Question about e-bay purchases
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If I'm reading this right, let's say it was 5 dollars shipping each, on 2 items, and you asked for combined shipping, to avoid 10 dollar shipping fees, and they charged 7 to ship, then yes, this is common. Your still saving 3 dollars total on 2 separately shipped items. I know you said your total was 50 for shipping, so what was shipping for each item totaled vs what you payed for all 3 shipped in one box.
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It sounds to me like the seller doesn't understand what "combined shipping" suggests. Typically (from my experience at least), a seller will offer combined shipping to sweeten the deal...you buy more from the seller and they discount some of the shipping (often times having u pay considerably less than if you purchased/shipped each item individually).
More than likely the seller assumes "combined" meaning "one package"...which based on size and weight of the box can yield a higher shipping rate. If it was me I would b more than a little upset as her offer was misleading and I would give her negative feedback so as to warn others. That being said though I dont think this was done as a scam but merely a misunderstanding of the meaning of "combined shipping".
More than likely the seller assumes "combined" meaning "one package"...which based on size and weight of the box can yield a higher shipping rate. If it was me I would b more than a little upset as her offer was misleading and I would give her negative feedback so as to warn others. That being said though I dont think this was done as a scam but merely a misunderstanding of the meaning of "combined shipping".
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I get what you are saying and why you bought and asked for combined shipping to save on the shipping cost and why you are unhappy about her telling you it would cost you $2 more in the end because of how it had to be packaged as "combined". Those houses with packing can be rather large for post office shipping chart sizing. I shipped a Spirit Ball to someone and bought one of those Wonderwall-type projectors from someone and based just on those two sizes and checking various ship methods, it still ran over $20 each for the service selected. I guess $50 for two houses and another item seems within the realm of what I would expect.
Since you mentioned you purchased Lemax houses and another Lemax item, I've seen these in the stores and know they can be fragile. I don't know if she was mailing in original boxes inside your outer packing material but I guess if it were me while I wouldn't be thrilled to pay an extra $2 for shipping, I would let it pass assuming they arrive safely and unbroken. But I wouldn't have been happy it cost me more than shipping individually if I understand your post correctly. That wasn't smart on her part. I would never post feedback until the item arrives. If all arrived safely I wouldn't give negative feedback since I asked for Combined Shipping, but would leave a comment that combined shipping on Lemax items cost more than individual shipping would have been.
I have never been other than an ebay purchaser; and I hate shipping things, so doubt I would ever want to be a seller. If it were me as the seller, I would have figured out shipping on the 3 auctions and if more than the separate 3 amounts indicated by the auction would have at least seen if i could have shipped a house and small item together and the second house separately and emailed you the totals and said that to pack all three together would be cost prohibitive unless you insisted for some reason. Worse case it all shipped separately. She clearly took your request for Combined Shipping literally and I can easily see how that could have cost you more. Shipping costs these days are why I seldom buy off ebay any more. I doubt she made any money off of the shipping but I would look at the postage all the same and keep it in mind for any other ebay purchases. Perhaps "combined in one box or whatever is less expensive" could be requested to avoid this in the future. Most of the times I've combined items they weren't fragile and could be packed closely together so "combined" has worked out for me.
I hope your items arrive safely and you can enjoy them despite the shipping issue. What Lemax houses did you pick up? I admire these in the store and online but have managed to sucessfully steer clear of adding yet another halloween category to my collection. Sure hubby appreciates this! They are so cleverly designed and fun I can see them being addictive once you start adding them to your halloween decor.
Since you mentioned you purchased Lemax houses and another Lemax item, I've seen these in the stores and know they can be fragile. I don't know if she was mailing in original boxes inside your outer packing material but I guess if it were me while I wouldn't be thrilled to pay an extra $2 for shipping, I would let it pass assuming they arrive safely and unbroken. But I wouldn't have been happy it cost me more than shipping individually if I understand your post correctly. That wasn't smart on her part. I would never post feedback until the item arrives. If all arrived safely I wouldn't give negative feedback since I asked for Combined Shipping, but would leave a comment that combined shipping on Lemax items cost more than individual shipping would have been.
I have never been other than an ebay purchaser; and I hate shipping things, so doubt I would ever want to be a seller. If it were me as the seller, I would have figured out shipping on the 3 auctions and if more than the separate 3 amounts indicated by the auction would have at least seen if i could have shipped a house and small item together and the second house separately and emailed you the totals and said that to pack all three together would be cost prohibitive unless you insisted for some reason. Worse case it all shipped separately. She clearly took your request for Combined Shipping literally and I can easily see how that could have cost you more. Shipping costs these days are why I seldom buy off ebay any more. I doubt she made any money off of the shipping but I would look at the postage all the same and keep it in mind for any other ebay purchases. Perhaps "combined in one box or whatever is less expensive" could be requested to avoid this in the future. Most of the times I've combined items they weren't fragile and could be packed closely together so "combined" has worked out for me.
I hope your items arrive safely and you can enjoy them despite the shipping issue. What Lemax houses did you pick up? I admire these in the store and online but have managed to sucessfully steer clear of adding yet another halloween category to my collection. Sure hubby appreciates this! They are so cleverly designed and fun I can see them being addictive once you start adding them to your halloween decor.
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It would help if we had the original ebay links to the items you bought.
Also for future ebaying, when negotiating combined shipping, you can always request a lower shipping charge. Some sellers are hard a$$%%^ about their terms but most are compliant with options. Keep in mind that if shipping through usps like it sounds like she is doing, usps has done away with the parcel post option over a certain dimension. Since we dont know how big the box is we cant assume to know if parcel was even an option based on the shipping box size.
Alot of collectors like to keep the boxes themselves in as pristine condition as possible so maybe she overcompensated the packing materials. Also, packing materials can add considerable weight, especially if using cardboard pieces to help with any possible crushing during shipping. Plus she might have added a cost for those materials and her time to find a box big enough for combined, and her time to do all that is necessary. Some sellers add handling and some dont.
But having the original links to the buys on ebay would help with these assumptions. For $2 more its not too bad, it can be hard to calculate shipping, however, as a seller myself, I wouldnt have asked for that difference because Im worried about my DSRs, which you can ding which significantly hurts the seller.
Or you can ask her to refund you if you feel that the shipping is more than you reasonably expected to pay. I know usps raised their rates again recently. Dont mention dinging the DSRs and see what she does. If she refuses, gives a hard time ect, then ding her stars on shipping cost,when leaving feedback. Really do ask her first because the star system hurts a sellers ability to sell if they get too many bad stars and can be banned permanently.
Also for future ebaying, when negotiating combined shipping, you can always request a lower shipping charge. Some sellers are hard a$$%%^ about their terms but most are compliant with options. Keep in mind that if shipping through usps like it sounds like she is doing, usps has done away with the parcel post option over a certain dimension. Since we dont know how big the box is we cant assume to know if parcel was even an option based on the shipping box size.
Alot of collectors like to keep the boxes themselves in as pristine condition as possible so maybe she overcompensated the packing materials. Also, packing materials can add considerable weight, especially if using cardboard pieces to help with any possible crushing during shipping. Plus she might have added a cost for those materials and her time to find a box big enough for combined, and her time to do all that is necessary. Some sellers add handling and some dont.
But having the original links to the buys on ebay would help with these assumptions. For $2 more its not too bad, it can be hard to calculate shipping, however, as a seller myself, I wouldnt have asked for that difference because Im worried about my DSRs, which you can ding which significantly hurts the seller.
Or you can ask her to refund you if you feel that the shipping is more than you reasonably expected to pay. I know usps raised their rates again recently. Dont mention dinging the DSRs and see what she does. If she refuses, gives a hard time ect, then ding her stars on shipping cost,when leaving feedback. Really do ask her first because the star system hurts a sellers ability to sell if they get too many bad stars and can be banned permanently.
I was a little irked like I said that the listings total shipping for the 3 separate items was $48.00. I asked prior to bidding about a combined shipping rate which she responded yes. After the auctions ended she sent me an invoice for $50.00 total shipping. I would have been a little irked if she asked for the full $48.00 but not much I could have done. The fact that she asked for $50.00 got me a little ticked. If 3 separate pkgs. would be cheaper to ship than do it that way. At least if any of them got damaged or lost I wouldn't be out all of them. I figured there must be sellers on here that would know if she could actually raise the shipping price after the auction ended or not. Ah well...live and learn. Just ranting here helped me to stop dwelling on it. Guess I just needed a few that's B.S. on my side. Thanks for everyone's help.
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The term "combined shipping" on ebay typically refers to placing additional items purchased in one box or package to save on shipping cost. In most cases this works out well for the buyer if the items are small. This probably didn't go that way due to the size of the items which could very easily increase the total shipping amount. All in all, while it may have upset you, an additional $2 isn't an extreme amount for what you purchased. I doubt the seller is trying to get more than her cost. If your items arrive undamaged, I wouldn't leave negative feedback based on the shipping issue. I think this was just a misunderstanding between you and the seller as for your expectations of "combined shipping". Hope your items arrive safely!
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I would ask myself if the $2 would have persuaded me not to purchase the items and leave it like that. To me, $2 isn't a deal breaker, but I know different people have different thoughts.
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Cloe, would love to see a picture of your purchases when they arrive. And IMO you are correct. The detailing of the pieces are not the same quality these days.
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