Combining shipping on Buy It Now and auction that ends 8 days later

[uggywife2012]

I have a potential buyer that would like to bid on a Buy It Now item that ends in 8 hours if I will combine shipping with an auction item that will end in 8 days.  I am not sure how to handle this.  I don't mind offering the combined shipping and I don't mind holding the one item and shipping when the auction closes, but I have some questions about how this will work.  What if this buyer doesn't end up winning the auction? Do I then have to cancel the original transaction?  Will that be a strike against me?  Even if this buyer wins the auction, will I get a strike for not having shipped the original item within my promised shipping time? I have two watchers on the second item and don't end auctions early. Will I be opening a can of worms by agreeing to the combined shipping?  I always get great suggestions from this community.  Thanks in advance for your advice.

[nufces09 · Accepted solution]

the buyer doesn't pay until the auction is over and he finds out if he wins

you send them an amended invoice by deducting from the shipping on the auction item how ever much of a discount you give - don't be too fast to agree to combined shipping till you know if the buyer will benefit (and you)

sometimes when you combine shipping it costs more because the combined weight bumps it up to a higher price range - your best (and easiest) thing to do IMHO is to tell the buyer you will give them say a $2.00 or so discount but put both items on the scale together first and see if you should give the discount to start out with