posted on December 30, 2000 01:55:35 PM new
I recently had a seller pull this one on me, although I'm probably the 1,000,000th person this has happened to:
When the seller was listing the auction, they checked the "buyer pays actual shipping charges" checkbox. In the item description, the seller wrote "winner pays 3.20 shipping."
Any intelligent person would realize that "actual shipping" and "3.20 shipping" = USPS Priority Mail. Well, I got the envelope and it had a $0.77 stamp! I tried to resovle the issue with the seller, but they didn't think they did anything wrong. I advised them that if they wanted to ship items in this manner, they needed to add the terms "shipping AND HANDLING." Since I wasn't getting anywhere with the seller, I took it to eBay Customer Service. They said the auction falls within eBay guidelines!
My question (and frustration) is simple: what's the point of having different shipping option checkboxes at the time of listing if the seller isn't held accountable?!
posted on December 30, 2000 02:53:11 PM new
Nah, Mark, I disagree. That was kind of a mean thing to say, anyway. I think that most people connect the $3.20 with Priority shipping. (Intelligence has nothing to do with it.) That's why the shifty sellers are so fond of using this particular amount. With this being a pretty common complaint these days, one should probably ask before bidding. Shipping and postage are definitely two different things, but sleaze is sleaze.
posted on December 30, 2000 03:05:46 PM new
Totally off topic:
What's happening to AW? It seems that all the nasty people are having a convention here, lately! It is insult after insult, because some of us DARE ask questions...This is what the Board is about: Questions and Answers. ...
Thank G-d for the IGNORE feature...although my Ignore box is getting full, recently
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posted on December 30, 2000 03:14:25 PM new
Hey Shosh! Good to see you here. I totally agree with your comment about the insults and nasty people lately. This should be a place where you can have a question answered and use others for a sounding board. Not to mention good old fashioned debate. No reason for people to get so ugly over every little thing, huh?
posted on December 30, 2000 03:22:04 PM new
I think Mark090 is probably one of the types that employ this sleazy tactic and is somehow trying to justify it!
I think any logical person would equate the specific amount of $3.20 with priority shipping.
It's the sleazy sellers that need to get an extra couple bucks that pull this b.s.
When I get this pulled on me I note it in the feedback I leave. I do leave it as a positive but with something like ...
"Recieved item,charged $3.20 postage,sent 3rd class 0.85"
[ edited by dhamjpsnet on Dec 30, 2000 03:23 PM ]
posted on December 30, 2000 03:35:43 PM new
Auctual shipping would mean actual Postage no matter what side you turn you monitor on to read it you cant change the meaning.
Fixed shipping is a rate set for all sales from one weight to another such as buyer pays fixed shipping of $3.95 on this item wouldnt matter if this item was a single peice of paper or a 1 and a half pound collectable purple brick and buyers shoulds not assume this to mean shipping will be priority.
Fixed and flat rate means basically the same thing rate priceing logic may vary but includes actual postage +
My fixed flat rates are based on parcel post shipping + a percentage
buyer would need to ask for priotiy and pay extra in most cases.
posted on December 30, 2000 03:40:33 PM newOnly a gullible individual and not an intelligent person thinks $3.20 shipping=Priority.
I'm a college grad and am not gullible. To me $3.20 means Priority. I don't care whether it is listed as postage, shipping or S&H. If the seller says $3.20 then it better come by Priority. I know scammers will say $3.20, but if they don't send it Priority then they'll get a big, fat neg. I refuse to let the scammers get away with it.
When I get this pulled on me I note it in the feedback I leave. I do leave it as a positive but with something like ... "Recieved item,charged $3.20 postage,sent 3rd class 0.85"
I wish people wouldn't do this. If you don't have the nerve to leave a neutral or a neg then don't leave feedback at all. By leaving a "neutral positive" all you do is increase his feedback rating by 1. People, generally, don't read positives.
posted on December 30, 2000 03:48:20 PM new
Actual postage = The amount the USPS charges to mail the package
Actual shipping = The amount to ship the package, including postage, bubble wrap, peanuts, special mailing containers, gas for the old Buick, wear and tear on the old Buick, time spent standing in line at the P.O. and whatever else they care to include.
posted on December 30, 2000 03:57:49 PM new
Not only would most people assume $3.20 is priority, but I'd go further and say the seller was intentionally deceptive. This is what the red feedback button is for and I hope you used it.
posted on December 30, 2000 04:23:21 PM new
I would say to assume anything is gullible
it doesn't matter how much schooling a person has they can be gullible.
To assume $3.20 fixed shipping in a auction listing would make one fixed or closed minded to other posibiltys.
travor said the auction listing stated buyer pays actual shipping of $3.20 this would be priority nothing here was assumed.
posted on December 30, 2000 05:24:21 PM newPocono....MOI????
Hey! At 64 I have paid my dues and earned the right to tell those jerks that they are jerks, cuz obviously, they don't know it yet...
It is something to have a differing opinion...It is something else to ram it down people's throat and use demeaning name-calling.
Here is a broad statement for you:
Only people of low education and self-esteem will resort to insults, since they apparently do not have enough vocabulary to go about a discussion using real words...
posted on December 30, 2000 05:27:55 PM newLadyGambler...[i]
Actual shipping = The amount to ship the package, including postage, bubble wrap, peanuts, special mailing containers, gas for the old Buick, wear and tear on the old Buick, time spent standing in line at the P.O. and whatever else they care to include.[/i]
Sounds like the way the Government operates... xcept for the old buik...more like the daily new Limo....
posted on December 30, 2000 05:43:32 PM new
So, Trevor...getting back on track: If the 3.20 listed does not explain what the money will be used for, email before placing the bid....Sad that we must find new ways to avert the subterfuge used by so many.
Since no one has come up with a definition that we all can agree with, just be sure to ask questions...
Good luck and a very Happy New Year...
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posted on December 30, 2000 06:46:23 PM new
Sorry, but I think that's BS! If you post "actual shipping" and $3.20 in the description, I believe that the buyer has EVERY RIGHT to think that they are getting Priority Shipping! I PRIMARILY sell, and am really tired of e-mails asking me how I ship when I state "actual shipping" and in my description "Buyer pays actual shipping of $3.20." I think it SHOULD BE ASSUMED!!!!
AND I recommend that any buyer who feels the same way and gets ripped off should post negative feedback, because, UNFORTUNATELY, that is all that matters to many eBay sellers, their feedback, and not honesty and integrity.
posted on December 30, 2000 06:59:57 PM new
You are right: Bidder should have the right to assume...without having to Email seller...Unfortunately, as you state, not all sellers feel that way!...
A few months ago, I did bid on an item I had been looking for for a while, quite a bit over 100.00. Seller listed "actual shipping cost". Since I always buy breakables, I added 1.25 for Return Receipt and Insurance., assuming we were talking priority...Duhhhh!
Item arrived 11 days later, by UPS GROUND, with no extra Insurance beyond the standard 100.00...Seller pocketed all that extra money. That's when I really got pizzed off!
As a seller, my ACTUAL fee is described: Priority, for XX-pound parcel, plus applicable Insurance, leaving from Zip Code XXXXX, and I include the URL to Online Postal Calculator. And it takes no extra time, since all my tables have that built-in into the text...Only the price changes according to weight. Only an opinion. no more, no less.
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posted on December 30, 2000 07:11:59 PM new
danilynn,
I would rewrite the shipping terms in my auction TOS if multiple people found it necessary to email me and ask if I shipped by Priority mail. I wouldn't want a potential bidder to lose interest in my auction while waiting for a response from me.
posted on December 30, 2000 07:16:42 PM new
Absolutely. It's a sad commentary that the idea of emailing a seller to ask "Actual shipping of $3.20 is priority, right?" is even necessary.
It's one thing to be a newbie and omit information. But a veteran seller who is deliberately misleading should be shown the door.
I've been looking for a doll for one of my kids, and I'm seeing listing after listing that violates eBay policy or is in some way misleading. Especially huge banner ads drawing bidders off-site. One seller I noticed got 27 negs this week alone. Another seller is asking over $5 in shipping for an item that actually costs less than a buck to ship. I haven't browed auctions for a while, and it looks like eBay is overrun with second-rate con artists. If this is what the Toys category looks like, I wonder what's going on in the more expensive collectibles categories?
posted on December 30, 2000 07:40:13 PM new
Heck, I'm having trouble finding auctions that even list a shipping cost!
And the few I see that do state a cost, don't state the shipping method. I never make any assumptions. I also don't bother to e-mail the seller. I just move on.
What so difficult about plainly stating: "Buyer to pay $3.20 for USPS Priority Mail." Or "Buyer to pay $1.50 for First Class shipping." Add whatever extras are necessary, but keep it clear and simple!
posted on December 30, 2000 07:46:10 PM new
dhamjpsnet
I agree that if you check the "actual shipping" box, it is good form to charge actual postage and I also belive that $3.20 is often used to fool buyers. I would not personally use that tactic.
I have a question though. If you bid on an item knowing full well you are going to pay $3.20 in shipping and you are actually happy with the amount you are paying, including shipping (it's a bargain at any rate), does it all of a sudden become a bad deal because the seller ships for less?
I don't like being mis-lead, but I would still be happy with the purchase. I guess that's just me. When I bid, I pay what I am willing to pay for an item (including shipping)....
posted on December 30, 2000 07:47:00 PM newtravor: If I were you I'd invite this unscrupulous seller -- who can't see what he did wrong -- to read this thread. Maybe a lightbulb will go on, maybe not, but at least he'll feel a slight amount of discomfort knowing we're all talking about him.
Word of advice: unless it is painfully clear how much someone is asking for shipping, always email before you bid. It's a lesson I've learned the hard way, too.
posted on December 30, 2000 07:55:24 PM new
After a most aggravating lunar month awaiting the arrival of gemstone jewelry I'd won in an eBay dutch auction , the rip-off shipping was the last straw!
I knew that it wasn't "priority " , as it was $3.00 , not $3.20 , but assumed that after my Paypal payment , speedy delivery and sturdy packaging , possibly even with insurance , would justify the cost.
The item was to be a gift for my daughter , and was indeed a good buy. I won it during the Paypal outage end of November , so I stated in my reply to their cheesy non-professional looking form EOA that I'd pay with Visa.( But didn't give my number). After a week of no response , I used their form again , and used Paypal. 3 weeks later , a final reply to my stiff e-mails came with a 1-800 phone number. They tried to tell me in broken English that I'd not paid ! Later that night , a phone call from them saying it had been mailed 3 days earlier! It arrived after Christmas with nopostmark , dammit , in a pouch in an envelope for 44 cents!
I may be one of the few who thinks a small handling charge is preferable using first class, if stated , to sending even a hanky automatically using Priority at $3.20 . I always state the words "Actual priority" before $3.20 , and " postage & packaging " if it's going first class and I'm charging a little over actual postage.
I agree with bkmunroe. State the facts to inform others in a neutral at least.
posted on December 30, 2000 09:25:21 PM new
Danilynn,
As many have indicated here, it is a really unfortunate thing that you cannot afford to assume anything, although you really should be able to. There are just far too many underhanded sellers who will take advantage of any situation when given the opportunity. I look for auctions that are very explicit in shipping costs/methods. These people, I trust, have nothing to hide. I, too, detest the auctions that don't even bother to tell you what the shipping costs are. They have marked the box, "see item description" but do not describe them. Unless it is a true "Gotta Have" item, I don't even bother with emailing them to ask. On the few I have emailed, most of them have responded with perfectly reasonable s/h costs, but a few were gougers. To protect yourself from the gougers, you really MUST ask about the specifics if you're going to bid. Take that from another one who learned the hard way. I think that most Sellers are honest and above board, however, there are always those who are not. Caveat Emptor!
posted on December 30, 2000 10:42:25 PM new
LadyGambler
Again I ask the question: If the shipping is stated (so you don't get blindsided) and if it is a really good deal, why do you care about the shipping cost -vs- the actual postage?
I know that some say "it's the principle of the thing", but I just don't see the point in worrying about it. I know what I want to pay and will pay no more. As long as the item is packaged properly and makes it to me in one piece I don't gripe.
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