quote:
In light of these facts, don't you think I had a right to ask for, at least, a partial refund of the excess? Are you absolutely comfortable with her pocketing $18.29 -- a 273% overcharge? If I were a seller, I could not, in good conscience, do this to a buyer even if I did state it up front. I would not be able to sleep at night. There is no way that anyone can call an $18 over-charge reasonable and fair.
Actually you have a right to ask, but the seller isn't required to grant your request. It all boils down to ethics here. The terms were stated and you agreed to them (you've read that many times in this thread). Your unreasonable and unfair seller was lazy in the packaging but unfortunately this is becoming oh-so-common on eBay these days. I'd chalk it up to a live-and-learn experience.
If I see an item I really want and the shipping is ridiculous, I ALWAYS email the seller and try to negotiate shipping before bidding, sometimes it works sometimes not. If not, then I let it go (hard as that can be sometimes). However, I've purchased more than a few items from auctions that didn't close with a bidder and the sellers came back with offers.