posted on August 29, 2001 07:33:24 PM new
what should i do i frist emaild asking for shipping info so i could send shiping cost
she never sent it my tos say buyer pays shipping and Insurance she won 2 items at $5each that $10 and 1.10 each Insurance
with out leting me tell how much shipping is she sent payment useing paypal for $12.20
no shipping so i email back that Priority Mail Rates for them is 7.70 at up to 5lb the frist email i send said they could not be ship together she emailed saying since i last emailed telling she would need to send the ex $15.40 shipping she said that she already sent $12.20 she would only be sending$3.50 for shipping
now what do i do if i send it i will lose money on the items
i do not want negative feedback i only have feedback of 32 but they are all good
thanks
posted on August 29, 2001 07:37:32 PM new
She don't pay the price, she don't get her stuff. Very simple. You've done nothing wrong here.
Although, you may find that it will make your life easier if you put a shipping amount in your auctions. If you don't know the amount, guess. (And guess high.)
posted on August 29, 2001 07:39:27 PM new
Did your auction state shipping? What type of feedback does this buyer have?
If I were you, I would email her one more time. Tell her if she doesn't send the correct shipping, you will send her back her money, then file for the Final Value Fee credit and leave the appropriate feedback. Then I would block her from bidding on any more of my auctions.
posted on August 29, 2001 07:45:00 PM new
here is what my Auction saids Description
Toys abound in this traditional window statue with front and back view. Hand painted by my self . This pice has the most WONDERFUL detail! of any I have painted yet .This would look grate in any house for Christmas ! or would make a grate gift for anyone . Size: 9 inches Buyer pays shipping .Insurance of $1.10 is optional but highly recommended If you would like to see more Photo email me i will send you more email:[email protected] Thank you for bidding IAcceptMoney Order/Cashiers Check and paypal
her feedback is 108 all good i am hopping that it is
just a miss undersanting
posted on August 29, 2001 07:52:27 PM new
I took a look at the auctions you have running. Your spelling and punctuation are part of the trouble I think. Your sentences are all run together, and it sounds like you are stating that shipping and insurance are $1.10.
You don't mention how heavy this item is. It could very easily be very light and not anywhere near the weight that would cost $7 to ship. Perhaps your emails to this buyer are as unclear as the auction itself, and that is the trouble.
Try some more detailed descriptions, use a spell checker, and post the exact shipping costs. These are your first auctions, and these troubles need sorting out before you list any others.
posted on August 29, 2001 08:27:06 PM new
I disagree, I think that it is clear that the Buyer pays shipping. Granted, there was not the correct spacing needed to separate the sentences, but there IS a period at the end of that sentence and the next sentence states that insurance is $1.10 and is optional......I think this buyer just needs to pay attention to the "periods" and not read it as though it is not separated. I would email back and tell the buyer, that you are sorry that they misread your terms, but shipping as stated in the auction is the buyers responsibility and insurance is optional at their additional cost. If they wish to have their item shipped, then they need to forward "X amount" more or you will need to file for ebay final value fee reimbursement along with posting appropriate feedback in their history for this transaction. I think it is clear that someone (the buyer) is trying to take advantage of a situation knowing from the content of the TOS that this seller is not from this country or has difficulty with wording. I say stick to your guns and in the future, go into your TOS and put more spacing between where one sentence ends and another sentence begins. That should fix it!
posted on August 29, 2001 08:58:29 PM new
It was a bit confusing. You might want to use a WP to write your Descriptions. I did understand your terms and the buyer needs to understand that the item costs more than $2.20 to ship.
posted on August 29, 2001 09:12:06 PM new
I wouldn't be bidding on a 9 inch figurine or statue and expect the shipping to be only $1.10. As I mentioned before, the grammar may not be perfect but it seems clear enough. If the buyer doesn't want to pay for the shipping, I would just explain to them that they misunderstood your TOS. If they don't want to follow through on the purchase, you can still apply to refund your FVF by reason of "mutual agreement". No need to give them a negative feedback about it. If they leave you a negative feedback, just respond that the buyer misunderstood the cost of shipping and refused to pay the actual shipping charges as stated in the auction. Of course you can always respond with a negative if you feel you must...
posted on August 29, 2001 09:20:03 PM new
I looked at the two auctions and there is NO PERIOD after the word "shipping". The word "Insurance" is capitalized, but it still looks like one sentence. In fact, it looks like you're saying shipping and Insurance are optional but recommended. That's why there is confusion.
HOWEVER, given that the description is riddled with such errors, I would have assumed that you meant the Buyer pays shipping. And, that you are recommending optional insurance. Unfortunately, your buyer doesn't see it that way.
Your choices are:
1. Consider this a lesson learned, and ship it as cheaply as possible. For Goodness sake, pack it well or be prepared to refund due to breakage. Insurance is optional, but recommended.
2. Pack the item and find out the shipping charges. E-mail the buyer to pay the additional amount for shipping. If the buyer refuses, refund their money and cancel the sale. File for FVF and relist...correcting the errors, of course.
They are very pretty items, so if you have to relist, I'm sure you'll sell them again. Good luck to you.
posted on August 29, 2001 09:26:46 PM new
I side with the buyer on this one. When you posted the TOS to this list, you included a "Period" between shipping and insurance.
When I view the auction, IT IS NOT THERE. The period, that is. Both auctions do not have the . in the description. It looks like one sentence, and could easily be misread. I agree with the poster who said shipping a 9 inch figurine is unlikely for 1.10, but...
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I'd take the buyer up on the 3.50, eat the rest and ship, INSURED.
Negative feedback is a possibility here, and if that is your fear, then that is your fear. I hated my first one, was angry for DAYS, now, I'm pissed for a few minutes, shrug it off and move on.....
posted on August 29, 2001 10:35:16 PM new
Regardless of whether the period (.) was given in the actual listing, I would still argue that the intent of the TOS was clear given what the item was. Common sense would dictate that the shipping would certainly be more than $1.10 and that the $1.10 was the cost of the optional insurance...
Are we to abandon common sense for the sake of the single missing period in a paragraph?
posted on August 29, 2001 10:49:51 PM new
"Are we to abandon common sense for the sake of the single missing period in a paragraph? "
Of course not. However, the originator of this thread said that his biggest fear was negative feedback. The only way to truly prevent that would be to ship and honor the listing REGARDLESS of what the "intent" was.
Personally, I would NOT ship the item. Although I still think the buyer assumed incorrectly in good faith, I would apologize PROFUSELY for the error and explain the actual charges. I would let the buyer cancel the sale if they wished, and I would move on. But, I am not the least bit afraid what type of feedback the buyer leaves. I am content to respond as the buyer chooses and leave it at that.
Let this be a lesson to all of us, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD....
retailguy
ps - Isn't this really similar to lowprofile's problem recently? Just in reverse. Strange to see that similar circumstances put the same people on different side of the same issue....
posted on August 29, 2001 11:37:36 PM new
retailguy,
I agree on the proofreading thing I often make typos when preparing my auctions and am always worried about not catching one of them. It would be a bad thing...
Think you're right about the familiar thread theme too. Just the other side of the coin, so to speak...
Perhaps the lesson to be learned here is not to worry about feedback too much. If one feels that they are able to defend their position, then they can cancel the transaction and refund the money to the buyer. If the buyer gives them a negative, they can always respond (although briefly) stating the facts and let potential bidders decide who they agree with...
The buyer may have made a mistake in good faith but they should also be able to realize their mistake when it is pointed out to them. If they don't wish to proceed with the transaction, then they should be given the option to back out of the deal with no penalty...
However, I don't agree that an additional $3.50 is an adequate offer to pay for the cost of shipping. If I buy a widget of any kind I want to make sure that the packing and shipping is done properly, especially if the item is breakable or could suffer damage during the shipping process...
If the TOS was not clear and the price of $1.10 seemed to cheap to safely deliver the item, why didn't the buyer contact the seller before bidding on the item to make sure that the TOS was properly understood?
posted on August 30, 2001 12:03:29 AM new
"Perhaps the lesson to be learned here is not to worry about feedback too much"
WELL SAID. It is what it is. If Pierre can have negative feedback, so can I.
"If the TOS was not clear and the price of $1.10 seemed to cheap to safely deliver the item, why didn't the buyer contact the seller before bidding on the item to make sure that the TOS was properly understood?"
Also well said! I believe that is what 98% of us do reliably. Of the remaining, 1 1/2% do it sporadically, and the last 1/2% think one of two things. First, "I'M GETTING SOMETHING FOR NOTHING". and Second "THE WORLD HAD BETTER DO IT MY WAY! OR ELSE"
I have yet to find a solution for these types of people. Common sense and logic do not seem to work.
posted on August 30, 2001 01:26:13 AM new
Curiousity got the best of me and I finally went to look at the items in question...
First of all I would like to say that they are very nice and I can't believe you started the bid as low as you did. I'm surprised you didn't get more bids on them...
Secondly, I did some snooping and what hasn't been mentioned in this forum yet is that the buyer has purchased many similar items with shipping charges similar to what the seller is asking in this case. It would seem that the buyer may be trying to take advantage of someone who appears to be rather new to selling. This would seem to eliminate the defense that the buyer misunderstood the intention of the seller in "good faith".
I hope the buyer and seller are able to come to some agreement to settle this matter. If it were up to me, I think I would be inclined to refund the money to the buyer, block them from bidding on my future auctions and relist the item for sale...
posted on August 30, 2001 07:12:22 AM new
thanks for all your halp. i did leve out the
period but it does say at the top of the page Payment Money Order/Cashiers Checks. Other. See item description for payment methods accepted
Shipping Buyer pays actual shipping charges. Will ship to United States and the following regions:
Canada See item description for shipping charges.
i did ot even see that i for got period
she said that the shiping was more them the item and she did not find that acceptable
i have won lot of items with shipping more than the item when somes frist bid is low
and i am the only one biding isn't that how it work i sold a item with the same missing
period the same day the was $2.50 and shipping was 3.95 that bider sent payment just fine
anyway i sent back her money and told ii would dod a fvf and we will not leave anyfeedback
thank for your help
posted on August 30, 2001 07:48:24 AM new
Why not just ship it Parcel Post or Media Mail instead? Either of those methods may run you about the amount she paid in shipping.
posted on August 30, 2001 09:06:00 AM new
To spring a $15 shipping charge on a $10 sale is to invite hostility. If it really costs $15 to ship, then say so right up front.
Agreed, buyer could certainly have figured out the meaning of the description.
However, this whole sale might well have been based on the existence of bidders who are invited to estimate shipping, and underestimate badly. The bad estimate is because they lack information, information which should have been offered.
If it's going to cost $7.50 to ship a $5 item, that needs to be stated up front. After that, it is utterly irrational to even suggest paying $1.10 insurance on a $5 valued item.
[ edited by roofguy on Aug 30, 2001 09:06 AM ]
posted on August 30, 2001 10:27:23 AM new
jmcnew99,
I'm glad to hear you made a decision on how to deal with this. If you get a negative comment for your efforts just respond with a factual statement something like. "Buyer refused to pay for actual shipping charges of $7.70, transaction cancelled."
Anyone who buys these types of items on a regular basis is sure to realize that your shipping charges are not excessive regardless of the price the item sells for. However, as mentioned by others in this forum, you may want to specify a fixed shipping amount in future auctions. If you take an average cost for shipping to US locations, you would lose a few cents on some items and gain a few cents on other auctions. Overall it should balance out. If you specify a fixed price you may also want to state that the shipping charges are to US locations only and that buyers outside of the US should expect to pay more. Another possibility would be to say something like:
"Buyer pays shipping charges which will depend on the location of the successful bidder. The approximate weight of the item when packed is xx lbs. Multiple purchases cannot be combined for shipping. Please email me for an estimate, I should be able to respond within 24 hours."
If you get a request for an estimate for shipping, you can always estimate a little high and offer the buyer a refund if the you find that you estimated too much. If you estimate too low you would probably want to absorb the additional cost yourself.
Good luck with your future sales and I hope you have less trouble in the future...
posted on August 30, 2001 11:17:31 AM new
Even if the seller could wrap and ship both of the items (which are nice by the way) in one box, the weight would still measure the shipping cost as well as zone. How much do these weigh anyway? $7.70 is for 5 lbs. Do they weight 5 lbs each? I don't think so.
If each one weighed enough to warrant a $7.70 charge, then certainly the seller should have stated this upfront.
I really think this may be a case of miscommunication and a perhaps a language barrier.
posted on August 30, 2001 11:35:26 AM new
If the buyer is mad that she's paying $15 shipping on $10 items, tell her she should have paid MORE for the items.
Jeepers! Shipping is shipping no matter how much the item ended up going for. Anyone who would get mad about that has bigger problems to deal with.
posted on August 30, 2001 06:39:56 PM new
Could be we have the same bidder. She sent me the bid on the book, no shipping $. I filed the nonpaying bidder alert moments ago, as terms not met. I think some people expect you to just give the stuff away if they send a few bucks-- just plead ignorance. NO dice!
