eBay

honeybadgerposter · ‎10-17-2017

I put most of my listings where I don't do free shipping as Parcel Select. I find I get fewer people whining about shipping costs like they do when I use Priority Mail. I'd say 75% of the time PM ends up being 25-35 cents cheaper, so I always upgrade. Sold an item today that fell into that "let me upgrade for free" category. Then I noticed, well DUH, this item actually fits just fine in a PM Flat rate envelope for about four dollars less. I am not inclined to do a refund because Lord knows this helps to compensate for those times my packed parcel throws me into the next pound of shipping no matter what I do. Also seems lame to leave it in the standard manila envelope I'd originally planned as regular PM at about $10 just so there is no big discrepancy from what the buyer paid. What would you do? Can you even imagine a customer complaining that they got upgraded from PS to PM and then saying "but wait, you put this in a PMFRE which is cheaper, you owe me money"??

buyselljack2016 · ‎10-17-2017

Yes, I can imagine it, and it does happen.

I do not display postage cost on my labels, but then, I do not overcharge.

siayan · ‎10-17-2017

Flat rate Envelope is $6.65 add the 10% and you are not that far off at $10.00. I wouldn't sweat it.

____________________________________________________________________
Prov 20:14 It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

southern*sweet*tea · ‎10-17-2017

Your buyer paid $10 for a slow service. You are upgrading them to a faster service at no extra cost. 🙂

The easier you are to offend the easier you are to control.

We seem to be getting closer and closer to a situation where nobody is responsible for what they did but we are all responsible for what somebody else did. - Thomas Sowell

luckythewinner · ‎10-17-2017

@honeybadgerposter wrote:
Then I noticed, well DUH, this item actually fits just fine in a PM Flat rate envelope for about four dollars less. I am not inclined to do a refund because Lord knows this helps to compensate for those times my packed parcel throws me into the next pound of shipping no matter what I do.

I'm sure your buyer will appreciate the fact that you are overcharging him on shipping to cover the cost of your failure to use a scale on previous listings.

lintbrush* · ‎10-17-2017

If you sent it Priority by weight for the free upgrade and that cost less than Parcel Select, then I'd say there was nothing to refund.

As a seller, I don't know that I'd like you pocketing the extra monies for a flat rate option - even though I agreed to the price and it is an upgrade in speed, I might still feel slighted because you did more than a 50% "handling fee" for free materials and get up to $50 free insurance.

If you had realized that the PRFE option was better when you set up the listing, what price would you have charged? That would be my guide.

If it were me, I'd refund $2 or $2.50 with a note saying you discovered there was a cheaper priority option. $8 for a PFRE is more than enough if you have no extra packing/shipping expenses.

Unless the item is heavy or oversized, I don't even offer PS. I find the commercial discount from retail covers expenses easily. 25-35 cents from PS to CommBase doesn't.

flyinhawaiiangirl · ‎10-17-2017

Yeah throw a couple of single dollars in there with a note saying, what do you know? I was able to upgrade shipping, and it actually cost less. I thought this was the easiest way to get your refund to you quickly. Hope you like your item!

I think the buyer sees a PMFRE as $8 anyway. That's what posted on the us ps site. Depending on the experience of your buyer, they might now know you saved a few bucks.

jonathankirkland · ‎10-17-2017

@flyinhawaiiangirl wrote:
Yeah throw a couple of single dollars in there with a note saying, what do you know? I was able to upgrade shipping, and it actually cost less. I thought this was the easiest way to get your refund to you quickly. Hope you like your item!

I think the buyer sees a PMFRE as $8 anyway. That's what posted on the us ps site. Depending on the experience of your buyer, they might now know you saved a few bucks.

I've heard of other sellers doing things like this, and at first I didn't really agree with it, but I am starting to come around to that kind of honesty.

It's just a nice little bonus that will have the potential to make someone extremely happy.

Think about it, whether someone is paying attention to the way they received the item or not shipping wise and then they all of a sudden get a nice little cash bonus inside?

I think that'd pretty much make anyone happy!

Unless of course they write in your feedback "Best seller ever, included free cash money $$$ with the item!!"