posted on January 24, 2003 08:10:34 PM
I had a buyer that won two auctions from me. I normally charge $9.25 to ship one pair of boots $12.50 to ship 2 pairs and $14.50 to ship 3 pairs. Boots are heavy.
I do not ship to PO boxes and I state this in my terms. I only ship UPS. I state shipping charges also. My packages are neat, they look professional and I only use new boxes and packing materials.
10 days ago a lady won two pairs of boots from me. She did not respond to any of my emails, but none of them bounced. On Wednesday she pulls my contact info. Again I email her.
She responds: "I wanted to see where you were so I could estimate shipping charges".
She goes on to inform me that $12.00 is too much for shipping and that she is a seller and she knows what they should cost to ship. She called me a "gouger". This from a lady that charges $7.50 to ship, via uninsured priority mail, a shirt.
1) She does not know what they weigh. With packaging they weigh about 8 lbs.
2) My charges are in my auction.
I wrote her back and stated that the terms were in my auction. She writes back and calls me an "unprofessional, sh*itface, b*tch".
I see many sellers charging from $9-$10 to ship 1 pair of shoes and from $9.50-$13 to ship one pair of boots.
I think my charges are fair and this is the first complaint I gotten in a while. Many of my customers are other sellers and none of them have ever said a word and most of them are repeat buyers.
My questions: What do you guys charge for shipping shoes & boots?
What do you charge for shipping dresses and shirts.
posted on January 24, 2003 09:54:42 PM
i charge $9 to $10 for a pair of shoes....$10.50 to $12.50 for a pair of boots. all of them are shipped via UPS Ground. Most of the shoes/boots are shipped in the box they came in as long as the box is sturdy. i just take clear tape...tape up the box...put a UPS lable on it and ship it. not one complaint for doin it that way in 4 years and 3000+ auctions...and never had a complaint on the shipping charges (knock on wood).
posted on January 24, 2003 10:16:05 PM
biskitsandgravie ..........your shipping was stated in your auction, she bid now she has to follow your shipping terms. period.
How she feels doesnt matter, and what she thinks is fair doesnt matter, the only thing that matters is her bid was a binding contact and she needs to follow your terms.
Just tell her as stated in my auction the shipping is....$..... and the total amount due is$......... within 10 days.
Don't get into an email war with someone who has the nerve to call you names, she is out of line, and if she does that again, you should report her to Ebay for the way she is speaking to you and that she doesnt want to follow your auction terms. She is not worth your getting upset over her. Just stick to your terms.
She doesn't have to like your terms, but she did place her bid, and she has no right to call you names.
posted on January 24, 2003 10:18:24 PM
UNREAL..........WHO GIVES A CARP WHAT THE PRODUCT IS,,,,,,THE WEIGHT,,,,,,IS WHAT THE ISSUE IS....SHE RIPS OFF PEOPLE,,,FROM WHAT YOU SAID AND THEN B#&%CHES AT YOU?
posted on January 24, 2003 10:47:14 PM
Email her back and apologize to her for forgetting to include the $12.00 handling charge that is in addition to the $12.50 shipping charge. Hell,if she's gonna call you names, you might as well give her a good reason to.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on January 24, 2003 11:28:50 PM
biskitsandgravie, gosh you haven't done anything wrong. You are the kind of sellers that most buyers love, and that is one who has clearly stated TOS, which includes shipping costs and carrier information. Don't get emotional over this weirdo. Be calm and collected. File NPBs if you have to. Put her on your BBL right away.
I don't sell clothes. But I sure do like to buy a specific brand of shirt, and I do a search for it everyday. I bid on the auctions of sellers who state shipping costs and who have Paypal Pay Now buttons in their auctions. The sellers are all super clothes sellers, but they do have different shipping costs and it doesn't bother me at all. The shipping cost range is from $5.00 to $8.00 for this brand of cotton shirt in my size.
posted on January 25, 2003 01:19:56 AM
Hello,
I am a lurker. I read this board and laugh at the customers and the advice you give each other. I am a pretty mild-mannered person and usually just laugh off bidders that are hard to deal with. I signed up just to get this off my chest.
I had an auction end last night. A few minutes after the auction ends the buyer requests my user information. I have sold on ebay since 1997 and no one has ever requested my contact info immediately after an auction ends. The winner is a seller with 3100+ feedback so her requesting my info was no newbie mistake. I think it is inappropriate to request contact info unless you can not reach them through their email. Back in the days when ebay allowed anyone to get user information, I aquired an insane cyberstalker. I have been leery ever since when someone requests my info.
ME: Is there some reason you need my contact info?
HER: Yes, I just bought two items from you. 'xxxxxxxx'-see item# in the info request. Hello, and nice to meet you. Very Nice selection of shoes!!
I'm hoping you can ship both for $10. I'm not too far from your zone, I live in Rhode Island, zip code 02860. I am going to pay you with paypal just as soon as you respond to this email. Thanks very much!
It is obvious that she requested my contact info to see where I lived. She could have emailed me for that, but no problem, she isn't a cyberstalker. I send her a payment request with the total. It is $13.00 to ship a pair of boots and a pair of shoes.
I inform her that the address in my contact info is not the address that the shoes will be shipped from. I am many states away taking care of some family issues.
HER: Ok, great...thanks Just a note, not to be nosey or anything, but I sell on ebay fulltime myself, and if they knew you had incorrect user information, you can actually get your account suspended from that. Just telling you to help ya out.
I responded that was my correct info and had been on file with ebay since 1998 when I started using that id.
HER: Can I just ask you how much this package weighs?
HER: I'm sorry to be so particular, but I know as a seller myself a lot about shipping charges and it should be about 3 lbs to ship the two pairs and should only be about $10.50, even after $3 worth of handling fees. I don't mind one bit paying your handling fee, but I calculated the weighted cost to be about $7-$8 according to the USPS website. I just like to be fair. I know my customers question shipping costs from time to time, and I try to be as fair as I can
ME: My charges are stated clearly in my auction. That prevents questions and
misunderstandings after the fact. It also gives people the option not to bid if they do not like the charges. I do not ship USPS.
HER: [i]I know that. I saw it in your auction. But, with combined items, it is not
stated ahead of time. It's interesting the total you came up with, hmmmmm[/i]
ME: I find nothing interesting about the total and neither has anyone else. I guess different people find different things interesting.
To be fair to her. My auctions state that I will discount S & H costs on multiple wins. It does not say how much the discount is. She got a $6.50 discount.
HER: [i]Yes, I find lots of things interesting. I find friendly sellers
interesting. Have you spotted a friendly seller lately? Oh,no probably not, because it takes one to know one. I find your attitude down right RUDE and unprofessional.
Upon shipping my wins, I'd like a confirmation number from UPS or whatever
shipping method it is that you use, my dear.[/i]
I lost it.
ME: RUDE and unprofessional is pulling someones contact info for no reason.
RUDE and unprofessional is giving unsolicited advice. RUDE and unprofessional
is telling another seller how to run their auctions. RUDE and unprofessional
is...YOU! I have spotted plenty of friendly sellers lately. Like the ones I purchase
from. Not sellers with your shabby terms of sale and very, very fine print for the terms. People in hell want ice water they don't get it. I don't have to send you a confirmation for anything and I won't...My dear.
Yes, I was rude and childish.
Let me give you some background on her auction terms.
* If you have less than 20 feedbacks you can not bid on her auctions without emailing her.
* Her shipping and handling charges are
"determined at the close of the auction".
* Her description and 20 feedbacks info is very big at the beginning of the auction. Her terms are at the end, in some of the smallest font I have seen in an auction. She has a very busy background on some auctions and in many places the terms blend in with the background.
* She does not accept retalitory feedback. She will take action if you leave it.
She indulges in retailitory feedback herself.
I will probably leave her a positive since she paid very quickly.
I have a theory about sellers like her. They try to bully sellers with less feedback than themselves. That id of mine has around 450 positives and 1 negative.
I use brand new cardboard shipping boxes, peanuts and tissue for shipping. I do a good job and I ship quickly.
She is just peeved that, I did not ship for the $10 she hoped for. I had 40+ auctions end last night. Many were winners on multiple auctions. NO ONE said a word about my combined shipping costs, but her.
Thanks for letting me rant. I will now go back to all the nice people that make ebay fun.
posted on January 25, 2003 04:31:51 AM
Biskits: I charge $9.00-$9.50 for a pair of shoes and $9.50-$10.00 for a pair of boots.
I ship UPS. I would charge $12.50-14.00 to ship two pairs of boots. $11.50-13.00 for 1 pair of shoes and a pair of boots. Your prices jive with most other sellers in our cat.
Shoeme: Your buyer sounds exactly like one I had a few weeks ago. She pulled my contact info and told me she was "willing to pay $10.00 postage for 2 pairs of boots".
She got nasty when I told her that pulling my contact info was not needed. She is apowerseller of shoes and apparel.
You were rude. I don't blame you though. Pulling contact info a few minutes after the auction has ended, so you can tell the seller what shipping charges should be is not polite.
I have never had your buyer, but I've had one close to her. She was another seller. In her first email to me, she made several demands and it made me nervous to know I would have to deal with her. Fortunatley, it all worked out fine in the end. But, I know that there are bullies out their buying things and they can be hard to take.
On heavy items, I also state the packaged weight and my zip code in my description and point them in the direction of the USPS site to get their exact shipping cost. I only charge $1 for handling so I advise them to add that to the cost as well. That way, no surprises and no requests for special shipping favors. At least, not yet. I agree, your buyer could have emailed a request for your zip code or state and should not have pulled it off of Ebay. That looks sneaky.
posted on January 25, 2003 06:49:56 AM
I always get ready for a hit about something when the email starts out. "I am a seller to". I have never got anything but a complaint when I see this. Most of the time they have sold less than 100 items, and are telling me my shipping costs are to high. Has anyone ever got a positive email that started with "I am a seller to"?
"For I know the plans I have for you." says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 21:11
posted on January 25, 2003 08:06:14 AM
I charge a bit less for shipping. If the package is under 2 lbs, I charge $5.00 or $6.00 depending on destination. Between 2 and 3 lbs would be $6.00 and $8.00. Most of my shoes fall in the first category.
But it doesn't matter what you charge - it's listed in your auction and the buyer agreed to it when she bid. That's the only thing that matters.
posted on January 25, 2003 08:26:04 AMHas anyone ever got a positive email that started with "I am a seller to"?
Nope. They always want something, or just want to complain. And sorry, but they are always females.
Invariably they believe the customs of their tribe are the laws of nature. They're not bright enough to recoup their selling costs, so they don't think anyone else should, either.
posted on January 25, 2003 08:28:26 AM
I can honestly say I have no problems from any of my buyers. When they win my auction, they almost all pay immediately and I ship the next day. What I don't get are sellers buying my merchandise as the kind of merchandise I sell sellers don't want Thank Goodness.
biskits don't back down, make that buyer understand you are in business to make money, not give it away in postage...
posted on January 25, 2003 08:35:23 AM
Here are somethings eBay should do.
Sellers or Buyers should not be able to get contact information until 3 days after auction ends.
Somewhere in their Listing confirmation eMail they should state their rules on using other sellers Pictures and Descriptions.
But the main thing is to have everyone take a small survey before they can sell or buy and have them answer pertant questions on how to sell and buy on eBay. I don't think that is to difficult to do.
posted on January 25, 2003 10:27:00 AMSellers or Buyers should not be able to get contact information until 3 days after auction ends.
Why?
When you signed up for eBay, you agreed that your name and address as registered with eBay would be made available to the other party in any transaction.
Now I seem to be hearing that someone's privacy is being violated. What's up with that?
We get so used to doing all transaction-related business in email, that I think we forget our buyers have a right to know where their money is going. And the same goes for sellers. I doubt there is a seller here who would hesitate to pull contact info on a high bidder who acts strangely...no matter how long it's been since the auction ended.
posted on January 25, 2003 10:35:35 AM
BTW, those who are concerned about privacy should review eBay's Privacy Policy, as there are an astonishing number of entities eBay can and will disclose your information to. You agreed to these terms when you signed up with eBay and you continue to agree to them every time there is a revision and you continue to use eBay.
There is no direct link I can find to the Privacy Policy, but if you go to the eBay Help Center and type "privacy policy" in the Search Help box, you'll get the info you need.
posted on January 25, 2003 08:39:24 PMNow I seem to be hearing that someone's privacy is being violated. What's up with that?
No one has mentioned privacy, but you.
I doubt there is a seller here who would hesitate to pull contact info on a high bidder who acts strangely...no matter how long it's been since the auction ended.
The only strange that would make me pull contact info is threats of bodily harm. Most bidders that would do that have false contact info anyway.
Bottom line is, Shoeme's buyer was out of line. 2 pairs of shoes is no reason to pull a seller's contact info a few minutes after an auction ends. She did it to try to tell shoeme what to charge for shipping, when the terms were stated.
Ebay says:
1. This contact information should only be used for resolving matters related to eBay. Any other use is strictly prohibited.
Immediately contact Rules & Safety if one of eBay's rules were violated, such as: · Your contact information was used for purposes unrelated to eBay business, published online or offline, or was used for the purposes of harassment.
In shoemes case there was no matter to resolve, yet. She could not get info on where to send payment, by pulling the info. Loosely it is harassment to pull a seller's contact info to tell them how to handle their auctions.
