Real Life MMD: Should I refund the postage cost?

epm-84

shellsuit wrote: »

If I pay £5 for something to be sent 1st class recorded as per terms of the listing, that's how I expect it to be sent. If seller wants to bring the item to me, they should clear it with me first.

So you wouldn't be happy with getting the item a few hours after you won it as you had paid for a service that might have delivered the item 2-3 days later?

On the same basis would you complain if the item was sent Special Delivery when you paid for 2nd class?

shellsuit

gary30 wrote: »

Absolutely NO refund warranted (full cost was agreed at the outset) and you can challenge the negative feedback, or leave him equally 'bad' comments.

Sellers can't leave neg feedback and 'bad comments' used within pos feedback can be removed.

shellsuit

epm-84 wrote: »

So you wouldn't be happy with getting the item a few hours after you won it as you had paid for a service that might have delivered the item 2-3 days later?

If the seller had cleared it with me first, then Yes.

If they'd just turned up, I wouldn't have been impressed one bit.

On the same basis would you complain if the item was sent Special Delivery when you paid for 2nd class?

So long as I get what I've paid for, the seller can pay more if they want to. And if they did send it by Special instead of 2nd, then obviously they would be doing it for a certain reason, more likely to cover their own backs if the item went for £££'s more than they expected.

Electron1944

"Do unto others as you would have them do to you", JAX1305.
I think that the feeling these days is more "Do unto others with a very sharp stick, before they have the chance to do unto you"
Personally, I think the whole situation is rather petty. I wonder how many of the comments were left by employees of Royal, (we play footie with glass vases), Mail.
My view is that the buyer can clearly see where the item is, whereas the seller does not know where the buyer is until they win.
I reckon he got good service for the £5 he clearly accepted as charge for delivery. He got the goods, unlike me, who hasn't always rec'd anything which I have paid for. I am still waiting for two microphone stands from Scotland which I paid for 6 years ago.

rose_ginger

I think the only reason to refund is if you come to an agreement for the buyer to retract the negative feedback (if that bothers you).

Otherwise, I think that £5 for a courier service is a bargain! Maybe the only thing you did wrong was not contacting the buyer beforehand and offering to them collect if they wanted when you realised the small distance, but lesson learnt for the future.

As some people have said, you can't please everyone. I had someone threatening to leave me negative feedback because my p+p was £1.20 more than it was to send her parcel via royal mail, even though the cost of packaging etc was way more than that and I actually ended up making a loss on the p+p! I ended up up reporting it as feedback extortion in the end

thevilraggydoll

The buyer paid for postage and packaging and you should have contacted the buyer before acting to propose the alternative method and how much petrol and packaging would cost.

Personally I would refund the P&P as the buyer should have been contacted before an alternative delivery took place.

Showem

The buyer agreed to the price, but also agreed to postal delivery. For everyone saying they knew the deal, the seller broke the deal by hand delivering it rather than posting it as it was (I assume) described in the article. How it is delivered is the buyer's concern - that's part of the agreement too.

Live and learn, I'd say for next time to be certain to ask first if that's okay. But I also would have offered to charge less for delivery, or offered free if collected.

SLJACKSON

When bidding on an item, I always check the postage. If I am looking at a small item and the postage is excessive, no matter what the starting price, I would not bid. If the item had been posted, would the buyer have been happy with the postage cost? The buyer bid on the item agreeing to pay £5.00 carriage, if he was paying for 1st class and got a 2nd class delivery, I could understand him being upset. A tip I read is not to leave feedback as a seller until the buyer has left feedback, at least then you can add a note.
A few people have commeted on the fact that sellers bump up carriage and set a low starting price, these sellers should be reported, as I have done in the past ie starting price 99p carriage £70.00

Rupert_Bear

SLJACKSON wrote: »

When bidding on an item, I always check the postage. If I am looking at a small item and the postage is excessive, no matter what the starting price, I would not bid. If the item had been posted, would the buyer have been happy with the postage cost? The buyer bid on the item agreeing to pay £5.00 carriage, if he was paying for 1st class and got a 2nd class delivery, I could understand him being upset. A tip I read is not to leave feedback as a seller until the buyer has left feedback, at least then you can add a note.
A few people have commeted on the fact that sellers bump up carriage and set a low starting price, these sellers should be reported, as I have done in the past ie starting price 99p carriage £70.00

I saw an item advertised recently. item price £1.02 and postage £62.00.

chocolatebox

NO you should not refund the postage.

The buyer agreed to the amount and it makes no difference if you lived nearby or not, that's what the buyer agreed.

If you were late delivering or it was poorly packaged and likely to break, that's maybe different. If not, the buyer is dishonest - not you.