mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
@pjcdn2005 wrote:I agree, we do need a way to easily bill the buyer when they want to upgrade shipping or when we have reship an item. It really is ridiculous to have to refund the buyer and have them make a purchase again. In many cases the buyer could not be bothered to do so. It seems very unprofessional too.
You are allowed to exchange contact information (email's), for 2 weeks for an Paid eBay Transaction and you can do it within eBay Messages.
If you need to change the shipping fees prior to payment, this can be done by sending an Invoice.
If you did not exchange emails and the two weeks has pass you will be locked out from exchanging emails within eBay Messages.
velvet@ebay wrote:
@dhbookds wrote:
What is the correct thing to do in this situation?
Thanks for the tag @dhbookds. There have been a number of suggestions made but I wanted to ensure we're giving the best option, especially considering the email with the PayPal email address was blocked. I reached out to our trust and safety team and they said the message was blocked because we don't want PayPal info being shared since we aren't able to help should a problem arise. They also provided me with a few suggestions as to how @inhawaii can best proceed from here.
The first is to see if you can still send the buyer an invoice. If so, you could invoice them for the shipping cost of the second shipment. The next option would be to have the buyer start a Return and then partially refund them so you're not out the original shipping cost. If the transaction is canceled then the entire amount will be refunded to the buyer. Which is another option if you're ok with that. You could then relist the item and let the buyer know what the item number is, and they could repurchase it with the correct address.
It should be noted that it is UNLIKELY that @inhawaii was asking the buyer for the PayPal email address as that is completely unnecessary. All the seller needs is the buyer's email address. It doesn't have to be one they have linked to their PP account.
Asking a buyer their email address so you can send them a PP invoice is NOT asking the buyer for their PP email address. A seller has NO need for that information.
Why in the world would a seller intentionally damage their own stats [Service Metrics] by having the buyer open a claim because Ebay does not have an adequate way to handle situations like this. Not a new situation either but one that has been around for many many years. Over those years we have begged and pleaded for a vehicle in which to handle this.
Relisting the item so the buyer can purchase it again is just costing the seller more time and money in fees. While not the national debt by any means, the 30 cent per transaction fee is NOT refunded on a regular Cancellation and refund. So the seller would pay that and they would pay the new 30 cent fee on this purchase. So it is the FVF + 60 cents for handling it this way
You suggest that the seller send another invoice in Ebay for the new shipping costs. I am not aware of any way to do that in Ebay on a transaction that has been paid for. So more detailed directions are needed for that.
I might add that If we could do another invoice in Ebay, that isn't a very good option. That would mean that from that payment you would issue the label is likely to overwrite the original tracking number and the tracking is no longer on this transaction. That is simply NOT a good idea for a seller as that original tracking shows that the seller is covered by Seller protection. If you print out another label from the same transaction it will override the original tracking and that history is lost to the seller as far as I know.
So now we know. Don't mention PP in your email to your buyer when asking for their email address. Because for some crazy reason Ebay bots are seeing that as you asking the buyer for their PP email address. Again noting the two are not necessarily the same.
So in a nutshell, email the buyer and ask them for their email address so you can send them an invoice. Send that. Then send them another email to let them know that the invoice they get will come from the PP system. Then go to PP and create an invoice for the buyer, make sure you add in your non refundable fees such as your PP fees. Then send the invoice to the buyer.
When the buyer pays the PP invoice, create and print your shipping label from this payment and do NOT enter it into Ebay.
With all respect, I know your post was marked as the solution, but it should not be as it is not the solution to the OP's issue.
@kerbel1 wrote:Once you change the address your seller protection goes away. I would cancel the sale stating “problem with buyer address” and see if you can’t deduct the first shipping charge out. You might want to call eBay and get their opinion on this- it seems really sketchy. Depending on the amount of the item, I might just cancel altogether.
Seller protection doesn't go away unless you print another shipping label from the same transaction number. Then the new tracking number will over-write the old one.
velvet@ebay wrote:
@albertabrightalberta wrote:
velvet@ebay wrote:
@dhbookds wrote:
What is the correct thing to do in this situation?
Thanks for the tag @dhbookds. There have been a number of suggestions made but I wanted to ensure we're giving the best option, especially considering the email with the PayPal email address was blocked. I reached out to our trust and safety team and they said the message was blocked because we don't want PayPal info being shared since we aren't able to help should a problem arise. They also provided me with a few suggestions as to how @inhawaii can best proceed from here.
The first is to see if you can still send the buyer an invoice. If so, you could invoice them for the shipping cost of the second shipment. The next option would be to have the buyer start a Return and then partially refund them so you're not out the original shipping cost. If the transaction is canceled then the entire amount will be refunded to the buyer. Which is another option if you're ok with that. You could then relist the item and let the buyer know what the item number is, and they could repurchase it with the correct address.
You suggested, "The next option would be to have the buyer start a Return and then partially refund them so you're not out the original shipping cost"
How would that work?
How can the buyer start a return if the item was never delivered to the invalid shipping address? Neither the the buyer nor the seller can supply a return shipping label. And wouldn't a "return" have to have its own unique tracking number?
IMO, the best option would be for @inhawaii to issue a partial refund, deducting the shipping and making the buyer whole (except for the shipping error or buyer's own making) and include a note (so ebay can see why there's a partial being issued) and be done with it.
And if neutral or neg feedback were left, that should be removable, no?
A return can be started at anytime @albertabrightalberta and then the seller could offer a partial refund. The buyer would accept it, and that would be it. If @inhawaii has the ability to partially refund directly then that could be an option as well.
And if @inhawaii didn't mind getting another ding in his Service Metrics.
There is no blanket statement about FB removal. It would depend on what the buyer said. There are things they could say that would then deem the FB non removable.
@katzrul15 wrote:
Good point on the need for an email addy - not necessarily a PP email addy.
Interesting that the bots block it because it says PP.
E-Bay truly wants a Seller to cancel the order and relist, but not every buyer will be willing to do that. There really does need to be a mechanism as I posted UP thread, for a Seller to accommodate these scenarios and parameters for a Seller to do so.
That must be a newer change as I've sent many of these emails over the years. All in one email too and never had a problem. In fact as I remember it I sent one earlier this month. I asked for the buyer's email address and I told them I would invoice them through PayPal. My email was not blocked.
What Velvet said is rather new as we've been over this before on the threads in recent history and maybe even the Weekly chat. What I explained is the best way to handle it so that all information is maintained and the seller isn't self inflicting dings on their account in the Service Metrics.
IDK why some CSRs just don't see that as an issue. The Service Metrics and a 6% penalty fee is no joke. I can never advise a fellow seller to do something to intentionally damage the health of their selling account. Dang just since the first of the year that would have likely given me 3 dings. This situation happens frequently enough to potentially cause real harm to a seller if handled via filing a claim.
I honest do not believe there has been any recent changes as I did this earlier this month without issue.
Unless velvet@ebay can share with us when this policy started as it is clearly new. So if we ask for the buyer's email address and mention PayPal in the same email, this will now cause our emails not to go through. Again please note that this caused no issue earlier this month as I personally did it.
Sorry I forgot your question on the Weekly Chat. It was a few months back, but it was this year or I believe it was. But what the heck. Next Wednesday I'll bring it up at the chat. Oh wait, no I can't I have a medical procedure that day, so I'll be a bit preoccupied. LOL
