eBay

mpit7628 · ‎06-09-2016

Hello everyone. I have just recently became a seller on eBay after years of buying. I am finding out all the trials and tribulations of selling and I am already having second thoughts about continuing selling. I have sold about 9 items so far and my fee's have been over $70.00. There goes the profit in it! Last night I got my laptop out and found that a buyer had sent me an offer on a listing of two Berenguer dolls. I had them listed at $38.00 Can. with $40.00 shipping. I have had no luck with eBay's shipping calculator which always seem to calculate on the low side and so I try to estimate my shipping. If I sell in Canada then, most times I will consider refunding some of the shipping. This buyer's offer was $22.00, $16.00 less than my asking price. I don't think so!! Because my shipping was higher than the actual shipping which is $28.00 I thought I would counter offer with $26.00. Just $4.00 more than their offer. I would have offered a shipping refund had they paid full price but I thought a $12.00 discount on the dolls was pretty good. Packaging isn't free, neither is the gas for running to the post office multiple times a week plus there's is my time. It's very time consuming listing items on eBay. After the buyer accepted my counter offer they messaged me. This buyer proceeded to inform me of what they thought the shipping charges should be and asked for me to send a revised invoice with the actual shipping. How would this buyer know how much the package weights to be able to decide for them selves how much shipping I should be charging. She also reminded me that I could get a less than favorable seller rating for over charging for shipping. In all the years of buying on eBay I have been over charged on shipping most of the time. If the shipping shows on the listing a buyer should know what they are getting into and not expect a seller to lower the shipping and especially after the item has been purchased. I feel that my 100% rating is in jeopardy now. I discounted the doll by $12.00 and also discounted the shipping $10.00 and sent along this revised invoice. I haven't heard back and the dolls have not been paid for. I lost money on this transaction. Live and learn. It 's just too bad that this transaction has left a bad taste in my mouth and comes from a fellow Canadian eh!!

femmefan1946 · ‎06-09-2016

Paragraphs are your friend.

a buyer had sent me an offer on a listing of two Berenguer dolls. I had them listed at $38.00 Can. with $40.00 shipping.

Given the cost of shipping by Canada Post, this sounds reasonable.

This buyer's offer was $22.00, $16.00 less than my asking price. I don't think so!! Because my shipping was higher than the actual shipping which is $28.00 I thought I would counter offer with $26.00. Just $4.00 more than their offer.

Your counter was also reasonable. (That's $26 for the dolls and $40 for the shipping, right?)

Shipping is NOT part of the Best Offer program.

After the buyer accepted my counter offer they messaged me. This buyer proceeded to inform me of what they thought the shipping charges should be and asked for me to send a revised invoice with the actual shipping.

Shipping is NOT part of the Best Offer program.

The seller is presumed to be setting the cost of shipping based on secure and prompt service. The buyer can refuse to bid if she finds shipping high.

And that's secure for the seller, btw.

She also reminded me that I could get a less than favorable seller rating for over charging for shipping.

That is Feedback Extortion and a violation.

I discounted the doll by $12.00 and also discounted the shipping $10.00 and sent along this revised invoice.

That was a mistake, but live and learn.

I haven't heard back and the dolls have not been paid for.

Good.

Open an Unpaid Item Dispute and get your selling fees back.

She either pays (unfortunately the price she bullied you into) or she gets a Strike.

She will not be able to leave you Feedback.

Put her on your Blocked Bidder List (Site Map-> Manage Bidders).

This is not a transaction that will get any better.

Move on.

I have had no luck with eBay's shipping calculator which always seem to calculate on the low side and so I try to estimate my shipping.

Are you using Metric measurements? Canada Post went metric in 1978 and any others are guesstimates.

Are you forgetting to add weight for the packaging materials? Dolls need careful packing. Those ladies can be viscious.

If I sell in Canada then, most times I will consider refunding some of the shipping.

I find domestic parcel rates are often higher than US rates.

In any case, you are always better off with Calculated Rates, if only because they look more 'official' than Flat Rates and are harder to argue about.

mpit7628 · ‎06-09-2016

Thanks so much for your answer Femmefan 1946. When I use the Canada Post shipping calculator I have already packed, weighed and measured the box. I fill in the acquired box specifications, metric for here in Canada for sure and go from there. Once someone buys the item all I need to do is tape the box shut and address it and send it along. I did just hear from the buyer and she is still buying the dolls. She has had three strikes against her in the last year for bad shipping practices. How ironic!

femmefan1946 · ‎06-09-2016

Dolls and horse tack seem to get a lot of posts about bad transactions. Less surprising are those about motorcycle parts, sportscards, designer sneakers, and coins which have a reputation for being 'fraught'.

When you say she is still buying the dolls-- has she paid? If she does not cough up by 96 hours after the agreeement, start the UID and close it ASAP (also 96 hours). This bodes.

Do you mean three negative feedback? Too bad the buyers didn't go to the Resolution Centre and hit her with Defects. Those could get her shut down. Feedback is complaining to your girlfriend. The ResolutionCentre is complaining to the police.

We can't be nice ladies here. This is business.

femmefan1946 · ‎06-09-2016

After my comment, I noticed you have both dolls and motorcycle items for sale.

Bonne chance avec, mon amie!

mr.elmwood · ‎06-09-2016

$40 shipping? Just eyeball guessing, I would be around $23. Weight may be an issue, but, there is the L+W+H < 90cm or else you are oversize.

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skinnyfarmhouse · ‎06-10-2016

Have you tried the Canada Post App??...its great for when you want to know what it costs to send a package. Its quick and easy and gives you an idea of the postage costs before you even think about listing an item....

OR..i use it if someone wants a quick quote....I also use it when some of my listings end...if someone needs an invoice sent out, I find that sometimes my shipping prices "go missing" on ebay? I don't know why?...because you have to put them in to list the item.

I find it quicker and easier than going to my laptop

I would never discount my postage for anyone!...it costs too much to start with... 🙂

Dont quit selling!...this is only a bump in the road 🙂

cumos55 · ‎06-10-2016

eBay's Best Offer page.

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/buy/best-offer.html

The following applies

For listings in which the seller has specified shipping costs for the item, the Best Offer price includes only the listed item. For listings in which the shipping costs aren't specified, the buyer can choose to include shipping costs in their offer.

.... Which is the last entry on eBay's Best Offer Page

lady.stark · ‎06-10-2016

@cumos55 wrote:
eBay's Best Offer page.

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/buy/best-offer.html

The following applies

For listings in which the seller has specified shipping costs for the item, the Best Offer price includes only the listed item. For listings in which the shipping costs aren't specified, the buyer can choose to include shipping costs in their offer.

.... Which is the last entry on eBay's Best Offer Page

Didn't know that... buyer must specify it in their offer though (using the message box). If not, they are accepting the shipping cost.

sylviebee · ‎06-10-2016

Of course a buyer can't hold you to task for charging for more for shipping than they've agreed to in your listing when they purchased an item. That is: You haven't broken any eBay rules by doing so unless you've billed an exorbitant amount.

However, many (or most) buyers who are aware that the cost of shipping is lower than they've been billed (or think it is) will be grumpy about it and that irritation will carry through to the entire transaction.

IMO it's best not to calculate that part of your profit will come out of the cost of shipping billed.

mpit7628 · ‎06-10-2016

Hello again. Just got on the computer and no, the buyer still hasn't paid. I'm kind of hoping they don't just so I don't have to sell to them. I do have "pay within 24 hours" on the listing and it has been longer than that since they accepted my offer.

mpit7628 · ‎06-10-2016

Hey there. Too funny! The dolls are my fault, it's hard when to know when to stop when collecting but I have and now am parting with a few dolls. The motor cycle stuff is my hubbies fault. He had to get that darn bike!!!

mpit7628 · ‎06-10-2016

Hey there. The actual shipping was very close to $28.00 and that was taken from Canada Posts find a shipping rate website. My shipping was $12.00 over that which isn't a crazy amount. The fact that I accepted their offer of $12.00 less than the asking price should have accounted for something but to ask me to lower the shipping after I accepted their offer doesn't seem fair.

reallynicestamps · ‎06-10-2016

RE: your other post about this one disappearing.

I notice that 'comments' which were in the original iteration have become 'posts' here.

So some tech may have been fiddling.

I always disliked 'comments' which are not visible without clicking and as a result the discussion becomes harder to follow.

lucitabby · ‎06-10-2016

Do you use Paypal shipping to get the discount? It does make a difference.

pjcdn2005 · ‎06-10-2016

If the buyer wasn't happy with the shipping cost, they should have contacted you before making an offer. If the buyer made the purchase on .ca you cannot file an unpaid item claim until 96 hours after the purchase. Then you have to wait another 4 days before you can close the claim.

I'm not sure why you are having a problem with the calculator as it does work as long as you put in the correct weight, measurements and correct Canada Post service for that location. By overestimating, you may have turned away customers because they thought you were overcharging. They would have no idea that you would reimburse them if the shipping is less than what was quoted. Also, if you charge $40 shipping and then refund $12, you are still paying final value fees on $40 which means you would have overpaid fvf by $1.20. That extra amount can add up.

Also, if you use paypal to print your labels you do get a discount for some services. If you used the calculator for expedited service within Canada and the total showed $28...your actual shipping label would cost approximately $23 (+/- $1 or $2) so that would actually give you a few extra dollars to use as a handling fee. Or, you could pass on the savings to the buyer.

maggiebvintage2010 · ‎06-11-2016

It used to be the case that the eBay calculator charged the non-discounted amount for Expedited service. I don't use calculated Expedited service often, maybe a dozen times a year, but I have not had a difference to "pocket" for a few years now - it charges the discounted amount for me, anyway. Are you still receiving the non-discounted amount for shipping Expedited?

mpit7628 · ‎06-11-2016

Hey everyone. Just a little follow up and a new question. The buyer of my dolls still hasn't paid. They accepted my offer just after midnight on the 9th and when there was no payment the next day I messaged them. The buyer responded saying that payment would be made later that day but no payment has been made. I had in my listing that payment must be made within 24 hours of end of listing and so I was curious about the wait time that eBay rules have in place for sellers when a situation like this comes up. When a buyer is obviously ignoring what was stated in my listing of payment within 24 hours what recourse do I have when eBay rules make me wait to act on this? I know there is not much I can do but it's almost like letting this buyer continue to control this transaction, first with the offer, then the threat of strikes against me on shipping and now non payment despite what was in my listing. This buyer has stated to me that they do this to American sellers all the time. It is their opinion that American sellers are always "ripping off" buyers with shipping.This buyer knows how important 5 star ratings for sellers are and so once purchasing an item will go after the seller about the shipping to get it lowered and this buyer says it works every time. Interesting that she would fill me in with all this information after doing it to me!

pierrelebel · ‎06-11-2016

" I had in my listing that payment must be made within 24 hours of end of listing "

Frankly that is largely meaningless. eBay gives buyers four days to pay.

The buyer purchased the item yesterday morning. Show some patience. Do not harass the buyer for the next four days.

femmefan1946 · ‎06-11-2016

had in my listing that payment must be made within 24 hours of end of listing and so I was curious about the wait time that eBay rules have in place for sellers when a situation like this comes up.

Since we are not in the USA, we can open an Unpaid Item Dispute 96 hours (4 days) after the purchase. and close it if it is not paid within 96 hours.

You get your FVF back. The bidder gets (another?) Strike.

Most sellers have set their Seller Preferences to automatically Block bidders with 2 or more Strikes.

EBay will close the buying account of a bidder with "too many" Strikes, which cost them time, money and bandwidth, as well as seller goodwill.

This buyer has stated to me that they do this to American sellers all the time.

US sellers can open a UID after 48 hours. Closing remains at 96 hours.

If she does do this "all the time" she already has Strikes probably.

This buyer knows how important 5 star ratings for sellers are

She's out of date.

Detailed Seller Ratings are no longer counted against a seller.

The thing about lying liars is that they lie.

She's a bully. Stand your ground, girl!