Overcharged for p&p, can i get refund?

joe_Burger

YES it is about getting value for money , and why you should check the postage costs before you contract to buy the item .

if you are sure you are getting a bargain for the TOTAL amount you will pay ( including p & p ) then it is a bargain even if the p & p charges seem high .

I've just bought 2 items on E-Bay and am perfectly happy with the total cost of them . In fact I'm sure one is being sold almost for nothing as the postage of 50p for a VHS video must be less than actual cost .

I sell items for 99p , which , after E-Bay and Paypal ( one and the same ) have taken their fees really isn't worth the effort , so I charge 80p to post them which pays not only for the stamp , the envelope and the cost of going to the post office , but also some of the Fees .

I have recently added a paragraph on my listings encouraging potential buyers to be happy with the overall cost of the item before buying as I have had suffered on my feedback scoring due to people low marking the p & p box . The reason for doing it this way is really to keep the price down as E-Bay only charge Final Value Fees on the selling price and not the postage . i also get free listing on 99p items . So to charge a more realistic price would incur more fees at 9.9% .

I think it's a pity that E-Bay has become a big supermarket for business sellers and would like them to seperate private from business sellers in their listings .

Maybe then we would find the real bargains more easily

martdavis81

If you where unhappy with the cost of the P&P, why did you buy the item in the first place?

What about the driving to the Post office, time to pack the item, insurance, labour costs.

Crowqueen

Sparks33 wrote: »

After going through the dispute system, I did eventually get a refund for the item but not for the cost of sending it back to them. As far as I'm aware, 'the sale of goods act '79' states that the seller is responsible for the postage costs if an item is returned as faulty or not fit for purpose.
Unfortunately, Ebay (maybe because they're an American company?) do not enforce the Uk rules.
Consumer Direct agree, but tell me my only course of action is through the small claims court. I'm not sure I have the time or energy to pursue it.
Ebay are at fault for allowing UK sellers to operate in this way.

In fairness, there's no practical way to automatically take back money over and above the amount of the original transaction on a buyer's say so via Paypal systems. Until they find a way of satisfactorily implementing this, it's unlikely to change. However, dispute systems are getting more sophisticated, so although they can't enforce it, doesn't mean they wouldn't like to.

@Martdavis - those costs should be included in the item cost where practical, and since many people live a fair distance from a PO (e.g. my bus ride costs me £4.40 return) I think adding those costs into the postage charges is unlikely to get you many buyers at all. Plus some buyers don't know whether a postage charge is unfair until they receive the item.

You should be looking for ways to keep postage reasonable, not larding it with all sorts of different ways of pricing your time (which then technically becomes taxable income). Buyers like low postage costs, they constantly mark people who overcharge down, so at some point you've got to start listening to criticisms.

Idaho316

Pestus wrote: »

The question I have is why people are moaning about postage costs AFTER they have bid for an item.

Ultimately, when you bid for something, you are entering into a legal contract to buy the item in question at the costs displayed.

All costs are CLEARLY marked in the item profile on e-bay, so you know the costs up front before you bid. As a result, why would you wait until you have won the item/s to start negotiating ?

I know this is a thread about combining carriage but...

My partner sold a top on e-bay, brand new with tags, postage cost clearly stated. Sold the top, posted that day, received an e-mail saying that the goods had been received and thanks.

A couple of days later the buyer e-mailed again stating that the postage wasn't as much as they'd paid for on-line. My partner's response was that the top went on at a very low price and the postage was a little higher to reflect this. If she'd not done that then she would have put a higher reserve on the item. She was told that if she didn't return some of the money then the buyer would say they'd not received the item and get a full refund.

My partner made a mistake and sent the goods without needing to be signed for and the buyer got away with what is effectively fraud.

Buyers should take responsibility for what they are bidding on. Negotiate for combined carriage or deal with it when you lose money because you were too lazy to read the web page and/or contact the seller!

soolin

Idaho316 wrote: »

I know this is a thread about combining carriage but...

My partner sold a top on e-bay, brand new with tags, postage cost clearly stated. Sold the top, posted that day, received an e-mail saying that the goods had been received and thanks.

A couple of days later the buyer e-mailed again stating that the postage wasn't as much as they'd paid for on-line. My partner's response was that the top went on at a very low price and the postage was a little higher to reflect this. If she'd not done that then she would have put a higher reserve on the item. She was told that if she didn't return some of the money then the buyer would say they'd not received the item and get a full refund.

My partner made a mistake and sent the goods without needing to be signed for and the buyer got away with what is effectively fraud.

Buyers should take responsibility for what they are bidding on. Negotiate for combined carriage or deal with it when you lose money because you were too lazy to read the web page and/or contact the seller!

You were unlucky to meet such a dishonest buyer, it wouldn't hurt to send their email to ebay.

However, and it is a big however, your partner was also at fault in adding 'costs' to the postage. A lot of people do, and most buyers avoid them, however actually admitting fee avoidance is rarely a good idea and on reflection I retract my earlier suggestion to complain to ebay about the buyer as your own email could lead to issues as well with yours partners account.

Unfortunately when a seller tries to bend the rules to their own advantage they often seem to meet a higher proportion of dodgy buyers, you just attract each other.

happyinflorida

Seller's who include "other" costs in with their p&p really annoy me. Especially if they keep quiet about it and don't put anything about this in their writing when selling the item.
I don't know what an item costs to post before it's sent, only when I receive it. If I've been overcharged by more than a £1, I contact the seller to ask about this. Some refund, others quote other costs which invaribly includes Ebay fees. This really annoys me and I used to leave positive feedback but put fewer stars depending on how much the overcharge was.
Now though, I have got so fed up with these sellers, which I seem to keep finding - yes, I'm trying to stop buying on Ebay due to this problem! - that if they refuse to refund anything, I give them negative feedback.
Ebay should keep a closer eye on this sort of thing, I keep reporting things to them and they do nothing about it whatsoever. They appear to me to be only interested in making money, not in whether their sellers are honest or not! This is disgraceful. I have been sent items which are blatantly not as described and obviously fraud, but Ebay couldn't care less. They don't reply to my contacts! Shameful. I got a refund but the seller is still selling the items?!

bluejake

I wonder what those people who bid for and win an item then complain about the clearly stated postage and packing costs would feel if a seller contacted them stating they must pay another £3 on top of what they have already paid because the postage and packing costs were more than expected? I rather suspect they would want their item supplied at the agreed price.

I buy and sell the odd items on ebay and on rare occasion I have the occasional joker asking for a refund because the postage was less than what they paid (usually they completely ignore the cost of packaging,tape, labels etc). Strangely I have never been contacted by buyer offering me a refund when I have undercharged. Odd that.

And no they don't get a refund. I don't even bother replying. I would not want to waste wear and tear on my keyboard keys on these people. They should go away and learn the first rule about bidding in auctions.

I wonder if they do the same thing when they buy from companies like Marks and Spencer.

Dear Marks and Spencer,

I ordered a t-shirt and I was charged your standard £3.50 delivery charge but i think the postage charge should have been £1.50. I've no idea about packing, materials and other costs because I am an idiot. Anyway you now owe me a £2.00 refund. I just remembered last week I bought a case of wine and you charged me the same standard £3.50 delivery charge but a case of wine is very heavy and expensive to post. I think the cost of postage is about £12.00 so I now owe you a refund of £10.00. Only that doesn't count because I'm the buyer and you agreed to sell at that price so you still owe me £2.00.

soolin

bluejake wrote: »

I wonder what those people who bid for and win an item then complain about the clearly stated postage and packing costs would feel if a seller contacted them stating they must pay another £3 on top of what they have already paid because the postage and packing costs were more than expected? I rather suspect they would want their item supplied at the agreed price.

I buy and sell the odd items on ebay and on rare occasion I have the occasional joker asking for a refund because the postage was less than what they paid (usually they completely ignore the cost of packaging,tape, labels etc). Strangely I have never been contacted by buyer offering me a refund when I have undercharged. Odd that.

And no they don't get a refund. I don't even bother replying. I would not want to waste wear and tear on my keyboard keys on these people. They should go away and learn the first rule about bidding in auctions.

I wonder if they do the same thing when they buy from companies like Marks and Spencer.

Dear Marks and Spencer,

I ordered a t-shirt and I was charged your standard £3.50 delivery charge but i think the postage charge should have been £1.50. I've no idea about packing, materials and other costs because I am an idiot. Anyway you now owe me a £2.00 refund. I just remembered last week I bought a case of wine and you charged me the same standard £3.50 delivery charge but a case of wine is very heavy and expensive to post. I think the cost of postage is about £12.00 so I now owe you a refund of £10.00. Only that doesn't count because I'm the buyer and you agreed to sell at that price so you still owe me £2.00.

I suggest you might need to re look at how ebay works.

If I buy from an online shop how exactly do I rate them please? If i get overcharged for postage where do I leave them feedback warning other buyers that their postage is excessive..I didn't realise it was possible. There aren't that many online hsops now that actually charge postage anyway, even those that do have codes and offers to get it free. I do not recall the last time, except on ebay, that I've paid any postage at all.

On ebay the whole point is that sellers are rated by buyers so it is a foolish seller who tries to pretend they are competing with high street shops and not just other ebay sellers. While any buyer feels able to leave a poor rating or stars for excessive postage they would be foolish to push it with buyers.

It is all immaterial anyway, if a seller feels it is their right to charge excessive postage then let them. They don't get as many buyers and they tend to get lower rtaings and will eventually make it impossible for themselves to sell on ebay. Even if we all agreed on here that overcharging is a good idea, it doesn't matter.

terra_ferma

I agree with soolin.
eBay is an odd marketplace, with its own rules and it's really difficult to compare with other settings.
It's the most (one-way) regulated setting I've ever encountered, with very unclear boundaries client/supplier (those who pay are normally the customers, but here they are also the sellers and NOT treated like customers by eBay).

There is no point in holding grudges with buyers who simply behave differently from other settings.
The fact is, with all its idiosyncrasies, eBay attracts our customers. The don't come to shop from Terra_Ferma, Soolin or Jake, they come to shop on eBay, let's not forget. And eBay's rules and regulations, as silly as they can seem at times, attract buyers.

i22kay

martdavis81 wrote: »

If you where unhappy with the cost of the P&P, why did you buy the item in the first place?

What about the driving to the Post office, time to pack the item, insurance, labour costs.

I agree with you some ebayers think its just about posting costs dont think about petrol to and throw to to post office etc I think if the postage is too high dont bidd