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Honesty in ads regarding shipping
I've yet to encounter deceitful listings on here, until now. Unresponsive, sometimes rude, sure... But not outright ad deception. I recently purchased a phone case from a seller who's listing advertised free shipping (USPS). After about a week i received a USPS form indicating i had a package with unpaid postage ($3.47) waiting for pickup at the main office. There was no tracking number so after spending substantial time on hold, etc, i was told I'd have to go in person to the main branch (not a short drive for me) and pay the postage in order to even see WHAT the package is. This happened twice with the same seller. Is this sort of false advertising excepted in eBay policy for sellers? Just curious. Thanks!
tree*fern
·2 years agoHi @zaphod525 The seller either made an honest mistake on the weight, or shipped it using a cheaper method that's not allowed for the item (for example, using Media Mail isn't allowed for phone cases), and USPS caught it. USPS is also using a new verification system that they've acknowledged sometimes makes mistakes in identifying underpaid packages.
Did the seller reimburse you for the postage? EBay can't force the seller to reimburse you for that, but the seller should do it voluntarily.
If this happens again, don't pay the postage, and have USPS return the package to sender. If you refuse a package because it has postage due, you will still be able to get a full refund through eBay's Money Back Guarantee.
zaphod525
OP2 years agoHello @tree*fern! Thanks so much for your reply! No the seller did not reimburse for postage, just apologized for both times and refunded my purchase stating that the post office messed up twice. For curiosity's sake, I went and looked at his negative reviews for the past 12 months and this situation is a very common theme. I had no intention of driving to the main branch of my post office to pay 75% postage for a $4.50 phone case. So really no big deal except that I've been waiting on this one before I shop for a different version. I was more wondering what eBay's general policy was regarding misleading "free shipping" listings. The seller definitely knew that the post office would charge for a package delivery, if not him (the shipper), then the recipient. I mean, even with the shipping or postage, it's still under $10 for the case. I guess for me it's more a question of integrity and whether the adage of "buyer beware" should have to apply when shopping on eBay. But again thanks so much for answering my post, it is my first ðŸ˜, and have a wonderful weekend!
tree*fern
·2 years ago@zaphod525 You're welcome! "Free" shipping just means that the seller has included the shipping cost in the item price. The shipping cost is never free to the seller, and must be paid before USPS will take the package.
Based on the feedback, it sounds like the seller may be intentionally setting the weight too low, or misusing Media Mail to ship phone cases, taking the chance that most of his packages won't be caught. If he's a high-volume seller, for him the cost savings may outweigh the need to maintain good feedback.
A look at the seller's feedback before you buy usually tells the tale when it comes to integrity and customer service.
zaphod525
OP2 years agoAahaaaa! I see now! I've never been a high volume seller. That absolutely makes sense to me. Thank you! It's a risk/reward situation for the seller to bank on the post office missing something. That totally explains why he kept saying it was a post office error both times and out of frustration, simply refunded my purchase price and parted ways with me. Now I can empathize with the seller, somewhat... Not exactly the best practice, but also not intentionally trying to deceive the buyer. Thanks again @tree*fern , you've been so helpful!