This afternoon's eBay annoyance (mini-rant)

Around two weeks ago, I won a $10 (+ $2.64 shipping) lot that included two two-cents, two Mercs, a silver Washington, and a few other odds and ends. I wasn't especially excited about it, but I figured it would be hard to lose money on it.

TODAY, a week after the expected delivery date, I received... a postage-due notice.

We're dealing with a medical situation that has us down to one driver. I can't wait around the house for a (re)delivery attempt, and I won't spend an extra hour and gallon of gas to drive out to the post office for the privilege of paying an extra $1.70 of postage for maybe 15 bucks worth of coins.

I've told the seller that I want to refuse delivery and receive a full refund. I wonder if he'll push back, or just agree to it.

 

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If he pushes back, file a claim with eBay, let him try to push them back.

 

That's a new wrinkle among sellers. Hope it's not catching.

 

I understand your frustrations and they're perfectly valid, but there's nothing anyone here can say that'll make the slightest bit of difference at this point. Just be reasonably patient and wait for the seller to respond. If they're a new or newer seller, take the high road and try to be more understanding than with someone who should know better. I certainly can't blame you for not wanting to drive such a distance (do you live in the boonies, Jeff? ), especially only to have to pay for the privilege of retrieving what you've already paid for, so hopefully it'll all work out.

 

Just some advice if the seller has tracking do not refuse delivery. If you do you will lose out on buyer protection.

 

It's either arrogance or stupidity, and no law requires us to accept either in our lives.

 

74 cents due on Saturday on a $10 purchase - and $3 shipping fee, he put 4 Forever stamps on it. Not sure why it's postage due, but it was.

I paid it, and will be asking for a credit - just to annoy him.

 

How about when ya order something, and spend $5 for shipping, and the postman shows up at the door sayin' he needs $1.71 and the package indicates $2 for shipping? Don't get me started.........

 

Here's eBay's toll-free customer service number: (866) 540-3229

They're getting much better at handling small crap like this. Just ignore the recorded voice when they answer and keep saying "representative," about the 4th time they will connect you directly and you won't have to tell your story twice. Make sure they record the Item Number.

 

I ended up going to the post office and picking it up after all -- I had some business in that direction, but it was still an extra 20 minutes or so out of my day.

The seller's response to my question:

The "package approved by the post office" I received:



To give the seller credit, the coins (all in 2x2s, regular staples) were double-bagged in a heavier-duty envelope inside this one.

I haven't responded to the seller yet -- I was going to ask for a simple partial refund, rather than a separate PayPal transaction (where I'd presumably have a few cents deducted for fees as well), but I wanted to make sure I at least had the coins in hand first. I'll post the coin results a bit later.

 

PayPal doesn't charge you a fee for refunds.

 

Yeah, but he wasn't offering a refund, he was asking me to invoice him. Weird, but if I'd needed to do a return, then when he refunded the balance I'd still have been out the additional postage.

 

Moronic seller! These cheap envelopes rip open easily and you could have received an empty envelope. You should NEVER ship coins in an unreinforced envelope. All he needed to do was line the edges with packing tape and give it someone at the counter to weigh, PRINT and attach the correct postage. "Approved" by PO is BS, they do NOT use stamps at the counter, they print a postage label.

 

Yep. And he's selling quite a few other lots like this; hope he's got the clue now.

Edit: He's gotten a few feedbacks now from similar lots, all positive, no mention of postage due. Wonder if I was the only one he goofed on.

 

Happened to me once, not on coins. Heavy item, paid $20 extra for postage. Seller printed out a label, delivery tracking only and dropped it in the mail, arrive postage due $20.

 

The envelope looks too thick for the amount of postage used. A nonmachinable letter can be up to ¼ inch thick, otherwise it goes as a parcel, regardless of weight or dimensions.

I buy heavy-duty mailers a case at a time, 6 x 8 inches @ 21c each, and can ship the vast majority of those as NM letters. Postage is 47c the first ounce, 21c the second ounce, and 21c for being non-machinable, total 89c for great protection. If the weight is 3 to 3.3 ounces (the limit), the cost is $1.10, a LOT less than the average dimwitted eBay seller charges.

They have no incentive to save the buyer money, he's paying (and probably overpaying) the bill.

Some clerks will use stamps if you ask them to. The few items I have to take to the Post Office already have the correct postage on them. Then I sometimes add and pay for tracking, the cost and payment is confirmed by the clerk's sticky label that I have left space at the top for.

I put up eBay lots that I know I can ship from my own mailbox, it's a long drive to the Post Office. About 1 out of 5 I will also ship overseas (low value, small flat item).

 

Too thick and too heavy, as it turns out.

I'm a big fan of eBay's discount printable USPS postage. I would've loved to have that, and mailbox pickup, back when I was a Power Seller. To think of all the time and mileage I could've saved...

 

"Moronic"? Unfortunately, at least in the foolish sense, you're right. Even if one isn't familiar with shipping coins, I've long thought common sense should suggest a plain envelope, particularly without reinforcement, not the wisest of available choices when shipping all but the most inexpensive of items (or willing to self-insure). On the other hand, when dealing with some nameless seller on what amounts to the world's largest yardsale, less than idea shipping methods should be expected, particularly from either newer sellers, or ones new to selling coins. Not that it's right, but comes with the territory.

Not necessarily, and it's entirely possible the seller is telling the truth regarding the "approval", or at least what he may have interpreted as one. Had he simply handed the envelope to the clerk, they very well could have weighed it and told him the required postage without taking the size into consideration. It's happened before, including when they've printed the label themselves.

 

Yeah, but it was 3.4 ounces. There's no way that two first-class stamps could cover postage for a "letter" that heavy, regardless of thickness. First-class non-package postage would have been $1.61.

He charged me $2.64 for shipping, which was probably the eBay-discount price, then tried to send it with two first-class stamps.

 

Thanks, Jeff, but do you think it impossible stamps could've fallen/torn off, or that he didn't think/realize the two "forever" stamps didn't total an amount quoted by the clerk? The former has happened before, while the latter, well, being both human and intelligent don't always go hand in hand. You know who the seller is and can view his history; I can't, and have to approach this in the most general sense, but it's hard to believe, perhaps unless a very new seller, he simply slapped two stamps on it to save less than a buck and knowingly have to deal with it on the back end. Of course and on the other hand, individual pettiness often knows no bounds.

Still, unless you can nail down a history that indicates this is the norm for him, I personally wouldn't stress much about it. A pain you shouldn't have had to deal with for sure, but is it worth it? I suppose only you can decide.