Too many Funsters on Ebay (UPDATED)

Ok, so I decided a while back i was going to sell my CRT 19" Viewsonic monitor on ebay. I had recently purchased a Similar Viewsonic LCD, so the CRT was not needed.

Anyways, I put the BIN at a price of 85.00, and the bidding starting at 75.00

I got many mails about ending it early, Asking if local pickup was ok, etc, but nothing really panned out.

On the last day of the bidding someone used BIN and purchased it. I was shocked. I figured that it had to be someone local I had spoken to, but it wasnt! It was someone in Omaha, NE!!!! :eek:

Well I called the local mailboxes, etc and got a price quote of $95.00

For a grand total of
$175.00


When i sent her the invoice, here's what she responded with:

Hey Mike! Where do you get a shipping cost of $95.00 to ship a Monitor to Nebraska? We don't want it overnighted to us. Let me help you. The weight is 48.4lbs, shipped to Omaha NE 68164 from Irvine CA 92618 or 92602 via UPS Ground would come to: $31.13
48.4lbs, shipped to 68164 from 92602 is the same amount.
Are you saying you want to make $63.87 on top of that, to put it in a box to ship it us. I beleave you need to look into this amount quoted, and see if you made a mistake somewhere. Here is the link: http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAP...pingcalculator
Let me know what you come up with...

And I responded with:

After calling another mailboxes etc, the pricing was the same for UPS Ground. In order to package this properly, the packing material, box, foam, etc will cost that much otherwise the insurance won’t cover the monitor.

The MBoxes Etc phone number is

The moms and pops store number I called is

The box dimensions they recommended were 2 inches of padding, 24x24x24. Foam, packing peanuts, etc.

Feel free to call them if you’d like and ask them the shipping info from 92612 to 68164. Weight was 50 lbs.

Let me know what you’d like to do. I can assure you I will not make a penny on the shipping, and am not charging a dime on the handling. That’s not how I operate J

The exact amount they quoted me was exactly what I put as your shipping charge.

Thanks!

-Mike


And got no response, so i responded with:
Ok, I called the same mailboxes etc and complained: XXX-Xxx-XXXX

They said the best they could do is 84.00 for shipping.

Let me know what u want me to do.

Thanks!
Mike


And got no response, so then I responded with:

Any update on any of this?

-Mike



And they finally responded with:

On Friday, October 10, 2003 4:46 PM we sent an email response to your request for payment. As of 10-14-2003 you have not responded to us as requested. This email is to inform you that this is our last chance to complete this deal with you, before it is considered void. We will not pay the over charged amount you quoted for shipping. And we asked you to reconfigure it. Also by eBay rules it cannot be charged to us. If you cannot complete this deal, then we have no choice but to leave appropriate feedback. Which will be left stating why this deal could not be completed. We tried to do our part...Jo Ann


And I responded with:

What is your phone number? I’d like to discuss this with you on the phone if at all possible. My phone number is xxx-xxx-xxxx.

I called Mailboxes etc again, and they have told me that the UPS website does not include a 30 dollar oversize fee, which is bad, because of situations like this.

I decided to call the local ups in hopes of the pricing being cheaper than going through a middleman such as mailboxes etc, etc. It actually was!

Their phone number is xxx-xxx-xxxx.

Below is the quote I got:

UPS Ground via UPS
Package wt. 50lbs

shipping from 92612 to 68164

Shipping is 42.00

Packing is 32.00
The box dimensions 2 inches of padding, 24x24x24 box.
74.00 for shipping / packaging

The MBoxes Etc phone number is xxx-xxx-xxxx.(I spoke with Bonnie)
UPS Ground via MailBoxes Etc.
Package wt. 50lbs

shipping from 92612 to 68164
The box dimensions 2 inches of padding, 24x24x24 box.
84.00 for shipping / packaging

The Advantage Connection number is xxx-xxx-xxxx.(I spoke with Shane)
UPS Ground via Advantage Connection
The box dimensions 2 inches of padding, 24x24x24 box.
145.00 for shipping / packaging

I can assure you I am not making a penny on the shipping, and am not charging anything on the handling. That’s not how I operate J

Let me know what you would like to do.
Thanks!
-Mike

I havent heard anything back yet

What do you guys suggest I do. I hate this kinda crap...
I have a FLAWLESS ebay record, and this is really pissing me off..

-Mike

The person is obviously a stupid cunt.

Unfortunately since they will not pay, accept their $32 for shipping. Throw it in an empty, unpadded, made out of paper package (or do as shity a packing job as possible, no peanuts, no padding). Pray it gets damaged on the way. When they complain to UPS about wanting insurance reimbursement, have UPS laugh at them.

Either way you get negative feedback, but at least this way you would get negative feedback, the money, and a small feeling of satisfaction for fucking this retarded cunt over.

IMHO you are overcharging for shipping. You should list shipping charges when it's such a heavy item. I can see the buyer's concern with that kind of pricing...

How is that overcharging for shipping, when that is the ACTUAL cost? I don't get it.

Also, I put clearly in the auction BUYER PAYS ALL SHIPPING COSTS.

Not sure what else I could have done.

Quote:

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Originally posted by slerch666
The person is obviously a stupid cunt.

Unfortunately since they will not pay, accept their $32 for shipping. Throw it in an empty, unpadded, made out of paper package (or do as shity a packing job as possible, no peanuts, no padding). Pray it gets damaged on the way. When they complain to UPS about wanting insurance reimbursement, have UPS laugh at them.

Either way you get negative feedback, but at least this way you would get negative feedback, the money, and a small feeling of satisfaction for fucking this retarded cunt over.

---

Sorry to hear that you've had this problem, neomike. I can imagine how fucking irritating this must be for you.

I agree with slerch666: unless they suddendly respond in a different way, they are going to leave you negative feedback anyway , so ship the damn thing in a simple carton box and as cheaply as possible, and let them complain afterwards. You tried to be nice and went to great lengths in order to solve the problem: they insisted in fucking with you...have a small but sweet revenge on these fucktards. I say.

Well...I just checked shipping charges via UPS (yes, I'm that bored) and for Standard Ground with a 50lb item to [insert zip codes here] in a 24x24x24 box is roughly $36.

Toss in a shitload of newspaper for packing and it would appear that she was close in her estimated shipping cost.

Although if you wanted to REALLY protect it, the extra padding would be another $10-15 bucks. (and shipping a monitor with just newspaper via UPS is basically suicide...)

But either way, I think you should've double-checked your shipping quotes, because it does seem to be way too high.

I too would mail it out as they requested, with little to no packaging. Make sure you save all the E-Mails.

I think shipping is very high overcharged

....anyway....that's the reason why I NEVER put BIN option on my auctions
you can expect anyone'd use it
....plus I always cancelled peoples with less than 10 pos. feedbacks

I could sound kinda jerk but I never had problem when selling my stuff

Quote:

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Originally posted by kaos
I think shipping is very high overcharged

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How is that overcharging for shipping, when that is the ACTUAL cost? I don't get it.

Also, I put clearly in the auction BUYER PAYS ALL SHIPPING COSTS.

Not sure what else I could do. I dont know the first thing about packaging a monitor, nor do I have any packing materials here...

Quote:

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Originally posted by Neo Mike
How is that overcharging for shipping, when that is the ACTUAL cost? I don't get it.

Also, I put clearly in the auction BUYER PAYS ALL SHIPPING COSTS.

Not sure what else I could do. I dont know the first thing about packaging a monitor, nor do I have any packing materials here...

---

Throw that fucker in a nasty ass box. Throw in some dead babies... I mean, news paper or some other cheap form of padding to keep it from knocking around. Take it to UPS and ship it like that, don't tell them what's in it and don't tell them what it's worth. When the person gets it and complains, just say, "you get what you paid for." Cheap ass shipping gets you cheap ass service.

Like I said, doesn't sound like you are getting out of a negative on this one as it is anyway. Really fuck them out of the $85 + shipping and feel good knowing they won't be able to use the monitor once they get it. They'll be pissed you did it, you'l be pissed they didn't want to pay shipping, but you'll have the last laugh. You can still use their $85 and they can't use your monitor.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Neo Mike
Not sure what else I could do. I dont know the first thing about packaging a monitor, nor do I have any packing materials here...

---

Since you're most likely going to get a negative either way, like everybody else, I think you should just accept the $35 shipping. Then throw the monitor into the worst box you can find, and pad it with newspaper. No other packaging materials is neccessary.

Done!, then let UPS take care of the rest. ;)

Sadly that kind of price is pretty typical once you get to a large box size of 24x24x24. I know USPS slams you with something like an oversize box fee on something that large that amounts to a lot of extra money. I shipped something one time that was about that same box size and I had to eat the additional money on shipping. It was like an extra $30 or $40. I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

I agree with everyone else; keep all emails from this jerk and ship it via the cheapest method possible.

just letting you know, never ever goto a mail specialty store like Mailboxes Etc.

I was going to ship something to a guy in India once and went to my local Mailboxes Etc. to find out the shipping for him.. they gave me a figure that was a little over $70.. so i let the guy in India know and he complained about it being too much and swore that it'd be cheaper..

so...

the next day i goto the local Post Office and for the same type of shipping they were only going to charge around $35.

so places like Mailboxes Etc just rape you as much as possible. avoid at all costs.

Never-ever ship with MBE. They wanted to charge me $60 to ship a copy of Steel Battalion to my own house. I sad fuck it and just went USPS and they shipped it for $13 media Mail or $25 regular mail. :D

Take the box to your local UPS depot and ship it from there. You will pay actual cost. You can find the closest location on their website. It is much cheaper than MBE, who adds a nice chunk to the shipping price to help their bottom line. I know prices have changed, but I shipped a brand new 17 inch monitor at a UPS depot for $35 with three day service and insurance two years ago. Good luck.

1.) Mailboxes, Etc. will charge you double for putting your item in a box w/styrofoam.

2.) You should ALWAYS post shipping cost on the auction. That way you avoid this type of thing. If the only way you'll ship is via MBE, for $90, say so up front.

There's already bad blood now between you and this guy. He's pissed no matter what, and isn't going to pay you even if you could ship it for $20. Just tell him no hard feelings, exchange positives, and relist.

Get a box and foam from staples, and while you're there, go to the UPS counter and ask how much it would cost to ship if it weighed XXX amount in that box. It shouldn't top $40.

I had this happen to me when a guy charged me $75 for shipping me a guitar via UPS ground, and when I called, the lady quoted me $20 when I gave her the weight and dimensions. Those packing places charge an arm and a leg man. It's best to charge the buyer packing materials and just pack it yourself, it'll be way cheaper in the long run. Sucks, I know, but next time in your auctions if it's a large item let them know up front that they will be paying the fees that Mailboxes Etc charge, so there's no argument down the road..

Quote:

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Originally posted by Neo Mike
How is that overcharging for shipping, when that is the ACTUAL cost? I don't get it.

Also, I put clearly in the auction BUYER PAYS ALL SHIPPING COSTS.

Not sure what else I could do. I dont know the first thing about packaging a monitor, nor do I have any packing materials here...

---

You seem like a nice enough guy and I don't think you are trying to rip off, but in my opinion a large part of the burdon lies on you.

You state that you have no idea how to ship a monitor. You should know how to ship the item you are selling, or offer it as pick up only.

Remember, there is such a thing as over packing a box. The only major thing to worry about on this is the glass front of the monitor.

Here's what I would do.
Take some bubble wrap (larger bubbles about 1 inch across) and cushon the glass part with about 4 - 5 layers. You could also put a piece of cardboard over the glass first. Then wrap the rest on the monitor with one layer of bubble wrap. Pad the bottom of the box with crumpled newspaper, put it in the box and fill the rest of the space with more crumpled newspaper. Just make sure the monitor isn't so loose that it is moving all around.

Will USPS ship something this size?
Fex EX?
How about RPS?

I think you can resolve this with just a little bit more foot work.

Quote:

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Originally posted by jefmcc

Remember, there is such a thing as over packing a box. The only major thing to worry about on this is the glass front of the monitor.

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Have you ever tried to break the glass front on a monitor? Unless the box is pierced by something, I seriously doubt ANYTHING is going to happen to the glass as long as there is SOME padding between it and the box.

Rough handling, however, will totally fuck up a monitor if it's not really well made.

your ACTUAL COST. is not actualy cost.

it's the cost of you taking an item to a 3rd party + having them package and ship.
THat does not = YOUR COST.

Uh, shipping a monitor ISNT easy.

You have to prevent the tube from busting, which can happen when dropped.

I'd say that the BEST way to ship one of those is probably from a store like this, because they know how to package it and have the correct materials.

I don't understand why neo mike is made out to be some scammer, he wants to make sure the product arrives safely, or he can just pack it in popcorn and hope Teh Lourde is watching over the monitor he shipped and when the delivery guy picks up the package whisper in his ears, 'be careful My Son, that there is a monitor and you know neo mike didn't want to overcharge anyone on shipping so he just put some Charmin toilet tissues to pack the monitor.'

But here's the take home lesson: always list your shipping cost, because then there's little defense for the buyer to say 'I didn't see the shipping cost' since it's there as part of the eBay contract for bidding.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Neo Mike
How is that overcharging for shipping, when that is the ACTUAL cost? I don't get it.

Also, I put clearly in the auction BUYER PAYS ALL SHIPPING COSTS.

Not sure what else I could do. I dont know the first thing about packaging a monitor, nor do I have any packing materials here...

---

Are you not surprised that the shipping charge is more than the price of the item? Im sure you would be if you made this purchase. Tell her that you are sorry that the shipping was so much more than expected and tell her she can back out of the auction because of such as long as she leaves you a positive feedback and you will do the same. Now, add $5 to the BIN price and state the now known shipping cost. THAT would be the fair and right thing to do IMHO. Good luck man.

Ok, so here's the UPDATE:

One of my friends runs a shipping company, and decided to donate 2 boxes, some peanuts, alot of newspaper, and bubble wrap/cardboard for the shipping.

So we wrapped the monitor in bubble wrap, and then proceeded to cover the monitor bezel with cardboard. Then we put the monitor in box 1 and stuffed ALOT of newspaper all around it.

Next came box 2 and stuffed ALOT of newspaper all around that.

I called ups and they verified that that should be sufficient (4 inches of padding minimum on all sides.)

__________________________________________________

Immediately she msgs me asking for a tracking number, so I reply and send it back to her.

__________________________________________________ __

Well UPS takes time before they scan, etc so the tracking number says invoice received, but that's it. She writes back a crude remark "Now all you have to do is ship it".

So I brushed it off and played nice guy and told her it was shipped, and that ups takes a day or 2 to have the invoice and status show up in the system.

__________________________________________________ _

Now today I get this mail from her:

Hey Mike! Have you ever seen someone moving, and wrap glassware in newspaper. Then pack it into a box. Only to find when unpacked, things got broken anyway. Newspaper is not 2" of foam, or peanuts. And will not protect a 45lb monitor, let alone glassware. Common sense should have told you that. And if this is what your friend helped you with, you better slap him. And slap him hard. All these years, this has got to be the worst packing job I have ever seen for a monitor.

Your near perfect monitor as you called it, now has a banged up corner. A broken swivel, because it was packed under a 45lb monitor face down, wrapped in newspaper. A small scratch on the screen, where the swivel punched through the cardboard taped to the screen. And also something is rattling around inside. Which can't be determined what it is, without taking it apart.

RD is not here till Friday, so it hasn't been turned on to see if it is fatal. Our tech can't touch it without his OK. Now for the real bad news. UPS will not cover any claims on this damage, because of the way it was packed. We opened it up with them watching because of the condition of the lightweight outer box when it was received. All he could do was shake his head. Your newspaper had settled so bad, you may as well of just put it in an empty box, and told them to drop it off the mountains they went over on the way.

Way to go. Can't wait to hear back from you. And hopefully before RD gets back. So I can fill him in on what's up, before he blows a cork. Not good Mike, not good at all...


_________________________________________________

What should i do here? I really already went WAAAY out of my way on this transaction. I took care when I packed it too. Now this.

Part of me wants to tell her this is why I recommended paying extra for the packaging in the first place. The lady is kind of a nut too. I really dont want the neg feedback though.

What would you guys do?


.

Well, first off, you shouldn't have used newspaper. Newspaper isn't adequate for small items much less heavy weights like a monitor. If all that newspaper had been replaced with foam peanuts then it would have most likely been fine. You can typically buy these for a reasonable price at most office stores or shipping supply stores.


As far as a solution to your problem, I don't really have one. The only way to have prevented this would have been to either list the actual shipping and packing terms in the auction to end any confusion or eat the cost of the packaging to make sure it made it there safe.


Edit: Also, if all she wanted to pay was just the shipping charge and not the the actual cost of a box and decent packaging, thats just plain stoopid on her part.

Yeah she offered to pay the bare shipping only. No packaging materials, etc. As my auction states, the buyer pays shipping cost – Which includes the packaging, materials, etc.

I gave her 4 different shipping options through 4 different companies, with 4 different prices. She refused all 4.

So my friend offered to help us out and package this up with me.

I think i went WAAAY out of my way on this transaction already...

DON'T SHIP UPS THEN.

Good fucking lord.

Use FedEx or USPS.

Jesus Christ.

Tell the woman she got what she paid for, and that she should read and/or inquire about auctions if she has ANY questions at all, before bidding. What a dumbfuck, I wouldn't give her SHIT, especially when acting like that after what she did.

And UPS is the worst way to go in any situation. Always USPS.. Always..

Quote:

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Originally posted by Neo Mike

Now today I get this mail from her:

UPS will not cover any claims on this damage, because of the way it was packed. We opened it up with them watching because of the condition of the lightweight outer box when it was received. All he could do was shake his head.

---

This part did catch my eye. I can't say I know all of UPS's policies, but I didn't think they would be witness to any opening of a package?


I agree with EW though. You could have shipped an anvil in that package and UPS would have likely fucked it up.

I only ship via USPS because of this.

Yeah, she is definately BS ing that part. They would not deny a claim upon delivery. A delivery guy would not be able to determine that.

I guess most claims under 100 dollars they just go ahead and process because they dont wanna waste time on them.

We'll see.

Well they could have went to the store to get it, and opened it there, but that's pretty far-fetched. She probably is just completely BSing you.

Yeah.

What's worst case scenario for me? Neg Feedback?
I'm actually kinda upset about this. I have flawless ebay feedback. :confused:

What's theirs? I can only wonder..

Quote:

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Originally posted by SonGohan
What's theirs? I can only wonder..

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Yeah I totally agree with you. she's not getting a penny out of me.

The only thing I can say is that you should have been up front about the shipping costs of such a heavy/large item. If your auction had specifically mentioned the costs, there would be no grounds for complaints. Realistically, a large and heavy item such as that monitor should have been sold for local pickup, or to a local store only. Shipping it is just not practical or cost effective. :oh_no:

As for feedback, don't leave any at all until you get feedback from her. Then leave her a negative and explain the problem, and followup her negative with an explanation. Thats about all you can do. :annoyed:

Quote:

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Originally posted by Neo Mike
Yeah.

What's worst case scenario for me? Neg Feedback?
I'm actually kinda upset about this. I have flawless ebay feedback. :confused:

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She could neg you, file fraud complaints and do a chargeback, if she paid with PayPal.

It all depends on how pissed off they are, and how deviant they want to be.

These kind of people are all the same. The have a lot of pent up angst from somewhere, will view the transaction as the greatest injustice in the world, and use you as a source of venting.

That email is flame-bait. Writing an email back trying to appeal to her sense of logic will only serve to piss her off more.

She'll also be pissed off if she thinks you're not listening. If you write back, make sure it's short, direct, and to the point. Professional and non-emotional. Ignore repeat complaints.

I have a negative. It doesn't bother me. Sometimes shit happens. Ebay isn't your life.

Quote:

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Originally posted by chemical
She could neg you, file fraud complaints and do a chargeback, if she paid with PayPal.

It all depends on how pissed off they are, and how deviant they want to be.

---

What does a fraud complaint do?

How about a paypal chargeback? She did pay with paypal...

Quote:

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Originally posted by EvilWasabi
I have a negative. It doesn't bother me. Sometimes shit happens. Ebay isn't your life.

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Yeah that doesnt really bother me. I had a funny taste in my mouth when she first emailed me before I even shipped it out though, especially with all of her negativity.

thing about a chargeback is if you fax your shipping reciept with confirmation of the item shipping to the customer service at paypal, they won't go through with the chargeback.

Should i do that now? or wait until paypal contacts me?

I think the protocol is to wait for them to email you about the chargeback.

EMPTY YOUR PAYPAL ACCOUNT

NOW

that way if they charge back, you can just play it cool and say "whatever" and they won't get jack.

then you can just forget about it, and go on with life.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Neo Mike
What does a fraud complaint do?

How about a paypal chargeback? She did pay with paypal...

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Fraud complaints: If filed through Post Office, a mail fraud complaint basically just flags someone as questionable. If a person gets enough of them, they'll investigate.

Chargebacks: Did she pay you with a credit card-funded payment? If so, she can go to her credit card company, explain her side of the situation, and file a dispute. If successful, her credit card company will reverse the transaction and pull the money back from PayPal. In turn, PayPal hits you up for the money and associated chargeback fees.

She can also do this if she used bank funds or balance, although it's not as likely to go through if she complains to PayPal since you have a tracking number and she can't claim non-receipt.

Hmm How can i tell if it was funded by CC or Bank Account?

Quote:

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Originally posted by EvilWasabi
thing about a chargeback is if you fax your shipping reciept with confirmation of the item shipping to the customer service at paypal, they won't go through with the chargeback.

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That's true if she files her complaint with PayPal, but not if she goes directly to her credit card company.

PayPal only cares if the buyer gets the item. Credit cards have a whole different set of guidelines, and she can charge back if the item she received was different than advertised, broken, or DOA.

Quote:

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Originally posted by c.t.h
EMPTY YOUR PAYPAL ACCOUNT

NOW

that way if they charge back, you can just play it cool and say "whatever" and they won't get jack.

then you can just forget about it, and go on with life.

---

you would also have to empty your bank account.

It's not worth it. Make her ship the monitor back, but with extermely good packing materials so that you can tell it was damaged enroute to her. No one refunds you on purchases unless you ship the item back first.

no one.

Quote:

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Originally posted by chemical
That's true if she files her complaint with PayPal, but not if she goes directly to her credit card company.

PayPal only cares if the buyer gets the item. Credit cards have a whole different set of guidelines, and she can charge back if the item she received was different than advertised, broken, or DOA.

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I've heard it's not that simple. Like if you use paypal to get the money, the credit card company is only caring about getting the money to paypal, as a service provder, not the money getting to the recipient for merchandise... I'm not completely sure though.

So basically you're all saying Im gonna end up footing the bill of this at some point?

Or?

If she does send it back to me, and its all beat up, DOA, etc. Then what?

Quote:

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Originally posted by EvilWasabi
Make her ship the monitor back, but with extermely good packing materials so that you can tell it was damaged enroute to her.

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This is exactly what I would do. That way when she says it costs too much money for proper packaging, you can then throw back in her face that paltry $35 she wanted to spend on initial shipping to her.

Irony. At its best.