eBay "free" shipping

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evilmrhenry

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So I did something stupid, and bid on an auction without reading it thoroughly. The part at the top reads:
Winning bid: US $1.04
Ended: Jul-26-08 20:04:53 PDT
Shipping costs:
Free
US Postal Service Media MailTM
Service to United States

When I entered my bid, it was listed as free shipping there as well.

In the actual description, however, it reads "FREE S/H ON BUY IT NOW ONLY", (In the standard mess of colors, fonts, and sizes that plague ebay.) and I just got a bill for $6.04 that includes $5 s/h. (No, it's not worth $6. Not even close.) So:

How screwed am I? This seems like a standard "price not as advertised" situation, but can I expect eBay to do anything about it?

What do I do about it?
 
[quote name='evilmrhenry']So I did something stupid, and bid on an auction without reading it thoroughly. The part at the top reads:
Winning bid: US $1.04
Ended: Jul-26-08 20:04:53 PDT
Shipping costs:
Free
US Postal Service Media MailTM
Service to United States

When I entered my bid, it was listed as free shipping there as well.

In the actual description, however, it reads "FREE S/H ON BUY IT NOW ONLY", (In the standard mess of colors, fonts, and sizes that plague ebay.) and I just got a bill for $6.04 that includes $5 s/h. (No, it's not worth $6. Not even close.) So:

How screwed am I? This seems like a standard "price not as advertised" situation, but can I expect eBay to do anything about it?

What do I do about it?[/quote]

If they put free shipping in the auction details I don't think they can do what you describe.

Post a link to the auction.
 
I've reported the auction for "Excessive Shipping & Handling". I didn't know what else to report it for.

I'm sure ebay doesn't allow that.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
So you didn't even read the very first line in the description :roll:? The auction is definitely shady, but you are also at fault for not reading the description, what if he said the game didn't work?
 
[quote name='evilmrhenry']So I did something stupid, and bid on an auction without reading it thoroughly. The part at the top reads:
Winning bid: US $1.04
Ended: Jul-26-08 20:04:53 PDT
Shipping costs:
Free
US Postal Service Media MailTM
Service to United States

When I entered my bid, it was listed as free shipping there as well.

In the actual description, however, it reads "FREE S/H ON BUY IT NOW ONLY", (In the standard mess of colors, fonts, and sizes that plague ebay.) and I just got a bill for $6.04 that includes $5 s/h. (No, it's not worth $6. Not even close.) So:

How screwed am I? This seems like a standard "price not as advertised" situation, but can I expect eBay to do anything about it?

What do I do about it?[/quote]

You pay $6.04 and remember to read the listing before buying. The seller was clear as a bell and did nothing out of the ordinary.

Hopefully the idea of reporting the seller for excessive shipping was a joke.
 
No joke.
Selecting Free Shipping changes how his auction will show up in searches and listings.

If a seller wants to offer Free Shipping with Buy It Now they can, but not like that. They should list the item with the correct shipping, then say "Free Shipping with Buy It Now" in the description.
 
[quote name='arfin']So you didn't even read the very first line in the description :roll:? The auction is definitely shady, but you are also at fault for not reading the description, what if he said the game didn't work?[/quote]

I read the description, but misread that line. Really, when you list free shipping to the US, I expect shipping to be free.

(Oh, and if it didn't work, I would have a good chance of fixing it.)

Anyway, I'm sending this to eBay. Do I file this under "Seller Non-Performance" or "Item Not Received or Significantly Not as Described"?


[quote name='mguiddy']No joke.
Selecting Free Shipping changes how his auction will show up in searches and listings.

If a seller wants to offer Free Shipping with Buy It Now they can, but not like that. They should list the item with the correct shipping, then say "Free Shipping with Buy It Now" in the description.[/quote]

This. I was searching by "price+shipping lowest to highest" to grab some cheap(ass) games, and that was listed as $0.99 with free shipping, when it is impossible to get it for that price. And yes, discounts are fine. Extra fees are not.
 
[quote name='evilmrhenry']I read the description, but misread that line. Really, when you list free shipping to the US, I expect shipping to be free.

(Oh, and if it didn't work, I would have a good chance of fixing it.)

Anyway, I'm sending this to eBay. Do I file this under "Seller Non-Performance" or "Item Not Received or Significantly Not as Described"?




This. I was searching by "price+shipping lowest to highest" to grab some cheap(ass) games, and that was listed as $0.99 with free shipping, when it is impossible to get it for that price. And yes, discounts are fine. Extra fees are not.[/quote]

I'm going to say "Non-Performance" since he won't ship if you pay what you bid.
 
The way he did it was a bit sly but it is pretty clear if you read the info, I mean, damn it is font size 15 in blue. :p

Feel free to fight it but I would just eat the loss.
 
[quote name='M-PG71C']The way he did it was a bit sly but it is pretty clear if you read the info, I mean, damn it is font size 15 in blue. :p

Feel free to fight it but I would just eat the loss.[/QUOTE]

I agree, the seller screwed up by putting Free in the shipping details though. But he really was super clear about the buy it now thing , first line, huge text, didn't even bury it in a paragraph or something.
 
the listing is fine. if he required immediate payment with BIN then the only way to offer free shipping this way was to list it exactly as shown.

honestly, did you really expect to have a game delivered for $1. It would cost the seller more than that to deliver the item. I suppose you expect them to pay money for you to take their item?

the best thing you can do here is ask the seller to complete the mutually agree not to complete the transaction process. the seller at least gets some of his fees reimbursed -- he'll still be out the initial listing price, which was 15 cents.
 
Ebay provides benefits for sellers who offer free shipping. By putting the listing up as free shipping but "only with BIN", he's taking advantage of their system. In reality, the auction should display the $5 shipping and in the description state that BIN will receive free shipping.

I'm with the OP and mguiddy on this one. I think the OP should go ahead and pay for the item for fault of not reading the description, but the seller also needs to be reported to ebay for their activity.
 
I've experienced a situation similar to that once before, but I kinda blamed myself for not reading carefully and just paid it. It was only a few bucks anyway :T
Still, I don't blame you for getting pissed. I get really annoyed when they list shipping as "FREE" and it turns out to be something else. For example, I once bought something from someone in another country on eBay and it was only "FREE" shipping in their country, or "FREE" shipping but insurance/tracking required >.>
 
[quote name='donut']You pay $6.04 and remember to read the listing before buying. The seller was clear as a bell and did nothing out of the ordinary.

Hopefully the idea of reporting the seller for excessive shipping was a joke.[/QUOTE]

I hope not. Heck, I'm going to go login to my ebay account and flag that listing for excessive shipping. Pretty underhanded shit by the seller.
 
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