Real Life MMD: Should I refund the postage cost?

MadSu

I reckon you should have given the buyer the option of collecting the item and not paying P & P, he would have been happy for saving £5, and you wouldn't have wasted petrol/time etc. Give the P&P back as a goodwill gesture, negative feedback can be removed.
Another option is for e-bay to remove the wording "P&P" and replace it with "Delivery Charge", then it wouldn't have mattered and the buyer wouldn't have been able to complain.

kevanf1

It's a little known fact that negative feedback can actually be withdrawn on eBay. however, as I said, it's little known and not at all easy. eBay themselves have the power to do this and have done in the past but only when it has got to the stage that eBay have been threatened with legal action.

In this particular case it's very much swings and roundabouts. £5 to deliver something only a couple of miles away is a bit steep. But, the buyer did get the item much quicker and safer than by RM (courier may well have cost more than £5). I think it is wrong of the buyer to leave negative feedback like that. Personally, I think I only ever had to leave 1 negative feedback against a seller in over 10 yrs of using eBay and I have made a lot of transactions on there. A couple of times I have not been happy with things such as one time when I bought a book on eBay. It hadn't arrived for over 2 weeks so I contacted the seller. He told me he had loaned it to his neighbour!!!!! This was after I had boought it. It eventually arrived and I simply did not leave any feedback at all, I did the same recently when an item was not as advertised. I just don't like leaving negative feedback.

carolinemrrtt

Hmmm lets see - bearing in mind that what we are paying for with good old Royal Mail is fuel and sallary - what does the tax office allow self employed for car use - depending on engine size up to 45p per mile so that is potentially £1.80. Minimum wage is £6 odd /hour - lets assume it was a 20 min round trip (also makes the maths easy!!) so that's another £2. Packaging - lets be generous to the buyer and allow 20p bringing it up to a grand total of £4 cost to the seller and as has already been pointed out several times, a much speedier and safer service - well worth and extra squid in my humble No refund necessary and most definitely unfair feedback.

waterbaby59

The main thing with ebay is to be EXCEPTIONALLY careful when you load up an item. if you say something is blue it should be blue (not pale blue or aqua). If you say it's 40 years old, then be prepared to prove it. If you say you will post, then post. You set up the deal so stick with it then you can't be accused of breaking it.

I have learned this to my cost when a really nasty piece of work refused to reply to me until one day after I couldn't do anything about it - and no, Ebay were no help at all.

However, as a frequent ebay seller, I do want to say that 99% of people are genuine and decent and every now and then you just have to take a hit. It's sad but some people are just out for a kill... refer back to Bluebird before me.

boggie40

If they have already left you negative feedback i would keep your money......
as you said you gave much better service. lesson learned here i think..

desperate_saver

I have done this quite a few times but usually contact the buyer first and tell them my courier will be delivering the parcel and either deliver myself or ask a friend to do it for me. I have never had anyone question me or ask for a refund for the postage costs, they are usually very pleased as i deliver the same day if not too late or first thing the following day. In your case, i would offer a small refund of say a couple of pounds, just to 'keep the peace' and ask that they remove the negative feedback!

Anja

How much do you value your ebay account? Negative feedback doesn't look good! Refund.
We always refund if a buyer buys 2 items from us and by bundling together the postage comes to less than we advertised. I makes the customer feel good.

[Deleted User]

You didn't post it so I don't think you can charge for postage?! I think you should refund it.

planenut

I suggest that you call round and collect the item, then post it to them - see how he likes the delay and compare the better deal. I took an item personally to a guy 160 miles away when I found he lived just down the road from my daughter and I was going there - did I ask for extra cash? no!

dnsey

Did you specify the delivery method in your listing? If not, and simply chose 'standard delivery' or a similar option, you have fulfilled your side if the deal, and the buyer can have no legitimate complaint.
Equally, if you offered personal collection as an option, and this was not chosen by the buyer, he can hardly complain about the (lack of) trouble it took you to deliver.