Don't get stung!!

[Noriko010884]

I am absolutely livid right now!!

I sold a cel on ebay and the winner of the auction sent payment and I sent the cel.

I contacted the winner and asked if he had received the cel two weeks after shipping it off and he said he hadn't. It was then that I looked and learned that the shipping he had opted for was economy and explained that it could take up to six weeks to arrive, so he might be waiting until April for it. I sent a photo of the proof of purchase, which shows his address and the date and time of postage, so he knows I have sent it.

2 weeks later (4 weeks after posting) he contacts ebay and says he hasn't received the cel, even though I explained it could take 6 weeks to arrive.

So, ebay have decided that I will refund the cost of the cel and shipping. What a big f*cking con! I have appealed and requested an address so I can send a photo of the proof of purchase which clearly shows I have sent it, and also told them that it could still turn up, but as it doesn't require a signature it could have already arrived and I have no way to prove it.

I am so angry with the situation.

So, I guess ultimately don't give anyone a choice, only send things tracked/signed for, the price of which can be off putting for potential bidders.

I hope ebay provide an e-mail address so I can show them then proof of postage because that's all I got. You don't get a tracking number for economy.

Has anyone dealt with cactuar999?

[cutiebunny]

While I haven't had experience with that particular buyer, I understand your plight. Sending things abroad from the US is expensive, and the cheapest trackable service offered is registered mail at a minimum of $30 for most cels. It's frustrating that there isn't a cheaper trackable service to Canada or Mexico, and that largely eliminates me selling to anyone that isn't domestic or doesn't use a domestic deputy service.

I've always hated that E-bay's policy heavily favors the buyer. Never mind the fact that you can have hundreds of positive transactions as a seller because, E-bay's mentality is that you would select that one international transaction to be the one where you don't ship the item and choose to run off with the money instead.

[Noriko010884]

The things that got me are that;

1. I have evidence that it's been posted
2. This shipping method is one whereby they aim to deliver up to 6 weeks (and even then it could take longer as it's economy) and yet he made his claim before 5 weeks
3. eBay is very quiet and discreet about it's rule whereby no matter what decision the buyer makes, if something goes missing in transit it's the seller who is held responsible. I believe that should be made very bold and clear as opposed to hidden down in the small print.


Well, if anyone sees Urotsukidoji's Amano Jyaku (A3KEY) turn up anywhere please let me know because it's a stolen cel.

[Drac of the Sharp Smiles]

Additionally, eBay won't let you charge correct shipping either.... the reason for this is that (I laughed my @$$ off at this one) people don't want to pay for shipping. Seriously, I'm not kidding. It's right there in the seller FAQ somewhere. Personally, my answer to this is: "Then don't buy something by mail order!" But then common sense isn't and it costs eBay ZERO to force you to offer shipping for free.

One of the last things I sold on there was a CD and it wouldn't let me list shipping higher than $2. There was NO WAY POSSIBLE to appropriately pack the CD that a method of sending it would come out to anywhere near $2. I couldn't have shipped it for $2 if I taped the case shut and slapped a mailing label directly onto the case. The solution eBay gives to asking you to ship everything for stupid prices that don't cover the actual cost of shipping is to raise the starting bid for the item. Of course, they tell you that, then when someone wants to return something, they get back their whole bid and you're out the extra shipping cost. (BTW, in case you missed that fine print, people can return ANYTHING at ANY time even if you clearly state "no returns".)

The lesson and answer for us is DON'T USE EBAY. If you do, everything but EVERYTHING gets shipped insured and make sure to add on as high a "handling charge" as possible to cover the cost if the site won't let you charge appropriate shipping.

[majinuub]

Something like this happened to me with an international buyer. The buyer used a cheaper mailing option and about 2 weeks later contacted me about their package not arriving. The last time it was scanned was at the main facility before it shipped overseas. The person made a claim a few days later and of course, thanks to ebay, was refunded in full. I figured as much since, according to ebay, the seller is responsible for making sure the item arrives(not the middleman shipping service or the buyer who took the risk with using a cheaper mailing option ). What I don't understand is why the shipping was refunded as well when I have provided proof that the package was mailed .

[kamidake]

And that is precisely the reason why when I sell on ebay I don't offer international shipping. It is outrageously expensive with minimal security. Although I did found out that they do have tracking on normal package now, not just priority or express. Although I think that depends on the country... So sorry to hear about your situation though, it totally sucks. >_<

[Noriko010884]

The part about refunding the buyer the full amount, including the shipping, was adding insult to injury! It's bad enough that paypal charges you a final value fee which INCLUDES the shipping, even though you don't make money on shipping because you are paying for that service!

And like that's not bad enough, tracked items are only tracked within the country of origin. As soon as it leaves the country you have no evidence to show it's delivered. It's only if you specifically select a method that requires a signature upon receipt, and goodness knows I wouldn't be surprised if someone claimed it was not their signature and ebay refunds them the full amount. I wouldn't put it past them.

(On my crime digest this morning I had a victim who had an item shipped which required a signature upon receipt ((they waited in all day)) and the delivery driver left it at the apartment block without having someone sign for it, so we are totally unprotected!!)

kamidake, you're right, but it's so frustrating because if you want to access a wider audience you go to ebay. They can screw themselves though. The fees they charge you for selling anything are outrageous and yet it's the seller, who makes them their huge profit, that they not only fail to protect but whom they are quick to do over.

[kamidake]

Yeah, and ebay made it impossible for seller to leave the buyer a negative feedback too. They are really over protecting the buyers and screwing over the sellers.

[zerospace]

And that is precisely the reason why when I sell on ebay I don't offer international shipping. It is outrageously expensive with minimal security. Although I did found out that they do have tracking on normal package now, not just priority or express. Although I think that depends on the country... So sorry to hear about your situation though, it totally sucks. >_<

If I ship cels internationally, I only offer Priority or Express, both of which are pretty fast to most decent countries these days (Priority has been 1 week to most european countries, usually a max of 2 weeks, fully trackable). If the item is expensive, Express is the only option I offer. I offer First Class for inexpensive items that I don't mind paying out if they get lost. That's my discretion though -- if I don't want to accept a loss, I just make international buyers pay for Priority or Express. The ones who really want something will pay up or just won't bid.

Warning, slight rant ahead:

Drac -- I understand your frustration and hatred towards eBay, but that isn't true. You can definitely charge the correct amount for shipping. A couple of years ago, eBay started nudging sellers towards "free" shipping, but the main reason was because of the jerk sellers who OVERCHARGED ridiculously (like $40 to ship a tiny item, that sort of thing) for shipping costs in order to circumvent eBay fees (thank you, dishonest a$$holes!). I used to get low ratings for shipping costs back at that time if I charged for shipping, but today, not so much. I haven't been offering free shipping for the past 8+ months, and my DSR rating for shipping cost is still a 4.9. Usually the eBay shipping calculator overcharges for shipping for my items, because I let it use the USPS at-the-counter rates, but I pay either Commercial Base (online rate) or Commercial Plus, depending on the service. You can still also charge a flat rate for any item you wish as well. Free shipping is absolutely NOT mandatory, even for Top Rated or Powersellers (both of which I am) -- ratings for shipping cost are no longer a factor in your seller status on eBay, either (the "defect rate" is the main one, based more on item-as-described ratings and a few other things). The cost of selling on eBay is now that you pay fees on every aspect of the transaction, and those fees are about to get worse yet again (see this year's Spring Seller Update -- I love how they try to spin it as a good thing for most sellers, but the fact is it's going to cost small time sellers like me even more, because you'll get fewer free listings, among other things).

Anyways, I'm sorry to hear about the OP's problem here, but this is why you don't offer economy type shipping options for international transactions, no matter how much buyers beg. If you offer a low price shipping option, more often than not, the buyers will use it. Gone are the days when the seller can claim that the buyer chose a crappy shipping method and their package disappeared. The seller is now responsible for that. I can count on ONE HAND the number of times I've offered First Class or Priority and had the buyer actually pay for Priority. Take it as a very hard lesson learned. I've lost hundreds of dollars to jerk buyers on eBay learning hard lessons like this, myself. So believe me, this isn't meant in a mean way. eBay has changed a lot over the years, and these days, if you sell there, be prepared to be treated like a business, whether you are or not. You are responsible for your items making it safely to their destination, no matter how little you can do about it. Choose how you ship knowing this and you'll be a lot better off. Make your buyers pay for trackable, insurable shipping methods and selling on eBay will be easier (your buyers may whine about the cost, but that's their problem. International ratings for shipping cost mean SQUAT to your seller status anyways, so let them whine away!)

//end-rant

[sinwrath404]

To try and avoid and problems shipping internationally I only use ebay global shipping service. I sold on ebay for 5 years or so and refused to ship international. I saw that ebay offered their program so I decided to use it and I have had zero problems with it the last 2 years or so that I have been using it. To make sure people that bought from me weren't getting ripped off I matched price what ebay was charging them and what it would cost if I sent it myself and in all cases it was only $1-$2 more or less for ebay global shipping. I also refuse to ever send anything with out a tracking number. I have had people tell me they never received anything, but it showed delivered come to find out it was dropped off with their neighbor and they just never checked. Also if it shows delivered then it is out of your hands as far as proof shows, they got their item. Yeah, it is never wise to give the customer the option of what shipping service they want cause in the end it is your loss if they choose a cheap service and it gets lost.

As for not being able to charge the correct amount of shipping on some items, yeah that is dumb, my way around that is if you want to charge $6 for shipping, but they only let you charge $4 you add $2 to the price of the item to make up the difference.

[Rekka Alexiel]

Dang, eBay sounds like it's really gone downhill since the last time I used it...

[Noriko010884]

Yeah. If you're a buyer then it's no problem, but as a seller it's a bitterly disappointing experience. I am confident that I have been screwed by the buyer as I am always friendly with buyers and sellers alike. I believe in treating people how you want to be treated, and when dealing with individuals I know we have a common interest and happily talk about anime and what titles we enjoy. It's a pleasure. But this individual was always impersonal and the msgs were short and there was a distinct lack of manners, so it just makes me very suspicious.