What would you do?
 

So, I picked up an item for Millie off Evil-Bay this week. The ad stated that the shipping charges would be "actual charges by shipper". I get an invoice from the seller and the shipping charges are double what I calculate on UPS. I have sent the guy two e-mails asking him about the charges, but he has not returned my e-mails. BTW, I was very nice about questioning the charges, so there was no reason for him to get upset. It has been 3+ days since the end of the auction. I am very particular as to whom I deal with normally, so I am now a little skeptical about sending a fairly large amount of $$$ to someone that I don't know and has questionable communication practices. Also, I am leaving for a week within the next day, Lastly, I don't need this part. I can purchase the part new for a little more that what I am paying for a part used for only 3 weeks.

What would you do? Wait for him to contact me? E-mail him again and explain why I am cancelling the purchase? Send the $$$ on the invoice? Other?

PS: I have great pride in my integrity, so I want to do the right thing. I also, don't want to get ripped off. ;)

This is likely my last E-Bay purchase, because it is not worth the hassle.

I assume you are showing him the cost estimate from UPS.

Have him ship it freight collect, or charge your account, or offer pay a 15% premium over your estimate.

Seems a lot of people on ebay are selling items for very low prices and charging a premium for shipping and handling. I like to see the cost of shipping stated in the auction before I make a bid.
If I were you I might consider leaving a negative or neutral comment after the auction reflecting your opinion of the transaction...Or waiting to hear back via email. If this is going to be your last ebay purchase you can pretty much do whatever you want if you don't care about your feedback.

I did include the cost estimate directly from UPS.

I never buy anything off eBay without knowing exactly what I am paying.

Having said that, is he using UPS? Is he using faster service, extra insurance? Will be interesting to see the response.

I'd give him a couple days to respond. Not everyone checks and responds to email every five minutes like many of us here do - seems wierd I know, but there are people out there that will actually go a couple/few days without checking e-mail or even turning on a computer.

Many other factors can come in to play also like computer issues and family stuff.

Did you know you would be leaving this week? That is also a factor for me when I am buying or selling on eBay. If I am taking a trip, I usually make sure I give myself enough time to have all this type of stuff resolved long before leaving.

JrDavid68

I'm one of those guys! If I've got something for sale I'm a bit more diligent checking mail but twice a day is as good as I get. I've learned not to expect a very rapid reply from the typical 'bay seller.

Jim

I knew I would be leaving for a week, but the auction ended last Monday, so I figured we would have everything worked out before I left. I wasn't expecting a problem with the shipping charge. I can understand not checking e-mail often, but it is going on four days without a reply. He has a good rating on E-Bay, but I am just a little concerned.

Were it me, I'd drop him a "Final Notice" email. 3 + days is enough of a communication break in time to be an issue IMHO. If you don't get a response before you leave, bag it and move on.

Ditto on the Evilbay. Not worth the hassle when's there's many other alternatives (like this board).

I think I am going to do exactly what you have stated.

eBay has cracked down on users that over charge for shipping. If thats what he is doing, then report him to eBay. If its a packaging and handling fee, which is completely understandable and fair IMO as long as its stated up front, then offer to pay the shipping company yourself via phone with a CC.

One thing that you guys need to understand is that Ebay has been raising their commissions lately but they cannot charge a commission on the shipping and handling.

Many sellers are upping the "shipping and handling" charges and lowering their reserve or prices on items. This way they make the same profit but pay less to ebay.

I can understand their issue here but I usually send a note to anyone doing this saying that when they calculate a reasonable S&H that I will bid on the item. Most reply saying that I should bid on the item realizing that the price is lower if you take the total cost into account.

Personally on this I would email the seller one more time, and copy ebay on the email. After this I would contact Ebay saying that the seller is playing games with the shipping and let them handle it.

The other thing that I do is that I have my own FedEx account. After the sale I tell them that I will pay a $1 for a box and packing and then give them my shipping account. That way they cannot overcharge me for shipping. UPS and FedEx are both easy to set up an account and this is a good way to go.

I just e-mailed him one last time, unfortuneately I did not cc e-bay, but I did save the e-mail in my "sent" folder, so I can send it on to e-bay later. The ad stated "Shipping will be the amount actually charged by the carrier." The carrier identified in the invoice was UPS and the charges were twice the amount calculated on the UPS website. No description of extra insurance and it is not oversized. I think this is just a classic case of overcharging shipping charges. The more I think about it the more upset I am getting. I would rather not even do business with the guy now. At this point, I would rather pay the new price for the item here on Pelican than try to save a few bucks. See what I get for being a cheapskate? :)

Well, I gave him all day to respond to my last e-mail, but he has not responded. I e-mailed him tonight with notice that I am cancelling the purchase and wished him luck on the re-listing. I think I can sleep well tonight knowing that I acted in good faith and gave him a chance to correct the situation. I did cc e-bay this time. Thanks for the advice guys.

E-Bay really does suck! :(

Naw, I can see right through this. You only backed out because you were affraid your neighbor would get upset. You guys and your loud cars... sheesh...

This doesn't mean that I won't still by the product. I will just buy it new, from our host.

Sport Muffler? Don't forget to replace the bearings while you're in there!

I am an infrequent Seller and for that matter Buyer on the Bay. I never know what ot charge for shipping. Sometimes I have to eat it, and sometimes I get acoupla dollars extra, which makes up for the cost of shipping materials, time and gas.

I don't understand buying anything on the Bay that U can get reasonably sum place else. The cavet here is how rare, or hard to get is the item your purchasing. E-bay also gives the advantage of being a Nationwide Search engine, pulling from areas of the country where one could never visit. Also more and more local auction companies are signing up with E-bay to do Live Bidding, this increases their exposure.

Another interesting phenomen is Proxi Bid...which one can Bid live at auctions via the Internet.(some with streaming video and audio). I notice that a great many Mid-Western Auction houses are going this route. The only disadvantage over being there live is the fact that U don't get to handle the merch.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1163887341.jpg

:D