Help with postage & packaging question

greenpixey

Some one just purchased two magazines from me and the p&p is 0.99 per magazine.
To send one magazine (in a hardback envelope) it cost me 65p in postage and 0.45p - 0.80p for the envelope (depending on where I buy it).
I sent him the invoice charging him 0.99 x 2= £1.89 for the p&p
He has now emailed me back with the following message:

"I have purchased the following items on eBay from you. Please send me the total amount I owe you.
I assume there will be only one set of postage for only 2 items and that the new charge is the cost of both magazines plus £0.99? Regards"

I'm slightly annoyed that he didn't ask before the auction ended. Should I give him a discount on the invoice and if so how do I discount the p&p. Or should I email him back and what do I say???

BTW his feedback is 175 with 100%

meerustar

Can you put both the magazines in the one envelope?

I'd send them together to avoid neg feedback for the sake of 99p.

greenpixey

i could and I am considering it. It just annoys me, his assumption that I should
Does anyone here know now I change the p&p on the invoice coz I tried and I cant get it to work

soolin

Before you agree to anything check the sizes. I am an ocassional (very ocassional!) seller of magazines and it is often cheaper to send 2 in separate envelopes as a large letter, rather than 2 combined as a package.

Also, I would take offence at suggesting 2 items can be sent as cheaply as one anyway, the buyer obviously doesn't understand how the Royal mail works.

Personally I would work out how much both would cost and then refund a small amount, maybe the saving you get from taking one paypal payment rather than 2, and then just reinvoice him. Send an email explaining that you can make very little saving on post *and* packing by sending items together but have given a small discount as an acknowledgement that a double purchase has been made.

Do not let a buyer dictate terms to you.

Snooze_Control

Soolin, did you take maths at school? 2x 99p = £1.98 afaik. Therefore that's what his postage cost is, although if you're feeling generous you could knock the cost of the 2nd packaging cost off as a goodwill gesture. Other than that, show the buyer where the door is.

SC

Jakejakejake

I often get asked for postage discounts. For example i sold 4 items to one buyer. To send in 4 seperate lots it costs £1.31x4 (£5.24) or to send as one lot it would cost £10.69! I often offer 10-20p off but that is all i can afford to be honest. At the end of the day, it is up to you to tell him if he can have a discount or not and how it will affect your costs.

Jake

sockospice

It's one thing if the buyer asks before, but it's a bit cheeky to ask afterwards.

I'd probably check to see how much it will cost and then charge him that, but I would definitely mention in his feedback that it's polite to ask about postage discounts before bidding.

neilwoods

If you did not offer to combine postage then dont. Its not your fault the buyer did not read the listsing correctly. be different if he asked before buying but to assume that is his fault.

Why are people so scared of recieving neg feedback

jo_b_2

Snooze_Control wrote:

Soolin, did you take maths at school? 2x 99p = £1.98 afaik. Therefore that's what his postage cost is, although if you're feeling generous you could knock the cost of the 2nd packaging cost off as a goodwill gesture. Other than that, show the buyer where the door is.

SC

Royal Mail postage costs don't just double according to a doubling of the weight though. Just because one magazine costs 99p to post singly, it does not follow that two magazines cost £1.98 to post together.

The postage costs are grouped according to a range of weights so two magazines could fall within a higher weight category and could cost even more than £1.98. (Alternatively they could cost less than £1.98).

Techno

Also, looking at your costings - it costs you more to post than you charge!!!

frivolous_fay

I agree with Soolin, don't let the seller dictate your terms.

If it's possible to make a saving by combining the magazines in one package, you could give him an appropriate discount, out of the goodness of your heart. (Seeing as you're not obliged to do this and the way he asked for a discount was pretty rude.)

If it's cheaper to send as two packages, email and say 'sorry, it isn't cheaper / is more expensive to combine the package, due to RM's pricing in proportion system.

Unless, of course, you want to cut into your profits and give the rude guy a discount just to save a possible neg