Ebay seller requesting additional shipping-should I pay?

[frannn]

I do a lot of shopping on ebay. I won an adult disney costume (no accessories) and paid for it via Paypal. The seller emailed me to let me know that it cost more to send it then she had listed in the auction. She is requesting an additional 5, if I want to pay it. I'm not sure what to do. Should I send half, and tell her we'll split the difference? I don't want to be unreasonable, but it just figures that this is the item I used the ebay 10% off code on, and it looks like its going to cost me the total amount I saved with the coupon (paid 27.00, saved 2.70). BTW, the costume was sent priority mail from CA to NY, and I was charged 3.85. What should I do?

 

[Brina]

She listed the costume and the shipping charge. She did not list it as buyer pays actual shipping. You and the seller have a contract - you will pay the selling price plus the shipping that she listed. It is her mistake and she should eat the additional shipping cost. She will be more careful in the future.

 

[DMRick]

It's really the sellers fault. Obviously, she didn't weigh it and it was way over one pound ($3.85 is the cost if it was under a pound). You owe her nothing. I've under priced the shipping myself, and I would never ask the buyer (who decides what they want to pay, buy knowing the total with shipping..and I would tell her that) to pay for my mistake. This will be a learning mistake for the seller..next time she'll be more careful when weighing.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

I agree with previous posters - you have the option when listing to have the purchaser calculate the total, ask for a total, or not include shipping in the listing at all other than purchaser to pay total shipping cost. It is at the fault of the seller and she should take the loss. I too have underestimated and I would eat the loss and learn from my mistake - it should not be the consumers responsibility to pick up the slack. I would politely let her/him know that you may not have bid $$$ for the item if the shipping was higher and it will be that persons responsibility to pay for the difference.

 

[jennifer293]

Don't pay it!! Tell her to either send it for the shipping amount you have already payed or refund your money back to your paypal account. I too have underestimated myself and have never asked anyone to pay the difference. I bought a double stroller once off ebay and won it for a few bucks and the shipping was like 25.00 so I gladly payed it because it was a NICE stroller well the seller ended up not wanting to send it saying it was gonna cost way more than that and I threatened to turn him/her into ebay and... well my kids LOVED riding in that stroller at WDW!!!

 

[Donna]

Let this be a good lesson for this seller. Are they a new seller? I believe that she's not trying to rip you off or anything, she just way underestimated what to charge for shipping. Sometimes sellers will take short cuts to save time (i know cause i did this a few times in my early ebay days). Not sure what costume it would have been but almost any costume and the box is going to be more than a pound. I would just tell her that when you bid, you take into account the TOTAL cost of the costume + shipping and that is what you expect to pay. I would never come back to the buyer and ask them to pay more. let us know what happens!

 

[kelleigh1]

As others have said, you are not responsible for her mistake. She listed the shipping cost in her listing. That is all you are required to pay.

 

[smt218]

I wouldn't pay it either. I've been selling for a few years now and I know I've undercharged a few times and just paid the difference since it was my fault. I wouldn't think to ask somebody for the difference.

 

[my3kids]

Don't pay. I've under charged for shipping a few times recently, and I wouldn't dream of asking the buyer to pony up. I screwed up, not them.

 

[KeepSwimming]

Another vote for DON'T PAY...her fault, not yours.

 

[brivers222]

I agree as a seller we have more than once under charged on shipping and chaulked it up to "OUR BAD" I would not pay them one more Dollar than you already have!

 

[ceecee]

When you guesstimate shipping you go over on some and under on some. It's the seller's mistake. $3.95 would be priority for a lb but if it weighed more it still wouldn't cost 5.00 more unless the seller is totally clueless and the package was a lot heavier. Takes a lot of nerve to ask for more postage. I had a seller send me a pair of Birkenstocks Media Mail (PO opened box) and it had a postage due of $3.65 since it was not media!!! I emailed her and told her I wanted a refund (I paid $8.00 for priority NOT media) Plus it took 2 weeks to get here. I have refunded shipping if I overcharged by a lot and no one has even thanked me.

 

[lifeasahampster]

Alright, I know I am going to be in the minority here, and I am a new member, so flame away. I do not take the side of the seller but I want to point out some issues.

First, there is no need to “Teach her a lesson” No duh, she has already learned it. Now the seller knows, “I better charge a little too much than get stuck with the bill.” Great, what does sticking it to her accomplish? It is likely that she is not an adolescent that needs to be sent to time out. Do you all like having “lessons” taught to you? Now, the seller will increase the shipping and get less bids. Great, another ebay seller that was taught a lesson and will no longer provide wonderful things that we can find on ebay.

I am going to wager that the costume was purchased because the seller had a low shipping price. Had the shipping been listed at $8.85 the buyer would have been less inclined to purchase the costume. This was probably not a sales point that the seller was thinking about, but the bidder certainly did. And with the 10% off code, I know that the bidder was really looking for a good deal. Heck, more power to them, its great to bargain hunt.

Next, the seller is not withholding the merchandise until she gets the 5 bucks, she is simply asking for it and the bidder is in no way obligated to pay it. So instead of lynching her, tell her no, and I guarantee she will be okay with that. I am not the seller, I don’t deal in anything over 16oz, but she will understand.

I am a Powerseller, I mail out over 500 packages a week and you can not imagine the crazy things that people do and say. I sell my items from .99 to $100 and the people that give me the hardest time are generally people that purchase things for under $5. I always ship within 48 hours, most of my items go out in 24 and some go out the same day. Since Katrina the mail has been SLOW. The only people that have given me any grief are the ones that purchase small cheap items.

I encourage anyone that has never sold on ebay to try it. List 10 items of varying value to end within a week of each other. 9 of the bidders will be perfect, polite and kind. The other one, which I can almost guarantee will be the one for the cheapest item will be a nightmare. I encourage everyone to try this, it is an interesting look at the kinds of things that sellers have to go through on a daily basis. Remember, only 5% of the ebay community is sellers. That means that 95% is buyers. If the 5% goes away from being tired of dealing with crazy people, then where are all of us going to find great deals?

I pay about 20 cents for a bubble mailer. I have internet printed postage which cost me about 50 cents per label. I package everything in bubble wrap and tissue which cost another 25 cents. Then I pay for the postage which averages 2.80. So each package runs me $3.75 right there. I charge $3.85 shipping. This does not entitle them to Priority, it gets first class. Also, are we forgetting gas to drop off the mail? What about our time packaging the merchandise? I think that if you are getting shipping for less that 5 bucks on anything that weighs a pound or less you are getting a good deal. I am lucky that my profit margins cancel out the shipping cost, but remember listing fees and final value fees. Each auction runs me at least 60 cents at the best. The final value can be a dollar or more. For everyone out there, think of the little things. I am not going to complain, I make my living on ebay but I am one of the really lucky ones. Less than 1% of ebay sellers do it for a living.

So no, don’t pay the extra for the shipping, you ebay contract does not make you. But to everyone, remember that behind that auction is a human being, and treat them as you would if you were face to face with a cashier in a retail setting. Ebay sellers work incredibly hard, most of the work is rewarding, but some sellers have growing pains and it is not easy. Just remember, treat others well and good things will come to you. I have wonderful experiences with most of my buyers and I hope that you all have good experiences on ebay as well.

Let the flaming begin, I can take it, I deal with some really strange people.

 

[wendyl]

I would NEVER ask a buyer to send more money for shipping. Part of the responsibility left to the seller is to research shipping prices, so you know what to charge. Sometimes I lose money on shipping, sometimes I make money on shipping--it always evens out. But, she should NOT have asked you to pay more.

Save those emails from her in case she tries to file a non-paying bidder claim on you for not sending extra for shipping.

If you decide to pay her---I would question $5 more dollars. I sell Disney Catalog costumes by the dozens, and most should be shipping cheaper than $8.85 even from CA to NY. Maybe the Adult Cpt. Hook with the heavy belt, or Donald or Daisy Duck--but if you pack right, you can ship most for cheaper.

 

[Kae]

I know it has been said aready. I do not think it is a matter of flaming but, the seller should have figured out the shipping before listing.

Kae

 

[tlbwriter]

Don't pay. She made an offer and you accepted her offer. As a seller, I've miscalculated shipping more than once, and always ate the cost because it was my mistake. I'm not going to try to change the auction terms after the fact (VERY BAD BUSINESS!!!) just because I made a mistake.

 

[Donna]

No flaming , i am also a seller, became a powerseller within 6 mos. of selling but wasn't able to maintain it the last few months. anyways, if you are going to charge $3.85 for shipping, why NOT just use priority? that way, you could request a carrier pickup (the free kind) and not have to lug all that to the post office/mail box. YOu are sending out a high volume, do you really take all that each day? I have to say, if i paid $3.85 for shipping, on an item the size of something that first class could be used, it had better come priority. I am surprised people haven't complained to you about this; maybe they have, i don't know.

 

[CajunDixie]

BTW, the costume was sent priority mail from CA to NY, and I was charged 3.85. What should I do?

You said the costume was "sent". So do you have the package and can see for yourself what the actual postage is on the box? Or at least weigh it yourself. Most likely the seller was trying to pay her Ebay and PayPal fees out of the shipping amount and underestimated that. I doubt the exact postage is going to be exactly $5.00 more. If you feel the need to pay the extra postage make sure you're not overpaying her at least. And remember Priority supplies (box and tape) are free!

I used my Shipping Assistant to give me the cost of a 2lb Priority package from a CA zip code (90210) to a NY zip code (10133) The cost is $5.75. Same with a 3lb package and it is $8.55. Same with a 4lb and it is $10.35

 

[DizneyDogs]

I pay about 20 cents for a bubble mailer. I have internet printed postage which cost me about 50 cents per label. I package everything in bubble wrap and tissue which cost another 25 cents. Then I pay for the postage which averages 2.80. So each package runs me $3.75 right there. I charge $3.85 shipping. This does not entitle them to Priority, it gets first class.

Why make it confusing for the buyer by charging the exact same price then as priority mail? Make it some other amount. Also priority boxes are free and you can ship from your home since you are already printing your postage. Personally I would rather pay your costs of 75 cents plus $3.85 for priority shipping than $3.85 for 1st class since it is extremely slow and I would get it in 3 days.

 

[DMRick]

It costs me about .05 to print out a priority label (I have a canon and get my ink on ebay..very cheaply) and the priority of under a pound is $3.85. The box is free. I generally charge .50 to cover my bubble wrap (.10 a sheet) and other expenses, and for the occasion I can't use a priority box. If I'm not sending Priority, I go out of my way to not have the price be the same as Priority, because I don't want people to assume it is.

While there is a person (and prob a nice one) on the other side, and I would always treat them respectfully, I also base my bid on the total..and the total is what the auction said. The seller has to live with that error.

I'm a seller and buyer. Over 5000 feedbacks and no one has complained yet about my shipping. In fact, I get raves. But you can bet, if I goofed, it's my goof, not my buyers.