Postage Due

[angifran_0]

I recently started selling on ebay about three weeks ago, and have had a few successes.  Unfortunately, I got a message from one of my buyers saying there was postage due when she picked up her item.  What do I do in this situation?  I don't feel either the buyer or myself should have to pay the additional $7.19.  ebay had chosen the postage, the buyer paid for it, and I printed the label, and the postage fee came out of my PayPal account.  

Does anyone have an email contact for ebay?  Has anyone had this situation happen?  I guess I'll pay back the buyer if nothing else comes up, but I basically have lost money in this transaction then, and would have been better off never selling the item, as I only received $9 for it. 

[emerald40]

You need to refund the buyer the postage through her paypal account asap

You must have inputted something incorrectly when determining postage.  Ebay is not going to make up the difference.

[siayan]

If you tried to ship a sweater for $2.67 you made a mistake. You are responsible for making the shipping costs and paying them. You can charge the buyer but not after the fact. You need to check the proper shipping when listing/

[fern*wood]

You must refund the buyer and you are responsible for entering the correct information on shipping costs.

If you are using a listing form that offers suggestions for postage, then stop using that form.  A suggestion might be an average and there is no way it would be accurate all the time.  Only you know the exact weight and dimensions of your item, so you need to use the listing form where you input this information so the correct amount is charged to your buyer.

Do you have a scale?  When you print a label it needs to be accurate.

[partial*eclipse]

You are responsible for setting up the listing. If you use eBay's estimate, then what you get is an estimate.  As noted in the other posts, yo cannot ask your buyer to pay for your mistake.  If you want to charge an accurate shipping cost, then you must set up your listing with calculated shipping that is based on the weight and dimensions of your actual package.

If you are using the new streamlined version of the Quick form, then you must click on the "Make changes" link in order to enter the corrected package weight.

[duchess-at-speakeasy]

No, eBay does not choose the postage amount. You do -- by selecting calculated shipping and specifying package weight and dimensions.

An amount of $2.67 is the retail cost for a First Class package weighing up to 4 oz. If your package was heavier -- and if it exceeded the First Class weight of 13 oz. (retail) or 15.999 oz. (online commercial) -- then the package is automatically charged the correct retail Priority Mail rate.

You don't need eBay to resolve the issue; you need to refund the postage due to the buyer. (Ask for a copy of the USPS notice showing the amount due -- it's usually written on the package label if the buyer no longer has the paper notice.)

For future reference, you can find published USPS rates (retail and commercial) here:

http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm

A postal zone chart also will come in handy:

https://postcalc.usps.com/DomesticZoneChart

~~C~~

[fern*wood]

Another thing to keep in mind is that perfumes cannot be shipped via 1st class mail.  They have to go ground service due to their hazardous nature.

[klassic*kids]

@angifran_0eBay doesn''t choose the postage.  You seem really confused.  I see C already corrected you on that but I am reiterating it as it's the first thing I thought when I read your post.

You should familiarize yourself with shipping set up and costs.  When I first started selling it was one of the hardest things to first get a handle on.  

Firstly, you NEED to get a small scale as you are required to weigh all items to enter the weight in on the listing page for accurate cost.  If you use USPS and sell clothing you should know is anything under 16 ounces can go first class mail. Anything a pound or over needs to go priority.  And a little tip, if a heavy item can fit into a bubble flat rate envelope (you can get them on usps.com) then you will be able to send it for under 6.50 instead of paying priority mail by the pound.

I don't know how you have been shipping things up to this point but if you are not weighing and entering into your listing page then you've gotten very lucky that this is the first item that you owe postage on!

[partial*eclipse]

@klassic*kids

@duchess-at-speakeasy

The default for new sellers is the new streamlined version of the Quick listing form, which defaults to a pre-filled "Recommended shipping" with estimated shipping weight, dimensions, and service as shown in my screen shot above.  

This is a terrible form, there are many new sellers like the OP who just go along with the default. The newbie seller must be aware that he needs to click on the Change link in order to enter accurate information about his actual package.  

[couldabeenworse]

The default for new sellers is the new streamlined version of the Quick listing form, which defaults to a pre-filled "Recommended shipping" with estimated shipping weight, dimensions, and service as shown in my screen shot above.  

This is unfortunately true: eBay sandbags new sellers with "recommended shipping" estimates based on numbers pulled out of thin air.  Unfortunately for the original poster, eBay expects new sellers to know enough not to trust eBay.

[klassic*kids]

Wow.  What a stupid move on eBay's part.  I am sure it is going to end up in a lot of diasterous postage situations.  Thanks for the information.