Overcharged for p&p, can i get refund?

soolin

i22kay wrote: »

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

We don't thank you, which means those sellers get less for their items which means we get threads on here asking where all the buyers are , or why their stuff doesn't sell. Or we get threads about how they have the dreaded 'suspension' notice from ebay just because their stars have gone to 4.4 on postage and it's (stamp feet) NOT FAIR

terra_ferma

It's interesting.
Perceptions go from buyers thinking that a penny over the actual postage is theft and want 'their' money back, to sellers thinking they should throw everything in the postage, including wear and tear of shoe soles/car seat, and an hourly salary for going to the post.

Percy1983

As a seller I just look how much people pay for the item and list at that with free P&P, so yes my P&P is part of th cost, but nobody can question it.

As a buyer I couldn't care less, if on auction I adjust my bidding to consider postage or buy it now I just get the cheaper however the P&P/item cost is split.

MadelinesMum

Hi, I charge the actual postage cost (nothing added on). I reuse packaging and buy cheap mailing bags from ebay, so packaging only costs me pence. I must admit, I tend to hand out lower stars for sellers who charge a lot over the actual postage cost. If it's over £1 extra it slightly annoys me. I think most people would rather give lower stars than message the seller.

bluejake

soolin wrote: »

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.

I think you're wrong on the view that most retailers don't charge for postage. Amazon doesn't and its direct competitors have followed suit, but the vast majority do and especially the smaller internet retailers like for example frangrancedirect who I just ordered from - £4.95 delivery charge. Companies I have ordered from recently who have charged: Dell, Asda, Tesco, Topshop, Dabs, ebuyer, M & M. Even big companies like Canon and Argos charge postage when they sell on ebay. It is perfectly reasonable to charge postage and most companies do. It is even more reasonable for private individuals to charge postage when selling and for buyers to check they want to pay the price before they bid. Ebay only wants to brainwash people into thinking postage should be 'free' so they can make more money from fees.

I sell occasionally and tend to just guess what I think the postage will be. Most of the time I am in the right ball park but occasionally get it wrong, sometimes at a cost to myself. But as I say I have yet to have a buyer contact me and offer me a refund - and I wouldn't expect them to. The odd time I have had buyers ask for a refund of postage but they don't even get a reply. Most buyers understand they have to engage their own brains when deciding if the price is right for them regardless of what rules a monopoly like Ebay is trying to enforce for its own profits.

My feedback is 100% and my Detailed Seller Ratings are 4 & 3/4 on every criteria but I am not afraid of the odd negative feedback and I have had it in the past. I would rather get negative feedback than give some fool a refund. If a seller has been marked down for excessive postage or not I always use my eyes and my brain to see what the postage costs are and if I want to pay them or not. The postage costs are displayed prominently next to the price - it is hard to miss. I buy a lot more than I sell on ebay but I have never even bothered to look if the price of postage is legible on a package I receive. I decide if I want to pay a particular price for an item before I bid like anyone with any sense does. If the seller makes an extra £0.50 on delivery what do I care?

And buyers should remember that sellers are most of the time private individuals just selling junk to get rid of it. They are not Marks & Spencer. I have had buyers demanding a postage discount when winning multiple items after paying £0.99 per item. After ebay and paypal fees it would be cheaper just to through the stuff in the bin followed by some of my money. Needless to say they don't get a discount either.

bluejake

MadelinesMum wrote: »

Hi, I charge the actual postage cost (nothing added on). I reuse packaging and buy cheap mailing bags from ebay, so packaging only costs me pence. I must admit, I tend to hand out lower stars for sellers who charge a lot over the actual postage cost. If it's over £1 extra it slightly annoys me. I think most people would rather give lower stars than message the seller.

I would rather pay more and get clean new packaging. Now you mention it that is one thing I am not keen on at all. You pay for packing and you get grubby looking re-used wrapping with scribbled on handwriting and crossings out and sellotape all over the place like it was wrapped by a serial killer. I know Amazon states sellers should only use new packaging although I am not sure what Ebay's policy is. A £1 difference could easily be accounted for by paying for new wrapping paper or padded envelope and printed stickers and packing tape and bubble wrap. It is wrong to assume private occasional sellers are going to buy this stuff in bulk rather than from their local Post Office. I wrap a nice new clean parcel with printed stickers on it (return of address etc) and neatly taped with packaging tape. Maybe I should use grubby cigarette stinking recycled packing that has previously been used to send stuff to me and scribble on it with a ball point pen before randomly covering it with cheap sellotape so it takes twenty minutes to open. Maybe save myself 50p.

Perhaps buyers should ask for refunds if the packaging is second hand - after all they have paid for new packaging.

macfly

It's also bad for the customer to charge postage inclusive on these big sites. I believe Play are in Jersey, so get around the vat regulations, but if you include postage in your price, it is subject to vat. Therefore, you have to charge the customer.
If it was quoted seperately, the overall price should be cheaper.

jasmineswhiskers

bluejake wrote: »

I would rather pay more and get clean new packaging. Now you mention it that is one thing I am not keen on at all. You pay for packing and you get grubby looking re-used wrapping with scribbled on handwriting and crossings out and sellotape all over the place like it was wrapped by a serial killer. I know Amazon states sellers should only use new packaging although I am not sure what Ebay's policy is. A £1 difference could easily be accounted for by paying for new wrapping paper or padded envelope and printed stickers and packing tape and bubble wrap. It is wrong to assume private occasional sellers are going to buy this stuff in bulk rather than from their local Post Office. I wrap a nice new clean parcel with printed stickers on it (return of address etc) and neatly taped with packaging tape. Maybe I should use grubby cigarette stinking recycled packing that has previously been used to send stuff to me and scribble on it with a ball point pen before randomly covering it with cheap sellotape so it takes twenty minutes to open. Maybe save myself 50p.

Perhaps buyers should ask for refunds if the packaging is second hand - after all they have paid for new packaging.

I charge the EXACT price it costs to post (no charge for packaging, petrol, shoe leather etc - not even a penny) so no refund for packaging here i'm afraid. I do re-use padded enelopes if they were new when sent to me and any packaging in a clean re-usable condition. As a buyer I would rather NOT pay more for new packaging and I imagine the majority of people would feel the same way.

Gothicfairy

I really don't care much if the packaging is clean and new or used and full of tape as long as the item I bought is safe and sound. I would rather to be honest that someone use second hand packaging as it saves money for everyone and does help with waste in the long run.
I look at the whole thing when placing my bid and thus really don't over think it when the package arrives.If I am happy to pay say £20 for something then it really doesn't matter if it is £19.00 item and £1.00 postage or £19 postage and £1 item..The overall price is the same and that is what I work on

Crowqueen

Gothicfairy wrote: »

I really don't care much if the packaging is clean and new or used and full of tape as long as the item I bought is safe and sound. I would rather to be honest that someone use second hand packaging as it saves money for everyone and does help with waste in the long run.
I look at the whole thing when placing my bid and thus really don't over think it when the package arrives.If I am happy to pay say £20 for something then it really doesn't matter if it is £19.00 item and £1.00 postage or £19 postage and £1 item..The overall price is the same and that is what I work on

I object to that since it is depriving eBay of fees and since I pay my way I expect others to do the same.

Also if they are prepared to pull the wool over eBay's eyes they are also possibly prepared to do the same to me.

As regards new packaging, you can get padded envelopes for 20p in Poundland (packs of 5 for a £1) so charging a lot for new packaging shouldn't be necessary. I tend to use new packaging but not to charge for it, because I think it makes you look a bit more professional; I used to reuse packaging but something got damaged in the post, so I'd rather pay 20p for peace of mind rather than anything else.

I don't believe there is any excuse to charge excessive amounts for packaging even from a seller's point of view - it just makes you uncompetitive. If people are complaining, marking your stars down and not buying from you, then that should be speaking louder to you than your own opinions.