For the first time since DSRs were introduced on eBay, my DSR score is "out of balance" ie. not all the values are the same.
Although DSRs are done anonymously, there is no doubt in my mind which customer caused my ratings to go out of whack. He left me postive feedback, coupled with a complaint that shipping took too long and cost too much. And the DSR scores that got lopsided the same day were -- you guessed it -- shipping cost and time.
My auctions all state that they will ship within two business days. In fact, if I have a cleared payment before noon on a weekday there is a 100% chance that the order will go out that afternoon. If I get it before about 2 there is still about a 50-50 chance it will go out same day. And absolutely all orders are shipped next day at the latest -- even though I give myself two days.
And on the latest thing I'm selling over there, I charge a flat $4.95 shipping and handling fee. The actual postage cost of the package is $5.65. The cost of either packaging stuff up, schlepping it down to the PO or paying someone else to do it is not figured into this number, of course.
So -- auction says "within two days" and it went out same day.
So -- shipping charge is about half the actual net cost of shipping.
And -- that just isn't going to cut it for this customer.
Sigh.
Frank