Real Life MMD: Should I refund the postage cost?

ayebee

I agree that you should have communicated your offer to deliver in person to the buyer. Personally I would have refunded the postage and hoped for positive feedback. I say hoped because often buyers leave none! Two miles is not far and it probably didn't take you much out of your way!

trinacraig

Most ebay items which are collect in person or vice verca dont have postage prices so what gives you the right to claim that money, the buyer paid for RM to deliver thats the service they should receive! Its people like you that give Ebay a bad name and why people give up with using it.:mad:

Jackz

rve1023 wrote: »

Dont you dare give this ignoramus a refund or I shall personally come round and kick your backside!! Once they have left feedback, it cannot be retracted, so the deed is done.

I have just complained to a seller about being charged £15.50 shipping costs when the package which was a shoe box with a few bits of bubblewrap cost £5.24 to post recorded delivery, now THAT is being ripped off.

wow that is overcharging, but did you not realise beforehand it was way over the top?
I wouldn't have bid in the first place unless it was something rare and soooooo cheap with the postage.

There was an item starting at 99p but the postage was over twice as much as it should have been so I emailed the seller very politely and ask could she reduce it ... NO was the reply - so I weighed up the costs overall and bid the 99p reasoning I would be happy to pay the total for the item anyway.

She was so angry when no-one else bid and threatened not to sell it to me - which I pointed out was a breach of ebay rules and that the reason no-one else had probably bid was because of her p&p charges - anyway she very grudgingly sent it with a 'you had better not mark me down on postage' threat.

Well, needless to say I left positive feedback with a refined thank you (because the item was spot on) but lower stars on p&p - something I have never done before and hope not have to do again.

If the item is satisfactory I do not see the need to leave negative feedback but I do not see it as unreasonably to use the star ratings and if way over the top then perhaps a comment in the feedback briefly.

B&Q, Homebase, Currys etc etc All rip us off everyday with delivery costs but we pay it - how many have actually written and complained to them and asked for delivery money back???

gaily

I've jus been on eBay, as this thread reminded me that I needed to buy somehting - Thanks all. looking at the items available there is currently one going for £8.50, with 3 bidders, but the potage chagre is £58!! it does say the item is to come from Australia, but that's a bit flippin rich me thinks.

(Gameboy advance models - there are 3 in the pack, and a load of accessories, but I'm not going to pay that!!)

shezabel

You don't have to but refunding half would be a compromise and a gesture of goodwill.

ethika

I would not refund the buyer, he was happy to pay postage & packing - packing charge includes not only the packing material, but also the time taken in packing and getting to and from the post office, plus cost of petrol. In the recent budget the acceptable cost per mile is .45p which accounts for petrol, oil, wear and tear. I also include my time as at least minimum, wage per hour which is £5.93p at present to be increased in early September.
The buyer is obviously trying to bully you, and will be able to offer his negative feedback as proof of how he keeps his word to his next victim.
Having said that, contact ebay management and raise a complaint against them, ebay listened to both sides then deleted the negative feedback. It's worth a try.

EBL2008

You were being overkeen and trying to make a few extra quid profit, and save yourself the effort of packing up the item. If you want to offer a personal delivery, ask first, and check whether they are still happy to pay your stated delivery cost. I usually offer 'Cash on collection' on most things I sell. Or, if you want to offer delivery, then state it in your description and say how much you'll charge for the service. Loads of people do this for larger items. I've had people buy from me locally before, and they have chosen to have me post it - it may seem silly, but the customer is always right!

midnight_star_2

I have often got things on ebay and paid a higher p&p than the amount shown on the package. I have paid £5 p&p and the actual cost of the postage shown has been £1.02. I have never complained as I believe the cost of postage and packaging is not just the cost of the stamp but the cost of the packaging (jiffy bags and bubble wrap are not cheap), your time in wrapping them and taking them to the post office and the cost of your fuel or public transport. If the purchaser was aware of the p&p cost at the time of the purchase then he/she must have allowed for the cost of the item including the p&p to determine that the total cost of the item was a price they were happy to pay. How they actually receive the item is irrelevant as long as they receive it and you have fulfilled your part of the agreement. I am sure that if you had posted the item and it had cost more than £5 (say £6) the buyer would not have agreed to pay you the difference!. He/she would have referred you to the agreed final price and kept to it and rightly so. You are within your rights not to offer a refund. They have the option to comment on ebay that they thought the p&p was high.However if you want to settle the matter diplomatically and for the sake of a few quid stop them giving you negative feed back you could come to a compromise and offer part refund on the p&p. Hope this helps.

Joanne1972

I would like to point out that I do not agree to the person leaving you bad feedback, at the end of the day if you had posted it you would have charged him the £5 and he would have paid it. What I do think you should have done when you realised it was only 2 miles away was give him the option of maybe picking it up from you or alternatively offer to drop it to him for a reduced cost of say £2.50 or something like that, sounds reasonable half & half....
I have just had some bad feedback retracted as the reason it was left was not acceptable so it can be done and it was really easy. Why don't you go back to the person and try and come to some sort of agreement where if you refund part of the delivery costs he changes the feedback and if he is seriously stubborn and won't consider this then leave him bad feedback too. It is seriously really easy to change feedback so if he won't do this then he deserves bad feedback in return anyway...

janiebquick

Yes, you should have refunded the postage cost. After all, you chose to deliver it. However, now he has given bad feedback - forget it.