Why don't some ebay sellers offer combined shipping?

[imported_Tomato]

I won a skirt for $3 from a seller for $6 shipping. I bid on a few of her other items hoping to add them to the package, and ended up winning a light tank top for $2 and another for $3. All in all, the items undoubtedly weighed less than a pound, easy to ship for $3.95 priority mail (or however much it costs now).

I was appalled when the seller told me my total was $8 for the clothes + $18 shipping. She said she wouldn't combine shipping because I was "already getting a great deal on the clothes" (I think she was upset she didn't get more money for them), but I told her there was no way in heck I was going to pay $18 shipping for what would cost her no more than $4 to mail (probably less, I recently paid $6 shipping for an item that cost 88-cents to ship... seller said priority mail, shipped it freakin' first class).

Anyway, she absolutely refused to lower the shipping price or even compromise/reduce it, I refused to pay, got 3 "Non-paying bidder" warnings and was summarily kicked off ebay. :|

 

[Fiveohhh]

$$

 

[Beattie]

because they are making money off the shipping. why would they want to save you money?

Also, when you bid on them you can see the shipping. by bidding you are accepting that price.

 

[imported_Tomato]

Originally posted by: Beattie
because they are making money off the shipping. why would they want to save you money?

But sometimes, like in my case, it just doesn't make any sense. Defies all logic... I even offered her $10 for shipping "and handling" because she was being so difficult about it, but she kept saying, "No, you won, you pay, $6 shipping is stated in the auction". I tried to explain since she would be shipping them all at once, vs. separately, $6 shipping per item just didn't make sense. *sigh*

 

[kranky]

The seller was within her rights to not combine shipping. It's bad for business, but most sellers don't care. For many sellers, the "shipping/handling" fee is a large part of their profit and they aren't willing to give it up.

All you can do in that situation is ask before you bid if the seller will reduce shipping if you win multiple items. Some will, some won't. Then you adjust your bids accordingly.

 

[Beattie]

Originally posted by: Dezign

Originally posted by: Beattie
because they are making money off the shipping. why would they want to save you money?

But sometimes, like in my case, it just doesn't make any sense. Defies all logic... I even offered her $10 for shipping "and handling" because she was being so difficult about it, but she kept saying, "No, you won, you pay, $6 shipping is stated in the auction". I tried to explain since she would be shipping them all at once, vs. separately, $6 shipping per item just didn't make sense. *sigh*

I would bet that if you had paid the $18, she would have shipped everything together for $4 or whatever thereby making her more money. Like I said, you agreed to the conditions when you bid on it, live up to that agreement.

 

[imported_Tomato]

Originally posted by: kranky
The seller was within her rights to not combine shipping. It's bad for business, but most sellers don't care. For many sellers, the "shipping/handling" fee is a large part of their profit and they aren't willing to give it up.

All you can do in that situation is ask before you bid if the seller will reduce shipping if you win multiple items. Some will, some won't. Then you adjust your bids accordingly.

I guess that's true, kranky. If I ever go back to ebay, I'll be sure to ask about combined shipping before I bid.

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: Beattie
because they are making money off the shipping. why would they want to save you money?

Also, when you bid on them you can see the shipping. by bidding you are accepting that price.

 

[imported_Tomato]

Originally posted by: Beattie

Originally posted by: Dezign

Originally posted by: Beattie
because they are making money off the shipping. why would they want to save you money?

But sometimes, like in my case, it just doesn't make any sense. Defies all logic... I even offered her $10 for shipping "and handling" because she was being so difficult about it, but she kept saying, "No, you won, you pay, $6 shipping is stated in the auction". I tried to explain since she would be shipping them all at once, vs. separately, $6 shipping per item just didn't make sense. *sigh*

I would bet that if you had paid the $18, she would have shipped everything together for $4 or whatever thereby making her more money. Like I said, you agreed to the conditions when you bid on it, live up to that agreement.

Wouldn't she need to specify that she wouldn't combine shipping for different items, then? She didn't state she would combine either way, I assumed (incorrectly) she would.

 

[gsaldivar]

The situation sucks, but in the future you should clear up any shipping arrangements BEFORE bidding on multiple items from the same seller. Waiting until the end of an auction to make such an arrangement, locks you into whatever price the seller sets...

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Dezign
I guess that's true, kranky. If I ever go back to ebay, I'll be sure to ask about combined shipping before I bid.

Yes! ASK FIRST! You can't assume anything.

 

[yukichigai]

Doing it that way was the wrong way to go about it. The way to do it is thus:

Firstly, ask if she'll combine shipping. If not, enquire as to why. Chances are she won't come up a good answer. But what you're mainly looking for is some indication of how she'll ship the stuff, i.e. separately or together.

Now you have to wait for the stuff to ship. Once it gets there take pictures of everything. Particularly if she said it was to be shipped separately and it arrived in one package. Now if it did all come in separate packages you're kinda hosed, but if not you have some options based on the specifics:

1) She said it was to be shipped separately and it wasn't - Congrats, she's just committed fraud, in essence getting you to pay for services she never delivered. In this case, separate shipping. Send her a message asking for a partial refund of the shipping charges. If she waffles, send a message to eBay's fraud department and CC it to her.

1a) The auction clearly stated the item was to be shipped in it's own package - Same sort of deal, unless she specifically told you they'd all be in one package. Of course then you can get her for changing the specifics of the auction after it was over.

2) She said nothing about how it was to be shipped - Assuming the packaging wasn't anything very special you can argue that she has grossly overcharged for shipping and handling. eBay has some guidelines on handling fees; though I can't remember what the specifics are I seem to remember some formula about what percentage of the s&h fee can be "handling". This is where having pictures is a good thing, since you'll need to take this up with eBay.

2b) She told you it was to be shipped all together - The process is pretty much the same as above, except you have less grounds on which to object since you knew about it and agreed to the terms.


So yeah, file that info away for future use. It'll probably save you a few bucks.

 

[dartworth]

People like you make ebay a real PIA. You cost that seller money because you failed to read.

Once you bid, you accept the seller's terms. This has nothing to do with logic.

 

[CanOWorms]

People like you should be kicked off of eBay. The seller is being unreasonable, but you need to read the auctions before bidding and accept it.

 

[Mayfriday0529]

i sell on ebay not all the time but when i do i try to get the most accurate shipping cost possible, because i hate ebay scam seller that charge twice as much for shipping.

i even got a little scale and check online before i put the shipping price, sometimes i even take a lost when i get to post office and they charge me more.

 

[kami333]

Let us know what your new ID is so that I can add it to my blocked bidder list.

 

[masterxfob]

i was charged $20 S&H for a package that cost $3 to mail, i left neutral feedback.

 

[waggy]

i paid something like $13 shipping for a small chair that the guy shipped media mail for $3. i left a negitive.

 

[RabidMongoose]

Originally posted by: kami333
Let us know what your new ID is so that I can add it to my blocked bidder list.

 

[Jzero]

If you were quoted shipping costs in advance of the auction and still placed a bid, you really shouldn't leave bad feedback...

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: waggy
i paid something like $13 shipping for a small chair that the guy shipped media mail for $3. i left a negitive.

You accepted the shipping price when you bid on the auction. If you didn't know it would only cost $3 to ship, then you're faulting the seller for your own ignorance...

 

[CrazyDe1]

Originally posted by: yukichigai
Doing it that way was the wrong way to go about it. The way to do it is thus:

Firstly, ask if she'll combine shipping. If not, enquire as to why. Chances are she won't come up a good answer. But what you're mainly looking for is some indication of how she'll ship the stuff, i.e. separately or together.

Now you have to wait for the stuff to ship. Once it gets there take pictures of everything. Particularly if she said it was to be shipped separately and it arrived in one package. Now if it did all come in separate packages you're kinda hosed, but if not you have some options based on the specifics:

1) She said it was to be shipped separately and it wasn't - Congrats, she's just committed fraud, in essence getting you to pay for services she never delivered. In this case, separate shipping. Send her a message asking for a partial refund of the shipping charges. If she waffles, send a message to eBay's fraud department and CC it to her.

1a) The auction clearly stated the item was to be shipped in it's own package - Same sort of deal, unless she specifically told you they'd all be in one package. Of course then you can get her for changing the specifics of the auction after it was over.

2) She said nothing about how it was to be shipped - Assuming the packaging wasn't anything very special you can argue that she has grossly overcharged for shipping and handling. eBay has some guidelines on handling fees; though I can't remember what the specifics are I seem to remember some formula about what percentage of the s&h fee can be "handling". This is where having pictures is a good thing, since you'll need to take this up with eBay.

2b) She told you it was to be shipped all together - The process is pretty much the same as above, except you have less grounds on which to object since you knew about it and agreed to the terms.


So yeah, file that info away for future use. It'll probably save you a few bucks.

If you asked me why I wouldn't combine shipping I'd straight up tell you because I intend to make money on shipping and when you combine shipping I don't make that money. This is what I tell people for local pickups as well.

 

[RMSistight]

Originally posted by: yukichigai
Doing it that way was the wrong way to go about it. The way to do it is thus:

Firstly, ask if she'll combine shipping. If not, enquire as to why. Chances are she won't come up a good answer. But what you're mainly looking for is some indication of how she'll ship the stuff, i.e. separately or together.

Now you have to wait for the stuff to ship. Once it gets there take pictures of everything. Particularly if she said it was to be shipped separately and it arrived in one package. Now if it did all come in separate packages you're kinda hosed, but if not you have some options based on the specifics:

1) She said it was to be shipped separately and it wasn't - Congrats, she's just committed fraud, in essence getting you to pay for services she never delivered. In this case, separate shipping. Send her a message asking for a partial refund of the shipping charges. If she waffles, send a message to eBay's fraud department and CC it to her.

1a) The auction clearly stated the item was to be shipped in it's own package - Same sort of deal, unless she specifically told you they'd all be in one package. Of course then you can get her for changing the specifics of the auction after it was over.

2) She said nothing about how it was to be shipped - Assuming the packaging wasn't anything very special you can argue that she has grossly overcharged for shipping and handling. eBay has some guidelines on handling fees; though I can't remember what the specifics are I seem to remember some formula about what percentage of the s&h fee can be "handling". This is where having pictures is a good thing, since you'll need to take this up with eBay.

2b) She told you it was to be shipped all together - The process is pretty much the same as above, except you have less grounds on which to object since you knew about it and agreed to the terms.


So yeah, file that info away for future use. It'll probably save you a few bucks.

Hmmm....this is great information. I shall file this for reference.

 

[RMSistight]

Dezign, you must understand the legality of all auctions. eBay now has become a legal battle ground for buyers and sellers. Like others have said, you must contact the seller for ANY inquiries. THE SECOND you bid, you agree to their terms 100% and MUST complete the auction if you win. It's as simple as that.

 

[Chu]

Originally posted by: Dezign
I won a skirt for $3 from a seller for $6 shipping. I bid on a few of her other items hoping to add them to the package, and ended up winning a light tank top for $2 and another for $3. All in all, the items undoubtedly weighed less than a pound, easy to ship for $3.95 priority mail (or however much it costs now).

I was appalled when the seller told me my total was $8 for the clothes + $18 shipping. She said she wouldn't combine shipping because I was "already getting a great deal on the clothes" (I think she was upset she didn't get more money for them), but I told her there was no way in heck I was going to pay $18 shipping for what would cost her no more than $4 to mail (probably less, I recently paid $6 shipping for an item that cost 88-cents to ship... seller said priority mail, shipped it freakin' first class).

Anyway, she absolutely refused to lower the shipping price or even compromise/reduce it, I refused to pay, got 3 "Non-paying bidder" warnings and was summarily kicked off ebay. :|

You do realize that most of the S&H cost is pure profit on those low items. Also, if you don't like the terms of an auction, DO NOT BID. If they say no to discounted shipping, then the answer is no and suck up the extra cost. People like you who bid on items and then try to get your own terms after they close is one of the reasons ebay has started to suck Also, about those NPBs, you didn't pay. That's the definition of a NPB. What did you expect?

-Chu