Seller offers free shipping but then charges for shipping
This is the first time I used ebay. Seller says all purchases are shipped free then charges you $25.00 for shipping. Then says refunds are accepted within 30 days. a supposedly new product will be refunded at the used value. made a accusation that I tried to scam him. Fortunately I never opened the FedEx shipping envelope proving the record has never been played. It would have been good until he accused me of cheating him out of $15.00. I would have had no problem paying that but his accusation is unfounded & irrepressible. hilo.com? Caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware
14 comments
kathiec
·3 years agoSometimes we tend to be too quick to assume all sellers are crooks. The seller in this case is a TRS with 100% feedback and no indication that they're crooks out to steal the OP's money.
xadexane
·3 years ago1. A seller can add an additional shipping charge and issue an invoice, if the buyer wasn't quick enough to pay. This locks in the higher total amount, which cannot be reverted at eBay Checkout. Sellers in China do this -- camp out before the auction-style listing ends, to tack on a shipping charge on an item with free shipping.
2. From the onset, a seller may be planning to get the most out of a $200 purchase, by deliberately leaving off the apartment number from the address.
It is unlikely that a buyer would not provide their full address at eBay Checkout. It would even more unlikely that the seller did not do this, after manually upping an invoice.
The ploy is, when it's undeliverable
-- the buyer will not get their refund, while
-- the seller gets the item back in its same condition.
Evidence of successful delivery
We require all of the following to prove a successful on-time delivery:
3. Or if the carrier resolves the delivery themselves (and charges a fee) and should the buyer file any return, these sellers will invariably keep both 50% of the item cost plus the entire original shipping cost.
More commonly, the seller will use the exact reason the buyer reported for a SNAD:
a. Ship an item with ... a broken spindle.
b. Buyer does a return on ... a broken spindle.
c. Seller keeps 50% because of ... a broken spindle.
Sellers and buyers have learned how eBay works, and work the policies to their/their/their advantage.
albertabrightalberta
·3 years agoSellers CANNOT add additional shipping charges to the invoice NEVER EVER! It doesn't matter whether the buyer paid immediately or "wasn't quick enough to pay."
Doing so is a violation of ebay policy.
myangelandmyprincess
·3 years agoI think there is a confusion here. This person isn't saying that is allowed. They're saying a seller can do this and there is unfortunately no way around it to not pay it.
kathiec
·3 years agoI think you're getting mad at the seller for things that aren't his fault. First, the vast majority of sellers print their labels on eBay, which uses the address information provided on the checkout screen. So it's very possible you didn't catch the omission of the apartment number when you checked out. And it's also possible that FedEx automatically charges changes like that back to the original shipper -- in this case the seller. So I suspect an error that likely wasn't the seller's fault caused a cascade of misunderstandings and belligerence on both sides.
And I still don't understand the whole reference to "Fortunately I never opened the FedEx shipping envelope proving the record has never been played" and the whole thing about his return policy.
bonjourami
·3 years agoIs this your seller from Japan? If so, he has every listing with $25 shipping. Cant imagine he would ship from Japan to the U.S. for free!
kathiec
·3 years agoI'm seeing the most recent listings from that seller with free shipping. I'm wondering if he made a mistake in one listing and is using sell similar and unknowingly having it copy to the new listings. It would make sense that he was adamant about the shipping charge if he didn't realize his listing was wrong.
albertabrightalberta
·3 years agoThere are 98 completed listings. 22 of them have free shipping and the remainder are $25 shipping.
Without knowing which item @maxicatt17 purchased, it's impossible to say that it was listed as free shipping. Based on what I see, I'm guessing it was an item that charged for shipping.
kathiec
·3 years agoNothing the seller did to you had to happen if you'd only availed yourself of eBay policies. Sellers aren't allowed to charge more shipping than is stated in the listing. Beyond that it's unclear what the issue is. Since you say you never opened the package this obviously wasn't an item not as described. So if you'll explain what happened we can advise you how to proceed.
maxicatt17
OP3 years agoI had no issue at first. I paid over $200. For 1 record. I did not open it as it was to be a special gift for my son. He lives out of town. I was going to send it to him in the same sealed fedex envelope. Somehow my apartment number was missing on my address. It was a good thing I called FedEx & corrected the information. I would have had no issue paying the $15.00 charge for adding my apartment number. He accused me of telling FedEx to charge the $15.00 back to him??? I I had no idea of this until after it was delivered & got his malicious message. Not to worry. Ebay is the best experience I have ever had. I admit I may have been a bit harsh but he really offended me. To put it simply I love ebay & cannot wait to make more purchases on eBay. Thank- you.
pcobra93
·3 years agoIs your address correct with the apartment number in Ebay? Did the seller buy the shipping label from Ebay? If so, then the address that imports is the one you provided Ebay when setting up the account (you can add and change anytime). Also, if any charge for any reason such as the apartment number addition was added then the bill would be sent to the seller. If you do not have the correct address in Ebay then it really is your fault.....but that does not give a seller any right to be belligerent. I personally would just let you know so you could correct the address for future transactions.
asset_liquidators
·3 years ago"Somehow my apartment number was missing on my address."
The only way it was missing on your address is because YOU failed to put it there when providing your address.
You calling fedex and having the address changed would result in fedex charging the shipper (seller) a $15 change of address fee. You need to have your address correct BEFORE making purchases, not after.
maxicatt17
OP3 years agoHi Kathy. I am not concerned with the shipping issue. The record is supposedly new. The seller wants to refund me as if it has been played or is used. I cannot determine that without opening the shipping package. All I want is my full refund back. If l send the package back to him. I am very uncomfortable he will call it a opened package as he indicated. How can I return it to confirm it the FedEx shipping envelope has not been opened?
kathiec
·3 years agoThe seller offers free 30-day returns. So just go to the item in your purchase history, click the Return button, then select the appropriate reason. Since the seller's return policy states that seller provides return shipping, they will then provide either a return label or the funds to ship the return. If they don't, after three business days you can ask eBay to step in. The seller is not a Top Rated Seller, so they're not allowed to give anything but a full refund, per their return policy.