Very high fees on a sold item?
I have sold an item to a buyer, and I offered a flat $35 to ship. I still entered the package size and weight, but eBay is charging me $80.32 for a shipping label that I do not want.
 
14 comments
I have sold an item to a buyer, and I offered a flat $35 to ship. I still entered the package size and weight, but eBay is charging me $80.32 for a shipping label that I do not want.
 
12345jamesstamps
·1 year agoI would take it to a USPS Post Office to at least get an estimate of shipping.
Clerks there can do that for free.
Can give you some idea what went wrong if you didn't mail it yet. Just a thought.
lacemaker3
·1 year agoOK, then $80.32 is the cost of the shipping label to ship that item to your buyer.
Why did you buy a shipping label if you don't want to use it? Are you going to ship it to them some other way?
If you don't use the shipping label, you can ask for it to be voided, and you will get a refund as long as it has not been scanned by the USPS.
buyselljack2016
·1 year ago@colnaught
Perhaps "void" that shipping label and repackage (maybe 2 flat rate boxes) to reduce the cost.
Box size can "bump" the cost way up.
colnaught
OP1 year agoThank you for giving me a helpful and nice answer. That’s exactly what I just did and it only cost me $25 and change.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoWhat you chose to charge the buyer for shipping only affects what the buyer pays. It does not define what the carrier requires that you pay to actually ship to the buyer.
That typically requires accurate location, weight and dimensions of the package.
If you are an experienced shipper. how you are packing the those crystals may be inadequate and a larger carton than you assumed may also be necessary, which will further increase the cost of shipping.
kensgiftshop
·1 year agoYou should have used calculated shipping and not a flat rate.
If you bought a shipping label through Ebay, you can void it for a refund.
If you go to the PO, you'll be paying more.
mr_lincoln
·1 year agoHi @colnaught
Regardless of what you put on the listing (like the $ 35 Flat rate shipping you charged), the actual cost to you out of pocket to ship the large watch crystal lot is based on the weight, dimensions of the package and distance it has to travel to get to the customer.
You will have to eat the cost the shipping error which is yours and in the future you can use the Calculated setting and put accurate dimensions and weight of the final package the items will be shipped in. The Calculated setting lets Buyer see what they will have to pay you to ship to them.
You will have to eat the cost of the error this time but you can correct that for future listings.
colnaught
OP1 year agoThank you for your explanation, but I’m still confused - I carefully ensured that the final package would be within the dimensions and weight that I provided eBay. In fact, I always overestimate a bit, just in case.
kensgiftshop
·1 year agoHow did you come up with $35?
If you used calculated shipping and entered the correct information, the buyer would have been charged the correct shipping.
If you use a flat rate, it doesn't matter what you enter in the listing, until you go to buy the label.
monroe67
·1 year ago" . . . I’m still confused - I carefully ensured that the final package would be within the dimensions and weight that I provided eBay."
You may have "ensured" that the dimensions and weight of the box were exactly what you entered into those fields when you created the eBay listing.
BUT apparently, in the field(s) where the seller lists the shipping charge, you listed a flat cost of $35.00. And in the text of your listing's description you state that this $35.00 will "help" to cover the charge to send those watch crystals to their buyer. (Indeed, you state that you are not even charging your buyer any handling fee to send this huge collection of watch crystals.) That is why your buyer paid "only" $35.00.
In the future, in order better to ensure that your eBay buyer pays the actual USPS cost, do not list your item with a flat mailing cost. Instead, choose Calculated Shipping. This means that eBay/USPS will calculate the proper postage using three things: the size dimensions, the weight, and the distance your item will have to travel from you (your zip code) to the zip code of your buyer.
There's a potential silver lining to this situation. As has been discussed mennnnnny times here in the Community Forums (fora?), the IRS will expect you to include your income from eBay selling when you prepare your tax return form(s) next spring. Depending on your own income tax situation, you may be able to deduct your expenses for selling on eBay. One of those expenses is postage/shipping costs that you paid.
From this transaction alone, you may be able to deduct the $80.32 postage that you paid.
pjcdn2005
·1 year agoHow did you come up with the $35 flat rate? If you had entered the correct weight and dimensions on the listing page AND used calculated shipping, the buyer will pay the correct rate to their location based on the information you entered. Because you used a flat rate, a buyer that was 5 miles from you would be charged the same as a buyer 500 miles from you.
mr_lincoln
·1 year ago@colnaught
You are more than welcome! When I read your original post and saw the big difference in the costs I checked your Sold items and saw the watch crystals. I thought, hmmm??? maybe they weight more than I thought since they are basically glass.
stainlessenginecovers
·1 year agoYour listing says 'I'm charging $35 to HELP with the shipping costs: So simply sounds like/looks like you didn't research what the true cost would be before you 'set up' that $35 and/or you used Calculated Shipping (which ebay calcs for you) but didn't input the correct weight and dimensions when creating listing.
Long story short, the $80+ is probably accurate and the rest is user (you- seller) error.
To check, what was 'from zip/to zip' and 'weight' and 'dimensions (3 sides) and what 'carrier' did you use?
monica-sells
·1 year agoUnless I am missing something, the $80.32 has to be the amount the shipping label YOU printed/purchased when you printed the shipping label.....(that's the only way a number can be on that line)
your $35.00 estimate (that was collected) is just that....an estimate
all these numbers are determined by YOUR input on the forms (calculated, flat rate, carrier, weight, height, width, length, zip code...) for both the original listing AND the final label printing page.....