Ebay buyer rant.....

[thelittlemermaid]

I have had it with this one buyer on a item of DH's!!!

After winning the item, the buyer is trying to negotiate{?} the shipping and handling charges. AAAHHH!!!!!! To be fair, no I did not have shipping charges listed, but did have in the auction if there was any questions to contact me or DH. The buyer contacted DH on how much the item up for auction weighs, not once asking about a price.

For the price they paid for the auction is a real steal in it's self for what they are getting. Brand new, it would cost over $300. They are getting it for less then 2X of that price.

AAAHHH!!!!!!!

Thanks for letting me vent!!!

 

[ChrisnSteph]

Tell the buyer that they must pay actual shipping charges, then quote him the price. If he isn't willing to pay, then tell him you'll be leaving negative feedback as a non-paying bidder, and relist the item. You didn't state in the auction that the shipping was free or negotiable!

In future listings, be sure to add "Buyer to pay actual shipping charges", or state what the item will cost to ship.

 

[Lisa F]

Are you trying to charge more for shipping than it costs? If you gave them the weight of the item, I'm sure the buyer has figured out how much it will ACTUALLY cost to ship. I don't know why I am, but I am generally shocked when I pay like $10 to ship something and it ends up coming with a $1.50 stamp on it. I'm all for a reasonable handling fee but sometimes what people charge to ship is just too much.

 

[thelittlemermaid]

In the listing I have "Shipping and handling is up to the winning bidder".

Last time I put shipping in the auction listings I got burned really bad by not charging enough. So now I like to wait until I know the person's zip code and then give them a total for shipping and handling. That's why I encourge buyers to contact me.

This item weighs quite a bit and didn't want to under charge on shipping.

 

[skiwee1]

I agree about excessive shipping and handling. I like the ones that you can put your zipcode in to get the actual cost then to have a seller tack on a ridiculous amount just to make up for the auction. I do not even bid on anything unless I know the shipping up front because I got tired of dealing with people that wanted to rip me off. To the Op you might want to tell them the weight and how much it costs to ship and that way the buyer can see that you aren't one of those people that charge more then it costs you. That would settle it right there.

 

[skiwee1]

In the listing I have "Shipping and handling is up to the winning bidder".

Last time I put shipping in the auction listings I got burned really bad by not charging enough. So now I like to wait until I know the person's zip code and then give them a total for shipping and handling. That's why I encourge buyers to contact me.

This item weighs quite a bit and didn't want to under charge on shipping.

To me by you saying it is up to the winner then that means they have a choice in how they want it shipped. I would think he wants the weight so that HE can make the decision on how he wants it shipped. The way you put it is exactly that.

 

[thelittlemermaid]

Are you trying to charge more for shipping than it costs? If you gave them the weight of the item, I'm sure the buyer has figured out how much it will ACTUALLY cost to ship. I don't know why I am, but I am generally shocked when I pay like $10 to ship something and it ends up coming with a $1.50 stamp on it. I'm all for a reasonable handling fee but sometimes what people charge to ship is just too much.

I did a search {before putting the item up for auction} for items just like what DH was selling and compared to what the other sellers are charging for shipping, the shipping price is way under what they are charging. So in the long run, DH just might end up having to pay some out of pocket to ship this item.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

I agree about excessive shipping and handling. I like the ones that you can put your zipcode in to get the actual cost then to have a seller tack on a ridiculous amount just to make up for the auction.

You have to be careful with those caluculators! They are preset based on the size and weight of the package, but a seller can set it to factor in "handling" charges. You just type in your zip and it spits out a number, but that number can include those extra charges based on what the seller set it for.

 

[thelittlemermaid]

To me by you saying it is up to the winner then that means they have a choice in how they want it shipped. I would think he wants the weight so that HE can make the decision on how he wants it shipped. The way you put it is exactly that.

This buyer knows what it means. I think they just got caught up in the bidding war againest another bidder and is now regreting it.

If all else fails I will just have to contact Ebay and offer it to the second bidder.

 

[skiwee1]

You have to be careful with those caluculators! They are preset based on the size and weight of the package, but a seller can set it to factor in "handling" charges. You just type in your zip and it spits out a number, but that number can include those extra charges based on what the seller set it for.

Believe me, I do enough buying on Ebay to know what things cost to ship! LOL~ The calculator works for me because when I use it I can tell if it's been padded for handling or not.

 

[cardaway]

Sorry but it appears you are getting exactly what you asked for. It's not that hard to find out what the shipping charges would be ahead of time or just say " buy pays actual shipping charges" in the listing.

If I was that buyer I would be doing the same thing and if you charged more than actual shipping you would get a negative feedback.

 

[thelionqueen]

I agree with the OP's. Your description may confuse this bidder and let them think they get to pick which shipping they want. I will tell you the easiest way to handle this.
As long as you are requesting the amount that it actually costs to ship and not "padding" it, just go to USPS website and check how much it will cost then quote that price to buyer. IF you pay out of pocket for packaging materials add that cost into the shipping too and let the bidder know.

Sellers have many times tried to get 3-10X the cost of the actual shipping out of me and I absolutely will not stand for it. I do not mind paying a small handling fee if the item is packaged well and shipped quickly, but to charge me $17.00 for an item that cost $4.85 (including insurance and delivery confirmation) is ridiculous.

You should state shipping charges more clearly. If you are charging this buyer actual shipping costs, there should be no reason for him to try to negotiate a lower price.

Also, if you decide to not deal with this bidder anymore and offer it to another bidder you will be violating ebay's policies and could impact your account and feedback negatively. You can only do this when all other means have been exhausted and buyer agrees not to purchase item.
hope this helps and good luck!!

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

In the listing I have "Shipping and handling is up to the winning bidder".

That seems extremely vague to me. It could almost be read as allowing the bidder to set not only the method of shipping (USPS, UPS, even carrier pigeon if they want) but also what they will pay for shipping, even if it's less than what the actual is.

I always put a shipping charge in my auctions, even if I have to package the item and carry it to the PO to weigh before listing.

Send the winning bidder an invoice with exact shipping plus any charge for any shipping material you have to purchase. Heck, figure out prices for different carriers. Make sure in the comments of the invoice you mention that the S&H includes a charge for shipping materials purchased for this item. If they don't pay within 7 days, file an unpaid item dispute against them. If they don't pay within the time frame given on eBay, close the dispute, hit them with a non paying bidder strike (that hurts worse than a negative -- 3 of those and they're gone) and relist.