UPI's & Refunds - I Was Right!! AARGH

[jakeeangel]

Ever since they announced this new UPI system and automated nonsense I was wondering about this. I wondered what would happen if the buyer bought an item and made up their own shipping cost. I usually refund and reinvoice. Would the system recognize that buyer Bob paid only $1 for shipping and let me file UPI.

I got my answer today.

NO!!!!

eBay in their infinite stupidity now allows buyers to pay any old amount they want and we cannot file a UPI on them. The system blocks me from filing because it says you got a payment and refunded them.

Isn't that ducky!

I get on the phone with eBay and complain to them and ask what do I do now? Dufus says if you're in Canada you're supposed to list on eBay Canada. I say no. I explain my unusual situation of driving to the US to ship with USPS for everybody BUT Canadians and ship with Canada Post for Canadians. Then this genius says that he asked his supervisor who told him that I can list on .ca (where I'm allegedly supposed to list) and be able to use the USPS calculator.

This guy's nuts.

I laugh and tell him he's misunderstood. I repeat. I ship with the United States Postal Service while physically being inside the United States of America I do NOT ship 'to' the US from Canada. I am in the United States. He still insists I'm wrong and can use the USPS calculator on .ca. LOL LOL LOL

He then offers to put me through to a specialist who will walk me through the process of using .ca and USPS. She says what???? you can't do that. I know that.

Now, I'm on hold to see how to deal with trying to file for a UPI on the Canadian buyer who made up their own shipping cost. I'm thinking it's still not going to let me but for me, that's a problem. I can't file UPI and if I just send an invoice for the difference buyer can choose not to pay and then file NPS on ME! The system will then look and see I got payment, didn't ship and slap me upside the head for being a bad seller. Yay.

Well.....the lady told me that she's put a note on my file for the item and if the buyer doesn't pay then they'll give me a courtesy credit. It doesn't address the next time though.

She also said that they're having an issue with UPI's when a buyer cancels a payment. The sellers can't file UPI's. This is the opposite, the seller refunded because buyer made up their own cost but I still can't file UPI.

She's really, really sorry...and the tech boys are looking into it. I say they scrap the automated thing. Every system can be abused by both buyers and sellers. Nothing is perfect but I really don't like being screwed out of my FVF just because someone made a payment of any amount. It's just not right.

What say you all? LOL

[momoftwingles2]

Hi jakeeangel,

There's a place within your My eBay that you can make it so that a buyer CAN NOT change anything on the invoice...only you!

Take a look in there and see if you see what I'm talking about! I believe you may look in My Preferences and that is where this issue is addressed.

Susan
momoftwingles2

[jakeeangel]

Hi Susan,

It won't work for me because I don't have any shipping costs for parcels to Canadians listed. I need to calculate shipping for parcels to Canadians with Canada Post. In my listings I ask them to email me beforehand because shipping varies across Canada.

The thing you're referring to won't work unless there is a shipping cost posted. If there is nothing posted to Canada for shipping, it'll let buyers put in $1 for shipping exactly like my buyer did.

The only way I can see around it is one on .ca and one on .com blocking the other in each. But it's a PITA and not really something I want to do.

It doesn't happen often but I don't like the system preventing sellers from filing UPI's just because the buyer paid any amount. It's just wrong. I don't have an answer, I'm just frustrated.

It's usually easy to work out with well meaning buyers but it's really bad for those who are out to create problems for sellers. As soon as those guys find out that sellers can't file UPIs just because they made a payment it's not going to be pretty. 😞 Apparently that also includes just paying for the item and not the shipping cost too.

Nice.

[momoftwingles2]

Hi jakeeangel,

A very wise person on this board, Bernie, helped me out with understanding shipping a while back. Since that time I have always included shipping costs to the US (considered domestic for me as I list on .com), within Canada and internationally.

While my listings show shipping via PER ITEM, I actually ship via WEIGHT. If my buyers pay before I have a chance to package, weigh, calculate their shipping and send an invoice, then I just send a refund because I KNOW that my PER ITEM shipping costs will more than cover the costs.

I am mentioning this because if you need to come up with a $ amount for shipping your items within Canada.....take the province that is the furthest away from you and have your shipping costs reflect that within your listing. That way, if your buyer pays before you invoice them with your actual shipping that you want to charge....you have control over the money and can refund them as soon as you package, weigh and calculate!

This would avoid the problem you seem to be having with some buyers putting in $1.00. It's always better to REFUND money than to ask for more!

Does it take a lot of work to do this? You bet! Was I angry and frustrated in the beginning when I started showing shipping...you bet I was! However, in the long run now...it's a breeze!

I have so many repeat buyers that they know to send me an e-mail so that I may invoice them. My new buyers, don't necessarily read so I refund them and they think they are getting gold back even if it's only a dollar!

I hope this current situation works out for you. But, I do strongly suggest that you put in some sort of flat shipping that is higher than needed so that you may cover your postage and costs and then refund the overage back.

Thank goodness it's almost Friday!
Susan
momoftwingles2

[jakeeangel]

I appreciate the suggestion Susan but that won't work for me for a few reasons. The first being that shipping would be too costly for those near me and upon seeing that they may run for the hills.

Secondly it's an item I have multiples of and doubling or tripling that price when people buy multiples of it would really be a deterrent or even reportable as excessive shipping.