Did anyone else have this experience with this seller

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Posted By: warshawlaw

Seller: gjg64

The seller auctioned off a number of PC-backed exhibits that I won and I know at least one other board member won. I paid the seller $5 for shipping and another $4.20 for insurance. I got the cards in a single soft sleeve loose in a mailer with $1.06 regular postage on it--no postal insurance. The cards were half out of the sleeve when I opened the package but weren't otherwise damaged, at least I don't think so. I've asked the seller for a refund of the insurance costs.

I know the money isn't big but the principle is. It REALLY ticks me off when a seller doesn't pack the items worth a darn, charges for insurance and doesn't even buy it.

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Posted By: John S

Adam,

I have not dealt with that specific seller, but have had similar experiences. I recall being charged over $5.00 for S/H once and recieved my card (valued at around $50) in an envelope with 37 cents postage and no other protection. I did not ask for postage to be refunded and luckily the card was not damaged. Some people have no concept of good business practice. They ripped me for $5, but they will never get my business again and lose other business if people take the time to read feedback.

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Posted By: Peter_Spaeth

These posts about getting charged an extra dollar for postage or insurance are getting kinda old in my opinion. If the cards are damaged that's one thing, but if they aren't, why not just move on?

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Posted By: John S

Peter,

An argument can be made that 75% of the posts on this board are recycled in one way or another. Just don't read it (and don't respond) if you are not interested.

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Posted By: zach

I agree, also this wasn't an extra dollar. The seller shorted him eight dollars. That seems to me a pretty extreme "over-charging" on shipping.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

1. Honesty: you do not promise a buyer something, charge for it and not deliver it. To me, what this seller did is merely a difference in degree from selling me a card and not sending it.

2. Information: If I got charged for a service I did not receive, someone else here maybe did too. Someone else here maybe will in the future if they deal with this seller. Someone else seeing this post maybe will decide not to line this seller's pockets with extra money for a service that will not be performed, or maybe will decide not to deal with him at all. I thought that was one of the things we are all about--helping each other avoid being ripped off, both small and large, by providing each other with feedback on the practices of certain sellers. If the seller makes good on it, I will post that too.

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Posted By: Anonymous

I had a seller i bought 3 cards from,and charged me 7.50 for shipping. the cards were shipped in a normal envelope saying 37 cents also. cards were bent, no insurance on them. the seller said u never asked for insurance and i wanted a refund after that. but they didnt do it. never again he will not get my business. also ebay has alot of ppl charging 4 bucks shipping etc etc, and i c only about a buck put into it. another way for them to make another buck i guess... :S

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Posted By: David Vargha

I hate that as a buyer. I just refunded people some shipping money on auctions I had that recently closed. One got back $3 because I couldn't insure the package to Europe (when I thought I could) and another card got shipped where I accidentally sent it without the $50 postal insurance. Both were PayPal customers, so I could easily do a partial refund.

DavidVargha@hotmail.com

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Posted By: Brian E.

I did the same today as well; a buyer purchased insurance on $20 item, I bought the DC but forgot the insurance. I refunded his $1.30 b/c it was the right thing to do.

Brian E.

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Posted By: Lyman Hardeman

Yes, Adam. As you know, I also won a postcard from this seller. Shipping was $5. I received it in a semi rigid mailer with $0.83 postage stamped on the outside. Card was not damaged but it does make you appreciate those sellers who do not try to make their profit in shipping fees. --Lyman

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

I just received my 1st Neg. Feedback (in over 900 Ebay transactions) from
a jerk who was charging me $12 for shipping me the 8 - RAW cards I won from
him for $43. I refused to pay him unless he reduced his fee.

So, I retaliated with a Neg. "hit" on him. That must of made him madder,
as he then filed a Non-Payer STRIKE against me. So,I appealed this Strike
with Ebay. And, I must of I presented my case quite strongly, as Ebay then
retracted the Strike from my record and informed the seller of this.

This jerk sells out of Washington state, avoid him.

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Posted By: Peter_Spaeth

Adam I see your point kinda and appreciate your civil tone in response to my less-civil-than-it-should-have-been remark. My personal view is still that life is too short to let these things aggravate one because they are inevitably going to happen over and over again.

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Posted By: Brian H (misunderestimated)

Basically my view is if the seller puts an insurance/shipping in the listing (I don't mean hide it in the listing) then the winner should be expected to pay it...This means if they charge you for insurance it should be insured in accord with whatever the listing says.... There should be no hidden costs for the buyer to deal with and no after the sale renegotiating -- which incudes whatever the shipping cost to the buyer is stated in the listing.

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Posted By: jay behrens

When I do sell cards, I charge $3 for shipping. The actual charge is a buck and change plus the DC. There is also the cost of the bubble mailer to figure in. When sellers pack a card the way I do, I don't have a problem with $4 or so for shipping. When they send it in an envelope with 37 cents postage, it's pisses me and pretty much everyone else off when they've charged you $4 or more for the shipping.

I think I know the seller you are talking about who charges $12 for shipping. I asked the person about the outrageous price of his shipping and he sent me a detailed breakdown of the his shipping cost. Part of it included $2.30 for an employee to take the package to the post office. I looked at the volume of business he did and offered to do his postal run for half his current cost on a full time basis. Needless to say, I never heard back from and I didn't bid on his card.

Jay

I've just reached Upper Lower Class. I am now officially a babe magnet for poor chicks.

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Posted By: zach

When I sell, shipping is usually on me or I charge way less than I should. If a card is worth over 100 bucks it is going into a bubble mailer, then placed in a priority mail big cardboard enevelope thing, then it is insured, and then tagged with a delevery confirmation slip. Over done ? Over the top, for just just a 100 dollar card ? Probably. I usually spend around 9-12 dollars shipping a card and usually charge 2 dollars if anything. Its the way I will alawys do it, better the extra few bucks to get it there safe than not there at all.

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Posted By: Chris

I for one never get tired of these types of posts. I think you have a right to be upset and I think it is good to let board members know the sellers who treat their customers this way. These types of sellers will lose out in the long run and they just are not smart enough to see that. Like Jay said, I don't mind a dealer making a couple bucks on shipping as long as they state their shipping charges and package the item well. I would like to know the seller who charges $12 for 8 cards so I can stay away from them.

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Posted By: Pennsylvania Ted

Jay

I normally check a Seller's Feedback before I bid. The one time I was
rushed and didn't....hurt me. This "jerk" already had 25 Negatives in
his Ebay profile. Many of them for excessive shipping charges. I still
enjoy a 100% Feedback profile, despite this seller's Neg. "hit" on me.

Chris

If you email me I will give you his Ebay name....avoid him, irregardless
of any "enticing" cards he has to offer on Ebay.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

and that it was an honest error. He did refund. If anyone else got burned with paying for non-existent insurance, demand a refund and you will get it.

Peter: Thanks, I appreciate your live and let live attitude; I should be a little less Type A, but I bitch when I get any product that is not as advertised, whether it is tv or a can of soup. With reputable sellers or manufacturers, a make-good is usually forthcoming. I had a really terrible stay at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas (ended up switching to the Venetian after 2 days), wrote a letter to the head of their hotel ops and was comped a suite for a weekend. Sadly, my wife was so disgusted by the way MB handled the stay that she refused to use the comp

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Posted By: identify7

I guess we are all different. I assume that if a seller does not buy insurance which I requested, he has chosen to self-insure the item. As far as seemingly excessive shipping charges, I find them a portion of the item's cost which I figure into my bidding.

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Posted By: Mark

I agree with Gil, just factor the shipping into the cost of the item. If it's stated up front, don't argue about it after you win the item...that's really asking to buy teh item for less than the underbidder was willing to pay. In any event, I find I often get great deals on items with high stated shipping because others stay away.

I occasionally hear buyer's grumble when I make USPS insurance mandatory on expensive items. They don't realize that I'm actually losing money (3%) on the insurance when they pay me through paypal.

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Posted By: Cobby33

I, too, am annoyed by these practices, but I've learned to review the seller's shipping terms before bidding and work out any disagreements before the transaction is complete. If it's something I really want, I'll pay whatever outrageous charges there are. If the items are received without damage when the seller only used .37 as postage, sobeit.

As a seller, I charge $3 plus insurance if needed and I do combine. From a seller's standpoint, not only are there the costs of postage (including Paypal fees for postage), but there's also the hassle of packaging (I always use bubble mailers and either screwdowns or enclose the protected card in a sealed sleeve) and posting and sometimes standing in line at the post office, which is worth something. For those of us who sell as a hobby or to "recycle," it can't be said that the labor is the "cost of doing business."

As for insurance, there's no excuse to charge for it and not insure it--unless of course the seller plans on self-insuring and honoring the lost/damaged item from his own pocket.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I don't disagree with the points made w/r/t stated shipping costs; I factor them into the price. My post was about the non-procurement of insurance issue.

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Posted By: Cobby33

Adam: Point well taken. I was merely responding to the responses which did refer to shipping costs. I agree with you 100% on the insurance issue, assuming the seller doesn't pay for damage/lost items themselves.

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Posted By: jay behrens

Ii don't know how many of you are aware of the USPS's Ship and Click service. You can create a shipping label and pay the postage on an item online. If you ship 1st class, DC is 13 cents or free if you use Priority Mail and you can insure an item up to $500 now. Then all you have to do is hand of your item to the mailman. The only thing you need to have is a good scale.

Jay

I've just reached Upper Lower Class. I am now officially a babe magnet for poor chicks.

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Posted By: Bryan

I won a 33 Goudey common on ebay many years ago for $1. Shipping was $2. I paid via paypal. The seller sent me an email saying I owed him $1.30 for insurance even though his listing said insurance is not available (like I would have wanted it anyways.) I said I would rather not pay $1.30 insurance for a $1 item and would take my chances. He refused to sell it to me and refunded my payment. I was floored by the sellers absolute stupidity.

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Posted By: T206Collector

I agree with Gil. If I pay for insurance and he does not actually buy it, I assume he has chosen to self-insure the item, that is, if it gets lost in the post he'll reimburse me, which is the purpose of insurance. It doesn't really matter if he actually purchases the insurance from the post office. Why is it any more shady when a seller self insures to make a buck, versus the post office insuring articles to make a buck?

Moreover, it is very important to factor shipping costs into the final bid on an item. There are lots of 99 cent CD's out there on ebay, but shipping is like $12.99 for each of them. That's why I don't buy 99 cent CD's.

As a seller, I charge a flat fee of $2.50 for the first card won, and free shipping for each additional card won. When the price goes over $50, I insure the package myself without any additional cost to the buyer. That way, if an under $50 package gets lost in the mail, I'll cover the cost. But if it's over $50, the USPS will refund me the value of the cards lost.

Finally, I am not sure why sellers put the onus on buyers to insure goods. You're just asking for a fight. I try to make the ebay experience as friendly as possible -- send me the money for the item that you won, plus a minimal charge for shipping and I will make sure you get your item or your money back, no questions asked. Many of my auctions have been bid up by previous buyers who want to take advantage of the free shipping on additional cards won.

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Posted By: Mark

When I sell a card, my ad says something like "$3.50 S&H for U.S. customers and actual shipping charged to rest of the world" (I copied this from another forum member so I assume it's common language). Once, a guy from Australia won a card. It cost only $1.20 or so in postage and delivery confirm was unavailable. He wrote to say he got the card but I had overcharged him by $2.30. I thought it was funny he expected cheaper S&H to Australia than I charge people in the U.S. but I guess he had a point based on my wording.