# eBay dynamic poastal rates?



## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

Hi all.

I received an email this morning notifying me that I had been outbid in an auction that was ending soon. I jumped on the eBay site to see what was going on and there were only 6 or so minutes remaining in the auction. Now, in recalculating my new bid I took into account the postal charge, as I always do.

At that point the postage was $11.40 to Australia as it had been for the auction duration. I actually double checked this in the postage calculator to make sure it was right.

I was still on eBay when I won the auction but needed to go so I decided I'd pay for the item later. I just jumped back on eBay tonight to pay for the item and the postage is now over $16! What the......?

I've never sold an item on eBay so don't know what options are available to a seller. Is it even possible to change the postage amount after the auction? I would not have thought so. How is this possible? I have absolutely no way to prove the original amount was $11.40 but am 100% certain that it was.

I appreciate any input.

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## Harold Sage (Apr 6, 2008)

I'd check with the seller and Ebay to see why it changed. I've had them reduce the cost on multiple cars, but never raise it.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

Michael, message the seller with your concern and ask about the original rate. also, start the payment process to see if there are options on that page. you can always use the back arrow to get out before actually paying if you don't like what you see. and don't be afraid to tell the seller you are not going to pay that amount and refuse. there is no real penalty for not paying and any little demerit eBay might put on you goes away in 6 months. stand your ground.


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## JONNYSLOTS (Apr 10, 2011)

Hmmm interesting I ask this question as well how can 1 slot car that is sent from close to were I live in Canada cost 31.60 to ship I asked seller question he said it was correct but when I went to post office and brought similar car in a large bow all wrapped just to get a price it was less than &8.00
Is he making dough on top??


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

many sellers do make money on the shipping charge, they are allowed to an extent. but eBay just doesn't care


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## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

Thanks gents, much appreciated.

Jonnyslots, what you paid was perhaps a postage _& handling_ charge. I've often paid a little more than what the face value of the postage was to cover packaging materials/boxes etc. I'm more than happy to do so but it appears that the seller you refer to was looking for early retirement. All you can do is chalk it up to experience I guess.

Al and Harold, I've sent the seller a message politely requesting a "please explain" and am interested to see what he or she says. It's a minor catch 22 in that I won the item for less than my max bid and even with the additional postage it's still less than I was willing to pay. That makes my bottom line look nicer but it's not the point..... it should look nicer by approximately $5 more.

How does selling an item work? I presume you need to enter an approximate weight and size in order for the postage calculator to work. Correct? Can a seller physically alter those amounts after an auction and before any contact is made with the buyer?

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## 82whiskey (Sep 6, 2009)

I can't say this is the case but if the seller sends you an invoice before the ebay generated invoice they can change the calculated shipping amount on the invoice form. I often do it to lower shipping when someone buys multiple items and ebay charges the full shipping amount for each item. I think once the 1st invoice has been sent however the shipping amount can not be changed.

Go back to the original auction listing and see what charge it is calculating. I don't think the shipping info in the listing itself can be changed once the auction is over.


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## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

82whiskey said:


> ...... I don't think the shipping info in the listing itself can be changed once the auction is over.


That's what I would have thought but when I look at the listing now, after the auction, the larger amount is there. :freak: I suppose it's possible that the seller altered it in literally the last few minutes of the auction but it's unlikely. If it was though, I would not have noticed.

I've not yet received an email invoice and only noticed the change when I hit the Pay Now button prior to my OP. That's when I pulled the hand brake and back peddled, as suggested by Al. Oh well, will see what the seller has to say.......

Thanks,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## partspig (Mar 12, 2003)

Ebay's "postage calculator" IS/HAS and still is, to my knowledge, notoriously inaccurate with it's estimation, exactly in the way you describe your problem. Have a good day! pig


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

Jisp/michael, US postal rates go up today. seller should have allowed for that, but might be the reason. let us know.


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## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

It's all sorted guys. Al, you are correct. It's an USPS increase and the guy didn't know it had changed until I contacted him. He's dropped a few dollars off the charge anyway so I'm grateful for that.

It was just unfortunate timing on my part but that's life. 

Cheers,
Michael.


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## vansmack2 (Feb 9, 2012)

Jisp said:


> It's all sorted guys. Al, you are correct. It's an USPS increase and the guy didn't know it had changed until I contacted him. He's dropped a few dollars off the charge anyway so I'm grateful for that.
> 
> It was just unfortunate timing on my part but that's life.
> 
> ...


Just so everyone will know, once any bid is placed on an item the seller can not change any set pricing. Obviously the postage calculator is not "set" so it can vary. A set shipping rate (no calculator) would not be able to be changed.

I just sold some automotive parts today and was unaware of the USPS increase, so I had to pay about 50 cents more than I charged for a medium priority flat rate box. I could not change the rate since the item was bid on several days ago, and I just found out about the increase a day before.


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