Question:
I found a wireless pcmcia card for a good price and after I used buy-it-now ($19) the seller asked for $51.95 shipping. We’re about 20 miles apart so I offered to pick it up, he says he doesn’t offer pick up service. I emailed Ebay but haven’t received a response yet. In the auction he didn’t list the shipping cost (it said to email him before bidding). I guess now I know why… He’s filing a non-paying-bidder alert, do you think Ebay will make me pay the full amount? Thanks Mike
The bottomline is…. was $70 a fair price to pay for this item s&h included? Learn your lesson and move on. One neg or NPB is not going to kill you either if you decide not to pay. — JK Sinrod Sinrod Stained Glass Studios www.sinrodstudios.com Coney Island Memories www.sinrodstudios.com/coneymemories
Response:
Michael, Keep this email…good thing you forwarded it to eBay…your seller just confessed to repeated major fee avoidance, a big violation of eBay’s terms of service. He confessed particularly when he said he gauged on shipping so, like other sellers, he "reduce[d] the price of the sold item to avoid paying high commission for ebay." eBay is notoriously inconsistent and slow in their customer service responses, but KEEP AFTER THEM. This is a big deal to them and they will eventually take swift action against this shitbag. I would even write your seller and mention something like "Do you realize the practice of gauging on shipping to increase the item price is fee avoidance, which is prohibited by eBay’s Terms of Service? I have done some research and seen that eBay is very strict and thorough about punishing offenders such as yourself." Hopefully, he’ll offer up some BS excuse that you could also forward to eBay so they can stick it to him even moreso. Good Luck. Bill
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – i just forwarded this email to Ebay. No i dont offer pick up service, and you know very well that most of seller on ebay sell the items for low price while shipping cost is very high for example i bought many items few days ago for 0.6c and shipping cost was $38.00 because i know that the real price for this item isnt 0.6c and also because i know that most of the seller reduce the price of the sold item to avoid paying high commission for ebay look be honest with your self you know very well that this card price is more than $76.00 without shipping so how come its for sale for 19.95 unless that there is something else like high shipping cost ? plus you read the rules for this item and you didnt follow the rules so why should i pay for your mistakes? to prove for you that im trying to help you solve this problem while its not my fault i will reduce shipping cost with $5.00 but if you pay for this item in full within 24 hours . think about it and let me know your desicion . Emad I found a wireless pcmcia card for a good price and after I used buy-it-now ($19) the seller asked for $51.95 shipping. The seller is out of bounds and likely in violation of eBay’s TOS. Seems like a clear case of excess shipping charges and fee avoidance. We’re about 20 miles apart so I offered to pick it up, he says he doesn’t offer pick up service. Of course not. Why should you be able to pick it up when the seller thinks he can get another fifty bucks pure profit out of you. 
I emailed Ebay but haven’t received a response yet. Keep after ‘em. In the auction he didn’t list the shipping cost (it said to email him before bidding). I guess now I know why… Next time you should do that. Not all sellers have scruples. He’s filing a non-paying-bidder alert, Not all sellers are smart either. He’s cutting his own throat if he files a NPB on this. do you think Ebay will make me pay the full amount? Not likely. If anything, the seller will be the one with questions to answer.
Response:
I found a wireless pcmcia card for a good price and after I used buy-it-now ($19) the seller asked for $51.95 shipping. We’re about 20 miles apart so I offered to pick it up, he says he doesn’t offer pick up service. I emailed Ebay but haven’t received a response yet. In the auction he didn’t list the shipping cost (it said to email him before bidding). I guess now I know why… He’s filing a non-paying-bidder alert, do you think Ebay will make me pay the full amount?
If you complain to ebay that he is engaging in fee avoidance, they will likely give you canned answers that amount to "it’s best to ask questions before you bid, your bid is a contract, you must pay or you will have one of your 3 strikes as a NPB against you". However, if you are a Power Seller and file the IDENTICAL complaint to ebay through the Power Seller customer service, you will have better luck. Ridiculous, but true.
"Ridiculous" would be a good description for the quality and accuracy of your post. If the OP complains to eBay about the fee avoidance when appealing his NPB warning, it will be discredited and will not count as a black mark against him.
Response:
I found a wireless pcmcia card for a good price and after I used buy-it-now ($19) the seller asked for $51.95 shipping. We’re about 20 miles apart so I offered to pick it up, he says he doesn’t offer pick up service. I emailed Ebay but haven’t received a response yet. In the auction he didn’t list the shipping cost (it said to email him before bidding). I guess now I know why… He’s filing a non-paying-bidder alert, do you think Ebay will make me pay the full amount?
You’ve probably learned your lesson now, but don’t ever, ever bid on anything with unknown or unstated shipping/handling. "Shipping to be determined at end of auction" means don’t bid. Always wait for a response to your email. If you don’t get one, there’s your answer right there. Like it or not, you are obligated to complete the transaction. Whether you do so is your decision. Be prepared to be negged if you don’t.
He is NOT obligated to complete the transaction. Would you make that same assertion if the seller had demanded $1,000 for shipping?
Response:
i just forwarded this email to Ebay.
I hope you forwarded full headers with the email so eBay can see that it is legit. You appear to be using Mozilla so I can’t tell you how to view full headers off of the top of my head. (In Outlook Express Ctrl + F3 will display the full source.) No i dont offer pick up service, and you know very well that most of seller on ebay sell the items for low price while shipping cost is very
high I personally know no such thing and go out of my way to avoid sellers who look to be making up for low prices with outrageous shipping. I’m looking for bargains. for example i bought many items few days ago for 0.6c and shipping cost was $38.00 because i know that the real price for this item isnt 0.6c and also because i know that most of the seller reduce the price of the sold item to avoid paying high commission for ebay
Bang! He just shot himself in the foot. http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-circumventing.html "Circumventing Fees Users may not use systems or techniques to circumvent eBay fees. Examples: a..Unreasonable shipping or handling costs – listings with low prices but unreasonably high shipping or handling costs." http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-shipping.html "Sellers may charge reasonable shipping and handling fee to the final price of their item, providing that this fee is disclosed up front in the listing. A shipping and handling fee can cover the seller’s reasonable costs for mailing, packaging and handling the item." look be honest with your self you know very well that this card price is more than $76.00 without shipping….
If he wants to charge retail then perhaps he should open a retail storefront. … so how come its for sale for 19.95 unless that there is something else like high shipping cost ?
Because it’s a bargain? I bought an 80 dollar PCMCIA card on eBay last year for twenty bucks because it was a "tested return" in an open package. IIRC, shipping was around six dollars. plus you read the rules…
He probably shouldn’t be talking about rules. People expect reasonable shipping charges because eBay’s rules prohibit anything else. The guy is engaged in blatant fee avoidance. Personally, I don’t care if buyers and sellers can get together in a way that reduces their costs even if it costs eBay a few pennies here or there but selling an item for twenty bucks and then asking for fifty bucks shipping when it weighs only a couple of ounces is over the top. for this item and you didnt follow the rules
LOL! PKB. I can’t believe this guy is going on about "rules" when he is purposely breaking them. Perhaps you should forward the links above to the actual rules he agreed to when he decided to sell on eBay, offer to pay him ten bucks for the shipping and encourage him (nicely) to stop his misleading practices. BTW, what does this seller’s feedback look like?
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I found a wireless pcmcia card for a good price and after I used buy-it-now ($19) the seller asked for $51.95 shipping. We’re about 20 miles apart so I offered to pick it up, he says he doesn’t offer pick up service. I emailed Ebay but haven’t received a response yet. In the auction he didn’t list the shipping cost (it said to email him before bidding). I guess now I know why… He’s filing a non-paying-bidder alert, do you think Ebay will make me pay the full amount? Thanks Mike I would let him know your intentions to pay a fair shipping cost, and if not, your intentions to file complaint(s) with ebay. Be VERY specific, very level headed.
The key question is whether the $51.95 was clearly stated in the offer. If stated, it IS owed. — Many thanks, Don Lancaster Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I found a wireless pcmcia card for a good price and after I used buy-it-now ($19) the seller asked for $51.95 shipping. We’re about 20 miles apart so I offered to pick it up, he says he doesn’t offer pick up service. I emailed Ebay but haven’t received a response yet. In the auction he didn’t list the shipping cost (it said to email him before bidding). I guess now I know why… He’s filing a non-paying-bidder alert, do you think Ebay will make me pay the full amount? If you complain to ebay that he is engaging in fee avoidance, they will likely give you canned answers that amount to "it’s best to ask questions before you bid, your bid is a contract, you must pay or you will have one of your 3 strikes as a NPB against you". However, if you are a Power Seller and file the IDENTICAL complaint to ebay through the Power Seller customer service, you will have better luck. Ridiculous, but true. "Ridiculous" would be a good description for the quality and accuracy of your post. If the OP complains to eBay about the fee avoidance when appealing his NPB warning, it will be discredited and will not count as a black mark against him.
Okay, whatever you say, but I am speaking from personal experience. I started an eerily similar thread a month or so ago and my experience was that I complained to Ebay Customer Service that it was fee avoidance and got no satisfaction. When I went through the Power Seller customer service, they let me off the hook. You can look it up if you like. Google is your friend. Actually, scratch that, I did it for you… http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&threadm=6cYhc.463%… 0370%40read2.cgocable.net&rnum=4&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dpqa%2Bgroup:alt.marketi n g.online.ebay%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26group%3Dalt.marketing.online . ebay%26selm%3D6cYhc.463%2524_o1.90370%2540read2.cgocable.net%26rnum%3D4
Response:
[snip] – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If you complain to ebay that he is engaging in fee avoidance, they will likely give you canned answers that amount to "it’s best to ask questions before you bid, your bid is a contract, you must pay or you will have one of your 3 strikes as a NPB against you". However, if you are a Power Seller and file the IDENTICAL complaint to ebay through the Power Seller customer service, you will have better luck. Ridiculous, but true. "Ridiculous" would be a good description for the quality and accuracy of your post. If the OP complains to eBay about the fee avoidance when appealing his NPB warning, it will be discredited and will not count as a black mark against him. Okay, whatever you say, but I am speaking from personal experience. I started an eerily similar thread a month or so ago and my experience was that I complained to Ebay Customer Service that it was fee avoidance and got no satisfaction. When I went through the Power Seller customer service, they let me off the hook. You can look it up if you like. Google is your friend. Actually, scratch that, I did it for you…
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&threadm=6cYhc.463%… 0370%40read2.cgocable.net&rnum=4&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dpqa%2Bgroup:alt.marketi n g.online.ebay%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26group%3Dalt.marketing.online . ebay%26selm%3D6cYhc.463%2524_o1.90370%2540read2.cgocable.net%26rnum%3D4
http://tinyurl.com/3hcjx
Response:
Yea, I forwarded the headers as well. I just got an email from Ebay saying I was avoiding fees, I guess he reported me.. Gee how am I avoiding fees if I’m the buyer? I don’t even pay any fees. Recently we became aware that your eBay registered account has been involved in the following activity: * Fee Avoidance- Avoidance of paying listing fees through any manipulation of eBay’s system. This includes adding on unspecified fees after the auction
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