Another ebayer trying to scam me? Help!

[Supple Cow]

I won an auction for a pair of boots and paid for them immediately on Oct. 23, assuming that they would be shipped ASAP. Then TODAY (5 days later!!!) I get this email:

Supple Cow,
[Other person buying same kind of boots from a separate auction],
I regret to inform you that after going to the post office to ship your boots I discovered that I undercharged you for shipping by $6.00. I have your boots packed and ready to go, as soon as I receive the outstanding shipping balance they will be shipped. I apologize for the error.

Thanks,
Jill

The original shipping was already a hefty $13 (from Canada to the U.S.), which I accepted because the winning price was reasonable... but I never would have bid on them at all if I knew the shipping was going to be almost $20. My priorities are thus:

1) not to ruin my ebay reputation by dealing with this situation improperly
2) not to spend a penny more than I agreed to pay when I won the auction
3) to have those sweet boots

What can I do about it?

[ngdawg]

Originally Posted by Supple Cow

I won an auction for a pair of boots and paid for them immediately on Oct. 23, assuming that they would be shipped ASAP. Then TODAY (5 days later!!!) I get this email:

The original shipping was already a hefty $13 (from Canada to the U.S.), which I accepted because the winning price was reasonable... but I never would have bid on them at all if I knew the shipping was going to be almost $20. My priorities are thus:

1) not to ruin my ebay reputation by dealing with this situation improperly
2) not to spend a penny more than I agreed to pay when I won the auction
3) to have those sweet boots

What can I do about it?

Seems if they are coming from Canada and it will cost you $20 US to get them, is shipping in Canada THAT expensive? Seems like you need one of our buds from the north to tell you what's what in that regard, then decide *shrug*

[Glory's Sun]

the seller messed up. He/she should eat the cost. If I underbid a client...guess what.. I have to make up the difference.

[canuckguy]

Seems fishy, I always go with once you tell me the price, it does not change, the shipper got the price wrong, not your fault, they have to eat that 6 bucks. And being an ebayer from canada, shipping is expensive if you use our government postal out (canada post), verus something like fedex or ups. I would not pay the 6 bucks. I'd either say ship it at what you TOLD me it was or refund my money.

[Bill O'Rights]

It all depends on how bad you want those boots.
$6.00? I dunno...in the end, it's not really a deal buster, but it is afterall, the principle of the thing. Seller quoted $13.00 for shipping, which I assume she spelled out in her aution, she should stand by that. That is how I would do business, but unfortunately some do not see it that way.
And, yeah...I see $20.00 for postage across the border to be a little "pricey" as well.

[maleficent]

Go here: http://www.fedex.com/ratefinder/home?cc=US&language=en

and figure out how much it would be to ship from here to you... and then tell her to ship fedex... if it's cheaper -- guestimating - sending a package from vancouver to nyc -- and making the package pretty heavy - I ended up with a shipping cost of 18.00 in canadian dollars... so sounds like her shipping rates are way off

However, it's an error -- it's on her part - it's not your problem - she admits the mistake...

[canuckguy]

You have to watch custom charges too at the border, if I buy something off ebay from someone in the states, and have it shipped to canada I have to pay duty charges when its delivered. You can get around this by getting the person shipping it to list it as a gift most times. But always risky sending anything personal over the border, not sure if you get custom charges from canada to the usa though. good luck supplecow.

[tecoyah]

Just state simply:

" We have a contract through EBay for an auction that states a shipping price of $13....this is what I intend to pay. Should you decide to Overcharge me, based on the contract we agreed to, I will be forced to rescind my agreement on the terms (as you will have broken the contract), and follow the guidelines of Ebay for negative feedback and broken contract reporting. Thank you for your time, and please respond as soon as possible."

Might get you the boots...might not....but at least they know you arent playin' the game.

[superiorrain]

Originally Posted by tecoyah

Just state simply:

" We have a contract through EBay for an auction that states a shipping price of $13....this is what I intend to pay. Should you decide to Overcharge me, based on the contract we agreed to, I will be forced to rescind my agreement on the terms (as you will have broken the contract), and follow the guidelines of Ebay for negative feedback and broken contract reporting. Thank you for your time, and please respond as soon as possible."

Might get you the boots...might not....but at least they know you arent playin' the game.

Harsh but very true. The seller should send the shoes at the price agreed when you bidded. I have also been in the same situation as the seller and totally misscounted the postage price, i took the burden of the loss. Learned from it and never have made the same mistake. It is the game that is ebay, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but the rules are there for a reason so we all know what we are getting into. If this was any other company you wouldn't pay them extra shipping charges after you've already made the payment you both agreed upon. Ebay is no different.

[Cynthetiq]

seller's fault for not knowing the EXACT amount for shipping.. guessing is not acceptable in contracts..

[Supple Cow]

Thanks, everyone. My instincts were right, but I needed a little reassurance. I haven't been through enough ebay transactions to feel very comfortable dealing with mistakes yet. Here's what I replied:

Jill:

I find it rather inappropriate that the shipping cost should change after the close of the auction, in addition to being notified of this five days after payment was remitted. You advertised that shipping to the US would be $13 and that is the maximum amount I expect to pay for it. If you cannot ship it to me at that cost, then I shall expect a full refund.

Supple Cow

Her response:

Supple Cow,
I apologize for the error. I did not try to misrepresent the shipping cost. The last five times I mailed boots they have been between $13.00-$14.00. I'm not sure if there has been a change in shipping fees with the post office or why it was more expensive today. I would have notified you earlier but I have been writing midterms all week and today was the first chance I had to go to the post office. If you refuse to pay the full shipping amount I will still ship them to you at my own expense on Monday. I apologize for any inconvenience I have caused you.

Jill

And finally:

Jill,

I understand that it was a mistake, but the mistake was your own. I am still interested in owning the boots, and I intend to hold you to the ebay contract and pay only the price that was originally stated. If you send them out on Monday, I will gladly overlook the mistake and refrain from leaving negative feedback. I look forward to receiving the boots.

Supple Cow

I have a feeling I'll be getting my boots at the price I agreed to by the end of next week. As much as I hate having a stranger force me to address her like a simp, I'm just glad it didn't have to get ugly (knock on wood).

[Cynthetiq]

you go cow!

ice cream sundaes all around

[Marvelous Marv]

You handled it exactly right. She knew she wasn't supposed to jack the price, and to tell the truth, I would only give neutral feedback. It should be pointed out in her feedback that she had your money for five days before she shipped the boots.

[flstf]

Originally Posted by Marvelous Marv

You handled it exactly right. She knew she wasn't supposed to jack the price, and to tell the truth, I would only give neutral feedback. It should be pointed out in her feedback that she had your money for five days before she shipped the boots.

If you give someone a neutral or negative on eBay, expect to get one in return. Such is the nature of feedback.

[AquaFox]

ask for a sales reciept on the shipping and packaging, if they sum up, then it was a honest mistake

[FngKestrel]

you gonna model these fine boots once they're in your possession?