What is the best way to deal with a buyer that does not honor their shipping discount offered in listing?

[coingeekcanada]

Recently purchased a couple items from a local buyer that advertised a shipping discount on any additional purchases. I emailed her and she confirmed it. I won a auction and bought a Buy It Now...after I paid for Buy It Now (as per her direction) I emailed again and said I was done shopping please update invoice so I could pay for my auction purchase. She first stated that she didn't see any additional purchases. Then stated that eBay had made an error and didn't send the invoice correctly. She then stated that I had confused her and that my repeated requests for a new invoice were 'unsettling' to her and this is why I did not receive the discount. As it stands right now I have paid full shipping for both and she has sent me an email telling me thanks for stopping by. What do I do? Clearly Negative Feedback but what else?

[femmefan1946]

First, double check to make sure you are on firm ground. Some sellers make offers to domestic customers that do not apply to foreigners.

However, the most effective Feedback is calm and factual. "Reneged on promise of discounted combined shipping." would cover it.

When you leave feedback you will also be asked to leave Detailed Seller Ratings. These are much more important than Feedback, which is rarely read or understood by buyers.

The normal transaction gets a Five Star rating. The lowest Rating is ONE.

In this case, she fell down on ShippingPrice and on Communication.

When a seller's DSRs drop below 4.3, her ability to list is restricted and her fees may rise. This can last for up to a year.

[dmil8030]

Hello 'coingeek',

You're wondering what you can do, other than leaving feedback.  As in, - can you somehow get that money reimbursed?  Not unless the sly and crafty seller has a change of heart.

Now I know you won't want to hear this, but a tiny bit of it is your own fault.  You should not have paid for anything until you were done shopping.  Certainly a seller can reduce the shipping fee on the second item when they are purchased separately, but sellers don't have to and thus few of them do it.  Some sellers even specifically state in their listings that there will be no discounted shipping on items purchased & paid individually.

So when your items arrive leave your polite and truthful feedback about the seller's lies.  If your experience with her happened as you describe it, she was clearly endeavouring to trick you into paying double shipping, which you did.

There is a lot of "learn it the hard way" on ebay.  Many people have had a similar experience to yours.  In future, if you possibly can, - ask in advance what the cost will be for the items you would like to buy.  And do not pay until you are done and have received the requested invoice from the seller.

Best wishes. 🙂