Why does eBay account seller to modify postage after accepting best offer?

[cupcake15]

I bought this bag from a 0 feedback seller, it was listed buy it now for 79.95, with free postage specified, so I offered $40 best offer, which is the max amount I want to spend on this bag. Then I received invoice of $53.5, the seller added $13.5 postage cost himself.  

I contacted the seller, his reply was 

Hi,

The postage is only free if you pay the full price of $79.95.

eBay's rules state that if you purchase by making an offer below that, then postage is payable.

I have to say that at $40 plus postage for this extremely well made bag you are getting a bargain.

I would not find that anywhere, and  eBay clearly states that

If the seller has specified postage costs for the item, it is not negotiable. If however, the seller has requested that the buyer contact the seller for postage costs, the buyer can offer the seller a price for the item plus postage costs in a single offer. The buyer would then simply add, Including postage to the message box.

From my understand, free postage is specified postage cost.

I spoke to ebay chat, and as usually, they does not know anything about ebay rules and just make up BS on the spot from his butt until I repeated asked him/her to show me the his BS on eBay rule. Transcript attached, read it to see how incompetent these eBay employees are.

Anyways, I think the community would probably know about eBay rule than eBay employees themselves. 

So, first why do eBay allow seller to change the postage cost if it it already specified after accepting the best offer? 

And second where should I go from here? The guy from the ebay chat asked me to file a case, where do I go to file the case?

linked to the transcript

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6DfW2X25tuNYTc0bTRmaWdvNEU/view?usp=sharing

[lyndal1838]

There is no way to file a dispute if the item is not paid for.

There are only 2 reasons to open a dispute....Item not Received or Item Not As Described and neither of these apply when you have not paid.

Having said that, the seller should not be adding postage if it is included in the original price BUT the seller should not have accepted your offer if it was not enough to cover what he wanted for the item plus postage.

I think the half price offer was a biit rough but if that was all you were prepared to pay then so be it....the seller should have rejected the offer.

Just ask for a mutual cancellation.  If the seller will not cancel he may open a non-paying bidder case against you to get his fees back.

[cupcake15]

What? 

So seller can add postage arbitrarily, and if he doesn't send cancellation and I don't pay and he sends non-paying notice and I get a strike?

As per my original question, why does eBay allow sellers to change postage cost when it's obviously against their rule?

What a !@#$ed system. 

[i-love-my-sheep]

If a seller has specified free postage, then I can't add a postage or handling cost after the sale.

Free postage

You can offer free postage Australia-wide, and to select or all countries around the world. For a destination to which you've specified free postage, no other fees related to postage, handling or packaging can be charged. You're not allowed to change the postage method to a method that is slower than the slowest one indicated in the listing. You're not allowed to offer free postage to one destination and then exclude posting to certain places within that destination. For example, choosing free postage within Australia in the listing form, then charging extra or excluding buyers from specific suburbs/regions such as Tasmania and Perth. You can select different postage rates for different areas by using domestic postage rate tables. Exemptions to this policy may apply if you are excluding regions to comply with the law.

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/policies/selling-practices.html see under the postage and handling charges link.

[lyndal1838]

---

@kuromusha1 wrote:

What? 

So seller can add postage arbitrarily, and if he doesn't send cancellation and I don't pay and he sends non-paying notice and I get a strike?

As per my original question, why does eBay allow sellers to change postage cost when it's obviously against their rule?

What a !@#$ed system. 

---

Read my post....I did not say that the seller can add the postage when free postage was in the listing.

BUT if he considered your offer too low to cover the item plus postage he should not have accepted it.

If you are not prepared to pay the postage just ask for a cancellation.  There is nothing else you can do.

[curraone]

So we all know (except the OP and the seller) what should have happened.    

1.   The seller lists an item at $80 with best offer - free postage.   The seller has best offer parameters set at say $60 minimum, so that he will not be bothered by unreasonable offers.

2.    The buyer makes an offer $40.

3.     The seller should have made a counter-offer saying I will accept $40 if you pay the postage $13.50;   which would have been very reasonable in my opinion - I think to make a 50% offer is a bit rude actually.

4.   Then the buyer could have accepted the counter-offer or declined.

This did not happen, probably because the seller is very new and did not know he could do that.

5.    The buyer gets an invoice for $53.50 which he does not want to pay.   So he immediately cancels the transaction - which I understand under the new rules you can do if it is within the hour.

This did not happen either.

Now, in reality, the buyer does not want to pay $53.50.  The seller does not want to sell a $80 item for $40 which includes $13.50 postage.   So the buyer can ask the seller to send a cancellation request, the seller gets their final fees back and re-lists the item.   The buyer looks elsewhere for a cheaper bag.

[modestbods]

Lao A. (eBay Customer Service):

 "I am afraid the best offer is only for the item not for the postage charge, you need to pay for postage charged differently".

And eBay wonders why it is their customers have trouble believing that 'free postage' is actually 'free' ?? When their own employees are struggling with the concept of 'free postage' what hope do their customers have of coming to terms with it ?

[cupcake15]

I know you did not say that, but this is the fact at the moment isn't it? The seller can modify the postage after accepting a best offer when the postage is already specified in the listing. Yes or No?

This allows the seller to change the final sell price, right? Yes. 

The seller could have accepted $40 buy it now, than added $39 to the postage, sell it to me for $79, this allows the seller to manipulate the system, which is the main question in the title of the thread, eBay shouldn't allow the seller to modify the postage cost if it is specified.

[cupcake15]

Anyways, the seller as fixed the final by removing the $13.5 postage. So everything is good. 

However, the system is broken, which makes me more reluctant in the future to make best offers knowing that seller can change the postage cost.

[lyndal1838]

But the seller cannot "just change the postage cost"....the seller made a mistake and has now fixed it for you.  I don't see your problem.

You have an extremely good buy if the half price offer includes $13.50 postage. Just pay for the item and thank the seller for practically giving you the item.  Half price is a ridiculous offer IMO.