ebay shipping and handling rate issue with seller?

As someone who used to sell on eBay over the years, maybe I can help just a little.

First of all, I think $8.50 for a $2.70 ship is excessive.

Let me say a few words about shipping prices: a lot of people don't realize how much it costs the seller in mailing materials. Bubble envelopes, cardboard, packing tape, bubble wrap etc. can actually be quite costly. Additionally, many buyers will drive to the PO to mail even one item and that costs, too. So, a shipping/handling cost is acceptable, but HOW MUCH is the real question.

A lot of sellers do something on eBay which is quite illegal. They sell their stuff super cheap because eBay will take a smaller percentage and then they make up for that by charging more for shipping/handling. The price might be the same to the buyer in the end, but for the seller, that's how they get around eBay's fees. (Cheating the system was NOT something I subscribed to!)

I did charge something to cover my packing materials but I was always fair about it.

The seller is correct in that you agreed to the shipping fee, and unfortunately, it happens a lot in that people do not pay attention to everything in the auction that they are agreeing to pay.

If I were the seller in this case, I would refund a portion to you, but if I were the seller, I wouldn't be charging so much. He is technically & legally correct, but maybe morally wrong. Certainly he is NOT a good business person and not likely to get the best feedback from you. Feedback is EVERYTHING!

I would just let it go, but you might leave feedback stating that his shipping fees are excessive. (Don't be super nasty about it or people reading will write you off as a nut.)

Take it as a lesson to read more carefully in the future, but yeah, for what it's worth, I'm on your side.

Happy new year!

The short answer to this is that you agreed to pay the shipping amount when you clicked on the buy button. The shipping fee wasn't hidden so it was no surprise. As a seller, I use the shipping wizard on the listing site on ebay. It is not exact, and sometimes it gives me a higher amount than it actually costs to ship the item, also shipping very much depends on where you are located in relation to the seller's location. For example, an item shipped a few states away is as much as $3 -5 difference in cost as an item shipped across the country. Since there is no way to know where the buyer may be, I always list the highest shipping fee as a flat rate for everyone in the country. Sometimes I lose a little money shipping an item, sometimes I charged too much for an item. It evens out. But I am not going to fuss with every shipment to get it to the penny, it would be impossible to do this, I try to be as fair as possible. Also, as described here in other answers, many people list an item cheaply and charge extra on the shipping to make up for the low price - this is frowned upon by ebay but you can't really prove this seller did that on purpose. It may be that the shipping really would have been that much if you lived 3,000 miles away from him. And many sellers tack on at least a buck or two for their costs in relation to shipping materials, storage, gas, time involved. So yes the seller will defend his action because as I said at the start of this, you agreed to the fees and that's that. You didn't HAVE to purchase the product, you could have contacted the seller beforehand and questioned the fees if you didn't like them. But you didn't. So it's a lesson learned. Either be happy with what you agreed to pay or don't buy the item. As a buyer as well as seller on ebay, I have done so with items I wanted to purchase with other sellers, especially if the only shipping rate they quote is priority mail - I ask if they will send it parcel instead and what would be the savings on the rate.

There are no guarantees that what you put on Ebay will sell but your chances are better than almost anywhere else due to volume of people that go there. The shipping is real simple. Let's say you are selling a lamp. Place the lamp in it's wrapping and then in the box and take it to the Post Office. You can find out exactly what it will cost to ship it and then it is your choice to charge that or above that. Take into consideration the other things like insurance and confirmation if you offer it. You control prices. The choice is all yours. Enjoy.

Obviously, if the listing says shipping and handling is $8.50, then that's what you pay. To think you deserve a refund is ridiculous. The seller's handing fee may have been more than you expected, but the fact is that you agreed to the shipping and handling charge when you placed your bid. To leave negative feedback and harass the seller with messages would simply make you look like the bad guy. I'd suggest you take the high ground and let this one go. Ebayers work hard to make their money and getting a high quality t-shirt for $2.50 is a bargain, so paying a few bucks for handling shouldn't be a deal breaker. I'd suggest you visit my friend's site www.menschoice.info. He's a great eBayer who is always fair with his customers. He had a variety of merchandise to choose from and his prices are always fair.

Agreed. He was acting a little nutty about this whole situation. He already left negative feedback, so other sellers may not want to deal with this hassle. I'm trying to work out a deal with him so that he gets an additional t-shirt at cost.

I am a big ebay seller, and I can tell you why the shipping isn't too terribly accurate on there. Many sellers make their profits from the shipping alone, they overcharge for shipping to make their profits. This is especially true for sellers in in places like hong kong, but it can be seen everywhere on ebay. Ebay doesn't let them charge over a certain amount for most items, but if the shipping was visible to the buyer then the seller isn't really in the wrong, as a generality. Not to say that I don't agree with your plight. The seller in this situation probably should have explained this to you.. which does make a case for you if you wished to dispute it, however you did click confirm payment (assuming the shipping cost was visible)

What he paid for shipping is irrelevant.. what is important is what you agreed to pay. It is that simple. You really have no reason to be complaining. Next time don't buy a shirt that has an outrageous shipping cost tagged to it.

Morally you are right.

However eBay will not enforce anything if the price on the listing said $8.50 postage as that price formed part of your contract to purchase the shirt. EBay permits sellers to charge an additional amount for packaging and handling. The stamps might be $2,70 but the packaging wasn't free though.

he cheated u contact him asap