Ebay Seller S&h "Practices"

Bobby just out of curiosity I am wondering what part of the law makes you think that a seller is responsible for lost items when a customer explicitly says they will take responsibility for a lost shipment. The closest thing that comes anywhere is saying that if you offer insurance and its lost you refund it and proceed with the insurance claim yourself. Everything else is just shipment time frames and canceled orders.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/con...s/pro28.shtm

http://business.ftc.gov/documents/b...handise-rule

Also a head up for everyone ANYTHING from Nigeria is a scam if they try and buy something from you. Some are pretty elaborate too with legit looking emails saying youre item has been paid for. I had it happen to me once but had a bad feeling about it and checked into it before shipping, ebay had me forward the emails to them and paypal and it was indeed a scam.

I think you missed the point. This seller wanted me to pay more to insure/del-conf his coin - adding to his stated s&h from the ad. And until I bought from him/her, and then get the ridiculous email, how am I to know they do that? I'll certainly stay away from them from now on but it is just a bad precedent to see.

I don't think it "okay/proper" to ask for $5 s&h and then spend 64c on it. Makes it more likely I won't receive the coin as the buyer, and is a "cheat" way to add to the price "surrupticiously". I may not have bought the coin if I knew the hi s&h was not for insuring I'd get it faster, safer, and without damage.

Certainly everyone evaluates a deal by adding the price and s&h together to decide on the viability/value. And I understand that some sellers used to "get over" on ebay because they wouldn't charge fees on the s&h portion - so it was a way to cheat ebay. But that isn't true anymore and as a buyer I want the s&h to GO INTO shipping - as in protecting the coin so it has the best chance at arriving safely. If the seller is going to cheap out on that and risk it - then don't even list s&h charges and state they are all free. But if you designate a charge, then I expect it to be spent on that. And I know that "technically" they could say it is the handling part but that is a ruse and we all know it.

JMHO

I agree with this, but I also agree with Buffalo. I do think the seller has the right to charge whatever they want for S&H, but with that said it better be shipped whatever it is listed as. For example if they want to list it as priority mail but then charge 10 dollars for that I have no problem with that as long as its shipped priority mail. But if they list it as priority mail as a way to charge more and then send it non priority ect I do have a big issue with that.

ebay did revamp their shipping options which I like as you are no longer forced to eat losses on items because you could only charge so much to ship it and that never covered it if you used tracking as well. I wish they would also add where a buyer can choose insurance or not. Charging for that is fine, but I dont agree with springing it on the buyer after the sale is completed like what happened with Buffalo

Well the one advantage to insurance is that if its lost the seller has to replace it and file the claim themselves. Some people like that

As far as the other part I am not positive but I think theres some limit to how much the post office will pay for something that is lost without insurance. For small value items the extra cost isn't worth it but for a thousand dollar coin its not a bad idea. Either way its like 3-6 months before they will pay anything if at all.

If the seller ships with tracking there should be some shared responsibility for the package. All the seller can do is properly ship it and have tracking and if it gets lost its really not their fault. Paying for the insurance is a way to share it, but like I said it should be upfront about it and not something that is sprung on the person once the sale is complete. If they choose to ship it the cheapest way possibly the seller should be on the hook for everything

Emails mean nothing unless you go to court. Then, you have court fees.... Buyers can say anything in email and you just have to watch your back.

Quick story:
I bought $200 in silver last weekend from ebay. Seller (yellow star) sent it untracked! One of the proofs was scratched so, I asked for a partial refund of the premium paid for the proof. Seller agreed and accidentally refund 100%. Then sent me a replacement set and said to keep the one I wanted and send the other one back and to pay b/c of the accidental refund. Wow! I could have really had money in my pocket delivered on a silver platter! I could have easily won this case. I did the right thing. I sell too. I also sent her advise email.

Here is ebay's official policy...

You can charge for signature confirmation, but cannot charge for insurance. Under the shipping and handling costs portion it clearly states:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies...actices.html
"
What you can charge

Actual shipping cost: This is the amount for shipping the item. It should be what you paid the carrier.

Handling cost: This can include the cost of packaging materials and insurance cost, if any.

Delivery Confirmation and extra services: If you choose to use these options, you must add them to your shipping and handling costs, and you can only charge what they actually cost. Examples of services include:

Certificate of Mailing
Certified Mail
Collect on Delivery
Delivery Confirmation - free with Priority Mail and discounted with some other services when you print shipping labels on ebay
Registered Mail
Restricted Delivery
Return Receipt
Signature Confirmation
Special Handling


What you're not allowed to charge


Insurance: You can't charge a separate fee for insurance, although you still need to make sure your item arrives as described.

Tip: You should incorporate any insurance fees into an item's price or handling cost.