Over priced postage?

sam.4000

Avoriaz wrote: »

If I was satisfied with the item and I received it promptly, I would leave positive feedback.

£2.99 p&p is not excessive and, from your later comments, maybe it is the sellers standard rate.

Selling for 99p and charging £1.39 postage probably makes it not worth bothering listing low cost items on ebay unlesss you sell large nunbers. Sellers might just as well throw stuff away or donate it to charity.

I applaud the use of recycled packaging. All I want is the item promptly and safely delivered. I don't want or need brand new packaging.

Ebay is Ebay, not Harrods.

I have no problem with the use of recyling packaging and occasionally do this myself but I DO NOT charge the buyer.
I have left feedback as positive but with low star rating for charges of posting and packaging.
I think I'm too nice P&P to me is the cost of postage and packaging.

OrkneyStar

I find the stars for P and P thing strange- surely the best way to stop people charging excessive postage is for buyers simply not to bid if they think it excessive ?
To me it is odd to agree to bid, agree to pay P and P, and then complain. Fair enough if someone sends wrong way (eg first instead of recorded) then there is reason to complain, but otherwise if you are roughly aware of how much something weighs you should be roughly aware how much it will cost to post, and therefore how much you are willing to pay ? The information is available online and in leaflets from the PO.
I don't mind paying slightly more for P and P than an item actually costs, if the packaging is fit for purpose and the item is dispatched in reasonable time (I realise dispatch is a different category for stars!), if it is too excessive then I simply don't bid. It also helps people see that their P and P is too much (tbh I was setting mine a bit high, without meaning to, have since dropped to cover RM cost, packaging- new bag, bubble wrap etc as needed- and not much else!).
I would also consider emailing the seller- it might be a genuine mistake- just recently I realised the postage I quoted on an item was too high, and emailed the buyer explaining this, and put a lower charge on the invoice. Also refunded half of someone's postage recently when I discovered at PO something could go as a letter when I thought it would have to be a package! It was just on the line lol!

Dizzie77

But how do you know what is excessive, unless you know how much the package weighs, and how it will be packaged?

I know what I think is reasonable - but my "guesstimate" may be well off the mark.

st999

I wanted to buy something costing 59p from a shop which sells online.

Their minimum P&P charge was £9.99

OrkneyStar

Dizzie77 wrote: »

But how do you know what is excessive, unless you know how much the package weighs, and how it will be packaged?

I know what I think is reasonable - but my "guesstimate" may be well off the mark.

Perhaps it depends what you are buying ?
I have mostly bought clothes/CD's, so I know how roughly much this sort of thing might weigh (plus the heaviest packaging option).....anything which seems well over and above this then I might be less likely to bid ?
The other confusing thing is email allowing 'sellers standard service' - meaning they could use a much cheaper service, and the only way of being sure is to ask them what service it is ?
I agree it is difficult sometimes........I suppose this is why I would be prepared to refund/alter an invoice if I found I have somehow over calculated. Have been caught out in the past too, items were just under 2kg but just over 2kg when packaged so it cost me £7 odd instead of £4.50.....did not charge seller more as my mistake but if it had been other way round may well have refunded £1.50 or £2.00 to them!

OrkneyStar

st999 wrote: »

I wanted to buy something costing 59p from a shop which sells online.

Their minimum P&P charge was £9.99

An example of something clearly OTT......of course Next charge me £3.75 for one top to be sent to me, that imho is OTT too. If I order 10 things they still charge me £3.75....bargain!
Guess which one I'd talk (moan) about more though ?

emerald_starcat

I sometimes politely email the seller explaining I paid £x for postage but as it actually cost £y do you mind refunding me the difference? Sometimes I will be refunded sometime I will get a snotty message to the effect of - p&p also includes time packaging up, petrol, parking costs, car maintenance, taxi fees, bus fares, time spent in PO queue etc, etc. So no you can't have a refund.
When I sell items on ebay I would never dare charge for these things. Even though it costs me money to park in town I would never expect the buyer to pay this. Maybe I am being too nice!

macfly

Is anybody doing this as a business or just for pocket money? As a business you would get your net profit from sale price minus all other expenses. Many people factor their fees in to a postage price and that seems to be universally condemned. Yet if factored in to the purchase price - ok. If I buy something on the web, I would simply look at the total cost to the door before deciding to buy. That, to me, would be the only criteria.
Ebay has you all obsessing about DSR this and that. Their aim is not to make ebay a better place, it's about their cut. The result is that they are turning you all in to school prefects.
Any shabby packaging, or not sending by the service promised, should of course be pointed out. But sticking to the postage you quoted? You get what you want at the price you want then get grief.

martindow

macfly wrote: »

Ebay has you all obsessing about DSR this and that. Their aim is not to make ebay a better place, it's about their cut. The result is that they are turning you all in to school prefects.

Maybe not obsessing, but you need to take care with the star ratings. If you want to sell seriously on Ebay you are well advised to play by its rules.

If you regularly charge well above the actual postage cost or you routinely delay posting your star scores are at risk. This is likely to be the end of your Ebay income stream.

Lincoln_Imp

First time ever i was undercharged on postage ,got charged 6.99 but item cost 8.74 to post ..result