I recently bid on two schwinn stingray rims on eBay. I won the auction at 20.50. I get the sellers email and he's added almost 20.00 in "handling fees" for a box and foam peanuts. There was no mention of these extras in his auction body just the add on after the fact. I told him to forget it and that I didn't appreciate the way he just added fees on afterward. Last week I sent a 30 lb package to Georgia fo almost just his handling fees. I got the box from the grocery store and put a fair shipping price in my listing. Which brings me to my point. Am I obligated to pay whatever fees a seller adds on? I wouldn't have bid had I known his "policy". As a seller I can fill out a non paying bidder form against someone who doesn't deal fair. As a buyer are there any actions I can take against a seller who wants to charge extra? Thanks for letting me vent, John

 

Shipping and extra charges should be available on the main page of the item. I always check, and refuse to bid unless I know what the charges will be. If it is there and you didn't check, you lose.

Ebay has a problem resolution team, I would ask them about it. You don't want him to report you as a flake, but do have a reason for not paying. If you have to pay him don't forget that you get the last word when you leave feedback.

 

Although $20 for shipping and handling seems excessive, it is your job as a bidder to find out what the shipping and handling charges are before you bid on an item. If you do not, and you win the auction you are oblgated to buy the item regardless. I would bite the bullet on this one and pay the the handling charge rather than get bad feedback...which you undoubtedly will. Consider it a lesson learned for the future.

 

Why is it that people think there time and supplies are not worth anything. If you went to the store to get a box did you charge the person for gas to get there and your time? How about the packaging tape? How about your time to drop off that package at wherever you mailed it. I bet you spent more money than that. Even if the store and shipper are 10 minutes from your house you most likely spent an hour and made two trips.

My favorite is a friend of mine who used to work for a small refrigeration company. He got called out to troubleshoot an air conditioner that was not working. He drove out there spent about 2 minutes finding the filter for the furnace / AC duct return duct and cleaned the filter. It was so caked there was not airflow. The owner was charged $120.00 and about had a fit. The trip charge of $80.00, half hour minimum labor $40.00 for cleaning the air filter and showing the home owner where the filter was and what size to replace it with and how to check it.

 

I'll gladly pay for people's time when I know I'm going to be charged for it. But 15.00 for a freaking box? Come on. Apparently some people make enough money that they are willing to throw it away on anything. But me, I'm not made of cash and I don't like hidden charges. When I sell something I charge a flat fee to cover gas and tape and time. Then I put it in the auction so it's right out in the open.

 

I'll have to disagree with you on this one GreatNorth. Shipping charges and handling charges are two completely different things. I can understand charging for handling. I get a few boxes at a time. I split a roll of tape up between several people and I take all of the items to the shipping place at once. It wasn't $20 for shipping and handling. It was 12.00 for shipping and 18.00 for handling. Which comes to 30.00. Now why would I pay 50 dollars for two bike rims. No thanks, I'll take the bad feedback. But you can be sure he'll get the same.

 

I've learned it is best to ask what the specific shipping and handling charges to my zip code. I got burned once on handling, I do not have a problem with a reasonable handling fee.

 

That's what I do now.

Long ago I got hit for a large shipping charge.

Now I ask what the charges will be so I can figure it in to my final bid.

 

Here's my procedure when selling something on uPay:

If something can be put into a premade box I have laying around or can scrounge out of the cardboard dumpster behind my building I don't charge any packaging fee. If the item is heavy or large and has to have a custom box built and I have to run around to find a large enough piece of cardboard to build the box, I will charge a packaging fee, somewhere around $10-15. I state The amount right in my uPay ad. I don't think it's fair to me to spend an hour running around to find the cardboard, spend another half hour to cut a box to fit, using $3 worth of packing tape, and not get reimburst for the time and effort. I also don't think it's fair to the person who can pick up the item in person, who doesn't need a special box, to pay the same price and not get the extra service. On larger items that can't go UPS and have to be sent Greyhound I will also charge for running it down to the Greyhound station which is over a half hour, and 25 miles away. I don't think I go overboard with my pricing, I try to realistic, after all I am not a professional packaging company but I like to get some compensation for my efforts. I also make it very clear in my ads to ask questions about the item and shipping before bidding. I just passed on an item on uPay after I emailed the seller to ask about shipping and was told it would be $45 to ship a 10 pound, medium sized box, I thought that was a little too much for a item that eventually sold for $20. Maybe I'm just cheap.

If you think some of the uPay sellers are crazy with shipping charges I have had vendors for my business that would charge me $25 to ship $20 worth of parts across town. When I called them they would relent and cut the shipping charges by more than half. Just think of all the big businesses that just rubber stamp their bills. I tend not to do business with business's that do that.

 

All fees should be disclosed up front. There are thousands of people who sell their stuff for 99 cents and charge $10 to ship. Saw this on USB thumb drives all over eBay.

This sounds like someone who doesn't understand how auctions work (reserves, etc) and let it go for less than he thinks is fair, and is trying to make up for it.

 

There are two sides to that; if you wanted an immediate delivery, and they have to send a guy over with the parts, I'd bet an hour of even a part-timer's time and gas easily costs them $25, whether it's an envelope or a complete transmission. We have a courier service we use that charges $10 anywhere in town for up to a standard banker's box, IF we schedule pick-up. If we want NOW, it's almost $50. That's still as cheap as sending a secretary who makes $15/hour base pay.

 

I am just talking about a part(s) I order on a non-rush, end of the week delivery. If I need it today I am small enough business that I can go pick it up myself.

Now this is really getting (I just wanted to use this simily )

 

ebay has been cracking down on excessive shipping and handling fees. Report the seller to them and see what happens.

 

Caveat emptor...buyer beware! Ask the seller all the questions you can BEFORE bidding, it;s up to you to know what you are getting into before the bid closes. Ebay receives the majority of their income from fees to the sellers, don't hold your breath waiting on corporate Ebay to step up to your defense...the only reason that they would even bother with excessive shipping scams is becasue they lose money when the seller shifts the cost of his item from the actual sales price to the price of shipping. Ebay receives listing fees based on the sales price of the item, not the S&H.

 

"Hidden Charges" are what he is making a statement about, as he already made clear, the "Handling Fee" was Not mentioned untill the Seller contacted him after the auction closed.
Get it, got it, good.