eBay PowerSeller Nick Sevino (a pseudonym) answers questions about buying and selling on eBay.

Dear Nick,
I bought 2 items on eBay. One was a Little Kitty necklace for 16 cents and the shipping is $21. Also at the same time I bid on a Little Kitty phone, I won the bid at $2.20, but the shipping is $30. I do not feel that the shipping charge is fair. So I sent the eBay seller the money for just the items (actually I sent him $2.50), and I told him to just keep the items or re-list them I did not care, but that I was not paying that kind of shipping charge on 2 toys.

I have written the guy 12 times and the only response that I have ever gotten was to tell me that I won the bids, never a letter about my emails. I wrote to eBay and to Safe Harbor but have not heard from them as of yet, but I'm hoping for a response soon. I do hope that I don't get a non-paying for these bids, I do so enjoy the eBay experience in the winter when I don't get out much to go to auctions. But anyway, thank you for your time, I do appreciate it. TYVM,
Rae

Dear Rae,
Reading between the lines of your letter, it's almost certain that the seller posted the shipping and handling in the Auction (TOS) terms of sale. If so, shame on you! Shame on you for bidding. Shame on you for not completing the transaction. Shame on you for sending in an incorrect amount of money. Your only redemption would be if the seller didn't state the shipping and handling ahead of time. Even then you should have emailed him ahead of time and clarified the charges.

Rule 1 of eBay is, don't ever bid unless everything about the auction is clear. Buyer Beware!

An Auction is a binding contract between buyer and seller to purchase and sell an item as per the TOS (terms of the sale) stated in the Auction. Although the S&H charges appear extreme, you still bid on the item. If the seller files a NPB (Non-Paying Bidder complaint), he is in the right. He is getting a portion of his fees back and putting a stop to unacceptable future purchasing behavior. A word of caution: 3 non-paying bids is grounds for suspension.

We'll emphasize in this column and future ones, if you don't like the terms of sale, than don't bid. This is the buyer's ultimate economic weapon. If sellers with inflated S&H stop getting bids, they'll rethink their strategy.

A true example of how I dealt with a similar situation occurred when looking for a expensive Dupont lighter. One of the sellers had the model at a good price I was just about to purchase it using Buy It Now, but a close examination of the TOS revealed he was charging an extra 3% for PayPal sales.

That charge is clearly against PayPal rules and made me rethink the purchase. Since he included an improper charge, he probably isn't a reputable dealer. Who knows what other tricks he'd pull?

I wrote the seller a letter and told him nicely that the PayPal charge was unallowable and that it was the only reason I didn't purchase the item. The letter served two purposes. It informed him he was breaking the rules, and it gave me the satisfaction of letting him know he had lost a customer. The seller defended the charge and lost the sale. But I wielded my economic weapon and let him know!

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To comment on this letter, post a message in the forums at http://tinyurl.com/71ro. If you have a question you'd like Nick to consider for a future issue of "Dear Nick," send it to nick@auctionbytes.com.