Suggestions on refunding shipping.

[trhunter7777]

Hello everyone.....

Just got an email from customer and not quite sure how I should handle it. Sent out an item last week and charged $10 for shipping. It actually cost $7.75 to ship. Now the customer is asking for $2.25 refund on the shipping. Box wasn't expensive but did buy it and had minimal bubble wrap.

$2.25 isn't going to break me either way... Think I should refund to avoid negative feed back? Or was my shipping/handling price reasonable and decline to refund?

 

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[kcm]

I'm not an eBay seller, so take my 2¢ as such.

If it won't break you, might be worth refunding the $2.25 for a good feedback - assuming they will provide one. On the other hand, this also may be something that they do on a regular basis in order to get the best price they can.

Personally, I feel that actual shipping should be charged and any overage paid be refunded. But as I said, I'm not on eBay much. Might be better in the future to work postage into the price and advertise with free (or deeply discounted) shipping.

 

[Indian Steve]

If you print your own labels, you have the option to leave the shipping cost off of the label. That way your buyer doesn't know what you paid. By printing my own labels, I get a discount on shipping and consider that money mine instead of the buyers. The buyer knows up front what it will cost for shipping. They bid accordingly. The Shipping discount is for you not them.

 

[bdsawyer]

If he paid you $10 for shipping, eBays final value fee on shipping is around $1 depending on your discount. So you really only made $1.25 and depending on the cost of the box, you actually didn't make much at all.

 

[Beachkid23]

I sold an item last week three dollar shipping on it. The buyer asked if there was any difference in the price versus what he paid he would like a refund no matter how small. It was a difference of $.13. I just ignored it.

 

[KangaWoo]

Shipping/handling is just that in my opinion.

Shipping is the price of postage and handling is what it costs in time and materials to package an item for postage.

Saying that, I would refund the couple $ to avoid possible neg feedback, and point out that the extra covers your materials, and you don't make a profit on shipping.

I usually take a small loss in postage, or offer free postage on bin items, if its an easy/small item to post.

 

[SDIceMan]

I also print my own shipping labels, and to expand on what Indian Steve said, I have taken to leaving the shipping costs off of the label when the actual shipping cost is less than the amount the buyer paid. However, if the shipping cost is more than the buyer paid, I always make sure to leave the shipping cost on the label. And like bdsawyer mentioned, eBay takes 10% of shipping fees and I believe PayPal takes about 3%, so minus 13% from any shipping "profit", then account for the box, tissue paper, bubble wrap, packing peanuts etc. I would respond to the buyer and say shipping was x number of dollars, but handling was an additional x number of dollars that aren't reflected in the USPS pricing.

 

[flinthunter]

For those of you that print your own postage, have you tried Regional Rate Priority boxes? Cost is figured by postal zone and not by weight. You can ship up to 15 pounds at the same price as 1 pound with these boxes.

 

[Xraywolf]

I never let the horror of negs deter me from doing what I felt right when I was a power seller - Got kicked off ebay, but had nothing to do with negs.

I wouldn't refund, I'd explain that shipping price includes packaging and travel to post office.

 

[deserdog]

I would not refund either. The buyer knew up front how much shipping and handling would be. Also I would leave off the price of shipping from the label. The only time I refund shipping is when I think something will ship at say 2 lbs. and it actually packs out at 1 lb. Then I will refund the difference.

 

[Xraywolf]

I have refunded a portion of shipping many times, but always on my own violation without need for customer input - I just leave a note "excess shipping" in refund note, its the right thing to do when you have miscalculated over a certain amount.
Many other times I lowballed myself and ate the loss, tends to balance out after a while.

 

[kcm]

I had a seller provide a refund one time, although they neglected to say why. So I contacted them, and they replied it was due to lower shipping. I was appreciative, but wish they would have explained better up front.

 

[cyberdan]

If he paid you $10 for shipping, eBays final value fee on shipping is around $1 depending on your discount. So you really only made $1.25 and depending on the cost of the box, you actually didn't make much at all.

100% correct on ebay fees. Tell him you had to drive to the post office and buy the box so you actually lost over $1 and of course you did not intend to bill him on a shipping loss.

he is just trying to get some money back, probably does it on every purchase. check his feedback given. see if he gives negs for this. if you get one call ebay AND leave a reply that you actually lost money on shipping, that is why you didn't give a refund.

I am tight with my $$ and I have never asked for a partial refund. When I buy I always look at shipping and consider it part of the cost. I have on occasion asked the seller if I buy more than one item can he work with me on shipping. (that is before I buy)

 

[WhiteTornado]

I sold an item last week three dollar shipping on it. The buyer asked if there was any difference in the price versus what he paid he would like a refund no matter how small. It was a difference of $.13. I just ignored it.

That kind of buyer should just stick to auctions where the buyer calculates shipping to their location, instead of paying a fixed shipping cost. I might actually block a buyer like that.

 

[cyberdan]

That kind of buyer should just stick to auctions where the buyer calculates shipping to their location, instead of paying a fixed shipping cost. I might actually block a buyer like that.

I sell a lot of fixed price items. it they are light weight I include shipping and call it FREE SHIPPING (what a lie)
If the item is heavy and will not fit in a priority mail box. I mark it shipping additional. I do this because I do not want to tack on zone 5 freight if the potential buyer is 10 miles away. It would make my item seem too high $$

 

[Keith Jackson]

Most of what I have sold on eBay has been video games. My shipping charges are usually really close. I just sent out a bunch of stuff that I had charged $3 each for shipping. The actual postage was $2.60. Which was after the discount for buying it through eBay. If you add in the $.48 each that I had to pay for the boxes, I lost money on every deal.

 

[GibH]

Most of what I have sold on eBay has been video games. My shipping charges are usually really close. I just sent out a bunch of stuff that I had charged $3 each for shipping. The actual postage was $2.60. Which was after the discount for buying it through eBay. If you add in the $.48 each that I had to pay for the boxes, I lost money on every deal.

You should be able to get dvd boxes that would fit 2-3 dvds for .25 each, even less if you buy more. I make enough on any game I sell to either offer free shipping, or charge a nominal fee (usually $2.35).

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

ABSOLUTELY NOT ! no refund, the buyer entered into an agreement when he bought the item, as long as shipping amount was shown, and he agrees, the deal is FINAL, PERIOD.

Sounds like a nickel, and dimer...and some other descriptive words.

Side story, I once sold a couple of boxed double dollar coin sets, start price 1 dollar, shipping 10 dollars. The boxes over an inch thick cost me more than the ten bucks each. for any type of secure shipping, express post, reg. mail, or expedited.

The winning bidder got the coins for the opening bid of 1 dollar, gave me a negative comment for the "high" shipping cost, even though he seen it in advance, and agreed to it. some people.

The trouble with Ebay is, it always takes the side of the buyer.

I repeat do not refund him a cent, that will only encourage him to do it again.
Further more in regard to total actual costs, here in Canada the tax is not shown on the shipping label amount, which for me in Nova Scotia amounts to 15% of the total.

 

[kcm]

Further more in regard to total actual costs, here in Canada the tax is not shown on the shipping label amount, which for me in Nova Scotia amounts to 15% of the total.

OUCH!

 

[NHBandit]

Why on earth would you buy boxes ? USPS Priority Mail boxes of every shape & size are free from the Post Office. You can even set up an account and order the boxes in bulk from the USPS website and they will ship them to your door. All free. I have been using Ebay as a buyer as well as a seller since 1999 and I can tell you, one of the things that pisses me off the most is when a seller pads their profit by overcharging for shipping. Not saying you intentionally did that but since you asked, I would say to give them the refund and avoid the possible negative feedback.