Rant of the day. What would you do?

[SportsStar21]

So for the first time in my trading card lifetime has this happen

So I had a bunch of individual eBay auctions going on

Each auction for cost of card + 4$ shipping

One buyer ends up buying 9 cards, so he asked if I combine shipping. So I say sure thing, what I’ll do is send you all 9 together, include tracking and insurance, so instead of 36$ (9x4$) I’ll charge you and even 20$ Since I’ll put all the cards in a box and you get peace of mind with tracking and insurance if something goes wrong (I am shipping from Montreal to Vancouver)

And now buyers refuses to pay because he says I’m ripping him off and I should just squeeze all cards together in 2 thick top loaders and make it fit in a bubble mailer

What would you guys do?

 

[capsfan30]

Over $2 a card does seem rather steep, unless you are sending like FedEx or UPS or something. I don't know what cards or how thick they are that you sold, but if you're sending CanadaPost I doubt it'll be anywhere near $20, even if you send in individual top loaders.

 

[SportsStar21]

Over $2 a card does seem rather steep, unless you are sending like FedEx or UPS or something. I don't know what cards or how thick they are that you sold, but if you're sending CanadaPost I doubt it'll be anywhere near $20, even if you send in individual top loaders.

It’s 9 cards in top loaders. Not 1 card

 

[SportsStar21]

How else would you send 9 cards all autos. About 70$ total eBay value?

 

[capsfan30]

It’s 9 cards in top loaders. Not 1 card

I know it's not one card, which is why I used plurals in my reply.

How else would you send 9 cards all autos. About 70$ total eBay value?

In individual top loaders. Are they standard sized cards? Meaning, 35pt, as opposed to 55 or 75pt? You should be able to fit 4 or 5 top loaders into a team bag with a decoy for stability, two of those in a bubble mailers, packaged well. I would wager that costs less than $10 to ship within the same country.

 

[fly4apuckguy]

I would do as he asks, to be honest. Or, find out your EXACT shipping costs, and send him that option.

$70 would be borderline for me in terms of whether or not I send it with tracking, but when I sold, I vowed to never make a cent on shipping. I either charged actual or on a rare occasion even less than cost depending on how many cards the buyer purchased and their value.

I preferred a happy returning customer/collector than someone feeling (rightly or wrongly) that I took advantage.

That said, I have not sold on ebay for a number of years (10 years), and I know things have changed in terms of costs. But I used to do $2.00 per single card (bubble mailer), 25 cents per after that, regardless, with tracking always being an option. Tracking was necessary at some point, but I don't honestly remember. $75 maybe.

You're not far off, but I would do asks or offer an exact breakdown of your costs with tracking and present that as an option.

 

[echoi69]

For your current situation, I would provide your best non-tracked & tracking shipping prices and see what he says.

As a general rule, I would always state in your posts your expected prices when it comes to combined shipping & tracking requirements to avoid post-transaction issues like this. Handle the objection before it even comes up!

Good luck to you

 

[NORD]

Buyer probably should have checked with you before bidding.I have many times asked if they combine shipping.If not then they are quite aware of s/h costs.

 

[junyab]

Use a bubble mailer with cardboard backing and send it registered...its around $14 from anywhere in Canada to anywhere in Canada.

But if you didn't specify that if an order goes above a certain threshold (say $50) that it would require shipping with tracking you shouldn't require it and you should send it all for $4 regular mail or cancel his orders or pay for the registered mail option (that I detailed above) yourself. I would to the last option personally.

As a seller you should ALWAYS list combined shipping details in your ads and require payment for tracked shipping if an order value limit has been exceeded.

 

[trekrun]

Inserting the cards, toploader) in 2 Graded or One-Touch bags and shipping in a #0 or #00 bubbler should be part of the solution.
As for postal rates, check Canada Post, online or in person.

 

[dismonkey1]

I guess there are two things here. First, it is probably best to define in the description of what the extra card cost is (combined shipping charge). I usually put .50 cent per extra card, but to be honest, I usually don't even charge that if people buy multiples because they are doing me a favor. The second is that he should have reached out to confirm what your combined shipping policy was prior to buying. In the US, you can send a small flat rate priority box for between $8-9. If it was me, I would just put it in a box or ship two bubbles, get some tracking (insurance would be your call), maybe eat a little on the shipping and be happy that I didn't have to package up 9 different cards lol...

 

[oiler8]

To me, it's a no-brainer. Pacage all the cards up in a bubblemailer. Go to the post office. Ask how much it would cost to send to _______ (insert customers address.) They will give you a print out with all your shipping options. contact your buyer and say it will cost me $x to ship plus $x for the bubblemailer and round to the nearest dollar. If they kick up a stink about it, best to refund them their $$ and relist the cards. It's a little work on your end, but the buyer knows you aren't making it up and gouging them for shipping costs.

All the best.