Shipping calculator problem - Am I in trouble?

[nt6_53]

Hello, 

I recently sold my first item on ebay (item # 403196347478). When setting up the auction I selected the option to let ebay calculate shipping. It auto filled the dimensions and set a shipping price of $24.55. When it sold ebay asked me if I wanted to send an invoice to buyer. When I reviewed the invoice it listed shipping as $84.30. I quickly took item to UPS to check their rates and was quoted $93. 

I'm not a pro at this so when ebay originally calculated shipping of $24 it seemed right to me. I feel bad that I'm sending this guy an invoice for $84 in shipping. I haven't heard back from the buyer yet but I'm guessing his head might explode. Any suggestions of what I can do, if anything, and how can I prevent this in the future?

Thank you

[kensgiftshop]

@nt6_53 

When you use calculated shipping, the charge you see is what it would cost to ship to your zip code.

The buyer will see what it cost to ship to their zip code, so they already know what it's going to cost.

[athleticavenue]

Ya, if it's calculated shipping, the buyer sees how much it will cost him before making the purchase. Also, if the item is big(which I'm assuming yours is) it is kind of obvious shipping will cost quite abit. Hope that helps 🙂

[fab_finds4u]

It is against policy to send an invoice with amended shipping unless the buyer asks for a more expensive faster method.   Your mistake was letting eBay choose. What they do is estimate based on average cost of shipping recent sold listings charged for your type of item.  If you want an accurate cost based on actual weight and dimensions you needed to  enter that in the shipping details.  Mistakes are Co$tly.  eBay can't  force you to ship but they will give you a defect iwhen you cancel the transaction. 

[wastingtime101]

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@nt6_53 wrote:

When I reviewed the invoice it listed shipping as $84.30. I quickly took item to UPS to check their rates and was quoted $93. 

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kensgiftshop is right about the buyer knowing shipping will cost $84.30. There is no reason for you to send an invoice to the buyer. eBay will send payment reminders and invoices can create unwanted issues, so don't send them unless you need to for some reason. Hopefully this goes smoothly, but if the buyer doesn't pay, this is the page that tells you how to handle unpaid items.

I looked at your listings and you would be better off using the fixed price format over the auction format. As a new seller listing high priced items with a best offer option added, you'll need to be very careful of scammers. Never agree to a request to text or e-mail someone off site.

$84.30 is the retail rate for a 22 pound priority mail package shipping to zone 8 (your buyer is probably on the East Coast). Your box may not weigh 22 pounds, but if the size of the box is greater than 1 cubic foot, then you'll be charged dimensional rates.

The online rate for a 22 pound priority package to zone 8 is $72.57 so you should buy your label online through eBay. eBay charges fees on the total amount a buyer pays (item + shipping + sales tax), so the $11.73 difference between the retail and online rates can go towards the fees you're paying on shipping.

I don't know why the post office is quoting $93.00 - is it possible they quoted $92.20? That's the rate for a 26 pound package to zone 8 (or it's a charge based on dimensional weight).

Did the actual box measurements vary at all from the ones you used in the listing? That could explain why USPS is quoting a higher price.