Beware the "additional fee" on eBay invoices

[t206hound]

This may be an honest mistake from the seller, but I've asked him/her to cancel the transaction because it doesn't sit well with me. I went to pay for roughly a half dozen eBay items last night from multiple sellers. I usually just pay and don't scan the actual details, but some items were from the same seller, so I was checking for combined shipping. That's when I spotted the "additional fee." The seller included (whether intentional or accidental, I do not know) an additional fee that was equal to the item price plus the shipping... essentially double charging me.

I'm kind of stunned that this is allowed to be done on an invoice. It is called out separately with the amount in a red font, but it could have been easily missed here since the amount of the additional fee matched the total. Be aware of this when paying for eBay items. Make sure that no charges are being added that you were not aware of before you bid:

[Sean1125]

I would check to see if it is a mistake, if it's not a mistake and the seller didn't detail it (which from the sounds of it they didn't) I would let them rot...

[t206hound]

Originally Posted by Sean1125

I would check to see if it is a mistake, if it's not a mistake and the seller didn't detail it (which from the sounds of it they didn't) I would let them rot...

I've contacted the seller; he/she stated that there is some mistake and he/she doesn't see where the extra charge is occurring. It does appear on my invoice, and I've simply asked that the transaction be cancelled.

As I said, this is probably a legitimate mistake... but everyone should be aware of this ability since a dishonest seller could use it to his advantage.

[teetwoohsix]

Good catch Erick. Hopefully it really was a mistake, and not an intentional "hope he doesn't notice" move.

I remember I used to always, every month, get charged on my phone bill for one "3 way call". I never used to read the bill because I had unlimited long distance we would just pay it. One day, I was bored and was reading the bill and noticed the charge. I went back and looked and this charge was on each bill for many months before !!!!! Just one 3 way call, each month. My wife and I don't even know how to do a 3 way call. They told me it was probably happening because someone would make a call, hang up, and dial a number right away. This was a bogus excuse, and then I realized that: if this was done to everyone's bill, and if only 50% of the people noticed it, they were making a killing !!!!!!!!

Originally, they said there was no way to put a block on 3 way calls. After it started happening again, and I got a little irrate, they were suddenly able to block the 3 way feature

Sincerely, Clayton

[jcmtiger]

If the seller says it is a mistake, why not just pay the correct amount rather than cancelling transaction?

Joe

[yanks12025]

Has to be a mistake, I don't think someone is stupid enought to try to double charge someone. Maybe if they did $5 people wouldn't notice.

[t206hound]

Originally Posted by jcmtiger

If the seller says it is a mistake, why not just pay the correct amount rather than cancelling transaction?

Joe

I believe it was a mistake. The seller had no idea how to change or correct it even after talking to eBay. It was simpler just to cancel the transaction. No harm, just cardboard. I will definitely be checking out my invoices more closely from here on out.