Lesson Learned

I have been selling on eBay for many years now and every now and then I discover I still have lessons to learn.  Part of the issue is eBay itself, ever changing policies, fees, gimmicks, etc.  But part of it is my presuming that others understand things the way I do.

Today I received a message from a rather upset customer.  She'd purchased two T-shirts from my store, and had proceeded directly to check-out where she was presented with the total for her combined order.  The amount was higher than she had expected, but she paid first and complained two days later.  Her complaint indicated that she felt I was dishonest as a seller, advertising combined, discounted shipping.

My listings each carry my policies, and I thought they were very clear.  In fact, in the more than eight years I have been selling on eBay, I have never had a customer accuse me of practicing deception in my listings and my charges.

At first, I will admit, my feelings were hurt by her accusations.  I knew what had happened, of course, and that is why each of my listings asks the customer to wait for the combined invoice before proceeding to check-out.  Each T-shirt ships USPS First Class, and the prices for shipping and handling reflect the appropriate charges.  However, if a customer purchases more than one T-shirt, the combined weight of the multiple shirts exceeds the allowable 13 ounces for USPS First Class.  eBay combined shipping has not mastered the art of recognizing the limitations of  USPS First Class, and simply charges the customer too much.  When this happens, if the customer has already paid, I have to print the shipping label (USPS Priority Mail) and then refund the difference between the shipping and handling paid and the correct charges.

My customer today was a skeptic.  She is fairly convinced I am not being honest, and does not hide this feeling.  I thought about it and decided it was an opportunity to review my listings to see if I could improve them to better explain my policies.  I re-wrote my combined shipping discount policies, and asked my upset buyer to review, and let me know if the updated listing was clearer.  She liked the change and I am going to update all of my listings accordingly.  Yes, I have been selling for a long time.  No, I have never before been accused of hiding my policies or being dishonest.  Still, I'm willing to try to improve my listings, if it helps make them more clear.  I do not want customers to feel they are being cheated in any way.

And now, for some more of the fun designs available at Judy's Corner on eBay, and on Bonanza.

Combined Shipping Discounts Policies:

For combined purchases, please wait for a combined invoice before paying, as I will need to make the appropriate adjustments to the shipping costs.

SHIPPING DISCOUNTS LISTED BELOW APPLY TO U.S. ORDERS ONLY
INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS, PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR COMBINED ORDER SHIPPING COSTS

For combined orders, I will typically offer you three choices for shipping, Priority Mail, Parcel Post and UPS Ground.

All shipments are insured via U-PIC and the cost of insurance is included in the quoted shipping and handling charges.

I always offer COMBINED shipping for multiple auctions purchased and shipped together. If you receive an invoice before you are finished shopping, please just drop me a line and I will send you a single combined invoice when you have finished shopping.

Combined Shipping Discounts:
1. Combine purchases into a single shipment, made within a 7 day window, paid in a single payment and you will be charged the actual postage cost charged by the chosen carrier (calculated by weight), plus a single $1.75 handling fee, which includes insurance on your package -- purchased through U-PIC.

2. Purchases of multiple items listed as "FLAT RATE SHIPPING" will receive $1.00 off each additional item.  Example: Flat Rate Shipping cost of $3.11 for a single item, each additional of the same item shipping cost $2.11.

3. Purchase $100 or more in Judy's Corner, pay and ship in a single shipment, and you receive FREE SHIPPING

IF YOU GO TO CHECKOUT AND THE SHIPPING AND HANDLING DOES NOT APPEAR CORRECT, PLEASE DO NOT PROCEED.  I WILL SEND YOU THE COMBINED, CORRECT INVOICE.  EBAY COMBINED INVOICING DOES NOT WORK WELL AUTOMATICALLY WHEN INDIVIDUAL ITEMS ARE OFFERED WITH USPS FIRST CLASS SHIPPING, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY MUST SHIP AT EITHER PARCEL POST OR PRIORITY IF THEIR COMBINED WEIGHT EXCEEDS 13 OZ.

THANK YOU, AND I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS.
Please let me know within three days on payment method.