eBay

2486buffyslay · ‎04-09-2023

If a seller has say 5 items, all small lightweight items and they're all of more or less the same size & weight, but each has a different shipping cost i.e. item 1 is $16.99, item 2 is $17.99, item 3 is $18.99, item 4 is $19.99 and item 5 is $20.99, my questions are:

1) How can each item have a different shipping cost when they're all the same size & weight?

2) If I bought all 5 individually that would be $94.95 in shipping cost! So as the buyer I'd want all 5 shipped together to save shipping cost, what then would the shipping cost be? Would it be the lower of the amounts i.e $16.99, the higher of the amounts i.e. $20.99 or some other amount?

3) If the seller only ships to the eIS Hub how do I do a 'Request total from seller' as this option appears unavailable, i.e. is 'blanked out', with the eIS Program.

4) Is it free for the seller to ship to the eIS Hub or does it depend on their location or state? So for some it could be free and for others not?

5) If I have all 5 items loaded into my Cart can the seller see all items in the Cart? If yes is it possible to request the seller manually send me an eBay invoice, where presumably the shipping cost can be 'combined' on it to get around the 'Request total from seller' option not being available?

6) Is it possible for a seller to manually send me an eBay invoice without having any items in my Cart or buying any items? e.g. in situations where the original total paid was either incorrect or charged to the wrong account and I want a 'corrected' invoice to pay on or the original invoice 'resent' so it can be charged to the right account? The original charge then being refunded.

7) How do seller's arrive at an item's shippng cost? Are they most likely entering an item's dimensions & weight into say a USPS shipping calculator? If so how can you have a situation where items of the same or similar size & weight have different shipping cost?

Is it possible, or it appears to me, eBay may not have thought through certain aspects of their International Shipping Program where a buyer may wish to combine 'multiple' items to save shipping cost. It seems eBay's International Shipping Program is geared toward buyer's purchasing only a 'single' item from a seller. Would this be a fair assessment?

eol-products · ‎10-09-2023

There is a lot one can learn from these forums not sure if name calling is a good one though.

springyzone · ‎11-09-2023

@2486buffyslay wrote:
In other (less) words the seller ALWAYS lies about shipping being free! So why don't sellers just state the 'true' shipping cost instead of always trying to 'hide' it within the item price? I mean it'll still come to the same total e.g. Item price $60.00 with free shipping and item price $40.00 + $20.00 shipping still totals $60.00 so why try to trick the buyer? I always look at the 'total' anyway as that's all that matters. Or is it that most buyers are so clueless they just can't see past the words 'free shipping'?

You're right, it is the total that matters.

Sellers aren't telling lies, all companies use the term 'free shipping' to denote that the buyer will not be up for a separate postal charge. I'd say they use it as it is easy to understand, very straightforward.

Anyway, it seems to be the universally adopted term, the one everyone readily understands.

No, shipping is never free as such but the seller isn't lying, they are covering it.

Ebay itself encourages sellers to use the 'free shipping' option/term where possible. My own theory is a lot of buyers don't like to have to do the mental maths involved. They see an item at, say, $15.79 and postage is eg $11. 55 and firstly, it is a little bit of a drag for them to do the sum to compare with other ads and secondly, they notice that postage is quite a big part of the total price. For some buyers, that is a turn off.

If someone else sees the same item with another seller for $27.40/free postage, I suspect they sometimes feel the item is better quality.

You'd be amazed at how often buyers underestimate just how much postage costs.

The other incentive with 'free shipping' of course, is that a lot of companies only offer it for purchases over a certain amount. And it works, for sure. I have quite often gone back to a site to see what else I might want to order to push my purchase into the free shipping zone. If I can buy an extra something for eg $10 and get the $9.99 shipping cost removed, why wouldn't I? It certainly feels like a win to me.

ci3432 · ‎13-09-2023

@2486buffyslay wrote:
In other (less) words the seller ALWAYS lies about shipping being free! So why don't sellers just state the 'true' shipping cost instead of always trying to 'hide' it within the item price? I mean it'll still come to the same total e.g. Item price $60.00 with free shipping and item price $40.00 + $20.00 shipping still totals $60.00 so why try to trick the buyer? I always look at the 'total' anyway as that's all that matters. Or is it that most buyers are so clueless they just can't see past the words 'free shipping'?

That's free shipping for you. It's not free for the seller, of course.
You should get used to it and not try to change it. It's a marketing technique that works. And it will be used.

springyzone · ‎14-09-2023

@2486buffyslay wrote:
I think the best thing to do as the buyer is to just reset everything! That is dispute the transactions and have the seller re-do the transaction, this time for combined shipping. I can then repay on this new invoice then have the original charges refunded or something like that.

I am confused. On what basis could you dispute the transactions?

As far as I know, the main reasons would be if an item did not arrive or if it was either not what you ordered or else damaged in some way.

But even if we move past that and say, okay, you dispute the transactions, I am putting myself into the shoes of the seller. I'd be royally upset that some random buyer agreed to buy 5 of my items, pushed the commit to buy button, then started up making trouble because he didn't like the postage amount/option.

I'd say it might be on the cards the seller might cancel & refund or I probably would in his place. Just to avoid a bullet with an international sale.

But there is no way on earth I'd be re-doing the whole transaction for the buyer. I'd be thinking I was well out of it after the refund and walking away & that buyer would be on my blocked list.

Sometimes you can make a private arrangement with a seller about a combined listing but disputing the original sales isn't how to achieve it, in my opinion.

sugar249 · ‎14-09-2023

@springyzone wrote:
@2486buffyslay wrote:
I think the best thing to do as the buyer is to just reset everything! That is dispute the transactions and have the seller re-do the transaction, this time for combined shipping. I can then repay on this new invoice then have the original charges refunded or something like that.
I am confused. On what basis could you dispute the transactions?

Sometimes you can make a private arrangement with a seller about a combined listing but disputing the original sales isn't how to achieve it, in my opinion.

I think 99.99999% of the population would agree with your opinion,