eBay

posmallorca · ‎09-04-2019

Hi all,

Many years ago and I guess there still is, there used to be an option where if you bought an item.

You COULDN'T pay immediately and had to wait for the seller to send you an invoice with the final price including shipping.

I only ask as I'd like to do the same, I don't know what the shipping will be until I take the item to the post office.

As the prices can be quite random from time to time.

Can anyone please help?

Kind Regards,

-Matt

a_c_green · ‎09-04-2019

@posmallorca wrote:
Many years ago and I guess there still is, there used to be an option where if you bought an item.
You COULDN'T pay immediately and had to wait for the seller to send you an invoice with the final price including shipping.

Not as far as I can recall, and I've been selling here for fifteen years...

@posmallorca wrote:
I only ask as I'd like to do the same, I don't know what the shipping will be until I take the item to the post office.
As the prices can be quite random from time to time.

No. No no no no no...

Before you upload your listing, you need to know your package size and weight, so that you can charge appropriately for the shipping. Even if you're offering Free Shipping, you need to know at least a ballpark price of what it's going to cost you, so you don't have any nasty surprises later on. The prices are not at all random; they're based on your choice of Shipping service (e.g. First Class Package, Priority, Priority Flat Rate, etc.) and the details of the package you're shipping.

Get yourself an inexpensive scale and a tape measure. Once you have your package details up front, you can print the postage through eBay/PayPal at home and save yourself a few bucks over the retail price at the post office. A little prep in advance will save you from financial pain later on. Good luck.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎09-04-2019

No, you cannot require or even suggest that a buyer should wait until they get an invoice from you.

Sellers are required to show a shipping cost in the listing (unless they offer only freight or local pickup). You can't ask for more than the amount of postage shown in the listing. The era when sellers could note that the buyer had to wait for an invoice with shipping costs ended over 10 years ago.

If you are going to sell on eBay, you need to buy a scale so you can set up your listings with the correct shipping already noted in them.

fern*wood · ‎09-04-2019

That's not how any of this works.

rayjass · ‎09-04-2019

In some cases, you can ask the buyer to wait for a revised Invoice - in case you agree in advance on reduced shipping and/or on some other method of shipping. Also, I always ask the buyer to wait with payment in case of multiple item order - I send an Invoice with combined shipping. I don't see any problem to ask the buyer to wait with the payment unless you have marked your item as "requires immediate payment"!

rixstuff · ‎09-04-2019

Two thoughts that jump out at me:

1. As a buyer, I wont bid or buy without the shipping noted in the listing so you should have the item weight/dimensions/postage already figured out. Buyers hate getting hit with surprises and it isn't unheard of for sellers to make up numbers. A listing with no shipping may be misunderstood to offer FREE shipping.

2. You are overpaying if you are waiting until you get to the PO to ship. Ebay gives a discount AND provides a tracking number within its own system to show the item has been shipped, etc that the buyer can track themselves.

Most times 9 out of 10 the buyer doesn't pay until they get the invoice anyway. Many others will request it and wait - particularly if they are buying multiples and want combined shipping. You cant really make them wait but you can make it easier to pay right away. The sooner I as a buyer pay, the sooner I get my item.

myangelandmyprincess · ‎09-04-2019

@rayjass wrote:
In some cases, you can ask the buyer to wait for a revised Invoice - in case you agree in advance on reduced shipping and/or on some other method of shipping. Also, I always ask the buyer to wait with payment in case of multiple item order - I send an Invoice with combined shipping. I don't see any problem to ask the buyer to wait with the payment unless you have marked your item as "requires immediate payment"!

Reduced shipping, combined shipping, or another method )good if it's by the buyers request) are fine. What the ops doing isn't they need to learn the cost upfront and not try to change it after the listing ends

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