What is reasonable for postage?

EthelBloggs

I bought something from ebay for £2.99 and was charged £4 for postage. The item arrived today - 2nd class!!!! and had £1.14 postage on it. I wouldn't mind a bit of a markup for packaging/time taken etc but to almost triple the cost seems a tad unreasonable to me.

Is it worth me saying something to the seller or should I just leave it and consider myself burned?

demonblade

Did it state that it would be sent by 2nd class? If yes then you agreed to his terms when you bidded, I dont know what you bought, but i would assume you could have guessed how much it would have cost to post and taken that into consideration. Every seller wants to make a profit, it was up to you whether you agreed to his markup in postage, if you realised you didnt like the sellers markup, then you really shouldnt have bought it in the first place.

Dazzieboo

Ebay are clamping down on sellers who make a large mark up on P&P, this I believe is only being done when a buyer complains. I know people who don't put in a p&p price and wait to see how the bidding goes and if goes well, put a sensible price on it and if badly charge a really ott price. Personally, I never bid on anything without a P&P price.
When I sell, I am keen for people to buy from me again, so I am always realistic with postage and handling costs and charge for the envelope, the stamps, the packing materials and maybe a tiny bit for handling, and that is it. I don't say if I am going to send first or second, so if I have made an error in the costing (which does happen occasionally) I have the option to go second class if needed.

On occasions I have felt the P&P has been too high, but I have felt happy with everything else, I have still left positive FB but made a comment along the lines of "shame about the high P&P".

Boomdocker

Agree with the above poster I dont bid on anything that doesnt state the P&P. That way you know what you are getting and if you then bid you agree those terms.

As a seller it amazes me how much some other people charge. I generally weigh mine and list it as second class as its the cheapest way for the buyer and only takes a day longer. As its postage and packing I factor in a few pence for my envelope and anything else I may have used depending on what I am posting. For example a novel might cost 83p to post so I'll charge 99p to include packaging but if you compare some people list P&P for anything upto £2.50 for the same item.

You could argue that they are the smart ones as if people are willing pay, (lets face it know one is making us bid) good luck to them. I prefer to think that if I keep my P&P fair and honest I will attract more bids.

shelly

Whilst I don't agree with rip off p+p costs I don't think you should complain after you receive the parcel. As a seller you should know roughly what an item would cost to send and if you think its too high then don't bid. By bidding and winning an auction you agree to the p+p charge. I'd rather pay over the odds for an item well packaged than an item where the p+p is spot on and poorly packaged.

When hubby first started buying on e-bay he bought a heavy item for his motorbike. The p+p was £15 which he thought was reasonable. When item arrived it was wrapped in just a black bin bag and p+p was £7. He didn't complain to seller as he'd agreed to p+p charge when bidding.


If it was a commercial company on the net charging £2.99 for say....an MP3 player then charging £4 to deliver it no-one would think twice about paying it because thats what we're used to.

EthelBloggs

This is what it said

Postage Cost Services Available Available to
£4.00 Seller's Standard Rate United Kingdom only
Will post to United Kingdom.
Postal insurance
£0.65 Optional

It was only a little silky duster, lol. I'm not a seller so I dont really know what things cost to send, I've only really ever had to send letters so I am pretty clueless about these things.

Ahh well.. lesson learned Thanks everyone

shelly

EthelBloggs wrote:

This is what it said

Postage Cost Services Available Available to
£4.00 Seller's Standard Rate United Kingdom only
Will post to United Kingdom.
Postal insurance
£0.65 Optional

It was only a little silky duster, lol. I'm not a seller so I dont really know what things cost to send, I've only really ever had to send letters so I am pretty clueless about these things.

Ahh well.. lesson learned Thanks everyone

Next time you buy and are unsure of the p+p cost of an item go to the RM website and roughly guess the weight of the item (always guess too heavy then you'll be about right) and see how much it should cost to send, add a bit on for packaging and if you think its too much then go to next seller.


HTH

cheets99

Postage is as important as the info on the listing, I double check ever bit of the listing for the postage cost.

I like to put roughly £1 profit for a DVD or Game, If its somthing bigger I like to put about £3-4.

It just depends on the item, how fragile it is and where its going.

jen_jen_2

a similar thing has happened to me, yes you agree the price and accept that the cost includes envelopes/wrapping, going to the post office etc etc. but not that they will charge so much extra
From my experience and discussions with other people it seems fairly common and people i have spoken to say "well you agreed so how can you complain" i know its frustrating but you will probably have to write it off to experience.

scottishchick27

When I'm making my bid for an item I take into consideration the P+P and what it will cost overall. Say I wanted an item that I would pay roughly £10 for and the P+P is £3 then I would only bid up to £7. When I'm selling an item, however, I weigh it and get the postage cost and only add about 20p for handling. The buyer agrees to the postage when he makes his bid.

CIS

At the end of the day, its the total price that matters.

If an item is £15 in a shop and £10 on Ebay, does it really matter its £5 for the item and £5 postage, or £9 and £1 postage ?, its still only £10.