I need help with an amazon.com seller and shipping

[SarahM]

I purchased two textbooks from two different sellers and picked $3.99 shipping rate. I then realized I was not going to get my books on time and decided to email sellers and offered to pay the difference if they sent it expedited shipping. they both agreed.

One seller told me the amount she paid and the amountuch I owed her,everything was as stated when I received the book, so no problems.

the other seller said it cost her $23 to ship the book expedited, but when I received the bood this afternoon it only said $14.25 on the package, she is asking me to pay her back $20. I don't understand why I owe her that much, I should owe her $14.25 -3.99, don't I?
I emailed her and I am waiting for an answer.

 

[Jaffas]

Not a very smart Amazon seller. Unless that was a really big textbook it should have fit in a flat rate priority box for $9.30 (I think that's the new rate). I can't think of a single book that wouldn't fit in one and I've been selling on Amazon for over seven years. I'm assuming it was too big for a flat rate envelope that would be $4.80. Most sellers (myself included) will only offer expedited on books that fit in a flat rate envelope. If someone wants a bigger book expedited and contacts us, as you did, we just charge the difference for the flat rate box. Amazon does not give the sellers the full $3.99 that they charge for shipping and quite often we loose money on postage. Anyway probably more than you ever wanted to know about Amazon and 3rd party sellers.

Gabrielle

 

[SarahM]

She didn't send the book in a box but in one of those express shipping envelopes. The envelope got ripped and the book is wet and humid at the binding. It is a better deal for her that I offered to pay for extra shipping so I don't know why she is asking for more. I'll check at the post office website how much that envelope she used costs and offer her half of that price (she would have had to put in something in order to ship it anyways).


edited to add: just checked usps.com, there is no charge for the envelope she used.

 

[Jaffas]

Sounds like lack of experience to me. It sounds like she used an express mailer. The P.O. does provide the envelope for free but the express rate is much higher than the priority box or envelope I was talking about. I never pay the extra for express, I'd use Fedex if someone really needed it overnight and was willing to pay for it. Fedex is not much more than express. Priority (also free envelopes/boxes) usually gets there within two days. Every once in a while it may take up to four. Express is supposedly guaranteed next day delivery but I only trust the P.O. as far as I can throw it. Her intentions were probably good but some of the smaller sellers just don't know the ins and outs of the Post Office. She probably made the mistake of asking the P.O. clerk which service to use. They always try to sell the most expensive even if a cheaper rate will do. Believe me if I could take my business elsewhere I would but with Amazon taking a big cut on all the shipping charges we are stuck using U.S.P.S. media mail.


Gabrielle