Since he did not stipulate in his auction that he would only ship by UPS,
it's my opinion that he's being unfair to demand that I accept the costs
of his choice of UPS shipment, especially when I've made the
less-expensive alternative so simple. I know this is a fairly small thing,
but it just irks me to no end when people are obstinate for no reason (and
expect me to pay the costs of their obstinacy).
So what do you think: am I being unreasonable or is he?
As someone who sells a fair amount of stuff on eBay I'd say that it's not
unreasonable for a buyer to request a different shipping method than what I
specify... but I do specify. Since I do specify though, I also feel I'm
being quite reasonable if I stick with my method. UPS and FedEx are a major
PITA for me so I try and do everything by USPS. I think I've only shipped 1
package via UPS out of maybe 200+ and it was only because it was $20
cheaper.
But considering the fact that on the first listing of his that I looked at
(from the link you gave) he states the following for shipping charge:
"US $3.95 - US Postal Service Priority MailŪ"
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=7514472115
I'd say HE'S the one that's being unreasonable. :-)
I also find it hard to believe that UPS would cost $17.70 for something the
post office will ship for $7.70 but the flat-rate boxes could make that much
difference I suppose. If he sticks to his guns and does ship it by UPS I'd
be sure and check the label when it arrives to see how much it actually cost
him. Even then though, probably your only recourse is to leave negative
feedback to which he will almost certainly do the same for you. :-(
The only other comment I have is that you should have asked him about this
BEFORE bidding since he didn't specify in his listing how he planned to ship
it. I know it's easy to say that now that it's too late but it's something
I learned long ago when buying via eBay.
BTW, the fact that you're using a postal money order doesn't automatically
mean that he's going to the post office anyway. I normally either cash them
at my bank or deposit them into my checking account when I receive them so
there's no need to take them to the post office.
Best Regards,
Keith Marshall
"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"
"DeepDiver" wrote in message
...
I recently purchased some stainless steel cut-offs from an Ebay seller in
New York. You might have seen some of his auctions:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZgentoolco
Incidentally, he's also posted a number of solicitations for work in the
News Groups, including one posted here a couple of years ago (however, as
far as I can tell, he's never participated in any News Group discussions).
Here is a copy of one of his NG advertisements:
Quote:
Toolmaker for Hire
I am a retired toolmaker with over 25 years experience in plastics,
aluminum, and steels. Please email me with your needs, I will quote
your job and lead time. Quality work, quick turnaround, fair prices,
no job too small, thanks.
|
In his Ebay auctions, the seller never mentioned the shipping methods used
(nor did he use Ebay's shipping calculator), but he did write in his
auction description: "Buyer pays actual shipping, I accept Paypal and
money orders and ship in the US."
Since the cut-offs were neither excessively large nor overly heavy, I was
surprised when my invoice showed a large shipping charge for the items
purchased ($17.70 for UPS shipping on a total purchase of $27.99).
So I politely asked the seller if he would ship my items in one of the new
USPS Flat-Rate Priority Mail boxes for $7.70 plus $0.45 for Delivery
Confirmation (which I offered to pay so the seller would be confident that
the package is tracked). I explained that I was paying by USPS Money
Order, so he would be making a trip to the Post Office anyway to cash his
payment.
The seller refused, saying that "the post office is very inconvenient."
(Note: I looked up his address on Yahoo Maps. There is a Post Office only
1.7 driving miles from his location.) He also claimed that he was "not out
to rob anybody on shipping".
I wrote back and--again, politely--explained that the Priority Mail boxes
are free and the USPS will even deliver them to his location for free. I
also explained that he can arrange for his Mail Carrier to pick up the
package from his location for free, saving him a trip to the Post Office.
I sent him the USPS Web links for ordering the free boxes and scheduling
the free pick-up. I also offered to send him the pre-paid postage needed
for shipment along with my payment so that all he would have to do is
stick the stamps on the box and hand it to his Mail Carrier. In short, I
did just about everything short of driving across country to pack the box
up for him.
His reply was again to refuse (this time with no explanation).
Since he did not stipulate in his auction that he would only ship by UPS,
it's my opinion that he's being unfair to demand that I accept the costs
of his choice of UPS shipment, especially when I've made the
less-expensive alternative so simple. I know this is a fairly small thing,
but it just irks me to no end when people are obstinate for no reason (and
expect me to pay the costs of their obstinacy).
So what do you think: am I being unreasonable or is he?
Regards,
Michael