My first time has gone so wrong.

[georginjone-4]

 First-time user gone so wrong rings went to auction have no idea I wouldn't reach the price I was hoping for not sure how to put out from the sale of a $300 ring for $57 

[letscleanupmycupboards]

As a seller sometimes things do go wrong and not always your fault. Sometimes it's a glitch but as the seller you cop it. I listed an engine part for $20 buy now and somehow the postage got calculated at $24 or $25. It's not a preset amount I use (doesn't match the price of either a 3 or a 5kg satchel) and the article weighed more than 5kg anyway. Someone bought and paid and when I saw the PayPal transaction and total payment of $44 I thought something is up here, somehow that postage price was listed but was clearly wrong, even more wrong since the PayPal address was in WA (from qld the postage would have been close to $70). 

Maybe the buyers eBay address was closer and it calculated different. Maybe the system had a glitch. Who knows. 

But should I have been expected to honour that sale? Pay $70 postage plus $4.40 eBay fees plus $2 PayPal fees for a total income of $38 net? I did what any sensible seller does. Contact the buyer and cancel the sale. 

[collect247]

But I guarantee you that you have now received a defect for cancelling the sale.

[amber-eyed-girl]

Everything has a consequence.

eBay's just making sure that their policies now have them.

It's up to the individual. I would cut a new seller some slack but not an experienced one.

Somewhere in 100s of items for sale, I'd have a little margin built in against errors. My responsibility to get it right. Sure, postage calculations can go awry.

But I'd wear it the once and not again...I'd make sure it didn't occur again. Not the buyer's fault.

[amber-eyed-girl]

Letscleanup, if I see postage on my parcels that exceeds what I paid, I usually send a Paypal deposit through to cover it.

I see that as fair (if it's been sent how I expected).

I imagine not everyone would, but as a seller I'd be making the effort to show I honoured sales.

In your situation I would have sent it, with a note that said, unfortunately the postage calculated was wrong but I've sent it, but if you order from me again it will cost more.

[collect247]

Speaking of second chances,why is it that Ebay don't give sellers a second chance?

Ebay destroys a seller but rewards a buyer why?

Yes everyone says a buyer is Ebays bread and butter,but buyers don't earn a living sellers do.

So where is the ethic in that scenario?

Ebay are willing and do destroy peoples lives.

Why not 3 strikes for sellers,buyers get 2 strikes and then can be blocked.

OP I hope it all turns out ok for you in the end.

[amber-eyed-girl]

eBay sends me surveys. I agreed to this as I see it as an important thing, to have a say.

They are quite varied, from the buyer viewpoint, answer this, as a seller, answer that.

General ones pertaining to promotions, Click & Collect, etc.

When I read questions that are clearly about eBay's future direction (small, independent businesses vs. the major players), I make it clear I favour the former. More independent sellers means more variety. eBay used to be, great for finding special things that weren't in every shopfront. This is a rarer thing now.

So...eBay asks, seriously, what people want.

Whether they follow through is another story. I hope enough people who get these surveys see the questions have a pattern, and support the smaller sellers.

[*tippy*toes*]

I also opted in to the surveys and do very similar to you. I don't rant and rave, which I think some would do, I just give them my thoughts. Usually in support of the smaller sellers.

[letscleanupmycupboards]

---

@amber-eyed-girl wrote:

Letscleanup, if I see postage on my parcels that exceeds what I paid, I usually send a Paypal deposit through to cover it.

I see that as fair (if it's been sent how I expected).

I imagine not everyone would, but as a seller I'd be making the effort to show I honoured sales.

In your situation I would have sent it, with a note that said, unfortunately the postage calculated was wrong but I've sent it, but if you order from me again it will cost more.

---

Fair enough if it's a few bucks but there's a big difference between $25 and $70 postage. Particularly if it's a mistake that wasn't mine. If anything I always put a little extra on postage to make sure I'm covered for eBay and PayPal fees. I've never been under. 

I had had thought the process of being honest with the buyer and their agreeing to the cancellation and me receiving my fvf back would not end in a defect. 

[amber-eyed-girl]

Yes, there is a big difference between 25 and 70$. If you were just starting out a killer of a difference. Personally, I can see why you'd want, to cancel, of course. If you asked the buyer, and explained why, and they were OK with it...I can't see why eBay can't remove the defect.

If the buyer was happy to contact eBay and say they were 100% happy with ending the sale.

Personally, I'd have thought, ugly cost but I'll honour it. I wouldn't like it! But ... I'd feel the buyer wasn't at fault, either ... After ten years here, and being treated well by most sellers, some who did fantastic things.

New...I'd be very unhappy and confused and not know what to do. Like the OP.

I get that the eBay defects system has little leeway for error.

IF a buyer is fine with how some change (not just a cancel, but any change) to the deal has gone, then eBay should factor that in though. Like they allow revision of a negative.

[yeoldecoinco]

There have been many, many times over the years when I have had to pay extra for postage, usually on heavy items that seem to ALWAYS be bought by people in very remote locations, that exceeded the fixed postage amount I set, sometimes by quite a bit.

On the other hand, sometimes buyers have overpaid for postage on multiple items, which I usually make up for in some way by sending something extra.

For example, I keep a good supply of the old paper $1 and $2 notes in average circulated grade on hand.

They mostly cost me their face value. If a buyer overpays say $4 in postage I send them a couple of old $1 notes.

I am still making a little bit and they always seem to be happy that they got something extra.

It works out in the wash, I suppose, some you win, some you lose, if you do it long enough, the wins exceed the losses.

Understandable that a first time seller doesn't want to go through with a sale that they are losing on.

Not necessarily right, but understandable.

Once one has been selling for a while, you start to realise that sometimes, it is better to just wear the loss than annoy buyers and get defects and negatives.

Did it just yesterday. Sold something I could not find, so offered the buyer an alternative that was better for them even though it meant less profit for me.

Result? A happy buyer who has got something more than they expected and may come back and buy again.