Why does ebay charge a buyer for shipping even if seller does not purchase postage from ebay?

Question

I sold 4 items to a customer on ebay and combined items into one box and decided not to purchase shipping label from Ebay and went to post office to pay for shipping service. But ebay charges customer for shipping and i had to refund the difference. Why does Ebay do this when seller does not purchase postage from ebay they charge customer anyway?

lady_madonna · Accepted Answer

@bicycle_fitness

The amount the buyer pays during checkout is based on the shipping charges specified on the seller's listing page(s).

If the shipping costs are lower (i.e. combined shipping) sellers can refund the difference to the buyer.

inceptions · Answer

@bicycle_fitness The buyer pays YOU for shipping the item and you purchase the label - it doesn't matter whether you pay for the label on eBay or at the post office.

disneyshopper · Answer

If your listing charges the buyer for shipping, it doesn't matter where you purchase the shipping. If you purchase from ebay, you get a discount. If you purchase from the post office, you will be paying the retail price and not the commercial price, and then have to upload the tracking number into the ebay transaction.