used a proper box and did a good packing job so i leave it as a tip. But i want to know if i can get some money back if the seller goes nuts with their shipping charges if i deem them ridicullous. You ll say i am as paranoid as the seller on this one but i am not.

I am the type that is willing to pay a decent amount of money for an auction as long as the seller does not take me for a fool on shipping.

[marnotom!]

Well, you won't be taken for a fool for shipping if you know or are able to find out what USPS would charge for shipping the item.

Re-read and heed I'm-still-here's excellent post.

Having said that, a seller's shipping and handling charge should be what the seller considers fair market value for transporting the item to you.  It's not the same as "postage".  Again, if you think what the seller wants for shipping the item is a fair price, fine.  If not, don't buy the item in the first place.