advice please about a buyer threatening bad feedback...

chloo

hello hello...

im new to ebay put lots of items up and 30 things sold

in all my listing i wrote: I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO COMBINE POSTAGE COSTS IF YOU WANT MULITPLE ITEMS JUST ASK!!! IF YOUR LOCAL YOU CAN PICK UP IF YOU FANCY!!!

so i had a lot of people say ohh i would like this and this how much for postage? that was all before the auction ended.

i have had a message from a woman who won 2 items after the auction saying invoice me for my combine postage. i sent back a message and said unfortunatly i cant do that as you didnt contact before auction ended and everything has been wrapped. she then proceeded to rant twice saying im legally obliged to give her combined postage. so i ignored and let her carry on. i then got a message about 30 mins later saying she will be giving me bad feedback as i wont combine postage but if i give her a refund she will think about it!!!

1. i dont think i should give her a discount

2. i cant as im new my paypal account has been put on hold!!

i really dont know what to do but it is extreamly annoying.

when i say wrapped i mean in those plastic bags from whsmiths that are about £4 for 5 so 80p each to open two would cost me £1.60 and to re pack would cost me another 80p so £2.40 and she wants a discount on top! so im looking at about £3.00 to solve her issue. i am quite upset as all my other transactions have gone well and i had some really nice comments like thanks for the fab communication.

grrrr

any advice would be greatfully recieved thanks

ERICS_MUM

Could you bind the two parcels together with strong tape to make one larger parcel ? Or pack them both inside a larger sack (even a strong bin bag taped up well). It might not make any difference to the postage cost but it's worth a try.

You always get the odd aggressive buyer - they know they've got you over a barrel. The buyer is always free to ask but you are not obliged to combine postage.

All you can do to avoid the odd person like this is to write that bit in

LARGE BOLD LETTERS !

Good luck

Linda xx

PudseyDB

I agree with Linda above - tape the 2 parcels together if possible (depends on the shape of them of course) - you should be able to knock a bit off the postage then.

Also, remember that if she pays for both items together, there'll only be one paypal fee so that alone will save about 20p (although if its a new paypal account the fees might be different)

chloo

thank you lynda and pudsey!

love the idea of the bin bag thank you!

yes defo massive letters next time!!

pudsey she paid them seperatly she is playing games as she is a seller herself and she knows that it costs fees what a poo!!!


thank you both for your advice x

Jo_F

If she has paid seperately for them then they are seperate items so no need for the combined postage, and further more, given how much trouble she is causing, I would send them recorded delivery, in which case you will need two tracking numbers, one for each parcel, otherwise you are leaving yourself open for an INR if there is only one parcel and one tracking number.

Bloomin_Freezing2

How can she expect combined postage if she has paid separately?

Although maybe I can see from her point you said 'just ask' and she did. You should've said 'just ask before auction end' but if she paid for both items one at a time then asked for combined postage she can b*gger off.

mikey72

I think you need to rewrite your offer.
You say ask and you will combine postage.
Not if you ask before the auction ends and don't pay until you agree.
tbh I wouldn't ask about every possible permutation if I was bidding on several items, I'd wait and see what I had won, then ask you.

I think it's a double neg, and two sets of low stars coming in this one.

annie-c

I am a bit confused by your post.

You said:

i have had a message from a woman who won 2 items after the auction saying invoice me for my combine postage.

And also:

she paid them seperatly she is playing games


Aside from that, although it would be nice if buyers organised themselves to fit in with sellers, ebay is a place for impulsive purchases and she may well have only thought to ask for the discount later. Your listing did not specify when to ask for a postage discount and asking for a combined invoice after the event is not unreasonable, IMO.

I think the idea of taping the two parcels together is a good one. Perhaps you could weigh the larger parcel, work out the reduction in actual postage charges and offer to refund her this amount.

Although you may have a hold on being able to withdraw your paypal balance, you should be able to offer a partial refund by logging into paypal and opening the 'details' link next to the relevant transaction numbers.

In all of your communications with her, it is best to be polite and as accomodating as possible. Although you have lots of positive feedback, your prospective future buyers will judge you not just on the transactions that went well, but also on how you handle the transactions that are problematic so it is in your interest to keep buyers onside, where possible.

In this instance you risk two negatives and two sets of low DSRs if you don't retrieve the situation, so I would suggest it is worth rethinking your decision this time.

annie-c

Just a further thought about the bags. Could you not snip open each one neatly down the side, add the second item into the first bag and seal it with parcel tape. Then reuse the second bag for another customer by adding a freshly printed address panel and also sealing with parcel tape.

Obviously if you are selling new items that could be bought from a store at a similar price then your packing needs to be more professional but, assuming that you are a private seller having a clearout then this should be acceptable to most buyers as long as you pass on the saving in reduced p & p charges.

Also, 80p each for a plastic bag is very steep, IMO. I either recycle good quality packaging that has been sent to me or buy multipacks from the £shop. Address 'labels' are always printed 2 to an A4 sheet of paper and neatly taped to the front. As long as you take care for the item to look as neat as possible and get there in one piece you should be OK.

iieee

You offered combined postage in your listing, then refused to give it once the auction had ended, and you can't understand why your buyer would be upset? :huh:

Even if your listing stated that she had to contact you before the end of the listing, you'd still be overcharging and likely to get marked down on your DSRs, which will affect your future selling ability. Also don't expect buyers to be happy paying for your expensive packaging. Shop around for cheaper. I've bought 25 plastic mailers on ebay for less than £2 including delivery.

sarahg1969

£4 for 5 bags??!! :eek:

In fact, thinking about it, you knew she'd won two of the auctions, so why didn't you just wrap the two items together and combine the postage anyway?