minifigg

ANOTHER Ebay question...Excessive shipping charges...
Hi. I won an auction.
I got the following email from the seller:
Hi, Shipping will be 14.05 (priority) or 12.83 (Parcel Post). You choose and let me know. If you want insurance, please add an additional 1.30.

Now, I just bought one of these and had it shipped to me for $6.65!
There was no mention of "Handling" charges in the auction.

What gives?

I sent the following email back:
Dear (name of seller)
Why is shipping that much? I have these and they are not excessively heavy...
I am puzzled. The identical tray I bought from a seller in NY cost $6.65 to ship USPS priority.
You did not mention any "Handling" charges in your auction...
Can you please justify this excessive shipping cost.
Thanks!

So...now what...
The item was only $9 BTW>>>
mini

kittee3

If the auction says :"Shipping costs will be actual USPS rate based on winning bidders zip code" then that is all they can charge - perhaps they are using an excessively large box? If the shipping they are quoting is higher than publish USPS rates then you have grounds to complain/report them to ebay for charging excessive shipping.........

for example shipping from 27601 to 90048 for a 3lbs package via usps with a package size of 10x10x3 comes up as $6.32 for Parcel Post not including any insurance -- so unless you are getting something that weighs more than 3 lbs and it is coming from a further away zip code it seems like they are trying to charge too much!

I might suggest that you ask if they will ship via Fedex ground -- which is usually less expensive and provides a tracking number.....

al_bundy

Especially considering the fact that priority boxes are free. First how long did you buy the thing from NY? Shipping went up in July and now it's zoned.

Personally I don't bid on anything without a stated shipping charge in the description.

minifigg

From the auction:
Shipping costs will be actual USPS rate based on winning bidders zip code.
Hmmmm.
mini

Cool Kitten

that's why i don't bid on anything that doesn't give you exact shipping charges. I won an auction for a painting about a year back, and the seller charged me $25 for shipping on a $20 painting. I had to pay it even though i know i overpaid about $15 on it.
I'm afraid you're stuck with the charges, Mini.

kittee3

maybe you can figure out their zip code using http://www.usps.com/zip4/citytown_zip.htm and then figure the rate here http://postcalc.usps.gov/

then use same zip code info to check fedex ground rate here: http://fedex.com/ratefinder/home?cc=US&language=en.

personally I like fedex best 'cause it has a "built-in" tracking system....

hope it works out for you.....

minifigg

Thanks kittee for the idea.
From the USPS page, the figures SHOULD be:
Priority Mail 2 Day(s) $8.55 Parcel Post 7 Day(s) $6.32
I sent another email attaching that USPS calculator page stating that I would be happy to pay for the item and actual shipping, but no more. I asked what she wanted to do.
mini

kittee3

YAVW -- it sucks when people try to overcharge!!!

gcribbs

or they are using a non USPS shipping service like Mailbox, Etc and they just assume that the charges are the postal charges.

the person might not really know he/she is overpaying for the charges.

POWERBOMB

Must be one hell of a tray.

Nazgul

I'd leave neutral feedback, if you are charged between $12-$14 and the parcel label is only $6, you're getting charged for the sellers ebay fees and/or online payment fees. That is not cool at all.

Heat

See what he says. Chances are that he will say that his original estimates were just that... estimates. If he sticks with his higher bid leave him neutral feedback stating that he over charges on shipping.

Then there will be a good chance that he will leave you neutral or negative feedback, just respond to it saying that it is retaliatory feedback from a seller who charged twice his posted shippnig charge. (his posted shipping charge being "actual" shipping costs).

El Scorcho

FWIW, it cost me $12 to mail a 9-VHS box set to New York from Oregon yesterday at the post office. So it's not all that unrealistic.

PunkYou

Many sellers build all of their costs into the shipping price. They assume listing fees, final value fees, and paypal fees into the cost of shipping.

huzefa

If you think the charges are too much, don't pay. It's as simple as that. If the seller is trying to cheat you, just let him know why you are not planning on paying. I've done this twice and each time the seller lowered the shipping charges. What's the worst that can happen.. your ebay feedback will be lower.

kenny79

Those jellybeans don't cost that much to ship, do they?

PunkYou

As a rule of thumb, I don't bid on any auctions that don't have a fixed shipping price.

big whoppa

No shipping price upfront, no purchase. Pretty simple. Or you run into unscrupulous sellers.

Jackskeleton

yeah, this often happens. the seller tries to push all the fee's on you. though you have to also take into account the Handling in the shipping and handling. How much will it cost him to go to the post office, package the stuff up, spend on blah blah. if it's to much try to haggle. or get a rate on the weight of the item and just work off that. talk to him, it's the best advice

kilcher

Agree with the others, I don't care how much of a deal it is, if there isn't an actual dollar amount for shipping I won't bid. Once you do you're pretty much at their mercy.

And including the cost of fees in shipping is one thing, and I don't know that I'm against that (if you think it's excessive don't bid, that simple) but overcharging by this much is just wrong.

Static Cling

Half.com has a policy against sellers charging excessive shipping charges. Maybe eBay has a similar policy?

Moving to Store Forum.

tasha99

The time ask about and haggle over shipping is before you bid. Now you're sort of stuck. You could pay and hope that that's the actual charge, or back out of the deal. If you back out though, at this point it would be you who deserved a NPB and negative feedback.
tasha

explorer2000

I know that this is after the fact so it won't help you much but whenever I see something on ebay that I'd like to bid on & there is no shipping charged stated I will usually send the seller an email indicating my interest in the item & ask how much is shipping and/or insurance and how the item will be shipped. And I usually get a quick response.

But at this point the only thing that you can do is to do what you've done & ask for the lower rate and see what happens.

TheMadMonk

Are you sure he didn't maybe mean that the Total would be the above prices, with the shipping and final auction price combined to create those numbers? Just a guess.

Abob Teff

Handling is a farce. It is no different than the fees that banks try to tack onto loans (application fee, etc,) and car dealers try to tack on (document storage fee, etc.). The seller's costs are the seller's costs -- not mine after the price has been established. Those costs should be included in the price. Stores don't sell items for cost and then add on fees for profit. If a seller wants to include those fees in the cost, that's fine. Don't pull this crap of tacking it on at the end.

And as far as costs of packing, going to the post office, etc., that is a bunch of crap too. The video store doesn't charge you a fee for their employee having to walk over to the drop box and scan in your movie, do they? The grocery store doesn't charge you a handling fee for each item that their sacker puts into the bag for you.

I quit eBaying a while ago, but rule was simple: actual shipping, NO handling. Otherwise, no sale.