eBay

007steveb16 · ‎02-02-2013

Ugh!! Why do people have to be like this!!

I have a nOOb Canadian buyer who started bidding on a bunch of my .99 cent auctions. After bidding on about 6 or 7 and even though my combined shipping information is stated in every ad, he messages me to ask me if I combine shipping. I give him the info and he proceeds to go on bidding on more items. He's now at 20 items.

He hasn't bid on anything in 6 days, still hasn't paid and had not responded to multiple messages for a week, until today. FYI, he bid on his first item Jan 21 so I have been incredibly accommodating with him.

So now after a week of not communicating with me and not bidding on anything else, he's now accusing me of overcharging on shipping and is threatening that when he gets the package he's going to have Canada Post give him the exact quote.

Now I admit I don't charge EXACT shipping on my combined deals and see it as a combined deal, as a whole. He's going to be getting 90% of his items for $2.00 each! Oh yeah, shame on me for being so GREEDY! I sell hundreds of combined deals a year and have never had anyone do this. I feel that my prices are incredibly reasonable.

I want so bad to open UIDs on this guy because right now all of his items apply for it. I've been so lenient and accommodating with him. I mean this is going on 12 days since his first bid.

A part of me says to just give in and give him an EXACT shipping cost but another part of me just says to go ahead with it the way it is because my prices are so CHEAP!!!...like he is....I also feel like just taking the potential negs so that I can respond to them with the facts. Although that would be a lot of negs!

I know in a way I've made my bed on this because the shipping will not be exact but I also feel that this buyer is being unreasonable and cheap. Like I said, no one has ever done this to me before.

What would you guys do in this situation?

femmefan1946 · ‎02-02-2013

I think I would have put him on my Blocked Bidder List on Day Seven if there was no payment made.

You are eligible for the UIDs. Open them and either he pays and you get money or no payment- he gets Strikes and cannot leave feedback.

007steveb16 · ‎02-03-2013

Just got a belligerent message from him threatening to contact eBay if the shipping price is not lowered.

Anonymous · ‎02-03-2013

Open an unpaid item process! I usually open them at the 4th day. Shame as this guy is getting a real good deal but refused to see it that way.

captivatemedia · ‎02-04-2013

I think I'm with the majority on this one. File UID, he likely won't pay, but if he does I think it's worth it.

This person is trying to bully cash out of you, and you're probably not the first they've done this to, but maybe the first to resist.

Chris

pierrelebel · ‎02-04-2013

"I'm with the majority on this one."

I am not. Definitely not.

In most instances I side with the buyer when a dispute arises. Some exceptions apply.

In this instance, it appears obvious to me that the seller attempted to grossly overcharge the (new to eBay) buyer of multiple items. On several occasions the seller was invited to provide factual information: how much shipping was charged to the buyer? What the actual out-of-pocket postage cost?

It does not mean a seller is always expected to charge actual postage. However, common sense and eBay policies dictate the shipping charge must be reasonable.

This is not the first time this seller faces the problem of buyers of multiple items complaining about excessive shipping cost. My advise is always the same: negotiate a fair price with the buyer, avoiding confrontation.

Filing for non-payment may not always be the best outcome for a seller.

007steveb16 · ‎02-04-2013

Pierre - This buyer knew what the combined shipping deal was and kept buying.

No where in my ads does it state I offer Exact Calculated shipping.

I did not force this buyer to buy from me, and if they thought $1.99 was too much to pay for a DVD then they could by all means go ahead and buy elsewhere. Hmmm, why do you think they bid on 14 more items after being told EXACTLY what my combined shipping deal was?

Also, explain to me why the Hundreds of customers a year, 99.9% of them, that I sell my combined discounted deal to, don't complain about the price?

007steveb16 · ‎02-04-2013

In this instance, it appears obvious to me that the seller attempted to grossly overcharge the (new to eBay) buyer of multiple items. On several occasions the seller was invited to provide factual information: how much shipping was charged to the buyer? What the actual out-of-pocket postage cost?

Seriously?

Thanks for seeing me a greedy conniving seller.

007steveb16 · ‎02-04-2013

Oh and my feedback sure show's how much of a baddie I am doesn't it Pierre 😉

pierrelebel · ‎02-04-2013

How much shipping was charged to the buyer? What the actual out-of-pocket postage cost?

007steveb16 · ‎02-04-2013

Message 8 of this thread Pierre.

pierrelebel · ‎02-04-2013

That was an estimate by another poster.

Why are you refusing to answer the question honestly? What are you hiding?

Nobody would suggest you are overcharging if they could see your postage cost was - for example - $12 and you were charging $16.

007steveb16 · ‎02-04-2013

"Does the Robot dance"

007steveb16 · ‎02-04-2013

That was an estimate by another poster.

Why are you refusing to answer the question honestly? What are you hiding?

Nobody would suggest you are overcharging if they could see your postage cost was - for example - $12 and you were charging $16.

An evil villain never lets on his devious plot!!

"goes for a swim in my pool filled with hundreds"

nuvistors · ‎02-04-2013

Stevie: Do you have a problem understanding the question ?

How much did you charge the buyer and how much profit did you make fron the shipping ?

007steveb16 · ‎02-04-2013

I have a problem understanding the mind frame actually. I will not answer a loaded question. Last of all to someone like you Nu!

"In this instance, it appears obvious to me that the seller attempted to grossly overcharge the (new to eBay) buyer of multiple items."

That line has completely changed who I thought Pierre was. Completely disgusting and ignorant statement.

pierrelebel · ‎02-04-2013

I am sorry about the statement. It would not have been written if you had not repreatedly refused to provide basic information related to your original post:

1) How much did you ask the buyer for shipping?

2) what was your actual out-of-pocket postage cost?

By refusing to answer, you leave readers with the conclusion you have something to hide which is exactly what the buyer is complaining about.

The fact your items sold cheaply has nothing to do with how much to charge for shipping.

nuvistors · ‎02-04-2013

I have a problem understanding the mind frame actually. I will not answer a loaded question. Last of all to someone like you Nu!

"In this instance, it appears obvious to me that the seller attempted to grossly overcharge the (new to eBay) buyer of multiple items."

That line has completely changed who I thought Pierre was. Completely disgusting and ignorant statement.

Stevie , my boy, You are not entitled to make a huge profit from shipping.

You came asking for advice and when it was offered you had a hissy fit.

You obviously had no idea of listening to people who have been successfully selling on ebay for many years.

When you get the negs from this seller perhaps you will be happy.

art-in-the-making · ‎02-04-2013

I have to agree with Pierre, not that I think it is fair to sellers.

I think the difficulty here is that Steve is treating the postage as a part of the unstated negotiation of the overall deal.

In the distant past, that's the way eBay always was.

Nowadays, the terms are set by eBay as follows (sellers do not set the terms):

1. price of the item as sold on eBay

and separately +

2. a fair shipping cost or cheaper

You cannot say "my item was priced low so buyer was well aware they would be paying a little more for shipping"...

Some sellers still try to get away with that. When they do try, that is when some buyers try to have their cake and eat it too. Unfortunately in the eBay marketplace, these buyers are within their rights and the seller doesn't have a foot to stand on.

On some other venue, such as the seller's own website, the buyer would be obliged to accept the seller's terms.

pocomocomputing · ‎02-04-2013

I have to agree with Pierre, not that I think it is fair to sellers.

I think the difficulty here is that Steve is treating the postage as a part of the unstated negotiation of the overall deal.

In the distant past, that's the way eBay always was.

Nowadays, the terms are set by eBay as follows (sellers do not set the terms):

1. price of the item as sold on eBay

and separately +

2. a fair shipping cost or cheaper

You cannot say "my item was priced low so buyer was well aware they would be paying a little more for shipping"...

Some sellers still try to get away with that. When they do try, that is when some buyers try to have their cake and eat it too. Unfortunately in the eBay marketplace, these buyers are within their rights and the seller doesn't have a foot to stand on.

On some other venue, such as the seller's own website, the buyer would be obliged to accept the seller's terms.

Explain how Free Shipping which is heavily promoted by eBay fits in your explanation.
Free shipping includes the shipping cost in the item price and is not free.

If a buyer purchases multiple items from a seller with Free Shipping, are they entitled to a shipping discount if you combine shipping into one package? If the seller combines shipping into one package and saves shipping costs, does a seller keep the extra profit? Since it is Free Shipping and the buyer agreed to the item price, the seller keeps the extra profit.