A new low in Ebay stupidity.

[Nathan S]

Don't worry, I'm just venting here....

I won two pairs of handguards this evening (two seperate auctions). Paypaled the money straight away, no worries.

Then I logged back on tonight, and there's two "Request to cancel transaction" alerts.
According to the alert, we mutually agreed to no go ahead with the transaction - erm, no we didn't!

So I respond to the alert saying "No, I don't agree to this".

Then I find two messages in my Inbox saying that "Don't know why it said Free Postage. Send me another $8 or forget it".

Ah fuk you, you greedy c$%t!

This all annoyed me, but I figured that we could still come to some sort of resolution that doesn't involve him ripping me off on postage (if he'd simply asked for a realistic postage amount, then I'd have considered covering it. But trying to sting me for something like triple the real postage cost = GAGF).

Then I discovered that he's refunded my PayPal money. Hmmm, OK...

But what's really p155ed me off is that the greedy prick has relisted the items almost immediately.

His Ebay username is drbig750cc, FWIW.

[090]

I will jump on your angry vent and ride for a while. I'm not so much angry but bewildered by ebayer's that bid on a more expensive item, such as a bike worth a good $4000. They will bid like $500! Do they really think they can buy for that???
I think that because there is a small bit of unanimity they start to do under handed things or in my case, i haven't got any money but i will feel like i am in the hunt as i have bid and am in the lead for a few hours.
I wish they would get a life. Unlike me who has been logged on for 22 days, 14 hours and 13 minutes... er, make that 14 

[gerpster]

Hey Nathan,
I think it is a combination of the ebay crap user software (again!!) and sellers not knowing/watching what they are posting up. The "free" postage option is VERY misleading I have found with many sellers advertising FREE postage without knowing they have that option selected!!! I was about to buy a perfect ZZR tank for $50 with "free" postage when I suspected something may be up so I emailed the seller...sure enough he refused the free postage and reckoned he had no idea the listing said free postage!!!!!   
The ebay interface for postage is crap so I suspect this may be happening a lot.
So...suggest that if postage says 'free' it is best to email the seller to confirm...yeh by that time it may sell if it's a buy now situation but it saves some hassels.....   

[David Lahey]

For sellers, the postage charge section on eBay is incredibly difficult/impossible to say what you want. For what I usually want to say in listings (will recharge actual postage cost for Australian or overseas buyers - make contact if you want to know the postage cost before bidding) there is no option in the postage section to select. What are they thinking? Surely that would be one of the most popular postage cost options

[Marc.com]

I hate when you pay $60 for postage and it arrives with $20 worth of stamps on it, postage gouging is rife.

[Doc]

Nathan the $8 postage is a reasonable price. If you check with a post office to send a 250g or less 'parcel' from Brisbane to Sydney for example is $4.20 or so. If he has to buy a postbag then add this price also. The way ebay works the postage isn't accurate all the time obviously but I've been caught by ebay stating Free Post when infact I'd listed a flat rate. From that moment on I include post details in the listing description to avoid any future nasty surprises. I don't feel he was overcharging that much, maybe 3 bucks at the most or then again if he sends them separately he'd probably lose money I'm fighting with a seller in the US at present. Won a new Fly Suzuki jersey before Christmas and he wanted $44US to post it. That at the time was near $70au so I politely asked if that was correct. I got a short reply back saying ' Yup that's what it says' no hello no goodbye no nothing so I instantly knew I was going to be up against it. I emailed back asking if they would change the shipping to reflect a $6.99 postage to a US address I had supplied. I had no reply to this email and after waiting till after new year thinking they maybe shut I open my ebay to find an unpaid item dispute lodged against me. I have sent them 7 emails now asking for them to change the postage but still no reply. I am not giving up on this as I'm sure they're scheming because the price they sold it for was dirt cheap but then nor will I pay anything like a $44US shipping fee when the postage is about $15US at most. If only I could find their email addy I'd have fwded the payment via paypal and then lodged a counter undelivered item claim against them. It's going to get nasty but as I said I won it and I want it and if the seller can hold me to a contract then I can most certainly hold him to his part also. A contract requires a minimum of 2 parties after all. I will name the company very soon, it won't mean much here but the name will be mentioned on a few popular US sites as a seller to avoid

[LWC82PE]

im f@%^#$g sick of sellers way over charging for postage. fair enough if you put a little extra on for a box/tape etc, if you really have to go out and buy them, but it shouldnt be a lot more. yes i know costs have gone up recently but some of the prices you get charged for thin/light stuff is outrageous yet i can get shocks and fuel tanks sent pretty cheaply and still in the $37-$55US range. sometimes i will try and get the sellers to coem down on postage, many will, but then there is just some who are intent to rip you off on shipping no matter what.

arent we supposed to be paying for just the goods we win/buy and the price to get it here, not the sellers time, travelling, petrol epenses etc? if so that should be cleary in the item title. eg 'yamaha 250 air box, & 5 liters of travelling fuel & 1.5 hrs labour' at least they will have the item listed correctly then!! that would soon piss off buyers and the sellers would soon realize they are not gonna sell anything.

i think being able to sell stuff on ebay is a privelledge, not a right, and people should feel lucky to have been able to sell their parts in such a quick/easy, convienient way and possibly get a lot more for the item than if they were to try and sell it not online, and not feel they have to rip the buyer off with additional charges.

i know it can take me almost an hour or so to pack some stuff and hunt around for packing materials etc, but im not going to charge for that, im just satisfied i sold my part and i hope the buyer likes what they get and everyone is happy.

and for people who say its too much of a hassle to send stuff over seas, well i think they are just lazy. it is so easy, and doesnt take anymore than 5 minutes to fill out a customs form. ive asked sellers who only list US only shipping if they can ship to australia, and sometimes they say 'ohh i have never done it before, but could probably do it', and ive explained how its really quite simple and quick to do and nothing to be scared of and then they have gone and done it and come back and said 'yeah it really was quick and easy to do like you said' and they would no longer be hesitant of shipping outside their country.

i now start requesting for USPS flat rate envelope or box please!

[firko]

Doc...I got caught with the same scam by a socalled "Maico Brother" (his words, not mine). I bought a rare Crossfire Maico jersey from him and won it for $12. He then hit me for $35 for shipping. I questioned him suggesting he'd got his sums wrong and informed him that the jersey would easily fit into a $13 USPS flat price pack. His happy "Maico Brother" personna quickly turned nasty, complaining that it's a pain in the 'ass' having to line up at the post ofice to weigh foreign shipments and that the extra $20 was for his "wasted time". I told him that I was going to pass on our email exchange to eBay and worse, out him on the Yahoo Maico forum to which he was a regular contributor. He came back with a $20 shipping offer and the statement that he won't be shipping to Australia any more, as if I cared.

[LWC82PE]

thats people like that you dont want to deal with. pretty ungrateful.

and if they are that disapointed that the item sells at much less than they were wanting it to sell for that that they had to up the shipping to make up for it, then they should have either set a reserve or buy it now price or start the price off higher so IF it sells they will get what they want for it and wont feel the need to up the postage but some people will still up the shipping anyway.

[jhovel]

I'm afraid a s a regular eBay seller and buyer, eBay is at least partially to blame.
The fees charged by eBay are based on the item's sale price, rather than any other formula. As a result, many sellers - even openly - admit to setting a fixed high postage fee to ensure they don't have to sell items way below value. The item proce for which they then have to pay selling fees are thus able to be kept really low.
Say a valuable ignition switch is advertised for a sell-it now price of $5 and the postage is $35. The seller only pays fees on $5 and you get a cheap switch for $40. So it makes little sense to complain about the seller once you see through this scheme.... complain to eBay for a poorly thought-out system of fees.
If the sellers look like they are openly cheating you by changing their mind about charging a "handling fee" AFTER the sale, that's another matter, of course.

[Tim754]

My latest ebay shocker, was to score a rough TC100 in pieces with another couple of parts engines too.(  Item number: 290282139130   )  Got it for $5 yippee. pay instantly and make arrangements to make the 6 hour round trip to pick up. ARRR!!!!!!!!! receive email stating the seller has sold the tank , entire back wheel assembly,swinging arm,and other parts before the auctions ending time!! Do I want my $5 back less fees!!!!!I had a phone number so I rang the shits to ask what the hell was going on , the reply was we are older people and we did not understand this unreserved auction thingo!!! I asked them had they ever sold real estate by auction and they replied yes. So I said after the hammer had fallen for the selling bid you went down and fenced of half the sold land and told everybody you had sold this part of the deal to someone already. They told me that was ridiculous and unlawful!!!!
anyway I did collect the remaining parts.

[Nathan S]

Nathan the $8 postage is a reasonable price. If you check with a post office to send a 250g or less 'parcel' from Brisbane to Sydney for example is $4.20 or so. If he has to buy a postbag then add this price also. The way ebay works the postage isn't accurate all the time obviously but I've been caught by ebay stating Free Post when infact I'd listed a flat rate. From that moment on I include post details in the listing description to avoid any future nasty surprises. I don't feel he was overcharging that much, maybe 3 bucks at the most or then again if he sends them separately he'd probably lose money

He was originally asking for $16 (two lots of $8). Down to $9 total postage now, I think - maybe its $18 total? I can't tell because he's another one of those people who are brief with words to the point of being rude and ambiguous.
None of that matters - whether the "free postage" was a mistake or not, it wasn't my mistake, and he has to honour what his ad said.

I just sold a Fiat radiator for a grand total of 99c. I didn't care because I was otherwise gonna throw it out and I'm happy that it will get used.
Used the on-line postage cost calculator, and the guy paid me $14.60 all-up. Turns out that postage was $15.65, so I've lost money on the transaction - just shit happens as far as I'm concerned. I've had the error go in my favour a few times, this time it went against me - but its not going to kill me.

To try to hit up the buyer for extra money, after my ad spelled out the costs, is indefensible.

I believe this is the same ephantcc prick who ripped me off on postage for a DT175 swing arm a while back....

[oldfart]

first up it is not an AUCTION ...It's an aggreement.

So go to    User aggreement ... and have a good read,  look up rule #3    plus  fees

[LWC82PE]

i cant find that page stew, where is it? link?

[Rossvickicampbell]

what I find currently annoying (and I shant whinge about my friend in Melbourne again with postage) is that some people dont make the effort to check how much their item will be to ship.  Like Firko and Doc I have wanted to buy stuff (from MikeSCP) in the states but his postage is straight calculation off the USPS - instead of being $13.95 for a parcel post it lists at $30+ and he wont even talk about it.  Same item from Speed and Sport or NW Vintage Cycleparts - $13.95.  Therefore if I see something listed from him I dont even bother bidding - his loss not mine I think!

Rossco