I sent offers to interested buyers, but then realized shipping costs have gone up dramatically!

[1tuxedokitty]

Hello there! I have a dilemma and I'm looking for suggestions from seasoned ebay sellers. I'd rather not lose money, but I don't want to commit an ebay sin either. Bear with me while I describe...

I have an active listing that started with a quantity of 6 items. The listing has been there a while with several watchers and tons of views so I used the "send offer" option on the seller hub. One person responded immediately and purchased one of the items. All sounds great, right?

When I went to print my shipping label, I found that the same shipping service had almost tripled from when I originally listed these items! I never thought to check the rates after the new year started, so when it's all said and done I lost money on this transaction - my fault, it is what it is!

My dilemma is this: I now have an active offer out to watchers for those 5 other items in the listing, which translate to me losing more money on them if the offer is accepted. I can't make any changes to the shipping service under "revise the listing" and I see no way to withdraw the offer. Is it inappropriate to cancel the listing entirely and relist with an updated shipping cost? Or do I just have to wait the 48 hours til the offer expires and hope nobody buys til then?

Thanks for any help you can offer!!

[pburn]

Sometimes mistakes are a bit more costly than we'd like them to be.

I would wait until all your offers have expired. If someone else buys, honor your offer price. It's the right thing to do. You'll sleep better at night, or be able to look yourself in the mirror, or whatever other euphemisms are out there, if you make ethical choices.

You know what they say: "Bad cause, bad effect."

Keep in mind that everything you do as a seller reflects on ALL sellers. Unfortunately, eBay buyers tend to paint all eBay sellers with the same brush. If a potential buyer thinks you've acted inappropriately by making an offer and then ending the listing, they will tend not to trust the platform.

[mtgraves7984]

@pburn  makes a good point.

Until your offer expires (if it helps with the anxiety) hold to the idea that all your other watchers are not buyers.

Experience is something we get just after we need it, no?

[nobody*s_perfect]

You should just end the listing and re-list it with a corrected shipping section.

The problem with the shipping on the berry garland (and also on the Command hooks) is that it is set up to calculate the postage cost for a flat (AKA Large envelope) rather than for a package.  You should edit the  hooks listing and end the garland listing so you can fix the choice in the "Package type section of the listing form.

[luckythewinner]

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@1tuxedokitty wrote:

When I went to print my shipping label, I found that the same shipping service had almost tripled from when I originally listed these items! I never thought to check the rates after the new year started

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I do not think that a rate increase caused Priority Mail shipping to triple with the new year.

I suspect nobody*s_perfect is correct, and that you chose the wrong service.

[byrd69er]

Cancel the listing before anyone else accepts your offer.

[this*old*attic]

If anyone accepts, sell at the terms you offered. We all eat a mistake now and then.