High shipping costs
I won an auction with the only bid on an item. The shipping fee was outrageously overpriced and before I bid I had messaged the seller asking about it. The seller admitted that it was incorrect and that it’ll be fixed. Now that I won, I messaged again asking about the correct shipping price before sending payment and they’ve gone radio silent. Anything I can do or am I SOL? To me it seems they don’t want to send it because the auction didn’t go as planned and this is their way out. For context, the item (golf club) was $82 and shipping is $107. Shipping a club anywhere in the US shouldn’t cost more than $25 max.
16 comments
biggymoe
·3 years agoIf they won't respond, not much you can do. I would continue to reach out and try to come to an agreement on the shipping. Even if they respond, and you come to an agreement, you may need to pay the full shipping charge. The seller can then refund the overpayment. Good luck.
coolections
·3 years agoOK, let me get this straight. You saw it was outrageous shipping cost and the bid amount was $82. You knew upfront when you hit that button (if you were the only bidder), you would pay $189. No one else bid (which you assumed would happen) and you won for your bid amount. NOW you decided you want the item for $82 cheaper than you agreed to?
myangelandmyprincess
·3 years agoActually I was helping a seller with shipping a golf club the other day. With the dimensions even with low weight shipping using USPS was $73 within the same zone and further zones went up to over $100. Shipping has gone nuts.
Unavailable member
·3 years agoMakes you wonder where the OP came up with $25 to ship a golf club anywhere in the US.
myangelandmyprincess
·3 years agoProbably just not realizing how crazy shipping really is...other sellers who maybe drop ship have lower shipping? Maybe fed ex or ups would be cheaper ? Who knows. I'm not surprised someone would expect it to be $25. When I went to calculate the cost to ship one I had sticker shock myself and I wasn't even the seller or buyer in a situation with it
golfer_guy3133
OP3 years agoI’ve literally shipped clubs all over. As recently as last month. I have no idea what boxes y’all are using to ship but it’s no where near $100.
coolections
·3 years ago@ebooksdiva Especially since USPS adds an extra oversize charge on any shipment of gold clubs now.
myangelandmyprincess
·3 years agoThis this is exactly what was causing it was the crazy surcharge because of the height of the club.
@golfer_guy3133 what dimensions and weight did you have for the last club you shipped?
golfer_guy3133
OP3 years agoAfter typing in dimensions for a USPS Quote: 27.45 for priority mail. 2 pounds, 42x4x4 (pretty standard golf box). This is for a single club. Not a set.
coolections
·3 years agoJust to save you future troubles. Next time ADD the bid and the ship amount together and decide before hitting that button.
golfer_guy3133
OP3 years agoIt’s not that I’m unwilling to pay. It’s that the seller said he would fix it before I placed my bid. I was unaware that it couldn’t be changed after the fact.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoFor a package with a length over 30 inches, the surcharge is $15 for Priority Mail and $7 for Parcel Select Ground.
How much does a packaged golf club weigh? Can it be shipped in a package that's under 1 cubic foot (e.g., 40 x 6 x 7)? You can ship a 5-pound package to Zone 8 via Parcel Select Ground for $13.98, so it would be just under $21 with the surcharge. But if it's over 1 cubic foot then it's going to ship at the 11-pound rate (at least), which brings the total cost (with $7 surcharge) to Zone 8 up to $26.27.
golfer_guy3133
OP3 years agoIt’s 2 pounds max. I’m not a shipping expert by any means. I’ve never had issues creating a label with the accurate box dimensions and being rejected/asked to pay more upon drop off. The 27.45 I’m seeing feels much more accurate than wherever the 107 came from. Regardless. Lesson learned. Don’t bid until it’s fixed. eBay said they would remove the strike if necessary.
golfer_guy3133
OP3 years agoAppreciate the response. I’ve bought and sold clubs in the past. As recently as a month ago and shipping should be nowhere near that. I reached out to eBay and they said they would remove the strike if the seller couldn’t make a new invoice. So we’ll see. Lesson learned.
Unavailable member
·3 years agoSorry to have to tell you this but… It seems you jumped the gun by bidding before the seller had a chance to change shipping costs. Sellers can’t change shipping once a bid is placed on their item.
You can pay for the item you won or not pay and receive an unpaid item strike. Get 2 unpaid item strikes in 12 months and your bidding and buying will be limited as many sellers will have you blocked.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoYou're probably SOL and will end up with a nonpayment strike if you don't cough up the entire $107. There's nothing you can do but wait in case you do get a revised invoice from the seller.
The seller can't change the shipping after a bid is placed. As you probably realize now, you should not have bid before the shipping was corrected.