Hello all, I'm using aw2k and have a question about shipping prices.

I just completed two auctions. I had changed the templates to make sure that the correct shipping cost and total was calculated and showing.

Two of my customers paid the wrong amount (it looks like they paid the priority mail postage which was about 2 bucks higher than what I was charging)

It seems that I missed something in sending the invoices out. My guess is that I missed a step somewhere.

So, the question is, if I am offering multiple shipping rates, how do I ensure that the customer pays the correct amount for the invoice. ?

Does aw2k update the ebay invoice amount?

It seems that the customers are paying what is in ebay and not what my invoice said.

thanks

chris

BTW - I am taking payments with paypal.

Chris,

That is a common problem, not just for AW2K users but just about anyone using a third party software.. Buyer's simply do not pay attention and just hit the pay now button at the end of Auction.

Are you sending out Invoices to your buyers from AW2K after the Auction ends?

So, in order to be sure everything is set up correctly. ----

When you say you checked the template to be sure the shipping cost and total was showing, do you mean you are using a Flat Rate? Or do you display the shipping cost in the description field?

It sounds like you are using calculated shipping which means you just enter in the product weight into AW2K in the Shipping options and allow the buyer to enter their zip code to see what it costs to ship...????

If you use calculated shipping, it can be higher than what you actually charge. eBay's calculator does not always work correctly especially when grouping items together.

AW2K or any other software cannot update the eBay invoice.. Third party software doesn't use the eBay Invoicing system.

IT works pretty good to send your buyer a Follow up with total amount due Invoice out of AW2K. I send them out to most my buyers.

Does that help?



Judy/blue

Visit my eBay store!
http://stores.ebay.com/bluepennylady?refid=store
Visit our website too!
http://www.pennyworthsales.com

Hi Judy!
Do you send an invoice to winning bidders with the total due right away? I send an email asking them to let me know if they need an invoice or just to let me know when they're done shopping (I don't want them to feel rushed)......maybe I should put the total due for the one item in that first email.....I've had trouble with the eBay calculator too!


Mickey

Visit my eBay store!
http://stores.ebay.com/MickeysEndoftheLands?refid=store

Judy

Thanks for the super quick response....

I'm shipping mostlh priority mail calculated. However, I see now that I will have to offer first class because of the maximum shipping costs for books and dvds etc.

So, it appears that the problem is that the buyers just hit "Pay" without checking things. I'm going to change the layout of my payment request a bit to make sure that the amount to pay is crystal clear. That will probably still result in a number of people still paying the wrong amount.

Now I have to figure out how to refund the money. It's only 2 bucks but (1) Honesty and (2) feedback considerations.

Thanks again for the help...

HI,

Refunding the overpayment is not difficult at all.

Just log into your Paypal account. Locate the buyer's payment. Click the "Details" link that is to the right of the buyer's name. And the payment will open.

Scroll down and find the link "Issue refund"...

Be Careful on the next window because in the refund amount box, the full amount the buyer paid you is in that field by default.

Click into the "Refund amount" box, erase the amount and type in the amount you want to issue.

I always include a message in the message box telling the buyer that "Ebay checkout overcharged you on shipping".. Buyers think the calculator is the seller's and it is not. It is a tool provided to the seller by eBay. And it does not always work right...

You might want to go through the Media shipping rules again. You are allowed to use calculated shipping on books, etc. The Flat rate shipping amount is where you get into a problem.


Yes the buyers do just hit "pay" without ever checking into anything. You might consider adding an email hyperlink into the Listing template footer, (Not in the description) which opens an email client so buyer's can ask you questions about combined shipped OR Discounted shipping.. I have a hyperlink in my listing template for "ask me a question" and buyers use it quite a bit.

Which Listing template are you using??




Judy/blue

Visit my eBay store!
http://stores.ebay.com/bluepennylady?refid=store
Visit our website too!
http://www.pennyworthsales.com

Mickey,

I tell you what I have discovered lately -- I don't send either. I recently edited my email templates and took out a ton of the text.. No one was reading them. Way too much stuff to read. The email is now nothing more than a congratulations and thank you for choosing to shop with bluepennylady email. Very short... And it includes the item(s) they have won.

That's about it. Two things have happened,, buyer's are responding back to that email, (YES!) and my communication DSR's have climbed up...

Once the buyer responds to an email, then we are good to go from then on out. And I discovered that more buyer's than I thought were actually receiving the emails. They just didn't read through the entire thing. I sent one to myself a while back... And the message would not even fit in the Preview pane of Outlook... So I thought, that message is far too long. Who has time or patience to read it..

Seems to be working much better.



Judy/blue

Visit my eBay store!
http://stores.ebay.com/bluepennylady?refid=store
Visit our website too!
http://www.pennyworthsales.com

Thanks Judy.....I think I'll send some of my email templates to myself!
Merry Christmas!


Mickey

Visit my eBay store!
http://stores.ebay.com/MickeysEndoftheLands?refid=store

Mickey,

Merry Christmas to you as well! Tell your hubby hi for me too.

Sending emails to myself was how I started figuring out why my buyers were not reading the emails. WAYYYY toooo much text to wade through.. The shorter message works much better.



Judy/blue

Visit my eBay store!
http://stores.ebay.com/bluepennylady?refid=store
Visit our website too!
http://www.pennyworthsales.com