Question about buying from ebay

[frannn]

Silly question (and I should know this since I have been buying off ebay for years)-
I won an auction for something that stated shipping at 8 in the auction description, but when the seller invoiced me, he added 9. shipping. It is for an expensive calculator my daughter needs for high school. Would you just pay the extra? It is not for insurance. Or would you bring the seller's attention to it? The seller has a positive feedback of 13. Sorry if the question seems petty-its just that I'm annoyed to have to pay so much for a calculator...

 

[kessieann]

I would make the payment with the correct shipping amount per the auction and in the comments put "paid shipping per auction listing". I am sure you already have but just in case make sure there was not a $1.00 handling fee or something else like that.

 

[ceecee]

Seems like a lot to ship a calculator.......email them and ask which shipping is correct. I recently bought something (25.00) and the insurance was $2.50 (in addition to shipping) when I asked why it wasn't the normal $1.30, she said she used her "own insurance company, which was better than USPS" (meaning she didn't even buy the extra insurance).

 

[Robinrs]

I would email her and ask her about the discrepancy. It DOES seem kind of high, how heavy an item is it??

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

It is a new "trick" that ebay sellers are using to avoid paying a large commission on items sold. They are not charged a commission on shipping.

IE: We were looking for DVD covers (like the ones at Blockbuster). They were selling them for a VERY low price, like 9.99 for 100 covers and charging 25-30 for shipping. What it appeared they were doing was charging you the shipping amount for the item and charging you the item amount for shipping.

As to the calculator, I would call it to the sellers attention, sometimes people make mistakes, forget or make typos. But, I would not pay it.

 

[seashoreCM]

My two cents worth,

Don't just send the amount taking into account the originally advertised shipping cost.

You should actually contact the seller and come to an understanding before sending any money. The seller wants to move quickly and therefore should answer emails promptly. You have all the time and patience and are not obliged to pay or buy if the seller doesn't honor the advertised price.

You don't want to pay first and then have the seller come back and say "oh, by the way you owe an additional dollar".

You do want to generate and save the back and forth "paperwork" while coming to an understanding about the total price. It will be needed if something goes wrong and you have to deal with things like having PayPal backcharge the seller.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

Ask about insurance (using email) if you want it, before bidding. The seller can use any insurance he wants, but if he uses his own (pockets the insurance money) he can be expected to "insure the package himself" which means refunding your money if the item doesn't arrive and in good condition.