refund shipping overage?

[estatesalequeen]

At what point or dollar amount do you refund over shipping charges to your buyers, or do you?

I am seeing shipping fees that are not even close to the actual. This mostly happens when a buyer buys more than one item and ebay miscalculates the shipping.

When do you refund for the big difference? 

I have noticed that only 1 out of 5 or 6 even take the time to say thank you for the refund.

[scga912]

Shipping isn't just postage cost.  It involves the expenses involved in getting that item to the buyer safely.  Sometimes I can roll those into the item price, other times I leave it as part of the shipping charged.

Yes, Calculated Shipping doesn't always quite work out when a buyer purchases multiples, but the weight difference for me will determine the amount of refund, if any.  

[luckythewinner]

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@estatesalequeen wrote:

At what point or dollar amount do you refund over shipping charges to your buyers, or do you?

What is your definition of "overage"? My shipping charges are always higher than poistage costs because they reflect postage and packing and the eBay/PayPal fees on the shipping. 

Virtually everything I sell ships by media mail or first class and the costs are well known. So I never refund shipping on a single item. If someone buys multiple items and they can ship together, I refund anything over my costs. 

[estatesalequeen]

An example of my definition of overage is like today.  A buyer purchased 6 plates that I have listed by the each. The buyer paid $58 in shipping. When all was said and done, I packed the plates in one box and actual shipping was $34. I refunded $26.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@estatesalequeen wrote: . The buyer paid $58 in shipping. ... actual shipping was $34. I refunded $26.

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Wait, what? The buyer over paid by (58-34=) $24 and you refunded $26?? Is there a typo in there someplace?  

You'll be paying eBay and PayPal fees on the whole $58. You're out $34 for postage and about $7.50 for fees so IMHO a refund of $15  would be reasonable.

[this*old*attic]

I hear you, but I’m vintage clothing.

My customers don’t blink at reasonable shipping, but know if it’s overly padded (not saying you do - I buy glass and china so I know what’s involved there).

I can go very close to actual without loss when the merchandise is so easy to pack/ship that I have little invested in time and materials.

[the.quality.goods.store]

Refunding shipping charges is NUTS! Charge the amount necessary to cover your cost which you obviously have not calculated ( Time, materials, etc.) Buyers agree to the shipping charges when they place their order. If I quote a shipping charge and it ends up costing more I eat the cost. I don't ask my customer to pay more.  When was the last time you were refunded shipping for something unless it was a mistake? NEVER

[southern*sweet*tea]

It depends.

I roll packaging costs and fees into the item price and I do charge a 25 cent handling fee. The vast majority of the time, for multiple purchase sales the shipping calculator gets it pretty close most of the time. Rarely is it ever too far off. I will refund if the difference is over $1, but that happens less than seven or eight times in a year if that much. I don't refund through Paypal, I just stick the cash in an envelope along with a note and send it in the package.  I've done it like this since 2003 and see no reason to change.

[mr_lincoln]

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@estatesalequeen wrote:

I call ebay each time I refund shipping to have my final value changed.

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The Refund is done through PayPal NOT eBay ... all Ebay sees is a Partial refund ... I follow up EVERY partial refund for shipping with a note to the Buyer.  The eBay Support Team has stated that they view any Partial Refund as a potential problem with the transaction and that a message to the Buyer explaining what the refund is for goes a long way in avoiding issues with them. 

It is not necessary to call eBay every time you give a partial refund for shipping overage ...

[this*old*attic]

LOL, about 3 weeks ago.

And rather frequently when I used to multi-purchase glass and china items. Calculated/combined shipping used to have fewer settings than now and it has always had shortcomings.

[this*old*attic]

I agree - it’s usually spot on or super close, but every once in a while it jumps crazy.

My customers aren’t free shipping goofy, but they also know their items aren’t fragile and weigh diddly squat.

[scga912]

Getting combined shipping right on plates is a challenge.  I don't list in full pound increments when I think they'll buy multiples.  I try to list with actual weight so when it adds up it'll be closer. 

The Wedgwood?  It looks like you were charging 3 lbs per each purchase so 6 was 18 lbs, but the actual weight was about 11? 

Had you listed as 2 lbs 2 oz and they purchased 6, they would've been charged for 11 lbs, but a single purchase could still weigh up to 3 lbs and the rate would've been accurate. 

I'm with nobodys_perfect.  My refund would've been in the $15-18 range

[this*old*attic]

This is exactly why I stopped selling fragile or heavy items, myself. I sold anything I found or learned about when I started.

[Anonymous]

I keep cash on hand for the $1 to $3 overages and pack it with the item. I do refund $5 or more. I have gotten buyer "thank you" for my honesty. With so many buyers thinking that eBay is now packed with dishonest sellers, it doesn't break the bank to try and spread some good PR for a change.

[moo*cow*corner]

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@this*old*attic wrote:

I hear you, but I’m vintage clothing.

My customers don’t blink at reasonable shipping, but know if it’s overly padded (not saying you do - I buy glass and china so I know what’s involved there).

I can go very close to actual without loss when the merchandise is so easy to pack/ship that I have little invested in time and materials.

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I agree that clothing is an entirely different animal. I smile to myself when I read about buyers being upset about being charged $3 or $4 for shipping a clothing item.

In my head, I figure at least $10 for every box that goes out the door.

One of my favorite +FB ever says something like "Shipping costs didn't ruin the entire value of the transaction."

[this*old*attic]

LOL @ that feedback!

 I can’t even speak for modern or new clothing buyers since I only do vintage.

I experimented with flat rate, calculated and free shipping when I started selling again 2 years ago, and it just didn’t seem to make a difference.

But given the items, it’s just so darn obvious if shipping is very much more than actual. That does annoy buyers, including me when I’m one.

Fold, slide in Tyvek. Sheesh. Buyers are savvy.

So, when something is unusually heavy or bulky, I point that out and put weight and dimensions right in the listing.