Reporting Excess Shipping on eBay

[jaydisc]

I know this frustrates a lot of members, even if the shipping charges are declared clearly up front. Turns out this is clearly against eBay policy and there is a facility to report it.

Policy: http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/policies/listing-shipping.html

To report:


Report Item
Reason for Report: "Listing policy violations (improper keywords, outside links, etc.)"
Detailed Reason: "Circumvention of eBay fees"
Additional Information: "Excessive shipping and handling"

[Vector Prime]

Yeah I report these all the time whenever I come across something that interests me but the seller has over-inflated the postage costs to make up for the lower sale price.

I remember when I was looking around for a Unicron, I saw one listed for USD$9.95 as a Buy It Now price, however the postage cost to Sydney was USD$90 :eek:

Needless to say, I reported it and eBay cancelled the listing - it eventually was relisted a couple of weeks later at USD$90 inc free shipping. :D

[Verno]

Ok, take this (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Transformers-Beast-Wars-Airazor-Airrazor-gun_W0QQitemZ360182307559QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item53dc89dae7) eBay auction for example. I was looking to complete a few figures and this seller had a few bits and pieces I needed but wouldn't budge on his postage price and policy. I told him that this would affect his selling to overseas bidders but he didn't seem to care.

Do we have some kind of standing against people like this? Can we make them list a more appropriate shipping cost?

[kup]

Ok, take this (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Transformers-Beast-Wars-Airazor-Airrazor-gun_W0QQitemZ360182307559QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item53dc89dae7) eBay auction for example. I was looking to complete a few figures and this seller had a few bits and pieces I needed but wouldn't budge on his postage price and policy. I told him that this would affect his selling to overseas bidders but he didn't seem to care.

Do we have some kind of standing against people like this? Can we make them list a more appropriate shipping cost?

The thing is that if you actually order it, once it arrives you will notice that it only cost him $5-$8 to send. It's a scam and all too common, I am a afraid.

[canofwhoopass_87]

Hmm I don't think this particular auction is a scam in any way. He just ships international express to cover his own ass in case someone pulls a dodgy and files a paypal dispute; claiming they never received the item (even if they did).

Also, if you change the shipping destination to the United States - you'll notice the seller offers free shipping. Verno, I think your situation is different to what jay has pointed out. You're probably better off hunting for this piece elsewhere :)

Even so, $43US is a tad high. It should be around $28 express for something like this.

[jaydisc]

I agree. $5-8 is a completely unrealistic expectation.

[kup]

I agree. $5-8 is a completely unrealistic expectation.

Are you sure? I had something much larger sent to me from the US for just $10.75 and it was well packed too. It arrived today. If a Mega and a scout sized toys can be sent at that cost then perhaps a tiny scout gun may be cheaper by just a couple of dollars.

Again, if some US sellers are able to do it then why not others? The sellers that offer fair shipping options are not newbies that don't know about Paypal fees so it is possible to provide fair and affordable shipping options if the seller is inclined to do so.

[jaydisc]

Are you sure? I had something much larger sent to me from the US for just $10.75 and it was well packed too. It arrived today. If a Mega and a scout sized toys can be sent at that cost then perhaps a tiny scout gun may be cheaper by just a couple of dollars.

Again, if some US sellers are able to do it then why not others? The sellers that offer fair shipping options are not newbies that don't know about Paypal fees so it is possible to provide fair and affordable shipping options if the seller is inclined to do so.

A US seller can charge as little as they want for postage. If a seller wants to be protected by PayPal Seller protection, their absolute minimum cost is $28.95. That assumes the item, packed in its box, weighs less than half a pound. Once the packed item reaches about 1kg (typical size of a deluxe figure in as small as possible a box), the cost rises to $45. Sellers are also entitled to charge for the cost of box and other packing materials.

Based on those facts, I still believe that $5-8 is a completely unrealistic expectation.

[kup]

A US seller can charge as little as they want for postage. If a seller wants to be protected by PayPal Seller protection, their absolute minimum cost is $28.95. That assumes the item, packed in its box, weighs less than half a pound. Once the packed item reaches about 1kg (typical size of a deluxe figure in as small as possible a box), the cost rises to $45. Sellers are also entitled to charge for the cost of box and other packing materials.

Based on those facts, I still believe that $5-8 is a completely unrealistic expectation.

If you say so.

[jaydisc]

Please, don't take my word for it. Research it yourself.

[kup]

Please, don't take my word for it. Research it yourself.

*Looks at US sent medium sized boxes ranging from $10-$12.50 in shipping costs which were accurately charged by seller*

Already have. Thank you.

[jaydisc]

Well, you're not acknowledging the parameters of PayPal Seller Protection. Do you think that since some sellers forgo that protection, the sellers that don't forgo it are overcharging you? That's hardly a fair assessment.

[kup]

I personally think its more unfair that someone gets charged $43 shipping on a tiny scout weapon just because he is not living in the seller's heck of the woods.

Canofwhoopass is right, if the seller wanted the protection, $43 is excesive.

Now let us drop this before it degenerates.

[jaydisc]

There's no need for anything to degenerate.

It's good for people to be aware of all the parameters that relate to a seller's determined postage cost. It helps avoid unrealistic expectations.

If the seller has weighed this part, allocated a box to which he also knows the weight, and is aware that all of that is less than 1kg, then yes, it is indeed excessive. However, there is a lot of assumptions in there. I'd be curious to know how many sellers actually even own a postage scale (I know Kyle & I do! :D).

Personally, I think this seller and many others simply plug .5lb or 1lb into the eBay calculator because it's just safe and not worth the effort to prepack and weigh every little gun that someone overseas might want.

However, let's give credence to all of your assumptions. Let's say this guy made the equivalent of a cardboard ring box to store it in and managed to get it under the 0.5lb Express minimum. That means the cost is $28.95.

So, based on all of that, don't you think that your expectation of $5 to $8 for such a service is a bit "excessive"?

[kup]

We seem to be arguing this from such different points of view that we will never see eye to eye.

In order to agree with you I would have to set my mind that its fair for a seller to choose to charge $43 in deliberately over priced Express shipping for a tiny item the size of my pinky toe at a fraction of the weight when he also has the choice to charge $12-$15 In priority shipping and $7-$12 (or less) First class with decent packaging. Let's not get into why local US buyers happen to get free shipping.

Yes the choice does indeed exist since some succesful and long lasting US sellers do provide it regardless of Paypal fees and that's why they are in my favorite list.

We will not see eye to eye on this and I have my own experiences that form my bias and you have yours.

Thank you.

[blackie]

Yes the choice does indeed exist since some succesful and long lasting US sellers do provide it regardless of Paypal fees and that's why they are in my favorite list.


(emphasis is mine)

you do understand that what jay is talking about has nothing to do with paypal fees whatsoever dont you?

he is arguing that sellers are trying to avoid Fruad by a buyer claiming non recipt of an item that is not shipped in accordance with the paypal buyer protection scheme.....

[kup]

(emphasis is mine)

you do understand that what jay is talking about has nothing to do with paypal fees whatsoever dont you?

he is arguing that sellers are trying to avoid Fruad by a buyer claiming non recipt of an item that is not shipped in accordance with the paypal buyer protection scheme.....

Like I said, different viewpoints.

[blackie]

Like I said, different viewpoints.

no
different topic.
fraud protection and sellers avoiding extra paypal fees are two completely different topics all together.

[kup]

no
different topic.
fraud protection and sellers avoiding extra paypal fees are two completely different topics all together.

You are right, that is why I want to drop it so that it would not deviate any further from his topic.

You want to stop it now? or do you also want to continue on the $5-$8 thing? It's already stablished that we are arguing differnet things.

[jaydisc]

The problem is that in your assessment of postage rates you are ignoring the documented requirements for fraud protection. I don't think anyone is disagreeing with you about the fact that the postage costs you posted are the likely costs for sending an item of this size for each of those classes, but due to your refusal to acknowledge the fraud protection, we're left to assume that:

1. You don't think sellers should protect themselves for an item of this nature.
2. You think sellers are protected even when using the the shipping methods you posted.

Please let us know which it is, or if it's something I haven't mentioned.

Now, though we haven't gone to far from, let's mildly come back to the topic. This thread is about violations of eBay's policy regarding excessive shipping. How can you ignore PayPal's shipping requirements when discussing violations of this policy? How can you declare that it's "a scam" to use the only shipping method that offers a seller fraud protection?

[DarkHyren]

Still, even USPS Express Mail International is not that expensive.
A small gun like Verno pointed out would only cost $28.95 to ship to Australia, not $43.
You could even safely chuck it in an Express Mail International Flat Rate Envelope if you didn't want to make up a tiny box for the gun.

[kup]

1. You don't think sellers should protect themselves for an item of this nature.
2. You think sellers are protected even when using the the shipping methods you posted.


Like I said, we are arguing different things as I am not arguing neither of those points.

I do think that sellers should have the option to protect themselves for an item but that several take advantage of the Buyer protection requirements to charge absurd amounts to overseas buyers taking advantage of the situation for their own benefit at someone else's expense. Often these sellers don't honor the shipping cost they charge and send you the item at a much lesser cost than what you paid for - The gun seller seems like one of those.

I also believe that friendliness and accessibility to a wider market can benefit the seller just as much as the buyer. Several successful US sellers have proven that since they are highly regarded, in good business and with glowing feedback. Therefore it's also possible to charge a fair amount in shipping cost and still benefit regardless of Paypal buyer protection. I was recently quoted by one of these good US sellers that they will ship me a similar small gun for only $7.50

Now that this is settled and both our perspectives are now well documented, there is no need to continue derailing your own thread trying to score points.

[jaydisc]

A small gun like Verno pointed out would only cost $28.95 to ship to Australia, not $43.

I agree, and since you and I have extensively researched this (and publicly documented our results), we are aware that $28.95 would be the absolute minimum.

But as said, and will say again, to expect a fee of $5-8 is a completely unrealistic expectation.

[DarkHyren]

I understand sellers want/need protection too, but there should be a better way.
I do think buyers should have the right to have sellers ship in the method they wish.

Maybe a good compromise would be an automated system that the buyer could use (for those sellers that insist on Express) that basically has them waive any rights as far as the buyer protection scheme.
Only of course as far as delivery protection, if the item is faulty or the wrong one the right to claim on that should be left intact.

Of course in an ideal world Paypal would accept the standard Priority Mail confirmation every time, but such is bureaucracy ~shrug~

[canofwhoopass_87]

Still, even USPS Express Mail International is not that expensive.
A small gun like Verno pointed out would only cost $28.95 to ship to Australia, not $43.
You could even safely chuck it in an Express Mail International Flat Rate Envelope if you didn't want to make up a tiny box for the gun.

I'm under the assumption that the $43 quote was a generic value; not properly researched and calculated. If you let the seller know that it only costs $28.95 to ship express to Australia, they'd probably change the ebay invoice with the BIN.



I do think that sellers should have the option to protect themselves for an item but that several take advantage of the Buyer protection requirements to charge absurd amounts to overseas buyers taking advantage of the situation for their own benefit at someone else's expense. Often these sellers don't honor the shipping cost they charge and send you the item at a much lesser cost than what you paid for - The gun seller seems like one of those.

I'd like to keep this as an open discussion rather than let it escalate to a debate, but I think you've got things a little muddled here mr kup. You're putting this particular seller in the same class as other dodgy sellers and I don't think that's fair.

Seller A - $9.99BIN Armada Unicron. $90 Worldwide Flat Rate Shipping
Seller B - $14BIN Beastwars accessory. $43 International, Free domestic.

It's obvious seller A is being dodgy, but you're accusing (and have accused in another one of jays threads) seller B of also being "scum" and a "scammer". A only wants to dodge the fees and make more money, B is just ensuring paypals buyer protection policy is met in the case of fraudulent buyers. He really isn't doing anything wrong, probably just had some bad overseas apples. Remember, he ships for FREE within the U.S, so he isn't trying to gain additional profit by surcharging.





I also believe that friendliness and accessibility to a wider market can benefit the seller just as much as the buyer. Several successful US sellers have proven that since they are highly regarded, in good business and with glowing feedback. Therefore it's also possible to charge a fair amount in shipping cost and still benefit regardless of Paypal buyer protection. I was recently quoted by one of these good US sellers that they will ship me a similar small gun for only $7.50


The reason why this seller and others (such as wheeljackslab) have diminished their "friendliness and accessibility" to a wider market is bc of fraudulent claims in which they themselves have lost out. You can't blame them - after so many international buyers have received free items and taken their money, it's understandable that they now strictly ship express internationally with paypal payments.

There are indeed sellers such as therad who charge well under $10 for shipping on small parts, but they probably haven't been in the same boat as people like wheeljackslab.

[jaydisc]

DarkHyren, I think that's an excellent idea.

canofwhoopass_87, that's all perfectly put. Well said on all counts.

[SentinelPrime]

If you think its a scam or not, just pass it up.

[Mr Ed]

I've seen some Australian EBAY sellers try and rip people off with exhorbitant shipping fees....

eg - They were selling the big Bumblebee - Cost was $80, but postage was $60, making it a total of $140.

Or another case was the Soundwave's cassette's, they wanted $30 to send it, when it probably would have been $15.

He sold me stuff in Brisbane and I picked it up from him, and when I asked for
a quote of some TF's he gave me EBAY pricing with no discount and said if I dont like it, dont buy it. Needless to say I took his advice. He can collect all of that stuff!!

ALso, he had 3 G1 Megatron Re-issues and I asked to buy one, he said 'Since I am running low, I am not going to sell any". Same thing for the Hasbro Optimus Prime (cheap MP version)

Needless to say that guy is an idiot.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Ok, take this (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Transformers-Beast-Wars-Airazor-Airrazor-gun_W0QQitemZ360182307559QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item53dc89dae7) eBay auction for example. I was looking to complete a few figures and this seller had a few bits and pieces I needed but wouldn't budge on his postage price and policy. I told him that this would affect his selling to overseas bidders but he didn't seem to care.

Umm.. If it helps a fellow fan any bit... I managed to pick up a MISB BW Airazor (original and not the transmetal 2 monstrosity) for half the total price of the quoted foot/laser. This one had a typo in the listing. I've seen a few more go for similar prices since.

I do a worldwide eBay search for "Transformers Beast Wars" every week or so and go through maybe a week's worth of listing. Quite enjoy seeing the healthy and consistent number of BW auctions. :o

[griffin]

That's certainly a worthwhile option - buy a complete toy from a source that doesn't want/worry to protect themselves with expensive shipping rates, and then 'discard' the rest of the toy cheaply to someone else.

[snaketales]

From one extreme to another...
I just received a partial refund from a US seller on my postage. Turns out the actual postage was less than what he had listed.

It was only us$1.75 but it's the thought that counts.

[Vector Prime]

From one extreme to another...
I just received a partial refund from a US seller on my postage. Turns out the actual postage was less than what he had listed.

It was only us$1.75 but it's the thought that counts.

Likewise, I purchased a Chevy Aveo Swerve from a Canadian seller who quoted me $20 USD to send the item but then refunded me $8.75 USD as he had overcharged me - can't complain about that at all!

[1AZRAEL1]

Similar thing happened to me as well, I bought something off a bloke on TFW and he overquoted on the postage, so he sent refunded me a little bit. THen when he actually sent it, it was even less than that so he sent me a further refund. Added up to around $10, so was really nice of him.

[snaketales]

....and we're back to the other extreme.
Just had to pay $14 postage for two ROTF deluxe figures being sent within Australia.
When you can get 3kg satchels from Australia Post for $9-10, and I doubt these two figures weigh more than that, then I get very suspicious.
Needless to say I will be checking postage when it arrives.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Just as a follow-up to Verno or anyone else interested, original Beast Wars Airazor 100% complete:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Transformers-Original-Beast-Wars-Lot-AIRAZOR-Video-Excl_W0QQitemZ370341727426QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_De faultDomain_0?hash=item563a164cc2

4647 point, 100% positive feedback seller; 2 days 11 hours left til finish, around $20 atm.

[jaydisc]

....and we're back to the other extreme.
Just had to pay $14 postage for two ROTF deluxe figures being sent within Australia.
When you can get 3kg satchels from Australia Post for $9-10, and I doubt these two figures weigh more than that, then I get very suspicious.
Needless to say I will be checking postage when it arrives.

Are these deluxes MISB? From where are they coming?

One MISB deluxe boxed is over 500g, which means if I was to ship it to WA it would be $10.55, or registered: $13.35. Two deluxes would definitely put it over the 1kg edge meaning that I have to pay based on dimensions which would bring the price to near $14.50 (16.80 registered) even if I have the snuggest of boxes.

What is this 3kg satchel you refer to?

[snaketales]

These:

http://www.auspost.com.au/BCP/0,1467,CH2096%257EMO19,00.html

Scroll down a bit to "pre-paid satchels".

They are basically plastic bags, but I figure there should be room for two loose deluxe figs (which these are) and bubble wrap. I've had some sent this way, but I do admit I have no idea what postage prices for boxes are like.

I guess I'll have to wait and see.

[snaketales]

....and we're back to the other extreme.
Just had to pay $14 postage for two ROTF deluxe figures being sent within Australia.
When you can get 3kg satchels from Australia Post for $9-10, and I doubt these two figures weigh more than that, then I get very suspicious.
Needless to say I will be checking postage when it arrives.

Well, the two loose deluxe movie figures arrived yesterday in a small box with a label saying "postage paid $5.60".... not the $14 I paid.
In the big scheme of things it is a small amount but I've had several of these and this is the straw that is breaking this camel's back.

[Starscream212]

Well, the two loose deluxe movie figures arrived yesterday in a small box with a label saying "postage paid $5.60".... not the $14 I paid.
In the big scheme of things it is a small amount but I've had several of these and this is the straw that is breaking this camel's back.


If its a post office box they usually cost about $2 depending on size, so that makes it a little better lol.

[Prowl]

I bought a couple of MASK figures from a American seller & my postage was $40 US whcih I figured was fair considering the size & weight of the parcel.

I have found most Australian sellers to be OK with postage & I don't begrudge paying $15 for something that costs $10 to ship as packaging does cost money however little.

[Reflector]

Was charged 13.50 GBP ($20.60 AU) to send 4x cassettes http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/380368928430?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

i thought this was rediculous and told the seller so.

As a comparison i paid 5 GBP ($7.60 AU) for this to be sent http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/160651662292?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Surely a vinyl record is larger and more difficult to package than 4 loose cassettes...?

Edit: oh here we go, http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/110736156168?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

used the 'buy it now' feature ($8 AU) and got FREE postage...

[griffin]

It's only excess shipping if they charge you a significant amount more than they actually use (it's not just the postage you are paying for).

However, it isn't excessive shipping if they charge you the minimum amount required to cover them in a transaction dispute (like a trackable shipping rate). There may well be a cheaper postage option, but if the seller uses it, they would lose an ebay/paypal dispute if a buyer asks them to prove it was sent.

(apparently it happens - people buy stuff specifically to get the item free by filing a dispute, because the seller didn't use the more expensive shipping option with a tracking number)

[reillyd]

It's only excess shipping if they charge you a significant amount more than they actually use (it's not just the postage you are paying for).

However, it isn't excessive shipping if they charge you the minimum amount required to cover them in a transaction dispute (like a trackable shipping rate). There may well be a cheaper postage option, but if the seller uses it, they would lose an ebay/paypal dispute if a buyer asks them to prove it was sent.

(apparently it happens - people buy stuff specifically to get the item free by filing a dispute, because the seller didn't use the more expensive shipping option with a tracking number)


I've had that happen twice. One I lost, and that's the risk of the game if you send it uninsured. The other I had a tracking number, and settled in my favour.

Everyone who sells should be VERY careful, and used registered mail as a minimum. Even if there isn't full insurance coverage, you have proof of postage which paypal accepts.

[Zippo]

I wont sell on eBay anymore, as New Zealand Post removed all tracking on Airmail parcels and now its only available on EMS which adds some significant amount of $ to the postage cost.

[Skullcruncher]

I wont sell on eBay anymore, as New Zealand Post removed all tracking on Airmail parcels and now its only available on EMS which adds some significant amount of $ to the postage cost.

I dont understand EMS. From Japan EMS seems cheap as chips but from everywhere else its super expensive...:confused:

[griffin]

How's this for proof of excessive shipping...

Same item for both people (SDCC Zombie Cliffjumper).
Same location (California).
Same destination (Australia).
Same shipping type (USPS First Class Mail International)

Different shipping amounts claimed...
adorablackcollectables (http://www.ebay.com/itm/INSTOCK-SDCC-2012-EXCLUSIVE-TRANSFORMERS-CLIFFJUMPER-RUST-IN-PEACE-HASBRO-/160847876325?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item257347d0e5) - $100 (will ship within 30 days of being paid)
Darrens5150 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/SDCC-2012-HASBRO-TRANSFORMERS-Rust-In-Piece-CLIFFJUMPER-EXCLUSIVE-In-Hand-/320948831109?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item4aba0a8385) - $27.50 (will ship within 1 day of being paid)

That first person really wants to price-gouge desperate foreigners.

[Decepticon]

Im having a similar problem atm. Someone in L.A wants to buy an item from me. It weighs just under 2 kg. Quoted him $72.50 but apparently this is too much!
I cant help it if THATS what Aust post charges!
I cant help if U.S postal people inflict a $9 security surcharge on it!
I need to cover my self incase item goes missing which is why I quote registered price. And not cheaper sea/air mail.

People who buy things dont care if an item gets lost as they can be reimburssed by paypal (which takes money out MY account).

[VERT]

The man and over charging legend Wheeljackslab on ebay has filed a dispute against me cause I refuse to pay $39US for a $10 loose laserRod. tried talking to him about doing it cheaper. Even just put it in a bag. He wont do it. Postage $39 is all he says and buy more to make the postage look better.

Sorry but its never going to happen.

[griffin]

I can understand and accept high shipping prices if it covers the seller in a dispute (paypal/ebay needs tracking number to prove it was sent)... so if there is no cheaper shipping amount for a trackable package (to cover themselves), no matter how tiny the object is, it isn't their fault.
If you find someone who is willing to take the risk and post something at a cheaper rate that doesn't cover them if the buyer claims they never got it (or it actually gets lost in the mail), then that's great. But to be fair, if someone has been burnt before by doing that, they aren't going to offer cheaper shipping if it leaves them vulnerable for losing a paypal dispute.

Shop around first, if it is possible, and find someone who either doesn't know or doesn't care that their cheaper postage rate won't cover them if the item doesn't arrive (or the buyer wants to get the item for free by claiming it never arrived).
It's unfortunate that this happens, but until such time Ebay forces all items to be shipped by the higher rate (to prevent all those costly disputes), take advantage of those who offer cheaper, unregistered shipping.

[UltraMarginal]

The man and over charging legend Wheeljackslab on ebay has filed a dispute against me cause I refuse to pay $39US for a $10 loose laserRod. tried talking to him about doing it cheaper. Even just put it in a bag. He wont do it. Postage $39 is all he says and buy more to make the postage look better.

Sorry but its never going to happen.

Dude, I hate to be a negative nancy but if you've completed a purchase without first getting an agreed lower shipping rate other than that displayed, you are bound by auction rules to pay up. I've passed up on single items several times now because it was the only thing the seller had that I wanted and they would only ship registered, i just didn't bid/purchase.

I think their international registered starts at about 30 to 35 at least and goes up from there by weight, so another couple figures would maybe add a couple extra dollars.

it really is unfortunate that people aren't comfortable with USPS first class international as it is much cheaper, but has no tracking. I usually ask a seller if they are willing to use it, if they say no, I thank them for their time and move on.

[griffin]

Exactly, their hands are tied by Ebay/Paypal rules, if they want to remain protect from false claims by buyers, or lost packages in the mail.
But I can imagine it might be a future requirement on ebay, if ebay/paypal gets tired of having to resolve disputes that could have been avoided if trackable shipping was used. Until then, for small/cheap items, find and use sellers who don't protect themselves with the more expensive tracking options.

[canofwhoopass_87]

Im having a similar problem atm. Someone in L.A wants to buy an item from me. It weighs just under 2 kg. Quoted him $72.50 but apparently this is too much!
I cant help it if THATS what Aust post charges!
I cant help if U.S postal people inflict a $9 security surcharge on it!
I need to cover my self incase item goes missing which is why I quote registered price. And not cheaper sea/air mail.

People who buy things dont care if an item gets lost as they can be reimburssed by paypal (which takes money out MY account).

Maybe you could try Ausposts pack and track service? It's only available for parcels to the UK, the U.S and NZ I believe, but it's certainly the next best option to express - @ about half the price

[Paulbot]

I purchased a comic TPB recently on eBay described as "Like New".

The book I received was clearly "used". It had sticker residue on both the front and back covers, scratches on both covers, wear on the binding, a bent front right hand corner, rounding to the top and bottom corners of each page. Acceptable as "used" but nowhere near "like new".

So I left neutral feedback, negatively marking the item description, but everything else was fine and top marks.

The seller has contacted me asking me to remove my feedback and offering me a refund and the return mail costs to do so.

I will take him up on the refund and return mail costs (bit annoying as this book is hard to come by which is why I was willing to keep it). I'm not too sure I should remove the neutral feedback though.

He clearly said he wants it gone so he's a 100% seller, but I feel I have some obligation to other purchasers of his to leave accurate feedback. If I leave my comment than perhaps the next buyer will ask a few more questions which I should have done but I trusted his 100% feedback foolishly.

Any thoughts?

[i_amtrunks]

Any thoughts?

He knowingly advertised an item in a condition it most certainly wasn't. I'd leave the feedback as a negative. Just allowing a refund for a faulty/inaccurately described item does not make everything alright.

[M-bot]

If the book is hard to come by and you are happy to keep it as is (despite the less-than-honest listing), then keep the book, and leave the feedback as is. You've been honest and fair in your feedback, only marking the seller low in the areas you were not happy about.

If you are unhappy with the item as it is and want the refund, by all means take him up on his offer. IMO, you should probably still leave the feedback as is, though. Again, you're being perfectly honest about the situation. Personally, if I am a seller, I would be inclined to be over-descriptive when it comes to 'faults' in what I'm selling, so this kind of thing is less likely to happen. The seller here didn't appear to take that type of care or was possibly hoping that you would give him positive feedback anyway, or perhaps he could buy his way out of it.

[1AZRAEL1]

Paul I'd leave the feedback as is. So what if he wants to be a 100% seller? It's not there for him to be look good if he doesn't describe the items correctly. It gives others a warning that he described your item inaccurately.

And if it is rare, I'd still hold onto it and leave the feedback as is too.

[UltraMarginal]

did you contact him at all before leaving the feedback?
Under the circumstances, if he'd offered to pay for it's return and a refund then, I'd probably still be giving neutral feedback for the reasons above.

If you'd tried to contact and not had any luck that would be a definite negative.

[Megatron]

eBay's own Global Shipping Program:


Int'l Priority Shipping only available choice (no First Class)
Import charges
Poor combined shipping calculator (not much more than just adding the separate costs together)
Grrr... :mad:

[CBratron]

Never get caught out by that.
Always sort your searches by price + postage.

[Megatron]

Never get caught out by that.
Always sort your searches by price + postage.

If you're referring to the GSP, the extra (hidden) charges don't show up in the search. You have to read the fine print in the listing itself, and even then it won't show you the exact amount until the auction ends.

[Skullcruncher]

If you're referring to the GSP, the extra (hidden) charges don't show up in the search. You have to read the fine print in the listing itself, and even then it won't show you the exact amount until the auction ends.

WTF is with the import charges!?! I don't even have to pay any actual import charges on the small sized items I usually buy yet ebay is still charging me. :mad:

[griffin]

They shouldn't be charging import fees. ???
If it is applicable, it would be Customs charging you... and that's only if it were over a certain value.

Sounds a bit scammish to me. The only thing a seller should be entitled to charge for is the shipping, and only within a reasonable amount of the actual postage cost. (so check what it ends up costing when you receive it, compared to what you were charged)

Expensive trackable shipping is required to cover the seller from scam-buyers (who claim refunds for items they receive, but the seller can't prove that it was delivered), but the seller has to use that expensive shipping method if they charge for it.

[Megatron]

They shouldn't be charging import fees. ???
If it is applicable, it would be Customs charging you... and that's only if it were over a certain value.

Sounds a bit scammish to me. The only thing a seller should be entitled to charge for is the shipping, and only within a reasonable amount of the actual postage cost. (so check what it ends up costing when you receive it, compared to what you were charged)

Expensive trackable shipping is required to cover the seller from scam-buyers (who claim refunds for items they receive, but the seller can't prove that it was delivered), but the seller has to use that expensive shipping method if they charge for it.

From what I gathered, it's eBay that charges the fee and not the seller. Basically how it works is that if a seller in the US uses this program, they don't have to worry about handling the item at all after the auction ends; it's all done at eBay's GSP center where they package and ship the item off to the buyer (using a private courier, not UPS) without the seller having to do anything at all (except for sending the item to the center in the first place). Then, if there's a problem, PayPal will only cover the actual cost of the item, and not the shipping.

[Kazza]

From what I gathered, it's eBay that charges the fee and not the seller. Basically how it works is that if a seller in the US uses this program, they don't have to worry about handling the item at all after the auction ends; it's all done at eBay's GSP center where they package and ship the item off to the buyer (using a private courier, not UPS) without the seller having to do anything at all (except for sending the item to the center in the first place). Then, if there's a problem, PayPal will only cover the actual cost of the item, and not the shipping.

F**k i just paid for my botcon clench thinking i was paying for USPS Priority mail until i saw a 2nd payment made to the third party in charge of handling the shipping on my paypal receipt. What if the item actually gets lost in mail or doesnt arrive in intended country? Surely you have to be able to get the full refund on shipping?!!

[Megatron]

F**k i just paid for my botcon clench thinking i was paying for USPS Priority mail until i saw a 2nd payment made to the third party in charge of handling the shipping on my paypal receipt. What if the item actually gets lost in mail or doesnt arrive in intended country? Surely you have to be able to get the full refund on shipping?!!

I'm not sure... if it can be proven that the courier is at fault then you may get a shipping refund. But I'm just guessing. Hopefully your item will arrive safe and sound, so you won't have to deal with any of that.

[Koroboo]

Biggest rort of 'shipping charges' I've ever seen...
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SET-OF-OPTIMUS-PRIME-MASTERPIECE-AUTOBOT-TRANSFORMER-H-SBRO-/330900545391?pt=AU_Action_Figures&hash=item4d0b359f6f&_uhb=1#ht_500wt_1414

[1AZRAEL1]

Report it. People like that try to get out of paying ebay fees. And that figure is not even worth that much either.

[griffin]

I reported it. Considering how often people used to avoid ebay fees by cranking up the shipping amount, it didn't appear to be an option on the menu of reasons it was being reported. And I couldn't say why I was selecting "other", so ebay will either ignore it or spend a couple seconds looking over the listing to see what jumps out as obvious.

I wonder how successful you could be in getting it cheap with the "buyer protection" element of Paypal. As in, you buy it for the minimum bid of $1, and pay $300 in total, but then when it arrives with significantly less postage, you make a claim or complaint to ebay about excessive shipping charges.
I get the impression that buyer protection might only cover the item itself (and it's price), so any excessive postage might only end up with just being able to give negative feedback... so it might not be worth the risk on an item that isn't worth $300. If it were a total of $200, and you were desperate for it, that would be worth the risk, because even if you didn't get any money back, you didn't spend more than the current going rate of this figure (with shipping) anyway.

[Koroboo]

Ended bidding now, whether from expiry or reporting I'm not sure, I'll make sure I report all silly postage auctions in the future, I wasn't aware you could even do that...

[Jetfire in the sky]

I have been very interested in a number of items out of Honk Kong lately, I have family that live in Guangzhou (Mainland China) and HK. The family in GZ are more flexible when it comes to onforwarding items to me in Oz. So I first ask the HK seller what the price for shipping is to GZ, if it comes back to the price they are sending to the rest of the World then I am a little sceptical so then I send a follow up e-mail asking for either local pick up in HK or postage to HK address. When it still comes up as same price as Rest of the World it sounds more scammy than usual.
I had this happen a few months ago for multiple items that I bought from a HK seller, so we had an e-mail discussion that ended quite amicably. Pretty much ended with: "If you are locked into these postage prices for a HK address I will report you to e-bay" he replied, "How about we just cancel the transactions." Thanks mate :-)
Having had enough of this BS I have recently reported someone for pulling the same sheizer, lets see how it pans out.

[Jetfire in the sky]

I reported it. Considering how often people used to avoid ebay fees by cranking up the shipping amount, it didn't appear to be an option on the menu of reasons it was being reported. And I couldn't say why I was selecting "other", so ebay will either ignore it or spend a couple seconds looking over the listing to see what jumps out as obvious.



The option is there it's click on Report item (on auction in question's page)
First drop down box : Listing Practices
Second box: Other Listing Practices
Third: Postage related charges

Yes it is odd that postage fraud isn't one of the first main options

[Jetfire in the sky]

The auctions I reported were not taken down. Once again e-bay is happy to take buyers money and not worry too much about the price that they are paying for excess postage as they get a cut of it. Gotta love 'em.

[janda the red]

Edit... never mind

[Bladestorm]

As someone with a little experience as a HK eBay seller I thought I'd share a bit of inside knowledge with you guys:
All destinations are not equal when it comes to shipping out of Hong Kong.
HK Post has a joint agreement for discounted postage with US/UK/Canada/Oz and NZ.
Some HK sellers (myself included - you must be registered to access discounted shipping rates) can use this shipping method that works out cheaper than standard airmail for parcels under 2kg. A parcel of just over 1kg works out costing around AU$20 to ship tracked with a 7 to 20 day delivery time (excluding packaging materials/fees based on todays exchange rate) to Australia.
Just as an example of how crazy it is: It is cheaper for me to ship something 200 gm in weight to Sydney or Auckland than to Singapore/Philippines by over US$5 - go figure!
I just looked up mainland China and it is more expensive than shipping to Sydney - AU$26-$27 to ship a 1 kg package there using HK Post.
So worth keeping this in mind if looking to redirect your shipping...
HK addresses however ARE significantly cheaper to ship to (AU$6.50 for 1 kg).

I have the same gripe about overcharging postage with Robotkingdom who charge me US international shipping when my home is only 10 km away from their warehouse as they aren't geared up to deal with local sales and won't budge on that stance (for me anyways).


I have been very interested in a number of items out of Honk Kong lately, I have family that live in Guangzhou (Mainland China) and HK. The family in GZ are more flexible when it comes to onforwarding items to me in Oz. So I first ask the HK seller what the price for shipping is to GZ, if it comes back to the price they are sending to the rest of the World then I am a little sceptical so then I send a follow up e-mail asking for either local pick up in HK or postage to HK address. When it still comes up as same price as Rest of the World it sounds more scammy than usual.
I had this happen a few months ago for multiple items that I bought from a HK seller, so we had an e-mail discussion that ended quite amicably. Pretty much ended with: "If you are locked into these postage prices for a HK address I will report you to e-bay" he replied, "How about we just cancel the transactions." Thanks mate :-)
Having had enough of this BS I have recently reported someone for pulling the same sheizer, lets see how it pans out.

[Penetrator]

I have the same gripe about overcharging postage with Robotkingdom who charge me US international shipping when my home is only 10 km away from their warehouse as they aren't geared up to deal with local sales and won't budge on that stance (for me anyways).


Hey Bladestorm,

since you reside in HK, you might as well just go there to a local store and buy it. Not to mention the fun with haggling your price down. im sure you can at least get $20 hkd down :P

Its part of the fun when shopping in HK. Although its not quite the same story now as it use to be due to the flux in tourism and super-rich people from mainland china buying out everything without asking for any discounts.

[Bladestorm]

I do buy 95% of my items at local stores Penetrator, but some items never make it onto the streets here and local store pre-orders sell out fast so desperation leads to Robot Kingdom... ;) For example the latest Asia re-issue MP-10 was impossible to buy on the street here and I was too late to pre-order it from local stores as they'd already sold out their pre-order quotas.

Unfortunately most stores selling the real licensed Transformers products won't haggle their prices these days. Be wary of stores that do and ALWAYS check they are selling the real thing. Not to say it doesn't happen but better to be safe than sorry if you're pedantic like I am.
(Sorry for hijacking the thread).


Hey Bladestorm,

since you reside in HK, you might as well just go there to a local store and buy it. Not to mention the fun with haggling your price down. im sure you can at least get $20 hkd down :P

Its part of the fun when shopping in HK. Although its not quite the same story now as it use to be due to the flux in tourism and super-rich people from mainland china buying out everything without asking for any discounts.

[bowspearer]

Bought a MISB Classic Tracks (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Transformers-G1-Tracks-MISB-1990-Classic-/322391286902?) from johnb79.2008 (http://www.ebay.com.au/usr/johnb79.2008?_trksid=p2047675.l2559).

Actual postage costs: $7.60
Cost of Bx2 mailer: $2.40

Total shipping costs: $10

Shipping charge listed (which I presumed was him covering himself with an broad estimate): $45 - 450% of the actual shipping costs (a $35 "handling fee").

In addition to seller's poor attitude and terrible customer service, they are being incredibly difficult in terms of doing the ethical thing and refunding the excess - giving me the choice between either 50% of the shipping costs or returning the figure.

Then again, I shouldn't be surprised - even the eBay representative I spoke to over the phone on the matter, commented on his terrible attitude after seeing the sellers messages to me.

In fact, I think the most recent message says it all.

UPDATE:

When I raised the issue with him, he tried to weasel his way out of it over the course of 5 messages - at first trying to hide behind the listed shipping costs (as if they negate his contract with eBay when he listed the item - rather than his contract negating the charges), then insisting on either the return or only giving back 50% of the shipping costs (still a $12 "handling" fee), and even playing the victim at one point. I then drew a line in the sand- asking for the fourth and final time:


Are you going to refund the excess $35 which you charged in direct breach of eBay terms of use,or are you refusing to?

As I was tired of his weaselling BS, I added:


Just so we're clear, any response other than you agreeing to do the ethical thing here and refund the excess shipping, I will consider to be a refusal to do so.

I got a weaselling response back, so I responded saying that in light of my last message to him and his response to me, I was reasonably considering his most recent response to me to be a refusal to honour eBay TOU and would be taking further action.

This was his last message to me:


I tell u what I'll do: I'll offer u a 50% discount OR you may, at your cost return the item to me (eBay's rules, not mine) AND I will not invoice you an additional $60 for the time of mine you have taken.
(bolding emphasis mine)

I'm not even going to dignify it with a response.

Update 2:

Well it seems he wasn't too happy with my negative feedback - a comment of:


Contemptous attitude, terrible customer service, charged $35 "handling fee".

I'm basing assessment of his reaction on the following message I received from him:


Can't believe u left negative feedback - what a dirty keyboard warrior u really are. A snivelling grubby coward. Typical scum Aussie

[TAAUBlaster]

Bought a MISB Classic Tracks (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Transformers-G1-Tracks-MISB-1990-Classic-/322391286902?) from johnb79.2008 (http://www.ebay.com.au/usr/johnb79.2008?_trksid=p2047675.l2559).

Actual postage costs: $7.60
Cost of Bx2 mailer: $2.40

Total shipping costs: $10

Shipping charge listed (which I presumed was him covering himself with an broad estimate): $45 - 450% of the actual shipping costs (a $35 "handling fee").

In addition to seller's poor attitude and terrible customer service, they are being incredibly difficult in terms of doing the ethical thing and refunding the excess - giving me the choice between either 50% of the shipping costs or returning the figure.

Then again, I shouldn't be surprised - even the eBay representative I spoke to over the phone on the matter, commented on his terrible attitude after seeing the sellers messages to me.

In fact, I think the most recent message says it all.

*Snipped the rest of the quote to keep my reply short*


That sucks man. The "threat" of an invoice for an additional $60 makes me laugh. You should report him to Ebay for that, and especially for his reply to your negative feedback. That's not acceptable at all.

I had a run in with him too a while ago. I enquired about one of his auctions, and he resorted to name calling and pettiness without any provocation after I raised a few legitimate questions with him.
Honestly, I can't understand how he has had so many successful transactions as a seller. His attitude is just appalling. Even though he has had a few things I've been interested in, no way I will ever deal with him.

[bowspearer]

That sucks man. The "threat" of an invoice for an additional $60 makes me laugh. You should report him to Ebay for that, and especially for his reply to your negative feedback. That's not acceptable at all.

I had a run in with him too a while ago. I enquired about one of his auctions, and he resorted to name calling and pettiness without any provocation after I raised a few legitimate questions with him.
Honestly, I can't understand how he has had so many successful transactions as a seller. His attitude is just appalling. Even though he has had a few things I've been interested in, no way I will ever deal with him.

Oh it's been like the Jerry Springer Show in some ways. I didn't respond to his last message directly. I did however respond indirectly by both reporting him for excess shipping charges and for his abusive and racist message to me on eBay.

Seems he must've been informed about it by eBay and wasn't too happy about it, judging by the message he left me of:


U prick.

As an aside, I wonder what he did with the few seconds he saved by writing "U" instead of "You".

He also left the following feedback for me:


This guy is a total prat. I'd go so far as to say he's definitely a virgin.

What I find hilarious about all of this is that he's sent another abusive message which goes against eBay TOU that I can report him on and it's also against eBay TOU to leave negative comments in positive feedback - meaning I can report him for that too. It's honestly starting to be bad comedy. Imagine if he finds out that I've disclosed what happened publicly here lol.

[BigTransformerTrev]

' Typical Scum Aussie' !?!? :eek:


Report him for racism! Doesn't matter if he is based here or not, doesn't mean he himself is Australian :mad:

[Megatran]

Rude behaviour from Buyer &/or Seller is never acceptable.

What I'm not clear on:
+ Was the shipping price listed at $45 at time of transaction?
+ Was the shipping price increased at anytime during or just before the transaction?
+ Prior to the transaction, was there any written agreement between the parties involved to repay any handling fees?
+ What was the outcome of the dispute when the matter was raised with ebay? i.e. the decision was in who's favour?

[bowspearer]

What I'm not clear on:
+ Was the shipping price listed at $45 at time of transaction?
+ Was the shipping price increased at anytime during or just before the transaction?
+ Prior to the transaction, was there any written agreement between the parties involved to repay any handling fees?
+ What was the outcome of the dispute when the matter was raised with ebay? i.e. the decision was in who's favour?

While I appreciate where you're coming from Megatran, the problem with your questions, while they certainly are reasonable questions to ask, is that in isolation, they lack context and are therefore somewhat irrelevant.

That context only comes when each of those questions are looked at in the context of two other questions.

Those questions are:

+Is there any agreement which automatically overrules and overrides any agreement with a buyer and seller on eBay?

And:

+In the context of the above question, is the seller prohibited from charging excessive shipping fees?

The answer to both of those questions is yes.

Firstly, any time a seller lists an item, they agree to eBay's terms of use in doing so (from memory, quite literally in the form of ticking a check box). As such, any agreement that is made between a seller and a buyer is governed by eBay's terms of use for sellers, just as it is governed by eBay's terms of use for buyers. As such there is a reasonably and justifiable expectation of sellers that buyers will adhere to eBay's terms of use for buyers, just as that there is a reasonable and justifiable expectation of buyers that sellers will adhere to eBay's terms of use.

Those terms of use are clear and explicit here (http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-practices.html) concerning excessive shipping:


When using calculated shipping, make sure the calculated cost isn't higher than the actual shipping cost. If so, it's considered excessive shipping, which isn't allowed on eBay.

In other words, a seller could even theoretically charge $5,000 in shipping - just as long as the actually shipping costs were $5,000.

So with that in mind, let's go through each of those questions.


+ Was the shipping price listed at $45 at time of transaction?

Yes, the listing did list shipping at $45, however the seller had agreed in the process of listing the item that they would refrain from charging excessive shipping charges. As such, there was a reasonable and justifiable expectation on my part, that the actual shipping costs themselves would be $45. As per their agreement with eBay, there was also a reasonable expectation on my part, which by listing the item, the seller had also agreed to, that as I wasn't being charged excessive shipping fees, that if the seller had overestimated shipping costs, that they should reimburse me any amount of the shipping fee I had paid which was in excess of the shipping costs. (As an aside, I have no problem with sellers initially overestimating shipping costs if they're trying to account for a worst case scenario. I just expect them to do the right thing if there is an overcharging.)

In short, the listed shipping cost of $45 is only valid so long as the actual shipping costs are approximately $45.


+ Was the shipping price increased at anytime during or just before the transaction?

Not to my knowledge, but again, the shipping costs were in breach of eBay's terms of use the seller agreed to when they listed the item - at the very least as of the moment the seller posted the item and was aware that the actual shipping costs were nowhere near the price he had charged me. Either way, the shipping charge was in direct breach of the agreement he made with eBay when he listed the item and ultimately that is the overriding factor here.


+ Prior to the transaction, was there any written agreement between the parties involved to repay any handling fees?

Again said written agreement is covered by eBay's prohibition on excessive shipping charges (which the seller agreed to when they listed the item) which places a reasonable obligation on the part of the seller and a reasonable expectation on the part of the buyer, that any excessive shipping charges would be refunded. To that end, there is also a reasonable expectation on the part of the buyer and a reasonable obligation on the part of the seller, that the seller will refund any overcharged amount when the buyer requests it - even if that is after the buyer has received an item (which is usually when an excessive shipping charge is discovered).


+ What was the outcome of the dispute when the matter was raised with ebay? i.e. the decision was in who's favour?

As far as Paypal goes, they have no mechanisms in place for disputing excess shipping charges. As for eBay, I was told they were taking the matter seriously, but due to privacy reasons, they could not advise me of the outcome of the matter.

[Borgeman]

You used to be able to report sellers for excessive shipping. That was removed some time ago. Charging excessive shipping doesn't matter anymore to eBay because they charge a final value fee on the item amount PLUS shipping. So because they get a slice of the shipping, the bigger the better. In the past they cared because the shipping was not included in that.

Personally I have some things to put forward on the matter. I hate sellers who rip you off will postage costs, but there are things you can do to prevent that.

- I assume the item arrived undamaged since you haven't mentioned otherwise. For something so expensive, I'd happy trade the $35 for the knowledge that it was not damaged and you dont have to fight for a partial/full refund. Also take note that even if he had used a courier with extra insurance, theres no actual guarantee it would arrive undamaged.

- My other point is looking on the auction page, the postage reads "$45 Standard Delivery - Registered." That means he is using stock standard Auspost to post it. If you use eBay a bit you should know this. Even from Perth something that size will not cost $45 to post*. Why would you agree to the purchase with that knowledge? You basically agreed to give him $45 to ship the item using regular post! Doesn't matter what it ended up costing, you agreed to pay the $45. Remember the same applies if a seller quotes $10 shipping, and it ends up being $25 - the seller has to cop the hit and pay that themselves, the buyer is not required to cough up more money after the fact.

*If in doubt you can always look it up yourself using a rough weight estimate on the Auspost website:
https://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/postage-tips-guides/downloadable-post-guides

- As an extension from that, for anything rare or expensive you should always cover your bases by asking the seller for an specific postage cost to your postcode or how he intends to ship it, that way if he says one thing (eg: will still cost $45 to you/ ill be using an overnight courier) and does another thing (eg: only costs $15/ uses regular auspost instead of the promised courier) you have that as evidence within ebay's messaging system, thus they can see you have been defrauded and can take action to recover your money. Right now all you have is the $10 of the shipping and the box, technically you can't actually prove to eBay that it didn't cost him $35 in handling. What if he lives 100km from the nearest post office? Fuel arguably becomes a handling expense (that is just a hypothetical).

- If you do some/all of the above, and it doesn't add up, don't buy it off them. If the price of the item is too good to let go in your eyes, then you make the gamble, but you're making that decision based off all the information you may have obtained.

Again its clear this guy gave an inflated shipping cost to make a few extra bucks. I'm just pointing out to you some things to help prevent this from happening to you again. Hopefully eBay do the right thing and get you a partial refund.

[bowspearer]

- I assume the item arrived undamaged since you haven't mentioned otherwise. For something so expensive, I'd happy trade the $35 for the knowledge that it was not damaged and you dont have to fight for a partial/full refund. Also take note that even if he had used a courier with extra insurance, theres no actual guarantee it would arrive undamaged.

See, maybe it's just me, but I don't believe I should pay extra for sellers to go to the nth to pack things as best as they can. Those times when I've sold things, I've always gone out of my way to pack and pad stuff to the nth to ensure it gets to the other end with minimal damage and I've only every charged for materials I haven't been able to scrounge for to do it. So to me, the notion of having to pay extra to get a seller to essentially do their job, kind of seems absurd to me and it's the standard I hold myself to when I sell things.



- My other point is looking on the auction page, the postage reads "$45 Standard Delivery - Registered." That means he is using stock standard Auspost to post it. If you use eBay a bit you should know this. Even from Perth something that size will not cost $45 to post*. Why would you agree to the purchase with that knowledge? You basically agreed to give him $45 to ship the item using regular post! Doesn't matter what it ended up costing, you agreed to pay the $45. Remember the same applies if a seller quotes $10 shipping, and it ends up being $25 - the seller has to cop the hit and pay that themselves, the buyer is not required to cough up more money after the fact.

If it was to Australia only, absolutely and I completely get where you're coming from here. The problem here is that if you look at the item description, it was listed as the seller posting worldwide, which would still be registered Australia Post these days - even if it's going by surface. As I understand it, Australia Post now give tracking on everything because of the amount of eBay parcels going through their system. $45 is certainly price gouging for Australia, but for somewhere like the US, it's certainly a reasonable ballpark. The dilemma in situations like this is whether what you're seeing is calculated shipping or whether it's a flat figure the seller has put out there to cover themselves; last I checked, eBay gave the option of stating either in a listing.

[Borgeman]

See, maybe it's just me, but I don't believe I should pay extra for sellers to go to the nth to pack things as best as they can. Those times when I've sold things, I've always gone out of my way to pack and pad stuff to the nth to ensure it gets to the other end with minimal damage and I've only every charged for materials I haven't been able to scrounge for to do it. So to me, the notion of having to pay extra to get a seller to essentially do their job, kind of seems absurd to me and it's the standard I hold myself to when I sell things.

2 things here - firstly, if he is the type of person that buys all packing material new for every sale, that's totally his right and also is his right to include that as part of the shipping and handling (im sure some online stores do this). Secondly, I didn't mean to sound like you should accept the $35 as part of him doing his job, what I meant was that given this has all happened yet you still got the toy undamaged, I'd live with the "lost" $35 and be happy the toy arrived safely, especially since it is valuable.




If it was to Australia only, absolutely and I completely get where you're coming from here. The problem here is that if you look at the item description, it was listed as the seller posting worldwide, which would still be registered Australia Post these days - even if it's going by surface. As I understand it, Australia Post now give tracking on everything because of the amount of eBay parcels going through their system. $45 is certainly price gouging for Australia, but for somewhere like the US, it's certainly a reasonable ballpark. The dilemma in situations like this is whether what you're seeing is calculated shipping or whether it's a flat figure the seller has put out there to cover themselves; last I checked, eBay gave the option of stating either in a listing.

You're right about Auspost, tracking is standard on all parcels now.

The postage changes depending on where the prospective buyer is viewing the item. If I look the item up on ebay.com (no '.au'), and choose any other country for a shipping estimate, I get the following:

AU $65.00 United States AusPost Registered Post International Parcel

Both numbers are obviously numbers he added himself. It's no dilemma though - if it stays the same no matter what postcode you put into the calculator, its his own flat figure. Yes the $45 is gouging, but if you knew that why did you buy it? The fact remains is that they were the stated postage amounts and you chose to make the purchase. I'm just saying do some research in future to ensure you are properly satisfied with any/all postage charges, especially if the numbers seem high to begin with.


This actually reminds me of something from a couple years back - I wanted to buy a single birthday/greeting card from the webstore of Explosm.net
The postage quoted was around USD$40, to send a card in an envelope!
I queried it and asked if there was a cheaper alternaitve, and was told there was some recent changes to their shipping, and that "at this moment we don't really have another way of getting things out to you."
Now unless you use some International overnight express letter service (and they wouldn't), it does not cost $40 to send an envelope. I did not proceed with the transaction, because I knew that it would cost them much less (on my e-mail reply to them, I researched it to be $12) to post me an envelope, and could not justify the quoted shipping in any way. That logic kind of applies here.

[Skullcruncher]

If I saw an auction for something that size and postage at $45, I'd assume it was next day delivery. If I paid that and they sent it regular post then I'd query it for sure, if they responded like that I'd neg them straight away.

Recently I purchased a bag from the US for $12, postage was to be worked out after the sale. I was expecting it to be around $15-$20 US. Seller sent me an invoice for $70.:eek: I just said I wasn't paying that much so we cancelled the sale. However if it was a G1 MISB item, I be happy to pay that just to get it to me!

Based on this sellers auction listings and suspicious auctions when the same items were listed at $1.00 I just wouldn't buy from them.

[Megatran]

It sounds as though people are making assumptions with the shipping cost. The most common being whack in box & pay for shipping from Point A to Point B.

There's the cost associated with maintaining a vehicle to transport the consignment to Point A (most commonly a Post Office). Borgeman touched on this. A 10km trip, at $0.76 per km, adds $7.60.

There's the high cost of running a contaminant-free room for packing the consignment. Decontamination chamber for removing contaminants from body, utensils & items to be shipped. Positive pressure flow, ULPA (Ultra Low Particulate Air) filter, temperature contol, lighting, contamination suit & respirator. Autoclave to sterilise equipment. Some people just don't realise (or appreciate) what is involved in the process. It magically arrives at Point B in an immaculate condition. :rolleyes:

[bowspearer]

2 things here - firstly, if he is the type of person that buys all packing material new for every sale, that's totally his right and also is his right to include that as part of the shipping and handling (im sure some online stores do this).

Even so, from the amount of bubblewrap used in the sale, you're not talking about more than $5 extra in handling costs.


what I meant was that given this has all happened yet you still got the toy undamaged, I'd live with the "lost" $35 and be happy the toy arrived safely, especially since it is valuable.

If it wasn't an eBay sale or was a sale on some venue which didn't explicitly have as part of their terms of use, then fair enough. My issue is an ethical one - namely that when the seller listed that item, part of that action was an agreement to refrain from charging excessive shipping charges; they didn't.


It sounds as though people are making assumptions with the shipping cost. The most common being whack in box & pay for shipping from Point A to Point B.

It's more a case of some of us not looking at customer service as something to squeeze as much money out of customers as possible with and finding the actions and attitudes of those who do to be a complete anathema to us.


There's the cost associated with maintaining a vehicle to transport the consignment to Point A (most commonly a Post Office). Borgeman touched on this. A 10km trip, at $0.76 per km, adds $7.60.

That argument only really applies if you're talking about remote rural locations where there is a significant distance between a seller's residence and their post office. In this case we're talking about a seller in Perth, meaning that it would be a ludicrous situation for a post office to be something like 10km away from the seller's residence.

However even if, for the sake of argument, you say that the seller had to travel 10km in a round trip to reach their post office and had to spend $5 on bubblewrap, you're still talking about only adding under $13 to the that $10, which still leaves $22 which cannot be accounted for by your argument and Borgeman's argument - almost 100% more than the expenses your arguments potentially raise.


There's the high cost of running a contaminant-free room for packing the consignment. Decontamination chamber for removing contaminants from body, utensils & items to be shipped. Positive pressure flow, ULPA (Ultra Low Particulate Air) filter, temperature contol, lighting, contamination suit & respirator. Autoclave to sterilise equipment.

Aren't you making assumptions about the setup the person does or does not have here? We're not talking about a 70,000+ feedback seller here or a professional business here; we're talking about a seller with 210 feedback including his feedback as a buyer. What reason would there be to even remotely suggest that the seller in question has said setup. Secondly, shouldn't the seller be factoring those costs into the cost of the item rather than the cost of shipping?


Some people just don't realise (or appreciate) what is involved in the process. It magically arrives at Point B in an immaculate condition. :rolleyes:

Alternately, aren't you overestimating it by coming up with convoluted scenarios which don't even apply to such a low volume seller, such as assuming that then must be using a contaminant free room for packing consignments when there is absolutely nothing to suggest that this is even remotely the case here?

Honestly wondering if you're coming into this discussion with an axe to grind.

[prjkt]

There's the high cost of running a contaminant-free room for packing the consignment. Decontamination chamber for removing contaminants from body, utensils & items to be shipped. Positive pressure flow, ULPA (Ultra Low Particulate Air) filter, temperature contol, lighting, contamination suit & respirator. Autoclave to sterilise equipment. Some people just don't realise (or appreciate) what is involved in the process. It magically arrives at Point B in an immaculate condition. :rolleyes:

It's at this point I realised Megatran was taking the piss

[bowspearer]

One other thing, it hasn't helped that the seller in question has shown themselves to belligerent, arrogant, rude and utterly contemptuous.

Case in point, when the item was a day off the tail end of eBay's ETA, I messaged the seller to find out what was happening. I got a message back saying it was really late due to them working, public holidays and "blah blah blah" (their exact words) and that they'd get me the tracking number.

3 days pass, radio silence - no message from him, no automated message from eBsy with a tracking number update to the item). I didn't see the point in checking back if there was nothing to indicate there was new information there (again, when I sell something, I get the buyer the tracking info within 24 hours - on eBay that's both as a message and as an update to the listing info).

After the three days had passed, I sent him another message, saying that I wasn't happy and that if I didn't have the tracking info in the next 3 days, I'd be filing a Paypal dispute. Their response was to have a go at me for not checking on the eBay listing tracking info. When I responded that there was no reason for me to check it as there was no notification from eBay, the seller tried to flip it around on me by claiming that eBay ALWAYS sends out notification emails. I double-checked both my spam folders and inbox in case I somehow missed it - it wasn't there.

I messaged the seller back saying "They didn't this time (I've just doublechecked my inbox and checked my spam folder on the off-chance it somehow wound up there - no notification email is there). Just goes to show that you can't count on eBay not to make glitches."

Their response:

"That's eBay's job. Not mine "

In fact, when I raised the matter with them, I said:

"I just got the item and while I'm happy with it, I'm not at all happy about the $35 "handling charge" According to the box, the postage costs were $7.60, while Australia Post lists the cost of a Bx2 mailing box at $2.40. That's a total of $10. I'm happy for you to take a $5 handling charge, but $35 is obscene and I expect the other $30 to be refunded to me in the next 24 hours. I'm very annoyed that I had to raise this with you rather than you doing the ethical thing and bouncing me back the excess when you became aware of it."

For starters, this whole situation would have been avoided had they been upfront about the discrepancy to begin with and honoured the agreement they made with eBay - raising the excess with me and bouncing back what they didn't need to cover the shipping.

Secondly, even though in the wake of everything, I was annoyed, both by him not being upfront with everything and his appalling attitude from the previous night, I was still showing a willingness to accept whatever reasonable handling charges the seller needed to cover (such as things like mileage). He could easily have turned around and said that the actual total costs included X,Y and Z and that the figure was a bit higher than it looked.

He instead chose to carry on with the same attitude which has clearly alienated not only myself, but others here as well.

I'll contrast that with another situation where eBay's rules didn't even apply. I was buying a few figures off a great guy called Boogdoc on Action-figures.ca when I noticed that there was a significant discrepancy between the shipping costs and what I'd paid for shipping. I raised it with him, he brought up mileage (he lives a fair way out from a post office), we factored that into the postage costs and he bounced me the excess.

As much as some might want to make this about buyers not understanding hidden shipping costs, the issue here is a dodgy seller whose attitude and ethics are utterly abysmal and who thinks nothing of openly rorting buyers on shipping.

[bowspearer]

It's at this point I realised Megatran was taking the piss

OK, my bad. What is it they say - the first casualties of any online discussion are nuance and sarcasm heh :).

[prjkt]

OK, my bad. What is it they say - the first casualties of any online discussion are nuance and sarcasm heh :).

and Megatran is a master

[bowspearer]

Add Mile High Comics (http://www.ebay.com.au/usr/milehighcomics?_trksid=p2047675.l2559) to the list - the eBay store of the website (http://www.milehighcomics.com/) of the same name.

I'd dealt with them in the past and they'd been great, so I thought it would be a breeze dealing with them this time too; boy was I wrong.

I bought 4 Toyfare magazines from them: Issue 12 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/232273209042?_trksid=p2057872.m2748.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT), Issue 38 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/232273209528?_trksid=p2057872.m2748.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT), Issue 14 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/302254596375?_trksid=p2057872.m2748.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT) and Issue 9 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/302254596220?_trksid=p2057872.m2748.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT).

You'll notice if you look at any of those listings, it says:


We list over 200,000 items in our eBay Store. Shipping costs apply only to the first item. All additional items in the same order ship for free!

Like hell they do!

When I go to pay for them eBay is telling me the shipping total is $56 USD rather than the $14 USD stated in the auction.

Furthermore when I attempt to request a total from the seller, I get the following eBay error message:


The seller does not offer combined postage discounts.The seller has disallowed combined payments and postage discounts. Please proceed to checkout to complete your purchase.

Seriously rethinking doing business with them again when they've disallowed the very combined shipping they promised in their listings.

[hYpNoS]

Add Mile High Comics (http://www.ebay.com.au/usr/milehighcomics?_trksid=p2047675.l2559) to the list - the eBay store of the website (http://www.milehighcomics.com/) of the same name.

I'd dealt with them in the past and they'd been great, so I thought it would be a breeze dealing with them this time too; boy was I wrong.

I bought 4 Toyfare magazines from them: Issue 12 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/232273209042?_trksid=p2057872.m2748.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT), Issue 38 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/232273209528?_trksid=p2057872.m2748.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT), Issue 14 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/302254596375?_trksid=p2057872.m2748.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT) and Issue 9 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/302254596220?_trksid=p2057872.m2748.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT).

You'll notice if you look at any of those listings, it says:



Like hell they do!

When I go to pay for them eBay is telling me the shipping total is $56 USD rather than the $14 USD stated in the auction.

Furthermore when I attempt to request a total from the seller, I get the following eBay error message:



Seriously rethinking doing business with them again when they've disallowed the very combined shipping they promised in their listings.

Have you tried pm'ing them about it?

Had a similar case, listing said combined shipping was possible but had a simerlar thing happen, pm'd them, they...were lost for words and (on their end) couldn't enable it.

In the end I just said "why not try refunding the excess after the transaction", gave them the math, and so they sent back the excess :D

If they don't respond after a few days don't bother and if they respond negatively then send them a final message on how misleading they are and move on, or skip that last part and move on, your call.

It doesn't cost money to ask, just saying

[JJJ]

So is this a general "report e-bay sellers who are bad about this so others can avoid them" thread? If so, I've got one from back in April to list.