refunding for overpayment of shipping, ethical or just plain dumb?

[keziak]

Someone bought 4 things from me and paid instead of waiting for an invoice with combined shipping. It's always been my policy to determine the actual shipping cost and refund for the overage. My husband thinks I'm dumb as a stump for doing that. Surely if they paid they are satisfied with the shipping. But it just bothers me to accept a payment for way more than the actual shipping cost. Any thoughts? I'll add that when I refund and let them know why they virtually never acknowledge this or say thanks. 

[Anonymous]

My partner and I banter over the same old stuff, too. We keep business out of it for the sake of our relationship, but I get where you're coming from. With us it's more like debating shower curtain open or closed.

[Anonymous]

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@aggrkat-0 wrote:

Why should a buyer be grateful for getting back the money owed them?

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A large retailer charges a flat rate based on order size. Let's say it costs them only 1/4 of what they charged. Am I supposed to believe that retailer "owes" me the difference? I don't - I agreed to the shipping charge when I made the purchase.

eBay is made up of small sellers so things can be more customized and tailored, but if the buyer didn't ask about combined shipping before making a purchase and if they didn't follow instructions in a seller's listing about how to get combined shipping, then nothing is "owed" to that buyer. If a seller wants to refund the difference regardless, that's up to the seller and how they choose to run their business.

[nocoolnamejane]

No one is owed anything in the example quoted above and it’s not dishonest to receive the amount quoted in the listing.

Dishonest would be if a buyer somehow managed to pay more than why they were invoiced for and refusing to refund the extra amount received.

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@aggrkat-0 wrote:

Why should a buyer be grateful for getting back the money owed them?

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[mam98031]

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@aggrkat-0 wrote:

Why should a buyer be grateful for getting back the money owed them?

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Because I don't owe it to them.  They may assume I do, but there is nothing in the Ebay rules that say I do.  There is a difference.  However that is a difference that could end up biting me right in the FEEDBACK.  

I have always done the refunds, whether or not the buyer asks, whether or not the buyer expects it and whether or not the buyer is courteous enough to extend a thank you.  It is just the way I prefer to run my business.  And it has served me well all these years, so I'll continue to do as I do.

[inhawaii]

@aggrkat-0 wrote:

Why should a buyer be grateful for getting back the money owed them?

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If the listing states $5 S&H for the first widget, $1 for each additional widget and they buy 10 widgets and pay $14 in S&H. 

Actual shipping is $10.  They are not "owed" $4.

They should be grateful if the sellers refunds it. 

[aggrkat-0]

Buyers come here who don't have a clue about how ebay works and that they have to ask about combined shipping.  They figure the seller will take care of it.  

As a buyer I look at what I was charged vs what it says on the label, and if a seller takes advantage of me, then I will never buy from them again.

[Anonymous]

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@aggrkat-0 wrote:

Buyers come here who don't have a clue about how ebay works and that they have to ask about combined shipping.  They figure the seller will take care of it.  

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Why would they expect a seller to take care of anything like that? Most marketplaces don't operate with shipping refunds. Amazon won't allow combined shipping for their marketplace sellers. I can only think of one other place off the top of my head that does offer combined shipping. If a buyer doesn't have a clue about eBay and how it works, then they're probably used to all the other venues where shipping is stated and that's it - no partial refunds for combining things.

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@aggrkat-0 wrote:

As a buyer I look at what I was charged vs what it says on the label, and if a seller takes advantage of me, then I will never buy from them again.

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I can only recall one package I received out of all my purchases in the last 2 years that showed a shipping cost on the label.

Not combining shipping does not mean a seller is taking advantage. Those funds can be used to cover the cost of the packing materials, fees charged on the shipping, etc.

[aggrkat-0]

Why would the buyer pay $14 under that circumstance, unless ebay has another glitch and charges them the higher amount.  So yes the buyer is owed the $4 difference based on the listing.

[mam98031]

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@aggrkat-0 wrote:

Buyers come here who don't have a clue about how ebay works and that they have to ask about combined shipping.  They figure the seller will take care of it.  

As a buyer I look at what I was charged vs what it says on the label, and if a seller takes advantage of me, then I will never buy from them again.

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That may be true for some buyers, but it certainly isn't true about others.  

What label?  You mean on the product you purchased from the seller?  Why in the world would you think the seller took advantage of you if you paid more than some label on the product?  Did you not do your own price comparisons?  Did you not decide that the price the seller was asking for the item would work for you and you AGREED to purchase it for that amount?

I get new old stock all the time.  Some of the items I sell are old but never were used by anyone.  They may still have stickers on them for the original pricing.  So lets say I'm selling a pattern from the 1960's and the price on the book is 1.00 and I'm selling it for $25.  Do you think you should have only paid a $1 and that I took advantage of you?

Similar situations can hold true on OOP [out of print] stuff, hard to find things, limited editions, etc.  There are endless reasons why a "label" may be different than the price charged on an item.

[mam98031]

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@aggrkat-0 wrote:

Why would the buyer pay $14 under that circumstance, unless ebay has another glitch and charges them the higher amount.  So yes the buyer is owed the $4 difference based on the listing.

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They just made a mistake in their math on that post.

[aggrkat-0]

In the other thread, a poster wonders why someone will buy from another seller when he has better photos, ratings, etc. this is one of the factors I take into consideration when choosing whom I will purchase from.

[Anonymous]

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@aggrkat-0 wrote:

Why would the buyer pay $14 under that circumstance, unless ebay has another glitch and charges them the higher amount.  So yes the buyer is owed the $4 difference based on the listing.

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In the example the total the buyer agreed to was $14. $5 for the first item plus $1 each additional. 5 + 9 = 14

That poster was saying if the actual shipping cost is $10 the buyer is not owed $4 because they agreed to pay $14.

[Anonymous]

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@aggrkat-0 wrote:

In the other thread, a poster wonders why someone will buy from another seller when he has better photos, ratings, etc. this is one of the factors I take into consideration when choosing whom I will purchase from.

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Is it a safe assumption that you never purchase from sellers who offer free shipping?

[aggrkat-0]

If I want to purchase multiple items from a seller I contact them and ask if they will combine shipping.  If not, I move on to another listing.

[moo*cow*corner]

I ship breakables. I rarely give shipping cost refunds. 

I have to buy bubble wrap. Lots of bubble wrap.  I buy 10", 12", and 14" cube boxes. Tissue paper. Tape. I buy packing peanuts in huge 14 cu.ft. bags. I sometimes buy styrofoam sheets and other oddball packing supplies. You get the gist...lol!

Then there's Ebay and Paypal fees, simply because they can...

All of these costs have to be covered by someone. Sure, they are deductible expenses, but all that really means is that the expenses reduce my taxable profits. It's not like those profits are in my pocket, because they aren't. Money comes in and it goes right back out.

If I let it get to me, I highly resent those who would say that I'm ripping off my buyers. I am not profiting on shipping by charging over exact postage. Over all, I lose money on shipping. Every year.

/rant.