combined shipping / you can't request a total for items that require immediate payment

[backie23]

I've found two items I would like to buy from one seller. I've asked the seller if he will do combined shipping. Here's the answer I got:

COMBINED SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS:
1. When you see an item you like, click "Buy It Now" or wait until you win your auction.
2. You will be taken to a webpage that confirms your order with the option to "Continue Checkout with PayPal". Do not checkout to pay for this item (yet).
3. When you are finished shopping for your several items, proceed to your "Purchase History". You will see the option on the right side of your just-ordered items to "Pay Now" or "Request total from seller". Select "Request total from seller" and enter a message to notify the seller that you would like to combine your orders to ship together.
4. Wait for the seller to send you a new invoice, and pay attention to any discounts they applied. There are 2 sections sellers can apply the discount, through the Shipping Charge or through the discount section.
5. Checkout with PayPal with this new invoice.

When I click on the BIN bottom for both items they will go into my cart, whoever they don't appear in the Purchase History.

Also I cannot contact the seller because above in the cart is says "you can't request a total for items that require immediate payment".

How can this be solved?

[lamber9347]

---

@backie23 wrote:

I've found two items I would like to buy from one seller. I've asked the seller if he will do combined shipping. Here's the answer I got:

COMBINED SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS:
1. When you see an item you like, click "Buy It Now" or wait until you win your auction.
2. You will be taken to a webpage that confirms your order with the option to "Continue Checkout with PayPal". Do not checkout to pay for this item (yet).
3. When you are finished shopping for your several items, proceed to your "Purchase History". You will see the option on the right side of your just-ordered items to "Pay Now" or "Request total from seller". Select "Request total from seller" and enter a message to notify the seller that you would like to combine your orders to ship together.
4. Wait for the seller to send you a new invoice, and pay attention to any discounts they applied. There are 2 sections sellers can apply the discount, through the Shipping Charge or through the discount section.
5. Checkout with PayPal with this new invoice.

When I click on the BIN bottom for both items they will go into my cart, whoever they don't appear in the Purchase History.

Also I cannot contact the seller because above in the cart is says "you can't request a total for items that require immediate payment".

How can this be solved?

---

This seller has made it difficult by requiring immediate payment. I also combine my items but I don't require immediate payment, so my buyers can purchase and I get the option to send them a combined invoice. If you are speaking to the seller explain your issues to them and see if they can adjust these two listings for you. You obviously want to purchase from them so they should be willing to accommodate you. Seller can also create a new listing for you with the two items already combined in the same order, then you can pay immediately and still receive combined shipping. It can be done. Best of luck to you.... 

[inhawaii]

Combined shipping should work on 2 items in the cart provided the seller has it set up correctly.

The easier and less high-tech way around it would be to just make the purchase and have the seller refund you the difference.   

Good luck and stay safe!

[toysaver]

"The easier and less high-tech way around it would be to just make the purchase and have the seller refund you the difference."

That's what I do.   I rarely get requests to combined shipping but plenty of buyers who buy multiple items.   I require immediate payment on everything after one buyer bought half my listings many years ago....

[c_miracles_vintage]

My buyers are not usually familiar with the request total feature so I end up refunding the difference most of the time.  Unfortunately, eBay charges their fees on the total shipping paid by the buyer which is not refunded to the seller when a refund is given to the buyer, therefore, I have to pass that cost on to the buyer or eat it myself. 

I can't seem to figure out how to make the combined shipping rules work for me when all of my items are varied sizes, shapes, and weights. I would love combined shipping to some way be automatic without the buyer having to know about 'request total' before buying.  Even when I post it in my ads to please use 'request total' buyers don't always see that message.

[ed8108]

Not advisable without prior seller consent even when a seller description says they combine shipping because you may encounter a long time & experienced eBay seller who is not allowed by ebay to refund some cost difference on combined shipping when immediate payment is required & can only advise you the buyer,  blame eBay ! 

Additionally

Consider what may be ebay's position should your seller fail to follow up  & issue a partial combined shipping refund?

Perhaps a TRS seller can even get a neg you may choose to leave removed by asking cs ?

[fmwsells]

The combine shipment system is broken. You cannot request a total if the items that you are trying to purchase are currently discounted.

This what I do. I tell my buyers to submit a "best offer". Once the offers are accepted I send an invoice to the buyer.

[ittybitnot]

Unless there is a "commit to buy and continue shopping with this seller" option presented to a buyer, they will be directed to pay for each item individually. Without the "commit to buy"  you put all the things you want to buy in the cart, and proceed to check out, you will be shown the total shipping for all the items.  There will be no "request invoice" even if the items are not immediate payment required or not "sale" items. 

Yes, there are "rules" a seller could set up, but they do not apply, as suggested above, to items of different weights and sizes and from different listings.   

 

[luxgoods]

That is exactly what I do, I just refund the difference.  All of my items are immediate payment required. I have had way too many people take my offer and never pay.  

[randyshotrods]

The problem with refunding the difference is (as far as I know) ebay doesn't refund the fees on the shipping paid,  unless something has changed over the last couple of years. 
I only do auctions and my buyer's for the most part,  send me a message as they don't have to pay immediately for an invoice,  but some pay,  often more shipping than the items,  only for me to have to go in and refund them the difference.  If the fees are still not refunded,  then ebay has it set up just right to make a few extra bucks.  Probably works out to millions of dollars a year between all sellers. 

That's why they have a legal team figuring out all the ways they can legally make extra money on glitches.

[ladyindecadence]

Ebay needs to provide real invoicing software for sellers. We should be able to add or remove items from an invoice and change the prices and shipping after negotiation with a potential customer.

[tellmemama]

This problem is as old as the hills.  Or at least as old as when eBay rolled out the stupid cart.  I have never required immediate payment and yet I have countless buyers complain that when they try to get a total from the cart, they get a message saying "sorry the seller does not combine shipping" or something to that effect.  I've also been on the buyer side and had the same thing happen.  So refunding the difference is the only course of action.  And eBay makes a little extra since they don't credit the FVF adjustment.  I said it then and I'll say it now:  the addition of the cart was totally unnecessary.

But that's never stopped eBay before.

[mygrneyesf]

Under what circumstance would eBay prevent a seller from giving a partial refund of shipping? Is there a limit on the number of times you can do that?

[netantiques]

Tell seller to change format to “make offer”, make offer on both and he can send a total with any discounts

[creativecrisis]

If a seller has combined shipping rules set up and properly applied to each listing, the shopping cart will calculate the discount and give buyers the correct shipping amount. All my listings require immediate payment, and my shipping discounts are correctly applied as long as the buyer checks out with the shopping cart.

Most of my items are small and lightweight. I get that it's more difficult to set up combined shipping rules if your items vary size and weight. There needs to be a consistent way for buyers to request a total from sellers, and that's a problem eBay has long refused to fix.