Should I pay the shipping?

[kozbass]

I just bought a bass off ebay and I was quoted $48 shipping from Georgia to Washington.

Now I got a message saying the actual shipping cost them $110. They are asking me to pay some of the difference.

What do you guys think? Should I pay the difference or does $110 shipping seem kinda steep?

[infect]

It sounds to me like they had a ups store do the packaging for them at that price. They had the choice of packaging the bass themselves, so it's rather deceptive imo. Whether you pay is really a tossup in my opinion.. Not sure.

[casualmadness]

If it were me, I wouldn't pay a penny more than what I was quoted. That's bait and switch. I would report them to ebay.
BTW: $110 to ship a bass in insane unless they are overnighting it to you. I lived in Seattle before I moved here to NoVA. I once bought a bass that was located in Alabama and had it overnighted to Seattle. It was just under $100. LIke $96 or something I think. It sounds like you are being scammed.

[erochelle77]

110 is ridiculous. If they quoted 48 on the listing, and the auction is over...it's a binding contract.

[RobertUI]

i think that 110 seems too steep, in fact if they had listed a figure that high in the auction, you could have reported it to ebay for being fraudulent. i recommend corresponding through ebay's message system and indicate that 110 is unreasonably high. it IS possible that the seller made a mistake, but it sounds like he/she is trying to make up for the fact that you got the bass cheaper than he/she wanted. you don't HAVE to pay the extra due to the fact that you and the seller already had a contract to pay the lower amount!

just my thought.

[infect]

Originally Posted by erochelle77

If they quoted 48 on the listing, and the auction is over...it's a binding contract.

+1

[PSPookie]

They are full of horse excrement. It does not cost $110 to ship a bass from GA to WA.
In fact, $48 seems a bit high but still reasonable if the bass is well packed and they spring for all of the bells & whistles on the shipping (delivery sig, insurance etc.).

If I were in this situation, I would email them back and say that I didn't want the bass anymore. They could then ship for the price agreed upon or refund my money in its entirety.

This shipping bit indicates to me that you are either dealing with a dishonest individual or a moron. Either way, I would have little confidence that i would receive the correct item in the condition described.

Then again, I tend to be very distrusting of people I have not met face-to-face.

[MrWalker]

You got a quote, and that's what they should charge.
$110 is what it would normally cost you to ship it to Europe.

I would not pay the extra shipping (if they are incapable of packing a bass safely, it's their problem, not yours).

[YCBass]

My first reaction is say, "No, don't pay it!"

But if the total price is still worth it to you then maybe.

It just sounds fishy - I bet the shipping is the $48 they quoted, but they're trying to get more money for the item . Cause I just sold a head on ebay and badly mis-quoted the shipping to Canada - the package ended up weighing 25 lbs more than I thought after packing it. But I would never seriously consider charging the buyer for my mistake - sure I thought about it but NO WAY.

[JonathanD]

I think sticking to the orignial agreement would be best. Would you get a refund if it cost more than they thought? They should have calculated right the first time. This would have resulted in a lower ending price by about $62.oo right

Also be ware of people who sell something for $5 and charge $80 in shipping with a return policy that says "We refund the amount-shipping".

Jonathan

[Baird6869]

I have shipped a bass from Canada to California, insured, with a required signature and a tracking # for way less than that.

You are getting hosed. If the seller decides to have UPS or Fedex pack it after the fact, that isn't your problem IMO.

[Rattman]

Originally Posted by PSPookie

They are full of horse excrement. It does not cost $110 to ship a bass from GA to WA.
In fact, $48 seems a bit high but still reasonable if the bass is well packed and they spring for all of the bells & whistles on the shipping (delivery sig, insurance etc.).

If I were in this situation, I would email them back and say that I didn't want the bass anymore. They could then ship for the price agreed upon or refund my money in its entirety.

This shipping bit indicates to me that you are either dealing with a dishonest individual or a moron.

Contact eBay and PayPal (if they were involved). Tell eBay you are quite certain that a 'bait and switch' is in play post-auction. Inform the individual that eBay/PayPal knows everything.. ask for a FULL refund.. walk away from the deal since it looks like you've been "had". Sorry.

[DeanT]

For $110 you can ship a bass to Europe. Unless it is being shipped overnight, it should not cost nearly that much for shipping within the US.

I would tell them no. Pay what was originally quoted in the auction. Let them eat the extra costs. That will teach them to calculate correctly the next time. Tell them you did not authorize any shipping other than by ground (unless it was stated otherwise in the auction).

If they originally quoted you $48, then came back after the UPS Store charged them for packing, etc., with, say $60, I would offer to pay half the difference. But from $48 to $110 is a big jump. There's no way I would pay that much unless I was getting it overnight.

[MaddAnthony_59]

Originally Posted by erochelle77

110 is ridiculous. If they quoted 48 on the listing, and the auction is over...it's a binding contract.

+110

[98dvl]

I always put "buyer to pay actual shipping charges" in my auctions.

I give quotes when the auction is going on (for people that are bidding), but it's usually just an estimate based on past experience, and maybe I'll check dimensions of what I think the box will be on FedEx or UPS, or USPS. I always explain when I send the quote that it's just an estimate - and the actual charges may be higher.

When the auction is over, I'll send the winner a final quote. But, again, I explain that it's just an estimate. I have him/her send a payment. If it turns out that the shipping charges are considerably higher, I'll ask for more money - here's the kicker - I'll scan the receipt to show the winner what it actually cost to ship. If it's considerably less, I'll Pay Pal the winner the difference.

Usually, I'm within a dollar or two on my quotes, so it's never been an issue.

Chances are, the seller took the box to the UPS store (they usually charge WAY more than anyone else would). Have him take it in to FedEx (Kinko's) and see what the shipping charges are. IME, it's best to go through FedEx for larger packages.

The shipping really shouldn't be more than $50.

[sonicvi]

I got a bass shipped from Japan for that amount. Don't pay it.

[djshawn47]

Dont pay it! Contact Ebay, if they screwed up the shipping estimate, they have to eat it.

You may have not bid the amount you did, had you known that the shipping cost was going to be $110 instead of $48.

Bait and Switch buddy!

[Juniorkimbrough]

Agreed with everyone else! don't pay it.

I've shipped plenty of basses before, most run around $20-40 to ship depending on how much insurance you want on the item.

[BadMonk]

The contract is the ebay auction ad. If the contract said $48 then that's the agreed cost. The seller must ship (no matter the actual cost) if the agreed price is paid. Now, if the seller screwed up then of course he/she can always ask to amend the price...it never hurts. But, the buyer has no obligation to pay more than the originally agreed to price of $48. Failure to ship for the agreed to price is breach of contract.

[CapnSev]

Ebay tends to really crack down on shipping overcharges, because it used to be a deceiving way to get what you wanted out of your item you're selling.

I had the same problem with an item once - it was fixed almost immediately by Ebay.