Thank you for that explanation. I sort of thought that might be the issue. I had a fairly heavy item to Australia recently. UPS quoted me a base rate of $70.00 plus an additional $30.00 for “delivery area”. Apparently exactly what you are talking about.
When you set up the listing do you have it set as “calculated shipping” naming the specific carrier you use? It would seem that if that is the case then when the buyer enters their postal code that the carrier’s quote/charge would include the upcharge if there is one. That is what UPS does in the US. Yes, I know apples and oranges, but I have no other point of reference. In which case the potential buyer knows in advance, and pays in advance, the extra fees so it costs you nothing extra.
As for areas where you can not deliver due to a lack of carrier. Do you send the buyer a courtesy note in advance of the cancellation explaining the situation and asking them if they know of any carrier that does delivery to them? Surely if this is a problem in those areas then the residents of those areas either know it or have worked out a solution. If they can provide a solution then, having it in hand, gives you an edge over your less informed competitors. If you just up and cancel the order without an explanation to the buyer I can understand them being upset and reaching for the Red Donut.
If for those areas that you can not ship did you choose “problem with buyer’s address” as the reason? Since that is beyond your control it seems you should be able to get those negatives removed. For those that you canceled because of the extra charges eBay will most likely decide that was your own doing for not calculating it correctly in the first place. I can’t see those being removed.
Obviously being in the US I am only guessing. As mentioned above you could post this on the Australian board and maybe get some better answers.
