Dispute with seller about shipping

[gypsy_anne]

Yesterday I purchased a decanter from a seller in the U.S.  Since his listing stated that he would ship via Priority Mail (US$27.98) plus collecting Import Charges (US$24.71), I asked prior to bidding if he would consider shipping via USPS.  He agreed to ship via USPS for US$17.00.  I won the auction.  On his invoice, he is charging Priority Mail plus Import Charges.  Since he had agreed to ship via USPS, I asked him to make the appropriate changes to the invoice.  He responded, saying he cannot do that, I would have to pay both for Priority Shipping and the Import Charges (which I prefer to pay in Canada, if any).  I have never had that problem with another seller.  Is he right that he cannot make any changes to an invoice.  In if he can, how would he have to go about doing it?  If anyone can give me an answer, I would appreciate it.  Thank you!  gypsy_anne

[momcqueen]

He can't create any other invoice now that the listing has ended. If he so chooses, he would have to cancel the transaction and create a new listing for you with the terms that you both agree to.

p.s. Priority is still USPS. Perhaps he misunderstood your question. 

[00nevermind00]

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@mjwl2006 wrote:

p.s. Priority is still USPS. Perhaps he misunderstood your question. 

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The GSP advertises "International Priority Shipping", which many, many people mistake for USPS Priority International.

I believe that this wording should be changed for that very reason. But I also believe that the confusion may have been intentional. It wouldn't be the only underhanded practice where the GSP is concerned. The automatic enrollment of sellers comes to mind.

[pjcdn2005 · Accepted solution]

No he can't change the invoice because he is in the global shipping program. Whenever a listing states an amount for import charges it means that the item will be sent to Kentucky and shipped there from the global shipping center.  

He could cancel and relist without the gsp or go to paypal and send you an invoice for the item plus the shipping cost he quoted you. He can use the ebay item number in the invoice.  The problem with that is you have to figure out a way to give him your paypal email address. There is nothing wrong with giving it to him but ebay makes it difficult to send an email address thorough their message system.

[gypsy_anne]

Thank you to all who responded.  Your answers were very helpful.  A day after I asked for help, I got a notice from e-Bay that the seller had already cancelled my order.  Well, so much for that.  In future, I will not buy from anyone who will ship only Priority Mail.  Again, many thanks.

[reallynicestamps]

Slow down!

Priority Mail is not the problem.

It is the Global Shipping Program.

What you have to watch for on listings is these words:

Customs services and international tracking provided

That indicates the seller is using (possibly unknowingly, eBay signed up a lot of people by default) the GSP/Pitney Bowes.

You may have to look carefully, because the note does not appear on Gallery Search, nor is it visible if you are shopping on a mobile device.

If you are, then should you haplessly choose a GSP-enabled transaction, the import fees will turn up when you go to pay. Since you have two clicks to buy, if you stop before the second, the transaction is over and you didn't buy.

If the item is something you really want, you can Contact the seller and ask for a private listing. She can then adjust any part of  the listing to accomodate the sale. It helps if she changes the title to your name, preventing others from finding your special deal.

[marnotom!]

To add to Stamps' great post, keep in mind that because some (if not many) sellers using the Global Shipping Program are unaware that it's being offered on their listings, there's a good chance that without it they wouldn't ship outside of the United States.

In other words, they may well have no idea how straightforward it is to send something by mail to Canada and will need a lot of hand-holding and reassurance to get them through the process.  Don't assume that just because an item is being shipped through the Global Shipping Program that the seller is actually willing to ship internationally and knows what they're doing in this department.  Conduct yourself accordingly.