No buyers? It is not Just eBay's fault, some seller need to look in the mirror

[slideshopper]

I buy and sell here this is a recent email from a seller :

Seriously!! The item in question I paid $25 for and shipping of ~$17. To get an email demanding more money for an item purchased is an eBay only anomaly. If I was a casual buyer do you think I would come back after this?   

[ersatz_sobriquet]

There's a learning curve to selling on ebay, I might cut a buyer some slack if they're new. You want decent prices for your items, right? Finding a seller error in shipping cost and a deal too good to be true, or at least profitable whatsoever to the seller...I put myself in their shoes. If they're a repeat offender they will get the boot from out of stock defects. That said, when I've made an error I've quietly suffered the loss and mailed the item to the buyer never asking for more money. 

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

My recent order had a may take 3 days to ship. It shipped a week after I paid. In the meantime I had a zillion things arrive from Amazon.

I understand it takes a long time to ship lamps and fiddly things. This was a tee.

[slideshopper]

I did also - he has nearly 4k in feedback

[ed8108]

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@slideshopper wrote:

I buy and sell here this is a recent email from a seller :

Seriously!! The item in question I paid $25 for and shipping of ~$17. To get an email demanding more money for an item purchased is an eBay only anomaly. If I was a casual buyer do you think I would come back after this?   

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You are correct,that this seller behavior is self-serving & likely  encourage some buyers to avoid buying anything on ebay in future.

[providere1974]

As a new seller myself, that is a subject that hits close to home. I for one probably over analyze pricing and shipping cost on my listed items. It's said that that you make your money at the buy, but if your pricing and shipping are incorrect that goes right out the window. I do mainly calculated shipping and sometimes free, but you still must know size, weight, cost of goods etc. In my opinion, if you make a mistake as a seller you should take your lumps and move on. Meaning your mistake is not the buyers concern and that loss should never be passed on to a buyer. Those practices have no place on eBay or any other platform for that matter and are damaging to all sellers. Remember the saying "The Customer Is Always Right" happy customers means healthy business platform.

[southern*sweet*tea]

The thing that made Ebay great - anyone can be an online seller - is also the thing that in part has been Ebay's undoing.

Ebay is a mishmosh of rookies and professionals, big box and closet cleaners, which was fine in the early days of the internet. Now with every major and most minor retailers being online, consumers expect professionalism wherever they buy. I'd like to see a 3P seller on Amazon try that - they wouldn't be around very long at all, certainly not to 4k feedback. Four, maybe...

[city*satins]

Not trying to sound harsh but....

...what follows will sound harsh, even without trying.

...as distinct from Trying not to sound harsh but....

....what follows will sound harsh, despite my best efforts.

Having said that, yes I agree that a new/casual buyer encountering a seller who does that could easily be put off from ever buying here again.

Personally, if I'd been the buyer, I might have weighed the value of the item $25 vs its real value to me at another $9+ s/h and whether I'd still have bought it if the original listing had showed the correct total $ amount.

I'd also have considered whether the seller's $25 already represented a loss to him and/or whether another $9+ in postage would turn the sale into a total loss.

Ultimately, I'd have said yes or no and not told the seller how I handle things when I'm wearing my seller hat.

[collectfest]

The fact the seller did not just eat the fees, I agree is bad business. I also feel the seller, although misguided,  appealed to since of fairness and we know where you stand on that by your comments.

Just last week I pulled the rookie mistake of shipping similar but wrong item to two different buyers. Well, I got the dreaded email stating my mistake from one of the buyers. I emailed the other buyer with my tail between my legs explaining they were about to get the wrong item. Both BUYERS chose to take time out of their day, repackage the item, print label's ship etc. They advised me, BOTH of them, don't worry about it, things happen, thanks for letting me know. You can even see they left me feedback, positive. I miss those type of buyers on ebay. Rational. It was a mistake. In todays world I could have expected two negative feedback.

So, my takeaway, yeah Id be a bit upset about what happened but I would hope I could see their side of things. Don't get me wrong, I would  I would have just paid the shipping. Mainly because I know there are many buyers with you train of thought out there. 

[hillbillymedia]

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@slideshopper wrote:

I buy and sell here this is a recent email from a seller :

Seriously!! The item in question I paid $25 for and shipping of ~$17. To get an email demanding more money for an item purchased is an eBay only anomaly. If I was a casual buyer do you think I would come back after this?   

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While I agree your seller didn`t do the right thing, I am also curious if:

A) you think the seller was possibly lying about the actual shipping cost?

B) you would you have bought the item had the shipping been listed at $9+ more?

C) you think the seller should have ate the full $9+ or if a compromise could have been made to secure the sale?

USPS shipping rates have just gone up recently. I`m sure not all sellers have caught up to the increase. Any seller accustomed to using flat rate based shipping is going to be on a serious learning curve to accommodate for the new zone based shipping.

[soh.maryl]

If, as the OP states, this seller has 4K FB, one would think he would have made it his business to keep up with changes in postal rates. 

[hillbillymedia]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

If, as the OP states, this seller has 4K FB, one would think he would have made it his business to keep up with changes in postal rates. 

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4K feedback is probably now 3,999. Maybe the seller will learn to stay on top of things?

[fern*wood]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

If, as the OP states, this seller has 4K FB, one would think he would have made it his business to keep up with changes in postal rates. 

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If I had 4K feedback, and still made that type of error, I'd be way too embarrassed to let the buyer know.

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

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@the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth wrote:

My recent order had a may take 3 days to ship. It shipped a week after I paid. In the meantime I had a zillion things arrive from Amazon.

I understand it takes a long time to ship lamps and fiddly things. This was a tee.

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I'm in the middle of a similar experience. Widget ordered May 4th from a seller with (allegedly) 1 day shipping according to their TOS, ETA per ebay May 13th. Okay, seems a tad long but willing to live with it.

May 13th comes and the seller prints a label. Nothing since and no response from seller.

This was also a toss in a FCP box (or even an envelope) type widget.

Getting very close to filing INR and seller will have the honour of getting my very first neg given.

[parkersparrow]

I'm with you. I would never buy from that seller again. I to have made mistakes on shipping and lost money on a sale. I would never dream of asking for more money after the fact.