Thread: Was it out of line.......

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I have two thoughts on this. First it's his item and as long as he is up front about it when you bid you agree to his terms. If not you don't bid. Second, people seem to expect an individual selling something to have cut rate shipping costs when many commercial outfits heavily pad their shipping to turn it into a money making department for them and people don't seem to mind that.

Very true! I probably should have requested it in a box and admit that was my bad because it was more the jank envelop, and not the price, that peeved me for what was a clearly stated shipping fee.

I will say it is interesting you bring up the "commercial outfits heavily pad their shipping to turn it into a money making department for them and people don't seem to mind that" since, and yes I KNOW this is slightly off topic, the class action lawsuit TicketMaster just lost was due to them inflating fees, both shipping and service fees, and turning a profit on them. So the general public may be starting to change their tune as they become more aware if this practice.

But thank you all for your views and opinions!!! :-)

Originally Posted by CatSaddler

If you read eBay's rules for sellers, They are not permitted to charge for gas to the post office or for any eBay or PayPal fees. Shipping fees should be for actual shipping and handling fees.

I had to point this out to a seller that his $15 shipping fee was crazy for a razor. He said it was to make sure he made enough on the sale. After I pointed out the eBay rules, he did refund the difference. Some just aren't aware of the rules and we buyers need to point this out to them.

So, this is after you bought the item, agreeing on shipping charges? At this point, you negotiated lesser shipping? Wow! He did not have to refund anything, You agreed by buying! That seller is a prince! You did not have to buy if you did not like the terms. Just saying........

Originally Posted by sharptonn

So, this is after you bought the item, agreeing on shipping charges? At this point, you negotiated lesser shipping? Wow! He did not have to refund anything, You agreed by buying! That seller is a prince! You did not have to buy if you did not like the terms. Just saying........

You make a good point here, sharptonn. However, a seller should know the rules and not take advantage of those who may not. He probably didn't need to make good on the overcharging that the buyer agreed to, but the seller made the ethically correct choice of correcting his error, whether the buyer had agreed to the original charge or not.

Originally Posted by markdfhr

You make a good point here, sharptonn. However, a seller should know the rules and not take advantage of those who may not. He probably didn't need to make good on the overcharging that the buyer agreed to, but the seller made the ethically correct choice of correcting his error, whether the buyer had agreed to the original charge or not.

Agreed also. It makes you wonder if folks make snap decisions without looking around a bit. Also, I feel some sellers try to see what they can get away with on shipping. If someone complains, they get reasonable! No harm no foul? I, personally would not bid on a razor if it was double to ship, out of principle. Let someone else pay the premium if they wish! IMO, shipping negotiations should be done before buying/bidding.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

IMO, shipping negotiations should be done before buying/bidding.

I agree. It's better to conclude negotiations before the sale. It keeps things much less complicated and is the way things should be.

Personally, I find that there are times when I've been treated less than honorably, such is the tuition that we must pay to learn valuable lessons. When I was younger I was really hot for this MR2 (MK1, the boxy style) for sale used. My father tried to talk me out of it. He saw some issues, like how it had been repainted and how the battery was in a non-standard place. He advised me not to put down a deposit.

But I did. In the meantime I had my mother check the title (this was in the days before the internet was available for such things) and she found out it was salvaged. I immediately realized these people were trying to defraud me and I stopped payment on the check. These people had cashed the check immediately, so I lost my earnest money.

These people were crooks (unlike the person overcharging for shipping, who most likely had no real ill intent to defraud anyone). I paid tuition for a life lesson and am much the wiser for it.

An earlier post stated, if the shipping cost is too high, buy elsewhere.....

I could not agree more with that sentiment. I look at all the costs and then decide if the item is worth having. If not, I wait for one that does. I buy a lot on eBay. If the item is rare and I know I won't see another for a long while, I get it and figure shipping is part of the cost for its scarcity. OTOH, if it is relatively common I will wait until I find one cheaper. With Scottish lineage, I am genetically predisposed towards cheap bastardness.

As a long time eBay seller I can also say that the seller in this instance was pretty dumb. Had the OP received the package without the postage cost indicated, I'd bet there would have been no issue. Since eBay allows you to print out the shipping and not show the actual postage costs, the seller put the banana peel on the stairs himself then tripped over it. Sometimes I get more than the actual shipping cost and sometimes less. I know I don't make any profit over the long haul on shipping. However, anything I send has an OCD level of packing care applied and I've never heard a peep on my shipping charges.