Paid for Item, but Shipping was Quoted too Low

[gemini000]

I recently won an auction with a US seller (I'm in Canada) who's item applies to the Global Shipping Program. However, the seller has stated that the shipping value I already paid is far too low and that it's actually going to cost more to ship. I took a closer look at the GSP split between what I paid and what the seller got... the seller only got just under $3 to cover shipping to Pitney Bowes for relaying to me, for a package that's big enough to store a few hundred sheets of paper in... which might explain why the GSP shipping fee was as low as it was; probably wasn't being calculated properly for whatever reason.

This was probably just an honest mistake but now both of us are at a loss as to what to do about it. I read though what policies I could find here on eBay which seem to suggest the seller is just gonna have to pay for the rest of the shipping out of the auction winnings, but I'd like to be able to quote a specific policy regarding this and not just make assumptions based on the wording of things not exactly related to the situation.

I'm also curious if it's against eBay policy to throw in a few extra dollars directly through PayPal to the seller to help out as again, I'm fairly sure this was not an intentional fault of the seller and don't want this to turn into a sour experience for either of us.

[worrly]

If you haven't paid yet, can't the seller revise the invoice to reflect the correct cost of shipping? 

[gemini000]

As stated, I already paid as it was listed under the Global Shipping Program, thus all applicable fees were already present in the listing so I was able to submit payment the moment I won the auction.

[pjcdn2005]

I don't remember seeing a particular policy about this but the seller is responsible for sending the package for the amount given in the listing. But if they refuse, there is no way for ebay to force them to send the package although they could be penalized for cancelling the transaction.

If you are willing to pay some or all of the extra shipping cost, the seller can send you an invoice through Paypal or you can use the send money function. It's not against ebay policy.

[gemini000]

OK, that makes sense. I let the seller know just now and have told him that I'm willing to meet him halfway between what he's already been paid for shipping from the GSP split, and what he actually needs. (Which is a lot more than just the $3 he got as he's already told me how much it's going to cost him to send to the GSP hub.)

Anywhoo, ball's in his court now, so we'll see where we end up. Not going to mark this thread as resolved just yet in case anyone else has any more information which could be relevant to this situation.

[micaylah]

---

@gemini000 wrote:

OK, that makes sense. I let the seller know just now and have told him that I'm willing to meet him halfway between what he's already been paid for shipping from the GSP split, and what he actually needs. (Which is a lot more than just the $3 he got as he's already told me how much it's going to cost him to send to the GSP hub.)

Anywhoo, ball's in his court now, so we'll see where we end up. Not going to mark this thread as resolved just yet in case anyone else has any more information which could be relevant to this situation.

---

This is just one of the problems with the GSP and why I won't deal with Sellers that use it, nor do I. It's basically a scam.

M

[gemini000]

Perhaps, but I myself haven't run into any problems with the GSP itself yet beyond the overall shipping fees being somewhat higher just from the nature of how it works. I think this is just a matter of the seller making a mistake in creating the listing which led to the low-balled shipping quote.

Just from the way he's responded to me though a part of me wonders if he's accidentally been selling with the GSP, yet shipping directly to buyers instead of to the GSP hub... That would be quite the waste of money and if true he's probably shaking his head in disgust right now.

*shrugs* Either way, even paying half of the extra shipping necessary which didn't show up in the listing, combined with the final price I already paid, still puts the total cost to me less (barely) than what I would've paid from Buy-It-Now listings for the same item in worse condition from other sellers, so I'm not really all THAT upset, just bummed that it's turning into an average deal rather than the great deal it was before this all started.  : P

[maggiebvintage2010]

"Just from the way he's responded to me though a part of me wonders if he's accidentally been selling with the GSP, yet shipping directly to buyers instead of to the GSP hub... That would be quite the waste of money and if true he's probably shaking his head in disgust right now."

Don't you think it would be a good idea to ask the seller if this is what he's doing?  There are apparently still many US sellers who don't realize they are enrolled in the GSP.

And IMHO, the seller should swallow any errors made in shipping costs.  What would be your response if you were at the checkout at Walmart, and the cashier told you there would be an additional charge on your purchase because whoever priced it forgot to add in the cashier's salary?  I don't think you would agree to meet her half way.  Or if you were at an all-you can eat buffet, and were told they had miscalculated their costs, and you could not go for another helping or they would lose money?  These are also places where people go to get a perceived bargain, and it sounds as if that is what you were after with your purchase.

[pjcdn2005]

---

@micaylah wrote:

---

@gemini000 wrote:

OK, that makes sense. I let the seller know just now and have told him that I'm willing to meet him halfway between what he's already been paid for shipping from the GSP split, and what he actually needs. (Which is a lot more than just the $3 he got as he's already told me how much it's going to cost him to send to the GSP hub.)

Anywhoo, ball's in his court now, so we'll see where we end up. Not going to mark this thread as resolved just yet in case anyone else has any more information which could be relevant to this situation.

---

This is just one of the problems with the GSP and why I won't deal with Sellers that use it, nor do I. It's basically a scam.

M

---

Assuming that the seller is planning on shipping to the gsp hub in Kentucky and that he didn't charge enough...that means that he didn't charge enough to anywhere in the U.S. so this situation has less to do with the gsp and more to do with the seller making a mistake. The seller doesn't specify a price just to the gsp hub...that portion of the shipping cost is based on the seller's shipping prices for all domestic sales.

I did think as well that the seller might be planning on shipping directly to the buyer but that would mean that the item was fairly light as even in the U.S. $3 shipping would only go so far.

But if the seller does send the item direct to the buyer the buyer should reclaim any import charges and international shipping fees that were paid to PB.

[reallynicestamps]

Exactly.

The OP should contact the seller and ask flat out whether he is planning to ship to Kentucky or not. 

USPS rates are quite low, Delivery Confirmation is less than a quarter for example, and $3 may well cover his domestic shipping cost. Especially if he hides part of  his shipping cost in his asking price as Free Shippers do. 

If the seller's problem is that he is planning to ship to Canada directly , then he has misunderstood the GSP completely. 

[gemini000 · Accepted solution]

OK, this whole situation makes sense now. The seller just got back to me saying that the address he was being instructed to ship to was my Canadian address, even though he's well aware that it's supposed to be the GSP address, yet because of that he wasn't able tp print a shipping label that made sense so at the time he was going to have to ship it direct.

Logging in a little earlier he checked to find that the address to ship to had magically changed to a local pickup centre which will relay through the GSP to me, so he's already walked the package there and shipped it without any further money from me.

No wonder the seller seemed confused and everything, the eBay system was feeding him the wrong info. Still, everything's worked out so that's good. Thanks for all the advice, everyone!  : )