Problem Buyer - Buys Multiple Item's, pays for them and then requests combined shipping discounts

[davidshue26]

So I have this buyer that has bought multiple Buy It Now items, pays full price for them before I send an invoice and then requests a combined shipping discount. I know I can just refund the difference but I've read that giving partial refunds counts as a ding against the seller. Also the time it takes to figure out exactly how much shipping he has paid vs how much it actually costs plus the extra eBay and PayPal fees I have to pay for the overage. Last month he bought 6 items and each one had the initial PayPal fee plus the percentage fee. I've asked him more than once to wait for an invoice to save both of us money but he doesn't seem to understand. His messages are somewhat incoherant most of the time. Do I block him from buying/bidding due to the headaches it always causes? Nothing I sell is that expensive (mostly NASCAR die casts not worth much) but now he has started sending low ball offers on things already listed at 20-25% of book value.  

[missjen831]

Have you considered setting up combined shipping so that an invoice isn’t necessary?

a partial refund will only trigger a defect if it’s 80% of the transaction amount or less. So really the only issue here is that eBay won’t adjust their FVF if you give him a partial refund. I think rather than lose a repeat customer over this, I would try to set up combined shipping if possible. If you sell a variety of items in different sizes then it’s not really feasible to do though.

[city*satins]

I've read that giving partial refunds counts as a ding against the seller.

Urban ebay myth. It doesn't.

Also the time it takes to figure out exactly how much shipping he has paid vs how much it actually costs plus the extra eBay and PayPal fees I have to pay for the overage. 

Jeez louise. Give me the raw figures and I'll do the math for you in 90 seconds.  Seriously!  This isn't rocket surgery.  

Do I block him from buying/bidding due to the headaches it always causes? 

No.  It's not that big a headache if you don't go up in smoke about it.  

[ed8108]

Block, what will you stand to lose, low ball offers ?

[gew6463]

I was reading a thread yesterday (can't remember which one, as sometimes I binge-read the forum boards) and one of the blues came on to clarify this. He said that small amounts (I understood similar to small refund of shipping) do NOT count as a ding. I can personally attest to this, because I often refund for buyers who purchase, then later/next day buy more from my store. I know some sellers are not so keen on that, but I would rather have the extra orders, and pay the 30cent fee to refund. I have been doing this for some time, and my defect rate is near top-rated. Has not gone up one bit. 

 You mentioned the Paypal fees for each purchase; is He asking for a refund on those? I would definitely not do that, as He chose to buy each separately, when you gave him the 'add to cart' option. I don't mind when a buyer purchases 3 items, and I go into Paypal to refund shipping on 1. That is relatively low-cost (30 cents) to do, and I make much more profit than that. But I defintely would not refund every little fee.  Maybe NOT doing that this time will stop him, or send him elsewhere. 

Obviously, IF you are not wanting to do this, or it is just too much trouble, then you have to do what is best for you. 

[davidshue26]

Yes, I have combined shipping set up. Doesn't matter. He buys something for $5, pays that plus $2.66 for shipping, and then sometimes 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 3 hours later buys something else, proceeds to pay for that one and then I get a message saying just "combine?".

[davidshue26]

Thanks for clearing up the "eBay Urban Myth".

No the math isn't rocket surgery (or science). It's the fact that it is listed in all of my listings to wait for an invoice to save on combined shipping when buying multiple items and I've asked him multiple times. Also, he's asked for a shipping discount on a second item AFTER a first one has already been shipped (sometimes days later)

[missjen831]

---

@davidshue26 wrote:
Yes, I have combined shipping set up. Doesn't matter. He buys something for $5, pays that plus $2.66 for shipping, and then sometimes 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 3 hours later buys something else, proceeds to pay for that one and then I get a message saying just "combine?".

---

My bad, I misunderstood. If you have combined shipping already set up then he doesn’t need an invoice. 

What HE needs to do is use the darn cart. Add everything to the cart and check out in 1 transaction & the discounts are automatically applied. If you can’t get him to do that, I would just issue a partial refund, there won’t be a defect. I would figure out what the partial refund would be and then deduct 10% from it since eBay wOn’t adjust your FVFs. 

[stuff4divas]

After you weigh the items and figure out the shipping cost, subtract it from the total shipping he already paid and tell him you will discount it from his future purchases, since u say he is a repeat customer. If he doesn't like that idea, maybe he'll start adhering to your combined shipping invoice.

[hillbillymedia]

---

@davidshue26 wrote:

Thanks for clearing up the "eBay Urban Myth".

No the math isn't rocket surgery (or science). It's the fact that it is listed in all of my listings to wait for an invoice to save on combined shipping when buying multiple items and I've asked him multiple times. Also, he's asked for a shipping discount on a second item AFTER a first one has already been shipped (sometimes days later)

---

I put this or something similar in all my ads:  "If combined shipping is desired, this item must be added to your shopping cart and an invoice requested.
Items paid for individually will be shipped individually."

The shopping cart automatically totals the discount so they don`t have to email me to request an invoice but I want my customers to know that if the total is wrong for some reason to request one. If they pay seperate I ship seperate. I`ve had no problems yet.

[hillbillymedia]

---

@stuff4divas wrote:

After you weigh the items and figure out the shipping cost, subtract it from the total shipping he already paid and tell him you will discount it from his future purchases, since u say he is a repeat customer. If he doesn't like that idea, maybe he'll start adhering to your combined shipping invoice.

---

^^^^This^^^^ excellent idea!!

[marinermikes]

It happens to me a lot.  Buyer pays before you can send the invoice. Never really got worked up about it. Just figured they weren't real experienced at buying. I have found that these buyers are very appreciative of the shipping refund and have been very appreciative of the shipping discount. Many have been repeat customers. It has never given me a defect.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

I’m hoping you all know that request invoice is rarely a choice any more. I buy multiples pretty often and can’t tell you the last time it allowed me to request a total. My only choice is to pay for everyth8ng and hope the seller will refund the overpayment.

the short answer is the buyer can do everything right and have no way to request an invoice

[paulhua3]

My solution, I have done a few times, where the extra is a couple bucks is to throw $2 into the package.  If it's much more I would just refund about 75% of the extra paid (without explanation, just do it).

[kim_y_buran]

---

@davidshue26 wrote:

Do I block him from buying/bidding due to the headaches it always causes?

---

Yes, the moment the thought has entered into your mind.