Ok, here's the deal. Last Monday or so (29th Oct.) I won an auction for an item that cost me about $155 shipped. The shipping charge was $12 for Priority mail shipping, and the item isn't extremely heavy or large (Line 6 Toneport UX2). I didn't hear anything from the seller until he replied to a query I made on Tuesday Oct. 30th asking to let me know when the item ships. The seller responded saying that the item had been shipped out that day, but that in their erroneous calculations they had quoted me too low a price on the Priority mail shipping so a cheaper method was used without any delivery confirmation (I had asked to get the numbers if available).
Fast forward to now...seven days after seller claims the item has been shipped I still have not received it. So, supposing the seller isn't trying to rip me off what action should I take if the item is received in described condition? If it's a legit sale I'm pretty pissed about shortchanging me on shipping at the end, and after seven days of no item it's looking like media mail may have been illegally used since with about any other option it doesn't ever take this long to receive stuff.
I'm going to send the seller a message soon after this before heading off to school to address much of what I've detailed here, and to try and get some more info on the shipping method used. The eBay boards didn't help me too much. I searched around and mainly found that eBay turns a blind eye for the most part to sellers who used cheaper shipping methods although buyers had paid for a more expensive service.
So I ask, what would some of you do in this situation?
edit to add:
Seller has 100% feedback (73)
Recent feedback from Nov. 1 from a buyer who purchased a roland micro cube for about a $100 shipped
Also sticks this in their auction:
Check the feedback, it's getting harder and harder to keep the 100% these days.
I pack well, I ship promptly, and I keep great contact if there's ever a snag.
Update 11/7/07
Seller responded back with a vague method about how it's too soon to expect a package so I messaged back again and told them to tell me what specific shipping method was used (because they still hadn't stated how it was shipped), I listed some possible ones to drive the point home, and I got a response back stating it was shipped using Parcel Post.
That's just the beginning though. I was nice to the seller in all my messages, not openly aggressive or anything like that, and on the last response he rattled off this when he finally fessed up about using Parcel post:
"I'm not trying to sound rude, but to be clear about Ebay's rules, you did not pay for priority shipping. You may have wanted that, and the bottom of my listing may have stated priority mail, but you PAID $12 for shipping FLAT RATE-which, according to ebay's terms and guidelines, insures no exact shipping source-it's up to the buyer to find the cheapest shipping method. If I would have shipped priority, I would have had to charge more. That's obviously why I only charged $12.00 It's the lowest shipping charge and usually that's what people want."
I really don't know what he's getting at being such a dick about everything. As a seller, I know that you can charge a flat rate price for the specified shipping method instead of using a calculator, but come on...I would be banned from eBay by now if I screwed people over on shipping like this. There is a flat rate option with no specified shipping as well, which is what he's referring too, but his auction clearly states 2-3 day Priority for $12.
I messaged him back with this:
"You're certainly not helping things. It took you two responses to admit that you gipped me on shipping, and right away you offered money back because you know you're doing wrong. I wouldn't have wasted my time wondering where a package was last week, and bothering you if you would have stated you were shipping parcel post in your auction instead of Priority, regardless of what you think some eBay policy allows you to do. I'll get back to you when the item arrives."
Now, I wait until the damn thing shows up, but I gotta say that him being so pompous about what eBay rules let him do this and that are making me lean towards a negative feedback, and at a minimum a neutral so other buyers know what they're getting into.
Fast forward to now...seven days after seller claims the item has been shipped I still have not received it. So, supposing the seller isn't trying to rip me off what action should I take if the item is received in described condition? If it's a legit sale I'm pretty pissed about shortchanging me on shipping at the end, and after seven days of no item it's looking like media mail may have been illegally used since with about any other option it doesn't ever take this long to receive stuff.
I'm going to send the seller a message soon after this before heading off to school to address much of what I've detailed here, and to try and get some more info on the shipping method used. The eBay boards didn't help me too much. I searched around and mainly found that eBay turns a blind eye for the most part to sellers who used cheaper shipping methods although buyers had paid for a more expensive service.
So I ask, what would some of you do in this situation?
edit to add:
Seller has 100% feedback (73)
Recent feedback from Nov. 1 from a buyer who purchased a roland micro cube for about a $100 shipped
Also sticks this in their auction:
Check the feedback, it's getting harder and harder to keep the 100% these days.
I pack well, I ship promptly, and I keep great contact if there's ever a snag.
Update 11/7/07
Seller responded back with a vague method about how it's too soon to expect a package so I messaged back again and told them to tell me what specific shipping method was used (because they still hadn't stated how it was shipped), I listed some possible ones to drive the point home, and I got a response back stating it was shipped using Parcel Post.
That's just the beginning though. I was nice to the seller in all my messages, not openly aggressive or anything like that, and on the last response he rattled off this when he finally fessed up about using Parcel post:
"I'm not trying to sound rude, but to be clear about Ebay's rules, you did not pay for priority shipping. You may have wanted that, and the bottom of my listing may have stated priority mail, but you PAID $12 for shipping FLAT RATE-which, according to ebay's terms and guidelines, insures no exact shipping source-it's up to the buyer to find the cheapest shipping method. If I would have shipped priority, I would have had to charge more. That's obviously why I only charged $12.00 It's the lowest shipping charge and usually that's what people want."
I really don't know what he's getting at being such a dick about everything. As a seller, I know that you can charge a flat rate price for the specified shipping method instead of using a calculator, but come on...I would be banned from eBay by now if I screwed people over on shipping like this. There is a flat rate option with no specified shipping as well, which is what he's referring too, but his auction clearly states 2-3 day Priority for $12.
I messaged him back with this:
"You're certainly not helping things. It took you two responses to admit that you gipped me on shipping, and right away you offered money back because you know you're doing wrong. I wouldn't have wasted my time wondering where a package was last week, and bothering you if you would have stated you were shipping parcel post in your auction instead of Priority, regardless of what you think some eBay policy allows you to do. I'll get back to you when the item arrives."
Now, I wait until the damn thing shows up, but I gotta say that him being so pompous about what eBay rules let him do this and that are making me lean towards a negative feedback, and at a minimum a neutral so other buyers know what they're getting into.
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