Be considerate with your shipping charges

[BeachFleaMarket]

I refund the extra monies collected for shipping over $1.00. I just had an international transaction that requested I send it to her domestic address. I refunded her the difference in shipping. She said I'm the first seller to do this. I think that's a shame.
I have miscalculated shipping charges and ended up paying more than I expected, but that's my fault.
It's easy to do the refund through paypal or the checkout. With paypal when you are on the overview page, click details for the transaction and click issue refund. Then you put in the amount of the refund. Paypal will refund part of their transaction fee as well. Etsy's checkout does the same thing. I also send a shipping notification with the explainaton for the refund so the customer doesn't think something is wrong.
Treating your customer's money with respect is important to your business.
Frankly, I look closely to the shipping charges when I am shopping on Etsy too.

[Former_Member]

a warning though, paypal tracks refunds, if you issue too many refunds than paypal can start holding your funds. as much as 50% of funds for 90 days. there are ways to fight this, but an ounce of prevention is a worth a pound of cure.

this is why i dont refund overages. in fact, i do free shipping to the vast majority of my customers (international too)

[WintergreenDesign]

I refund over charges that are generally over $2.00 and most of those are to domestic costumers. But as the Estian above me states you don't want to do to many refunds as paypal can flag your account... it might be in your interest to put in your policies that you will refund over charges of __________ amount. Then use the over charges under that amount for the purposes of shipping supplies (tape, paper, envelopes, ink to print labels and reciepts, etc) as those things all add up.

[Former_Member]

I agree with you all - I would refund a customer if they overpaid for shipping, however I usually end up overpaying for undercharging shipping fees (not usually too much though, I don't mind doing it).

[rusticcraftdesign]

I rarely pay less for shipping than i charge...usually it is a couple bucks more! :/ I have refunded customers that purchase multiple items--but not in the same transaction---so they did not automatically receive the shipping discount on the second item =)

[HausofAriella]

I almost always pay a bit more (and occasionally MUCH more) for shipping than I charge. The only time I had to refund someone was when they ordered a couple of items and the total shipping charge came out to about $4 more than the actual shipping cost.

[Former_Member]

Ariella, you need to raise your shipping, then. That's a huge chunk of your profits, because it will eat into more than you think. If the customer won't pay your price for shipping, they're not your target market.

[lewisandbucky]

My $4.00 shipping charge covers the mailing and the tracking number, but it doesn't cover my business cards or gift wrapping. But I hate to raise shipping to $5.00. Would you think that was too much for a headband? I was just trying to keep it as inexpensive as possible to ship.

[Former_Member]

Raise the price of the items to help cover your overhead expenses. We're no different than other small businesses - we have to account for all the stuff we put into our products, including packaging and business cards.

[Former_Member]

This really does not make sense to me. I have heard shops refunding anywhere from 0.25 cents to $1.50. Sorry, but if I buy something from another etsy seller and they want to refund me $1.00 in shipping I am going to think they are not experienced. Each shop owner should figure out what it is going to cost for shipping to include packaging, printing, shipping, gas and so on and charge appropriately.

[Former_Member]

I have been underpaid for shipping fees (my own fault) but never overcharged, I weight my items before hand, if made to order I gather the materials and weight them and the envelope and the card.

I don't think the client is paying the full shipping like this, because it doesn't pay the time I spend walking to the postal office (yes I walk there and it takes me almost an hour), neither the wrapping. I think the second part of the shipping cost should be included in the item price. Actually price like photos, tags or new products is something we should always be working on.

And none of the clients I undercharged ever paid me more for the rest of the shipping. If you've stated that that was the shipping cost and the person accepted it, unless it's an outrageous difference I see no point in returning the variance.

If you're at a B&M shop and it happens that day they don’t have paper bags so they hand you a cheaper plastic bag, they then don't go and refund you for serving you a different bag.

[ShantyIrishStockyard]

I agree with Rebecca

I'll will always refund if there is a big overage.. $4 dollars or more... because with under $4 I can justify that cost on a big item ship "which it usually is" with my Packing materials costs.
Sometimes with International I'll get it lower then I thought. But I dont think it reflects well on you as a seller to refund a $1.
Even the most Experience sellers miscalculate shipping unless they are selling the same type of item over and Over. I sell Vintage and it could be a charm today and an accordion tomorrow.
The Only way to know exactly what an item is going to Cost is to
have it all packed up.. measured and Wheighed and punch in the zip of the Farthest Location from where you're shipping from BUT who can everything they're selling all packed and Sitting on Shelves before they are Purchased .. That just cant happen so I take a SWAG at it "scientific wild a** guess" at the ship and hope if Im really under paid on the shipping of one the next 6 sales might be 50 cents over.

[WintergreenDesign]

Your customer is agreeing to your shipping charges at purchase so a refund isn't really necessary. I have the biggest problem shipping to customers in my own country (Canada). Etsy only allows one price for each country so I have to charge the maximum just in case that customer is in Nova Scotia. For example if I sell one of my ornaments to a customer in BC (like me) it costs about $6 to ship but if I ship that same ornament to a customer in Nova Scotia it costs about $11... I charge $10 So I pay the difference if it's more than I charged and I refund the $5 if it's less but that's only because it's a really big difference.

[BeachFleaMarket]

I have trouble with the multiple item sales. That's where the refunds come in because I never know what items will be purchased together. I've had some combine to be over the 13 ounce first class limit.
For those of you who are concerned about the cost of your packing materials, perhaps that should go into the price of the item rather than the shipping.
When I'm buying, I look at the shipping charges. I don't like to be charged double ($4.00 for a 3 ounce package) and will usually move on to look at someone else's item. If the combined shipping looks generous I will usually look for something else to buy.
We all have differences in how we interpret the finer points of the costs of doing business. I just glad I don't have to pay for a storefront.

[Former_Member]

I compare my shipping charges to similar items on Etsy (not always reliable, but worth a look), and always go through the USPS website to estimate costs based on weight, size, and shipping method. Sometimes I'm a little over, and sometimes I'm a little under. I think you should try to refund the least amount of times possible, because it will reflect on you and it will affect your PayPal account status. Agree with Christa, Siusan.. and everyone else on the same page as them.

[Former_Member]

It costs a lot to ship my items, undercharging on everything except for my lockets. I did refunds when I first started but it was just too much to keep up with and really worth it in my opinion.

[Former_Member]

I think we should charge for shipping and handling. I have heard people complain about shipping costs, but if we are losing money then we should raise the price of our items. I have not had many sells, so I have not experienced any trouble with shipping. I have seen items on etsy that cost as little as $1.50 and the shipping cost was lean as well. It made me wonder if that person buys business cards and if they do anything extra with there packaging. We have to be fair to ourselves as well as our customers. I don't want to sell my jewelry on a discount site or a dollar store.

[Babiease]

I agree with other poster that shipping charges are more than the shipping. My charges cover shipping, packaging (tissue, ribbon, shop label), etsy fees, and paypal fees. Adding those items together are the cost for shipping my item. :)

[Former_Member]

I charge $4.00 on most of my shipping (domestically) and it usually costs me anywhere from $3-$5.00 to ship. Sometimes I pay a little extra to get it there a day or two sooner, if it has taken me a little longer to make than expected. If there were a significant overage, I would definately refund, but it has never been more than $1.00 so I figured it is pretty pointless.

[mothrasue]

When you sell vintage it is very difficult to estimate ONE shipping charge to anywhere in the US. Usually I am within $1, but if a customer is from certain parts of the country the shipping can be $5+ more.

When I have been over in shipping I refund, since I would greatly appreciate it as a buyer.

As sellers we shouldn't have to worry about this sort of thing anyway, since Etsy should have a shipping calculator. Hopefully that is on their horizon.

[Former_Member]

I think the shipping calculator idea would be great!

[Former_Member]

My shipping is set up to be very close or so that I pay the difference. Very rarely is it that the shipping is way over for the seller to pay. And if it is I will refund usually by sticking a buck or two in to the package with a note. It has only happened twice in 5 years between here and on ebay.

[Former_Member]

Rebecca Westfall from SoSweetBows says

This really does not make sense to me. I have heard shops refunding anywhere from 0.25 cents to $1.50. Sorry, but if I buy something from another etsy seller and they want to refund me $1.00 in shipping I am going to think they are not experienced.

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Sorry but it can be extremely difficult for shops to deal with multiple purchases from all over the world and be absolutely accurate with the shipping costs every time.

I've had people purchase up to 20 items at once and although I do have combined shipping listed for most items in the shop, there will be times when it will end up being more than the actual cost of the shipping. In that case, I will refund the excess paid by the customer.

I ship over 1000 packages each year from this business and unless the buyer contacts me in advance for a detailed shipping quote, the charge will probably be more than what they need to pay on such an order.

I've never had paypal hold any of my funds because I've been issuing refunds. And I issue refunds at least once each week.

[Former_Member]

Your shipping charge should cover the cost of boxes,mailers, ribbon, tape, insurance, delivery confirmation etc.!! It can add up and most customers will request a reduction if they have a problem with the fees!! This can vary significantly....I think it's an individual decision!!

[Former_Member]

My items are all small enough that I just have a postage scale at home that I use when listing them. I know immediately how much it will cost me to ship them and I can price single & multiple item purchases accordingly. I also keep an eye on how much I'm charging (including shipping supplies) vs. how much I'm actually paying. If the USPS price starts creeping up, so do my shipping fees.

That said, I have actually walked away from purchases online, including Etsy, where I KNEW the store was charging too much for shipping. For example, I know for a fact approximately how much a card weighs and how much it costs for the stamp. If you're suddenly charging double, or even triple what I expect (and I've seen it!) then I'm not buying from you.