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A slightly OT rant

ajaanajaan Posts: 17,454 ✭✭✭✭✭
Bought three coins, one raw and (2) ANACS slabs from a dealer in CA off eBay. Auction said shipping by USPS 1st class. Paid $10 in shipping charges. Get email from seller that the coins were shipped UPS Ground. I'm POed, instead of getting the coins in 3 days, now I have to wait a week or longer.


DPOTD-3
'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'

CU #3245 B.N.A. #428


Don

Comments

  • I bought a few coins of Ebay and asked the seller if he could do better re shipping ( as I often do ).

    'No problem' I was told 'I can send them surface mail, it'll take longer but it'll be cheaper'.

    Of course I agreed as I bought these coins for resale and am not in a hurry to receive them.

    I then received an email today saying that the cheque had been received but it was for less then the agreed amount ( or should I say the original amount ) and will I pay the rest of the money.

    Needless to say I mailed him back his amended invoice..........and have as yet not received a reply yet.

    The bay would be a better place without incidents such as these imo.

    'room - I'd mail him to ask for an explanation.
  • ajaanajaan Posts: 17,454 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>'room - I'd mail him to ask for an explanation. >>


    I did. No reply yet.

    DPOTD-3
    'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'

    CU #3245 B.N.A. #428


    Don
  • SYRACUSIANSYRACUSIAN Posts: 6,461 ✭✭✭✭
    You shouldn't have paid the $10 to begin with. I ALWAYS demand lower shipping fees if they charge anything above $5, even if the coins come from Zwaziland. It has become a principle for me, I want them to charge what they pay,not a cent more,just like I do. 90% of them agrees at the end, of course after I assume all risks.

    I even bargained with Goldberg's, they had the audacity to ask $24 to ship a $250 coin to Greece! A friend told me not to be ironic in the email that I initially sent them, otherwise they could have blocked me from their future auctions. I did exactly the opposite, because Goldberg's rarely sells stuff I'm interested at, but surprisingly they even apologized that it was a mistake and they went down to $12, still high but better than before.
    Dimitri



    myEbay



    DPOTD 3
  • ajaanajaan Posts: 17,454 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The $10 wasn't that bad because it did include include insurance.

    DPOTD-3
    'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'

    CU #3245 B.N.A. #428


    Don
  • Steve27Steve27 Posts: 13,274 ✭✭✭
    "Paid $10 in shipping charges. Get email from seller that the coins were shipped UPS Ground. I'm POed..."

    Looks like he's earned a neg.
    "It's far easier to fight for principles, than to live up to them." Adlai Stevenson
  • danglendanglen Posts: 1,674 ✭✭✭
    Sorry guys, I have to differ with some opinions here. I can understand that someone that sells a few items on eBay, works out of their house and generally does the Bay of E as a part-time occupation can get away with charging for just the postage. On the flip side of that coin, I now have four fulltime employees that need to get paid, I have to order shipping supplies to the tune of about $1000 a month, and I can no longer afford to charge for just the postage. To offset hard feelings, I make sure that I state both the domestic AND international shipping charges right in the auction description. The potential bidder can then decide whether they want to bid on the item or not. IMO, the correct etiquette is to email the seller BEFORE you bid if you have questions about his/her shipping rates. If the shipping rates are plainly stated in the auction and you go ahead and win the item, there should be no further discussion on what you pay for shipping.
    danglen

    My Website

    "Everything I have is for sale except for my wife and my dog....and I'm not sure about one of them."
  • ajaanajaan Posts: 17,454 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It is not what I paid for shipping. I was fine with that. The listing said USPS First Class, the items were shipped UPS Ground. USPS mail from CA takes 3 days at most to get here, UPS Ground is 7+ days.

    DPOTD-3
    'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'

    CU #3245 B.N.A. #428


    Don
  • a039a039 Posts: 1,546


    << <i>It is not what I paid for shipping. I was fine with that. The listing said USPS First Class, the items were shipped UPS Ground. USPS mail from CA takes 3 days at most to get here, UPS Ground is 7+ days. >>



    The shipping method was part of the auction. This was a contract, the contract was broken. If it was a mistake how come the 'mistakes' always cost the seller less? But things like this are not enough to get all riled up about. Hopefuly you will really like the coins and forget all about the shipping method! Take care, SoCalBigMark
  • coinpicturescoinpictures Posts: 5,345 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Sorry guys, I have to differ with some opinions here. I can understand that someone that sells a few items on eBay, works out of their house and generally does the Bay of E as a part-time occupation can get away with charging for just the postage. On the flip side of that coin, I now have four fulltime employees that need to get paid, I have to order shipping supplies to the tune of about $1000 a month, and I can no longer afford to charge for just the postage. To offset hard feelings, I make sure that I state both the domestic AND international shipping charges right in the auction description. The potential bidder can then decide whether they want to bid on the item or not. IMO, the correct etiquette is to email the seller BEFORE you bid if you have questions about his/her shipping rates. If the shipping rates are plainly stated in the auction and you go ahead and win the item, there should be no further discussion on what you pay for shipping. >>



    Agreed 100%. If the shipping charges are clearly stated in the auction, by bidding you are agreeing to those charges. Someone attempting to renegotiate shipping after the fact should earn negative feedback and placement on the blocked bidder list.

    Now conversely, I have no problem with someone asking about shipping costs *before* they bid or BIN. Nothing has been committed to or agreed to.
  • SYRACUSIANSYRACUSIAN Posts: 6,461 ✭✭✭✭
    Just in case I was misunderstood, I do not bargain shipping charges clearly stated at the listing. International shipping fees are very often not listed, so if I see a seller asking $3 for shipping in the US, then he emails me an invoice with $12 shipping fees to Greece, I simply won't pay this kind of nonsense.

    As for danglen, he doesn't agree but he's still charging only $2.50 for shipping and a dollar more outside the US, I would never question such fees, only the outrageous ones bother me.I only wish most sellers were like Dan.

    Coinpictures, a neg? You won't see me bidding at your auctions, otherwise we'll start negging each other. image
    Dimitri



    myEbay



    DPOTD 3
  • coinpicturescoinpictures Posts: 5,345 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Coinpictures, a neg? You won't see me bidding at your auctions, otherwise we'll start negging each other. image >>



    image
  • danglendanglen Posts: 1,674 ✭✭✭


    << <i> Agreed 100%. If the shipping charges are clearly stated in the auction, by bidding you are agreeing to those charges. Someone attempting to renegotiate shipping after the fact should earn negative feedback and placement on the blocked bidder list.

    Now conversely, I have no problem with someone asking about shipping costs *before* they bid or BIN. Nothing has been committed to or agreed to. >>



    I have no problem at all with someone asking just about any kind of question before the auction ends, with the exception of some real doozies, such as the question I just got on an auction with a $14.99 starting bid and a $19.99 BIN, where the individual wanted to know if this coin was minted from one ounce of .999 gold image
    danglen

    My Website

    "Everything I have is for sale except for my wife and my dog....and I'm not sure about one of them."
  • I would never ship a coin UPS ground. Being cheap like that at the expense of the buyer is wrong. You basically paid for a specific level of service, then the seller changes that for the worse and pockets the difference! That's how I understand what happened to you.image
  • BurksBurks Posts: 1,103
    A couple months ago I paid $5 for priority shipping, package came a week later in a bubble mailer. Total cost to ship was $2.31 (included is the 97 cent mailer). That person earned a neg from me very quickly. Quality coin but pathetic customer service.

    I don't mind paying an extra dollar or so for supplies/gas/etc. But when they start charging $10 for shipping ONE coin, that is stupid. Those people are not worth my time because of the extra money and most seem to be "iffy people" to begin with. That's why I stick with forums.
    WTB: Eric Plunk cards, jersey (signed or unsigned), and autographs. Basically anything related to him

    Positive BST: WhiteThunder (x2), Ajaan, onefasttalon, mirabela, Wizard1, cucamongacoin, mccardguy1


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  • Steve27Steve27 Posts: 13,274 ✭✭✭
    " Sorry guys, I have to differ with some opinions here. I can understand that someone that sells a few items on eBay, works out of their house and generally does the Bay of E as a part-time occupation can get away with charging for just the postage. On the flip side of that coin, I now have four fulltime employees that need to get paid, I have to order shipping supplies to the tune of about $1000 a month, and I can no longer afford to charge for just the postage. To offset hard feelings, I make sure that I state both the domestic AND international shipping charges right in the auction description. The potential bidder can then decide whether they want to bid on the item or not. IMO, the correct etiquette is to email the seller BEFORE you bid if you have questions about his/her shipping rates. If the shipping rates are plainly stated in the auction and you go ahead and win the item, there should be no further discussion on what you pay for shipping. "

    He said he was shipping by USPS first class; instead, he used a much cheaper/slower method. Your statement makes no sense.
    "It's far easier to fight for principles, than to live up to them." Adlai Stevenson
  • Conder101Conder101 Posts: 10,536


    << <i>such as the question I just got on an auction with a $14.99 starting bid and a $19.99 BIN, where the individual wanted to know if this coin was minted from one ounce of .999 gold >>


    Sure it was and so were the other 200 coins. None of the gold in any of them came from a second ounce.
  • koincollectkoincollect Posts: 446 ✭✭✭
    My experience today... I had won a large lot auction and the buyer sends an invoice charging $4.05 for shipping priority (which I think is quite good) and then bought another one yesterday-- single coin and was sent a modified invoice for $8.10 shipping charge!! I emailed the seller asking whether it was a mistake and got back the same invoice amount. I contacted the seller once again to remind him that he stated he had a shipping discount if you bought one more more items and I had no problems paying $8, but then expected the two lots to be shipped separately. I would like to think the seller just had an oversight and agreed on the $4 charge!
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