Do you think this is reasonable?

[jrtmom3274]

Thank you all so much! I feel a ton better now.

Felina, I'm so sorry about your situation. What a mess. It does help that you shared; it puts things in perspective to know there's always an eBay nightmare worse than yours. [img]redface.gif[/img]

For what she paid, and what she got, she practically stole Lindsey. At$120+ the cost of a head replacement, that's a good price for a nakey Lindsey with perfect hair! (I paid $15 less for mine, with shipping, and am so thrilled with her and her new head!) Plus, she got all the other goodies. I agree, I'd just ask for her back and refund. You can find someone who will appreciate a good price on Lindsey so much more!

[jrtmom3274]

I have been selling a lot of items on eBay in the last few days. I have one buyer who won two items. Both auctions clearly state (in three places) the item will be shipped via Priority Mail with free delivery confirmation. I also clearly state that I will combine shipping.

When this person's second auction was over, nearly two days after the first ended, I invoiced them with combined shipping. I charged them one shipping charge of $3.85 for both items, and listed the optional insurance as $2.20, which is the PO cost for the item's total. (I do not add in a fee, even though I will pay a fee to receive the payment via Paypal, incur a fee for packing materials, tape, etc.)

The buyer emailed this morning, asking me if it was possible to combine shipping and could I send it regular/standard mail

I ship Priority for a reason. The main is reason is that I can print labels here at home which have free delivery confirmation. A package the size of this one, I can put on the top of my mailbox, and our very kind mailman will take it. (Others I drop at the UPS Store for free.) I hate our local post office. The woman who works there is simply the nastiest person on the face of the planet. I'm stressed enough over Christmas. I cannot drive across town, fight for a parking spot and then deal with her-- twice, once to find out how much it will cost and once to actually send the thing.

I responded to the person that their invoice should show combined shipping, briefly explained how to get to the invoice from My eBay or either auction. I then briefly explained why I use Priority, that the cost savings would not be significant, there would be no free confirmation and the package would be delayed because of having to make an extra trip to the PO.

I have not heard from the buyer since my response. I simply dread his answer. I don't want to be a poo about it, but the auction terms were clear. I ship Priority Mail, and less than $4 to ship two outfits is not a bad price. I do not feel I am at all overcharging for shipping; I'm certainly not making money on it, in fact, I'm cutting my profits when you consider Paypal fees and such.

I don't want to risk a negative over something that seems so simple, but maybe I am being too simplistic. Is it reasonable to expect the buyer to pay for Priority combined shipping, since that's what he bid on? How would you handle this as a seller, should the buyer insist on shipping terms that aren't in the auction?

Thanks for "listening" to my rant. This has been bothering me all morning, and it feels better just to get it all out.
Heather

[Aunt Cornelia]

Hi Heather!

I think it's perfectly fine for you to respond back with "I'm sorry, but I only ship via Priority Mail." That's true and it's stated in your auction. It shouldn't be a problem for your buyer.

Maybe the buyer is "just asking." Many times I will email a seller (but I do it before the auction ends and before I bid) asking if they will ship a certain way (I actually like Priority the best) or other questions, like will they accept another method of payment, etc. If they say no, I have no problem with it. If it's not a big deal, I go ahead and bid anyway.

So I wouldn't worry about it and I would definately not change your shipping method for him. There's no reason to. It was clearly stated in your auction. He probably won't have any problem with it...he's probably "just asking." [img]smile.gif[/img]

Merry Christmas! [img]graemlins/star.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/present.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/cake.gif[/img]

[ponydreamer]

Heather....I think you are being more than reasonable. You stated in your auction what shipping would cost, and how the items would be shipped. The buyer bid, and won, and entered a contract to honor your shipping guidelines.

You don't have to do anything more than what you are doing. You are being more than fair. If I were you, I would not let this person talk me into doing things any differently!

[lscogbill]

I would e-mail the buyer nicely with a new shipping estimate for regular delivery + insurance + delivery confirmation cost + a dollar or two handling fee. The price should be near or above the priority fee, and I'm sure the buyer will be more than happy to pay the original cost.

[Miss_Nellie_OMalley]

I agree you should not change your shipping method. What is stated in the auction might as well be stated in stone. I will tell you what I do in situations that make me nervous. I go ahead and email Ebay about the situation, so they have on their records that there might be a problem with a buyer. So if anything happens, such as negative feedback... I have something to go back on that it all started with the buyer.

I do believe they were just asking if you'd ship another way to save a buck or two. It never hurts to ask kind of thing. Most people don't care... especially when they are really only paying to ship one thing.

[beccachris]

Heather,

I think you are being totally reasonable in your price for shipping these auctions together. You charged them "one" shipping price for "two" auctions, so they are already "saving" money and getting the "combined" rate. I'm sure shipping these first class or even parcel post would only save them maybe .25-.50 max.

Plus I would point out with the mail volume this time of year, that you feel Priority is a much "safer" way to mail the items. First class and especially parcel post could take 2 weeks or better.

Sorry to say, but for some ebayers, you really have to spell it out for them. Do not change your TOS that you stated in your auction for this buyer!!

[FelinaDoon]

Heather - You are perfectly reasonable.

I am dealing with my own heaadache right now. This e-bayer won Lindsey plus Haunakka Set, Plus Ski Trip Set plus two non AG Outfits for $120.00. Lindsey's hair is dry and was stated as such. This buyer wanted me to shove all of that into a Flat Rate Box and Before bidding repeatedly asked me to lower shipping costs - I should have blocked her from bidding as she was being a PITA. Now she e-mails me that she is very disappointed because the Bangs were cut (They weren't) I told her to return the whole kit and caboodle so that I could refund all but shipping and thanks for letting me know so that I could realize a better price for her upon return. Lets see what happens. I almost wish she would neg me and get it over and done with, so that I can neg her back with the truth. She got Lindsey for under $100.00 if you look at the costs of the other items.

[mystere]

I agree- the priority rate is already cheap and parcel post saves practically nothing for light items. It's pointless, takes longer, and you have to hunt down packing materials.

If it really came to a problem, and I have had this happen, I just invoiced them parcel post and then paid for priority myself. I know it cut my profit by about $1-2, but I generally have lots of packing materials floating around my house and I just don't like dealing with people who are pains.