eBay

villageresell · ‎09-16-2024

Hello Everyone

I am having an issue right now with what I believe is overcharges from eBay and wondering if anyone else is or has experienced the same. Please bear with me while I give you the background info.

Sold an item yesterday for $324.94C. Great so far! Check the payment email, customer has paid you $428.09C. (324.94+47.31 shipping + 55.84 GST/HST) OK, go ahead and print the shipping label. I always do so through eBay. Go to hit print and as i do so i notice im being charged $51.91 for it. WTH. I go to eBay and have an online conversation with Priyansu. Ask her about the shipping charge and all she will tell me is its been "adjusted" from 47.31 to 51.91. No explanation why. The customer did not request rush shipping or anything like that. Now at this point i have not dropped it off at the post office. If i had done so then maybe i miscalculated the weight or the size and the Post Office "adjusted" the cost and then eBay charged me the difference. Ive done that before, im ok with that, thats my problem. But not to just randomly charge me more.

Ok now it keeps getting better. If you take 324.94+47.31 that equals 372.25 now multiply that by the 13% HST we charge in Ontario, where I am, that equals 48.39 not 55.84! WTH. Im being charged 7.45 more. Where is that coming from? Now its being shipped to an address in New Brunswick, Canada. Does that have something to do with it?

But theres more. Now take the $428.09 and multiply that by 13.25% (the fees for using there platform to sell) and we have $56.72. $428.09 and multiply that by .4% ,because apparently his address on eBay is listed as a US address, so im being charged an international fee, $1.71. Total of those numbers is (56.72+1.71) $58.43 x 13%=7.60 but no i was charged $8.04 tax. Total processing fees of $66.47.

Last but not least. I promoted the product for 9%. So I was charged $428.09 x 9% is $38.53. $38.53 x 13% HST is $5.01. (38.53+5.01) $43.54. Ok thats right.

If you go back to step one and if I was charged the wrong tax amount on the first step to give me a base of $428.09 then I was overcharged on every other step.

What am I missing? If im wrong please explain it to me so i can let this go. Has anyone else experienced this? Maybe everyone out there should do a quick check on the tax portion that they are being charged. This was the first one that I checked!

Thank you in advance for any help that can be provided.

P.S. The package when I mailed it ended up being lighter and smaller then calculated. Should I be getting a refund from eBay?

pjcdn2005 · ‎09-16-2024

The tax charged on an item is based on where it is being sent to, not where the seller is located. HST for NB is 15% so the tax charged to the buyer is correct.
The different in postage could be because you calculated a price on your listing for a regular parcel. The eBay labels don't have an option for regular parcel so you would have printed an expedited label. Often regular and expedited are the same price but in this case they may not be.

It is unusual tha a buyer registered on the US has a NB address but it is possible. Does their feedback page show they are registered in the US?

ericsells75 · ‎09-16-2024

I had a similar issue with the shipping charges so I’ll second what was said earlier if your listing has regular parcel and you buy an eBay label you can only choose expedited parcel which lately has been more. I changed all my listings to expedited parcel and now what the buyer and I are charged is now always correct. The rest I didn’t read fully, you lost me a bit sorry

villageresell · ‎09-16-2024

Hello

Thank you for a clear explanation. I wasnt aware of how HST works. Now I do. It makes sense. Though it does not work out for the Fees from eBay ($66.47).

Yes he is shown as being in the US.

Also right about the postage. That is very sneaky and wrong of eBay to do that with the labels that you print from them. I thought I was doing the customer a solid by giving them regular postage and saving them a bit. The customer choose Regular Parcel that I offered. paid for regular postage, but then eBay swithed it and charged me the extra. What kind of BS is that?

I have gone in and changed the postage. Hopefully that doesnt cost me sales.

Thank you again!

villageresell · ‎09-16-2024

I know im sorry i was upset and rambled. I know what happened now. Still **bleep** off but at least I know what happened.

Thank you for responding!

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎09-16-2024

@villageresell wrote:
Hello
Thank you for a clear explanation. I wasnt aware of how HST works. Now I do. It makes sense. Though it does not work out for the Fees from eBay ($66.47).
Yes he is shown as being in the US.
Also right about the postage. That is very sneaky and wrong of eBay to do that with the labels that you print from them. I thought I was doing the customer a solid by giving them regular postage and saving them a bit. The customer choose Regular Parcel that I offered. paid for regular postage, but then eBay swithed it and charged me the extra. What kind of BS is that?
I have gone in and changed the postage. Hopefully that doesnt cost me sales.
Thank you again!

@villageresell

Re: Postage

When you went to purchase your label for regular, eBay defaulted to Expedited automagically. Regular is now MIA when you use eBay labels.

If you ever want to do some random testing for postage to compare full rate vs discounted you can use the ebay tool. It lets you toggle on 2nd page. The only other time there can be a slight variance would be when CP adjusts the fuel surcharge percentage which they do monthly. (Not sure what day.)

https://www.ebay.ca/shp/Calculator

-Lotz

As a side I just did a random test for a shipment from Calgary to Winnipeg with the tool. Totals matched for both regular and expedited. (Expedited to USA is still missing with the Tool but is available when you ship if you offer that option. Small Packet Air USA and Regular Parcel Canada are missing when you go to ship.)

https://www.ebay.ca/shp/Calculator

pjcdn2005 · ‎09-16-2024

You forgot the .40 transaction fee.

428.09x13.65%(13.25+.4%)=58.43

58.43+.40=58.83x13%tax=7.65

58.83+7.65=66.48

villageresell · ‎09-16-2024

Ahh yes. I did. Thank you!

ypdc_dennis · ‎09-19-2024

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
... only other time there can be a slight variance would be when CP adjusts the fuel surcharge percentage which they do monthly. (Not sure what day.).

Canada Post adjusts the fuel charge every week (they switched from monthly 2 years ago).

Adjusted at midnight (Eastern Time) on Sunday nights.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/kb/company-policies/rates-taxes-surcharges/fue...

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎09-19-2024

@ypdc_dennis wrote:
@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
... only other time there can be a slight variance would be when CP adjusts the fuel surcharge percentage which they do monthly. (Not sure what day.).
Canada Post adjusts the fuel charge every week (they switched from monthly 2 years ago).
Adjusted at midnight (Eastern Time) on Sunday nights.
https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/kb/company-policies/rates-taxes-surcharges/fue...

@ypdc_dennis

@ericsells75

@villageresell

Sounds like a very good reason why eBay should be providing a detailed list of charges when a seller purchases a label and same goes for when a label gets audited with a 2nd set of charges. That invoice should include original amount, fuel, tax and discount. Interesting that we don't see a credit if for example when the label turns out to be less after parcels get audited.

-Lotz

PayPal, CP, Shippo, Net Parcel and betting Chit Chats/Stallion etc are able to?

villageresell · ‎09-20-2024

Just a quick update.

Was just charged the full amount (51.91) for the shipping. The parcel weighed less and the dimensions were the same. I think I should see a refund but I wont be holding my breath!

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎09-20-2024

@villageresell wrote:
Just a quick update.

Was just charged the full amount (51.91) for the shipping. The parcel weighed less and the dimensions were the same. I think I should see a refund but I wont be holding my breath!

@villageresell

You would have a better chance with a refund if you were to contact eBay for Business or via Twitter for an explanation and clarification. No guarantees but worth a try. We've been suggesting charges for postage for sellers be fully explained with an itemized invoice but we've yet to have any luck on that front.

-Lotz

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