Seller Changes Shipping after the Item is Paid for..
August 20th, 2009 | 
Author:
Dear eBay Queen;
I just won an eBay auction for a handmade outfit for my daughter to wear at a talent show. The listing stated $6.50 for shipping. I usually pay as soon as an auction ends, and this one was no exception. I paid for the dress and no more than two hours later, I receive an invoice from PayPal saying this seller "wants to be paid". She claims she put the wrong email address in the listing and she can only get paid with this invoice! Do you think this is true? I contacted PayPal, and they issued a refund on the payment where the seller is not verified.
The seller’s new invoice included $1.30 for insurance but the auction listed none and her new invoice is now for $7.23 instead of $6.50 for shipping. She tells me she is being fair about this. It seems that shipping will cost her $7.23 to send instead. I guess she listed the wrong email address and the wrong shipping information. Now she tells me she is being fair to have me pay outside of the auction. She just sent me an ALL CAP email to either accept her changes or back out of the deal. When I told her earlier I would consult with eBay, she replied “they would understand her mistakes”.
Please tell me if she can make changes after a sale. Can she tell me to pay her by private invoice a higher amount than stated in the auction? Will eBay really understand? I don’t care much about the item, it wasn’t high value, but it’s the principle. I’m planning to start selling on eBay again and really want to know if eBay cares what their sellers do. Can she force me to back out for her convenience?
Thanks for any help. I’m steaming and I know it’s not worth it. It’s just her attitude that gets me.
Elizabeth, Gardner, KS
Dear Elizabeth;
Your seller seems to have all kinds of problems! The problems are legitimate, but she should not be passing them on to you.
I would contact eBay through this form: http://resolutioncenter.ebay.com/. Make sure you have the item number and the seller user name. Explain to eBay that the seller put the wrong email address in for her PayPal payment and wants you to pay a different email address. This is the most disturbing part about this sell. It should take eBay one or two days to get back to you.
Mistakes in shipping happen frequently. They are the cost of doing business, not for the buyer, but for the seller. She should not add money onto the shipping. If she had it calculated wrong, that’s her fault as a seller, especially if we are only talking about the difference of .73 cents.
I would email the seller and let her know that you just want to make sure there is not anything funny going on with this transaction, and that you don’t feel it is fair you have to pay the difference in shipping for her mistake. If she advertised shipping as $6.50 that is all you are willing to pay. Changing the shipping terms is definitely a deal breaker for me as a buyer. If you do decide to back out of the sale, and the seller turns you in to eBay as a non payer, you will have the record that you paid within minutes of the end of the auction, and the communication you had with eBay on how she put the wrong email address to pay by.
I am really sorry this happened to you. If you want the item, and do not want to back out of the sale, I also believe that it could work out too, just by paying the extra .73 cents.
Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 280382295153 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page). Because of the new movie Julie & Julia, there has been a huge interest in all things Julia Child. Check out this first edition Master the Art of French Cooking book. SOLD:$2025.00 Before the movie it might have sold for $30.00 or $40.00 dollars! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280382295153
Suzie Eads is a nationally known eBay marketer and eBay trained Education Specialist. She lives in Rantoul. Do you have a question for the eBay Queen? E-mail: questions@asktheebayqueen.com.
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