Another Poor Buyer Blamed By Ebay For Nothing

I recently made an ebay BIN purchase (non-coin) where it was stated shipping was $3/item for the first item and $1 for each additional item. When I ask the seller for a corrected invoice because their invoice did not automatically combine shipping they responded that you have to purchase 3 or more items to get combined shipping.

I ask to cancel the sale (out of principle, not the additional $2 shipping) and they agreed. Everyone wants a profit and that's fine but don't state in your listing you will do one thing and then renege on it. It's bad business.

pennypincher1, there are so many unknowns here, that it is impossible to jump to any conclusion, other than we all sometimes need a place, and a ear, to vent our frustrations...

Perhaps the dealer's first language is not English (from Lonquil, Quebec) and the intent of the shipping message was lost in translation? Perhaps it is a higher volume dealer who did not remember prior messages and does not want to bother with bartering?

In the end, you may never get an answer from the dealer, from ebay, or even here, that will satisfy you. That is ok. You are the collector and customer, and you can freely spend your money with a different dealer. It is a tough world out there selling coins, and dealers generally don't want to shoot themselves in the foot when it comes to business. Those that do - lose customers...

As for the rest of you, the witch hunt ends here. If I see another insinuation with respect to the original poster's username, you will earn yourself a CCF vacation...

To be fair Bobby ebay very very rarely sides with the seller But in this case they did So the odds of the OP being "Squeaky Clean" in this matter are very slim indeed

I've always had a great experience with ebay as both a buyer and a seller. I agree that if you are really interested in combined shipping and it's a deal breaker that you get confirmation on EXACTLY what the shipping will be before bidding. I think good sellers typically price their shipping right and there is no profit to be made. Therefore, they need to make sure that a large combination is still being charged fair. Nothing is more of a turnoff when you can clearly see a seller overcharging on shipping. Me personally, most of the time I'm out money after shipping costs because I never charge enough.

If I hurt Pennypincher1's feelers I offer my humble apologies.

However....

Making assumptions on ebay causes more problems than anything. Reading between the lines can get you in trouble, too.

When in doubt, or if it is not absolutely crystal clear, use the ASQ link and ask the Seller BEFORE buying the item.

It's not rocket science, it's ebay!

bobby131313 is correct. We should have waited for more facts before giving our opinions in such a strong manner. I apologize to pennypincher.

if it were me I wouldn't share it with you after the hostile comments in this thread.

I believe OP. Here's why.

Awhile back I won 10 or so nickels on $0.99 to $1.99 bids from a random seller. Items were listed with $3 S&H per coin, but seller both offered combined shipping and stated in his listing something to the effect that if you won multiple coins all lots won after the first one ($3 shipping) would be free combined shipping. It was a good deal for me, probably $40 worth for $10-$15.

Took 2+ weeks of politely requesting invoices and I got several unpaid item notifications in the meantime from ebay. Finally I had to mention that I was going to open a case for a full refund if seller did not honor his own terms, and seller sent corrected invoice with combined shipping as though he hadn't seen the last 2 weeks' worth. It was mutually beneficial -- he got 10 positive FB, and I doubt it cost him even the $3 shipping he charged - he wrapped the 10 nickels in a clear-taped padding of paper towels and stuck them in a first-class envelope.

And yes, if seller opens a UID against the buyer, the notifications are not really nasty but not very pleasant: not sure now, but in the old days you basically got told if you didn't pay in 7 days you were going to get a strike and also lose FB privileges on that transaction, meaning (back then, not now) the seller could neg you but you couldn't retaliate. Some sellers have ridiculous terms in their listings that violate ebay and PayPal policies, and will file UID's in as little as 24 hours after the end of an auction.

At least in this case, the seller, by cancelling the sales before the UID process could have completed, pretty much guaranteed a full refund for the buyer. The cancellation alone is worthy of negative feedback, regardless of the dispute over shipping charges. You can't just refuse to sell to the winning bidder because they're asking you to honor your listing -- that's a TOU violation and will get you a seller ban, and lots of negative FB, in a hurry. Good sellers are taught to file UID's on non-paying bidders and then wait on the process to run its course, instead of cancelling the orders.