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International Shipping
So.... I bought two motorcycle parts from a seller in the UK.
I added them to my cart and the hit the "Request Total" button to get an new amount for combined shipping. The platform returned an error message stating: My request could not be processed.... BUT - it then committed me to buy the items as if I had used the Buy It Now option.
The seller and I had great communication back and forth about this and we were bot confused. He reached out to Ebay and was told "there is nothing we can do since the buyer used the buy it now". This was incorrect so I called Ebay and was told that - yes, some thing had gone wrong but that combine shipping was not possible for international shipping. Let that comment sink in for a second. Does any part of that make sense? It doesn't to me. No one is counting items going into a box for shipping - you only need the address the size and the weight to make a label.
I was frustrated but I needed the parts I had bought so I paid for the items including the cost of separate shipping. After making payment the seller messaged me to say that he hoped I had gotten a discount as Ebay sent him a single label to ship the items together. **bleep** E-BAY??
So I called Ebay again to discuss. I was informed that the new shipping program does not allow for combined shipping. That if a single label was sent it was an error. I asked how much the single shipping label costed - Ebay refused to identify the cost of shipping.
Conclusion; E-bay is pocketing the difference of single item shipping and combined shipping in excess of the stated 2.16% fee for shipping services.
If you have experienced this issue or if you can shed some light on it please do....
This feels like a scam to me. 😞
axiom-r
OP3 years agoHello and thank you for your response. I appreciate any additional insight on this and especially confirmation that there is a problem.
I was logged in on the UK site as the seller had recommended in his listing. So I will follow your advice after the items arrive.
That E-Bay deployed (perhaps early) a shipping system that cannot accommodate grouping items for shipment does not sit well with me. Declarations for customs allows you to list the items in a package. I can under stand that some items must be shipped apart due to hazards or specific tariff or something like that but overwhelmingly items CAN be shipped together.
E-bay collects the money for shipping they purchase. Customer Service refused to identify the amount of actual shipping charges. So, they state a fee for the shipping of two items separately. Charge and collect that amount, then keep the difference when a single shipping label is sent to the seller. If this is not illegal it is certainly void of ethics and lacking in transparency. I can't imaging they are in a rush to correct this... $$$.
The seller in this transaction and I were on good terms and had excellent communication. He was sorry for the experience and had obviously had dealt with these circumstances previously as his listing tried to explain how to achieve combined shipping - to no avail. Further, he told me he could not opt out of the E-bay shipping - I read that sellers could opt out. I recently purchased from Germany and had no trouble combining items and receiving them through DHL?
The whole E-bay shipping program appears to be disingenuous at best... as they collect undisclosed profit on the backs of buyers. The actual costs should be made very clear. They declare on the Fees List 2.16% fee for handling... they do not disclose what they are actually making and this should not be acceptable to the E-Bay community.
shipscript
·3 years agoWhen you request an invoice for items in your cart, there is a screen that warns that using this option will commit you to the purchase. I've seen this many times. This is the way the site functions.
It is also known that eBay International Shipping can not combine purchases. This shortcoming is due to the way they handle international customs automation (each shipment must have Harmonized System tariff codes). eBay is working on adding a feature to combine orders, making it possible for them to assign more than one HS tariff code to the shipment.
If your two items are similar in nature, or in the same eBay category (like wrench and hammer), so that they would both fall under the same importation rules (hand tools), then you can ask the seller to cancel and refund and then create a new listing with both items. That is the easiest way to get a combined shipping discount. The downside is that combining more expensive items may exceed the duty free limits and increase the tariff on the purchase.
The fact that the seller was given only a single shipping label for the combined order, when you paid for two, is a problem. I would pursue this fact with customer support after you receive your items in one package rather than two. Did you use checkout on the US site or on the UK site? The checkout site would dictate which customer support you contact.