Shipping & Handling charges • Collecting General • The Acaeum

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Shipping & Handling charges
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Mars
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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 6:41 pm

I don't normally have too much trouble with shipping & handling but I am having a odd case now. I bought and received this item:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0352113556

When I received it, the shipping was a bit less than I figured it would be (i.e. the seller overcharged by $6) and the package was just a bristol board box with 2 air puff bags.

So I asked the seller if he meant to charge a handling fee of $6 (so I could nail his DSRs appropriately) and he replies that, when he brought it to the post office, they gave him a smaller box that ended up being cheaper than the one he was going to use and that he quoted me shipping for. So I wait a week and don't receive any kind of refund and email him again if I should expect a refund. His response is:

The original quote stands. I use exacts measurements of the boxes I have on hand when providing a quote. If I were to refund any overages I would be losing a lot of time and money. But I will give you a discount on future sales if you remind me of this transaction. Thanks again for your business.

Normally, I'm not too fussy about sellers who charge a $3-$4 handling fee because I generally know they are before I bid but in this case, I am leaning towards leaving a negative feedback. Any suggestions?

Blackmoor
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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 6:55 pm

Neg him, no question. $6 handling fee is stupid.

Games can get you through times of no money but money can not get you through times of no games!!

Plaag
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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 7:03 pm

Sort of off topic, but anyone noticing that infomercials now state pay "processing fees" for items that are extra if the purchaser wants them rather then say pay "separate shipping and handling".

ShaneG.

I reject your reality and substitute my own

beasterbrook
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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 7:08 pm

as most people from overseas know, we generally get screwed on shipping in one for or another, I have only had (from memory) 3 people ever refund me a difference in postage.. its usually only a couple of bucks but its the thought that counts.. I have had a couple suck up the postage costs as well, generally when I find that out I pay the difference (which I just did to someone in the UK recently, he didn't ask for it, he actually just shipped it so I paid him out of curtesy).. morally I would expect a refund esp when he aadmits that he saved on shipping for his estimate.. neutral feedback at worst, he did all he was required too.. I don't think it dererves a neg though (and a neutral does just a good job these days;) not that it will really phase him either way...

Brette:)

Being healthy is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

GreyM
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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 8:00 pm

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those miniature boxsets about the size of a standard paperback book (or smaller)? and he OVER charged you $6 on shipping? I don't know the shipping costs up there, but down here (in the US), we can ship a paperback for $2-5 depending on how fast you want it. I'd atleast leave a neutral and pound the DSR's. Just my 2 cents.

Mars
Grandstanding Collector

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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 8:07 pm

Up here we don't have a good rate for light items over 2 cm tall. If it is under 2 cm then it can go by Letter Post but anything over 2cm it must get sent as a package so the actual shipping was around $8.50. This is one of the items where it would be cheaper to ship it from Canada to the US than within Canada.

deimos3428
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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 9:08 pm

Mars wrote:Up here we don't have a good rate for light items over 2 cm tall. If it is under 2 cm then it can go by Letter Post but anything over 2cm it must get sent as a package so the actual shipping was around $8.50. This is one of the items where it would be cheaper to ship it from Canada to the US than within Canada.

Yes, that one sucks. We have something called "Small Packets", but only internationally. (A DMG in a bubble mailer is too large for Letter Post, incidentally.)

Tharizdun
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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 9:30 pm

If I were to refund any overages I would be losing a lot of time and money.

You should leave him the neg for this.

SoulCatcher78
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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:00 pm

Just seems odd that he doesn't disclose the shipping cost up front.

Mars
Grandstanding Collector

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Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:46 pm

deimos3428 wrote:A DMG in a bubble mailer is too large for Letter Post, incidentally.

Letter Post is also the only thing I have ever had returned to me for being over weight (by 35 grams). I am regularly over the limits on small packet parcels when I print up shipping online and none of those ever come back.

Thunderdave
Verbose Collector

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Location: Toronto, Canada

Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 11:31 pm

Mars wrote:Any suggestions?

I won a Swords & Spells from this seller recently.

My shipping quote was $15.

I contacted to advise: please double check your shipping calculator, seems a bit off.

I rec'd a second invoice: $15 to ship.

I re-contacted and include links to Canada Post and the weight of an S&S and advised I'm fine with shipping in an envelope... and I think the charge should be $3 or so.

Then, I received a proper invoice with shipping at $3.

I wouldn't have posted this in Shady Sellers, or anything, - seemed more indifferent than opportunistic to me - but perhaps this is business as usual...?

He got good ratings from me, because he came good in the end. Doesn't sound like he deserves good ratings on this one, though...

I draw the line at collecting... D&D beach towels.

Shoulda been: ".. from Pangreenia to Floratopolis, from mystical Treeonia of spectral Forests to Schruborial dimensions." - The Forests of Leng

misterspock
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 7:41 pm

I know it's a nickel and dime issue, but that bugs me too. I recently bought some books where the "flat shipping rate" quote was used, and it turned out to be about double the shipping cost. In my case the seller gave me the refund. There is a specific Ebay rule about not overcharging on shipping and I think there's specifics on books and dvds even. I think it's cost+packaging fee where the packaging fee cannot be used for things like driving to the post office, standing in line, etc.

You could open a Paypal dispute and ask for a partial refund of the $6 or whatever it is. What's the seller going to do -- provide the actual shipping receipt to Paypal as evidence in his favor?

That's another thing about Ebay which bothers me is that they leave it up to the buyer to police this kind of thing.

Invincible Overlord
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 9:54 am

Mars wrote:I don't normally have too much trouble with shipping & handling but I am having a odd case now. I bought and received this item:

** expired/removed eBay auction **

When I received it, the shipping was a bit less than I figured it would be (i.e. the seller overcharged by $6) and the package was just a bristol board box with 2 air puff bags.

So I asked the seller if he meant to charge a handling fee of $6 (so I could nail his DSRs appropriately) and he replies that, when he brought it to the post office, they gave him a smaller box that ended up being cheaper than the one he was going to use and that he quoted me shipping for. So I wait a week and don't receive any kind of refund and email him again if I should expect a refund. His response is:

Normally, I'm not too fussy about sellers who charge a $3-$4 handling fee because I generally know they are before I bid but in this case, I am leaning towards leaving a negative feedback. Any suggestions?

Hit him with a negative feedback.

edit - Ok... at least a Neutral feedback...

RPGâ€™s, D&D in particular has had a major influence in my life. Itâ€™s bonded me together with life long friends...itâ€™s that bond in life not just as friends, but in our jokes, our mannerisms, and what we find funny. Invincible Overlord

Tharizdun
Prolific Collector

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Location: Behind you

Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 11:52 am

Send him a scary little doll with needles poking out of it from everywhere and a little scroll with a curse on it and tell him that he's fucked now.

benjoshua
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:26 pm

misterspock wrote:That's another thing about Ebay which bothers me is that they leave it up to the buyer to police this kind of thing.

EBay expects almost everything to be policed by its participants. They have virtually no customer service or quality control. I'd be interested to know how many people are hired by eBay to work in its customer service department.

Truth is worth finding and life is too short to work for money.

Mars
Grandstanding Collector

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Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:56 pm

benjoshua wrote:I'd be interested to know how many people are hired by eBay to work in its customer service department.

Me too. The few times that I have had to deal with an actual person at Ebay usually require going through a few rounds of being pointed to and sent their policy pages. So in my experience it takes 2-3 weeks before you get a personal response.

Mars
Grandstanding Collector

Posts: 6172
Joined: May 03, 2003
Last Visit: Feb 10, 2026
Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:58 pm

I've sent the seller on more message saying basically that I most likely won't be bidding on anymore of his auctions and would appreciate a refund on the difference of shipping on this item rather than the "future considerations".

Depending on his response I will see whether I leave a positive/neutral/negative.

Mars
Grandstanding Collector

Posts: 6172
Joined: May 03, 2003
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Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:44 pm

This time, he sent me the refund so I am back to leaving positive.

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