berkeley
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posted on January 8, 2001 10:44:09 PM
Venting time! Being a Canadian buyer (& seller) I have email sellers all of the time just to see if they'll ship to Canada. So, when I find someone that sells internationally or to Canada, I figure that they've got it together. Wrong! Won a widget late last night. Get confirmation from the seller this morning. I reply to let him know that I'm in Canada. Figuring the changes from the USPS to small packet are so new, I mention it and even give him the link to the international rate calculator. The reply? "Not sure" He's not sure what shipping will be but tells me to send an extra $2 making it $6 shipping for a widget that likely weighs in at under a pound. If I didn't lurk around here I'd think that Ebay sellers were useless and lazy. But I know that's not true as there's some great people here. That's not the way I run my Ebay business and I know you don't either...right? Isn't a scale one of the necessary tools? I'm just really getting tired of sellers that don't know the meaning of customer service.
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cdnbooks
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posted on January 9, 2001 03:42:06 AM
...looks like the other sellers were too lazy to respond....
Bill
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debbielennon
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posted on January 9, 2001 04:37:04 AM
I don't have a scale & do not feel that it is necessary since most of what I sell runs about the same in weight. You may want to gently "remind" your seller that there should be a scale right in the lobby of the post office that he may use to get a more accurate weight and shipping charge for you as what he has proposed sounds a bit high. It was not too professional to just tell you to "add $2" IMO.
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codasaurus
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posted on January 9, 2001 05:20:02 AM
Hello Berkeley,
eBay contains a broad spectrum of personality types. You ran into one of the folks who doesn't seem to care all that much about servicing their customers.
I suggest emailing the seller and telling them that you will gladly pay once an exact cost is quoted. Otherwise the deal is off as you were unable to reach agreement on the completion of the transaction.
You might be negged and the seller might try to get a credit from eBay but you will have the emails for your appeal should eBay issue an NPB warning to you.
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margaretc
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posted on January 9, 2001 06:37:44 AM
Hello, Berkeley --
IMHO it is beyond "not too professional" to just tell you to "add $2.00". On small items it is often actually LESS expensive for me to ship to Canada ...... (service is not apples to apples comparable but the packages seem to arrive OK and I have had happy Canadian buyers .......)
I try very hard to cost shipping accurately and to refund money if I overcharge. If I undercharge (more likely as I sometimes get a little carried away with being careful in packing and often base my shipping charge on an estimated weight), I simply "eat it" and go on.
At a practical level, I think codasaurus' advice is excellent.......
Sell it all! I SAID SELL IT ALL!
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mintleslie
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posted on January 9, 2001 08:18:06 AM
With Gasoline approching $1.50 a gallon or more and time involved with packing , emails, etc. why shouldn't the buyer make a couple of bucks extra here and there, for every sell I might make a dollar or two extra from there's another one that I might lose a dollar or two, if you didn't want to pay shipping then you should have gone to Walmarts, not ebay!! And there are far more lazy buyers than sellers.
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athena1365
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posted on January 9, 2001 08:35:26 AM
Believe it or not, you can not buy everything that is on eBay at "Walmarts" and not every seller thinks "why shouldn't (I) make a couple of bucks extra here and there" by overcharging for postage (THANK GOD!)
That said, IMHO, always contact sellers before bidding about exact shipping costs if not listed specific to your location. No unpleasant surprises that way. If the seller was so lazy about quoting you shipping, imagine how poorly the rest of the sale could go (poor packaging, slow mailing, etc.)
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dialin4dollars
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posted on January 9, 2001 10:36:57 AM
I go out and find the item. That takes gas and time. I bring the item home. I clean it. That takes time. I take pictures. That takes time. I list it. That takes time. I pack it. That takes time. I take it to the Post Office (which is 12 miles from my home) that takes time. A few dollars made in shipping makes it all worth while since most items we sell don't even cover the labor involved. I always post my shipping cost in my auctions. Sometimes I make a buck or two but sometimes I eat it. If you sell on ebay at all believe me you are not lazy.
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cdnbooks
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posted on January 9, 2001 10:42:15 AM
I got a package from a US seller day. Rate calcultor gave a price of US$3.50 for AIR mail. We agreed on this and another $0.75 handling.
It arrived today via surface mail in a bubble envelope. US$1.37 postage.
To neg, or not to neg, that is the question.
Bill
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codasaurus
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posted on January 9, 2001 01:25:46 PM
Hello Cndbooks,
Not much of a question to my way of thinking. You and the seller negotiated a manner of shipping and the price for said service. The seller didn't deliver. Possibly because they figured no buyer really looks at the postage cost as they eagerly tear open the package.
A neutral or negative to the seller might just be enough of a wake up call for them that they honor their deals in the future.
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cassiescloset
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posted on January 9, 2001 01:41:27 PM
I don't understand the problem some sellers have shipping to Canada or Europe. I have a supply of customs forms, which take about 30 seconds to fill out.
I do have to calculate the shipping from the USPS website, but that only adds another minute or so.
I am happy to do business with Canada or Western Europe, although I won't ship to Australia since every transaction there has been trouble.
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