Mistake on Shipping

[SoulBlazer]

I'm not really sure of the best action to take here.

I just sold three Sega CD games on EBay to the same person -- they were listed as seperate items for 2-3 each and $5 for shipping by AirMail. I've sent stuff overseas before, and knew how expensive it was, so when I prpeared a receit to e-mail the winner, so he'd know how much to send via PayPal, I intended to tell him it was still $5 EACH item -- for a total of $15.

It was'nt until I went to go to the post office today that I realized I had messed up and typed in $5 TOTAL for shipping.

I was'nt far off the price -- to send that package with all three games by AirMail to Brazil was $14.06.

What should I do? Send a polite e-mail to the winner and ask if he'd be kind enough to send some extra money, or just write it off as a costly mistake and eat the $10? (It's a big mistake -- the games themselves sold for only $7! )

[chadtower]

Personally, I'd eat it. It's your mistake and I'd be pretty aggravated if a seller tried to get extra funds out of me after i'd already paid. I've done similar things and eaten the cost.

[SoulBlazer]

You realize that becuse of that mistake I LOST money on this sale.

Three Sega CD games -- $7 total
Mistake in Shipping Price -- $5 total
Grand Total paid to me -- $12

Cost to ship -- $14

I LOST $2 to send three old Sega CD games out of the country!

@_@

[Chunky]

oh well. Eat it and smile.

[chadtower]

You realize that becuse of that mistake I LOST money on this sale.


Yep, I realize that, but what are you going to do? A store with decent customer service, when they make an error like that, they let you have it. It's the seller's error and the buyer shouldn't be punished.

[SoulBlazer]

Well, that's the last time I sell overseas, then. Oh well.

[chadtower]

Yeah, but keep this in mind... when I used to sell VHS tapes on ebay, all of the highest bid prices came from Europe... for some reason, to get US NTSC versions, people would pay $20-25 for common videos and then another $20 to ship them... it didn't happen often, but when it did, that was 4x the price that they would go for to someone in the US.

[SoulBlazer]

Well, I'll keep selling overseas on Amazon (where I sell 90 percent of my items) becuase they built in a good shipping credit for domestic and international items. Just I'll make sure I build in higher shipping prices for overseas items like everyone else does for EBay. Lesson learned.

[Griking]

You don't have to quit selling overseas. Basically you just learned the hard way. Next time you'll have a better idea of what to charge.

Besides, it sounds like you just typed wrong. You could have just as easily done this on an local auction as well.

[Flack]

I listed a bunch of cassette tapes on eBay recently. Lots of 5 each, started them at .99. Three didn't sell and one sold for a whopping .99. I didn't want the cassettes, so I told the winner I'd throw in the others (just to be a nice guy).

I charged $4 for USPS. He sent me the $4.99. Ended up costing me $7.50 in shipping - not to mention the eBay fees.

Us "nice guys" learn lessons the hard way -- in the pocket book.

Flack

[mumbai]

I listed a bunch of cassette tapes on eBay recently. Lots of 5 each, started them at .99. Three didn't sell and one sold for a whopping .99. I didn't want the cassettes, so I told the winner I'd throw in the others (just to be a nice guy). I charged $4 for USPS ... Ended up costing me $7.50 in shipping...

Hmmm... you should have offered to throw in all the cassettes but ship Media Mail on them ... I don't think 20 cassette tapes shipped Media Mail would have cost $7.50 to send. Unless tapes have gotten heavier?

[BigBoogie]

I would eat it to. it really depends on how much you sell and if you can afford to eat it.

[omnedon]

Tell the buyer your error.

Tell the buyer you are going to eat it.

Cross your fingers and hope for a stellar reading feedback for your trouble.

I've eaten shipping once or twice. I never dreamed I could ship wires to Texas more cheaply than I could to Canada (I''m in Canada :angry: )

[Duncan]

Tell the buyer your error.

Tell the buyer you are going to eat it.

Cross your fingers and hope for a stellar reading feedback for your trouble.

Do this, and I would qualify you for "Customer Service Expert of the Year." :-D

Duncan :D

[omnedon]

I've done it.

I try like hell to avoid the circumstance though. :-D

[oesiii]

I would probably eat it if you weren't losing money on the whole deal (like you are). A nice email might work.

I have had several eBay sellers just eat it when they undercharge $1 to $5 on shipping charges. I usually send them the difference especially since they didn't say anything. 1 or 2 bucks isn't going to kill anyone and it would be nice if buyers treated fair sellers like this.

Oh, btw, I owe omnedon a $1 or so from overcharging him on shipping an item a few weeks ago :embarrassed:

[XpOsUrE]

Yeah like most people stated you just gotta eat something like this and learn from it, if you would have contacted the person, and just let him know about your error in a kind mannor it's almost a given you would have gotten a negative review, it's sadly the average ebayer mind frame these days.

[Buyatari]

If it means THAT MUCH to you.

Try sending a polite email stating you need an extra $10 for shipping. Don't tell him its mailed yet. If he doesn't know its mailed he will send you the $10.00 If he does know its mailed...tell him how sorry you are and how badly you need the money. A nice guy would send you the $10 anyway. Doesn't hurt to try.

For the record if I would have screwed up like this I'd have sent it surface which would have been closer to the $5 fee you charged.

Adam

[punkoffgirl]

Surface! *LMAO* Yeah, and in the time it would take for the games to actually get there, they'd probably double in value. Surface is a bad idea, IMO. NEVER send anything surface unless the buyer has specifically asked for it. Otherwise, I'm certain they'd be pretty pissed off having to wait three months for their games to arrive.

Keep in mind this is his mistake, and not the buyer. He should eat it.

[Buyatari]

POG- So if a seller said to you.

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Dear POG ,

I have made a terrible mistake. When quoting you shipping prices I made a mistake and typed $5 when I meant to type $5 per game. I only realized this on the way to the Post office. I could have delayed shipment (till we straightened this out) or I could have sent the games surface but it takes forever. I realized you would like your games in a timely manner so I did the only thing I could, I shipped them airmail.

The thing that sucks about this is that it now cost me more to ship these games than I recieved for the entire transaction. I actually paid you to take my games. This whole transaction cost me $2 and I'm out my games. :(

I know this is a terrible thing to ask of you but I really need to ask for the money it actually cost me to ship your games. It was an honest mistake on my part and I do apologize but I really need the money or I would never ask this of you.

Shipping cost me $14.06 and I charged you $5.00. If you could send me the difference I would really apprecaite it.

Signed
so and so

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Would you tell that person to screw off because they screwed up? They made an honest mistake.

What if it was the other way around? What if the buyer screwed up and paypaled him $10.00 extra. Should he keep that extra $10.00 just because the buyer screwed up?

YOU LOSE SUCKER !! Is that the menatality these days? You guys really shocked me on this one. I never expected I'd hear this from you guys.

Now if he listed the shipping incorrectly in his auction then forget it. He should eat it because the bidding was based on that description. But if it was in an email after the auction then he should ask for compensation and I'd hope that the buyer would pay it because IT IS the right thing to do.

In this particular case his auction stated that shipping on each item was $5. So I don't think he would be wrong to ask for the money back. I wouldn't ask for $15 shipping but the exact shipping cost of $14.06. Would you guys really refuse this request when an honest seller made an honest mistake ?

Adam