What are the odds a seller does not know how to combine shipping for a buyer that has won multiple listings?

It is obvious this seller is not a newbie with over 1300 feedbacks.
I won two listings from this same US seller:
One listing had seven box sets and the shipping total was listed as $25 which seemed reasonable to me.
The other listing had a single box set with shipping for just $5 which semed reasonable also.

On the day the first listing closed, I asked seller to combine the two listing with a single shipping cost and seller agreed to do so, but never sent me a revised invoice.
So I asked for one the next day.
Then the seller sends me a regular reply (Not a new invoice) telling me what my new total which was fine, but no new combined invoice and did not change either listings shipping amount, so I could pay seller the total amouny I owed, but not through Paypal (that is not if I wanted protection anyway).
So, I reply again asking for a combined revised E-Bay official sellers invoice.

Seller then sends me a revised invoice for the listing with the single box set ONLY and the shipping was increased from $5 to $25... for that one item.
FIVE times what it had been for that listing and seller did not change the shipping cost for the other listing; Which was also $25, so the total is now $50!
As of now, not only is the seller NOT combining the two listings, seller is not saving me money on shipping either.
Seller instead has now increased the shipping cost by almost double, from $30 to $50 total.  

Today, I sent yet another message asking if the seller knows how to combine listings with one invoice and one shipping charge and also offered to help the seller if not.

What am I to do here?

Some people have not been to school and can't count, or need to get their spouses to do things for them because they have to clean their trailers or collect their welfare. Also, some people do not understand words with too many letters, and words like 'combine' are very difficult for trailer park trash and rednecks. It is very unlikely that these sorts of people have ever played or know how to read D&D products, so the quality of their goods is either remarkably good and unread, or has been stolen from someone else.

On the whole, these people probably need the money more than you do. They have nothing else in their life, and no prospect of improvement either. I say pony up the money and sit back with the smug and satisfying knowledge that they are live in their own squalor and their kids will never meet yours. Pay for each item individually and pay for each item days appart, and that leaves you open to chargeback if they don't ship you seperate packages and leave the necessary feedback.

benjoshua wrote:Whatever you do, don't get upset or put in any snide comments.  Just act like he did not send an invoice and ask for a combined shipping invoice.  Keep asking until you get an invoice you like.  If it is a mistake, and it could be, he might make a mistake in your favor.  I'd keep the requests short and simple.   But that's just my opinion.  

Agree completely.
No snide comments have been sent.
Would not have done so anyway, but thanks.
No mistake in my favor is likely, seller knows what he wants; I am starting to think it is just taking time for seller to know what I want.
Which is a fair deal.

I'd politely point out there error in the paypal request not going through ebay and ask again for the combined total?
I'd still suggest you manually make the adjustment yourself at the 'Pay Now' screen, if thats an option in the US. It may look like you are paying less than the amount requested via ebay, but at least you have a copy of the true amount requested outside, if it all kicks off! Good luck

On the UK ebay, at the Pay Now total, there is a box where you can make an adjustment +/-.
So if you are paying the total invoice for both sales, type -$x (whatever that needs to be) to match the correct invoice total sent outside ebay and it will match up.
Unfortunately, I cant offer a screen shot immediately, but I can in the morning, if that helps?

Yep.
I do recall something like that early on.
But only the seller can change the amount on the invoice now on E-Bay as far (as I know....)

The buyers ONLY choices are to pay or not to pay, and if pay, then how (depending on what the seller agrees to; Check, Money Order, Paypal, electronnic transfer, Cash in hand at pickup) and also which type of shipping to use and even then ONLY if the seller has offered more than one choice.
Most sellers do not do even that.

ashmire13 wrote:Ah, that's a bugger. Explains the confusion then. Hope it gets resolved, as the seller is beginning to sound like an arse.
Is the total deal still a reasonable price? Maybe just pay it, then nail him when it comes to feedback and DSRs, especially if he posts them combined!

Shipping cost is the trouble here.
There were two seperate listings which included a total of Eight Box Sets.
(All Fantasy RPG Box Sets)
At the close of the E-Bay auctions if I had simply not messed with asking for combined shipping (Which the seller agreed to) then the cost would have been $20 less than it is now.
In hind sight, If I had known the trouble coming I would have done it and never blinked an eye.

Since then though the Seller not only never has sent me a combined invoice, but has actually increased shipping for the listing with the single box set from $5 to $25 and left the listing that had Seven Box Sets at the original Shipping cost of $25.

The items involved are (IMO) worth the final bids that won those listings.
And if they arrive at my door with no damage then I will feel like I have a made a decent enough deal (overall).
But they are all BOX Sets so damage could happen, which is one of the things that worries me now.
If the main item I won (the single Box Set) is damaged even a little, then the entire deal is terrible for me (of course).
Because the amount of my bid was border line for that single Box Set listing as it was. (I was the only bidder and the listing started at $99.99).

So far, I have kept the sellers ID private on purpose and have taken pains not to disclose that ID.
And I have no intention of making the sellers ID public so please do not ask for sellers ID in this forum.

mbassoc2003 wrote:In the UK, all buyer transactions are covered by PayPal Buyer Protection. I'd go for it and charge it to a credit card for the extra protection just in case. The seller sounds like a retard. I had a seller like this a year or so ago where I bought six magazines in six auctions and the shipping started at £28 and climbed to about £48 before the retard admitted they didn't know how to use PayPal or eBay and about three months later I still hadn't paid, the item dropped off the bottom of my list and the seller F'd off and never said anything about is. Some people shouldn't be allowed on the internet in the interest of keeping the internet retard free.

Well, I suppose it is possible the seller does not know how to combine shipping.
If so I would be shocked with a feedback score well over 1300.
However, I offered to instruct the seller in how to do combined shipping and it really is a simple thing anyway.
Just ONE click of the button is all it takes from the sellers home pages, and it can also be done through the listings too.

I have sold maybe 75-80 items in all in the eight years I have been cruising E-Bay and those included (MAYBE) a handful that were multiple listings for one buyer and I figured out combined shipping the first time in mere seconds.
It aint rocket science...

Sigh..... I am at a loss and need more advise please.  

Gnat the Beggar wrote:So far, I have kept the sellers ID private on purpose and have taken pains not to disclose that ID.
And I have no intention of making the sellers ID public so please do not ask for sellers ID in this forum.

Not that it really matters, but all anyone needs to do is perform an advanced search on your Ebay ID (those of us that know it anyway) and see what you have won over the last 30 days to figure out what the seller's ID is.  Nice win on that EotPT box set by the way.

Based on what you have mentioned so far, it is possible, however unlikely, that the seller may have just screwed up when he tried to combine the invoices.  So instead of one invoice with a $30 shipping charge, you now have two invoices, both for $25.  I had something similar happen with me some time ago.  The seller simply couldnt figure out how to combine them.  It wasnt for nearly as much as yours though.  He ended up just refunding me the difference.

If the seller is unable to figure out how to do it then your best bet is to pay from the original Ebay invoices if that is still possible.  If its not possible, just pay him using the PayPal money request and use your credit card.  You are covered one way or the other.  If he tries to screw you over and PayPal sides with the seller, just file a chargeback with your credit card company.