combined postage

Mozzi

There are quite a few posts on here about unreasonable P&P costs.

Point to note, the last few small packets I posted, 2nd recorded, cost £3.15 each (for under 1kg), postage costs have risen quite a bit recently, almost making selling items of low value just not worth the effort anymore.

JimmyTheWig

No help to you, but you could ask for them to be sent individually, as that's what you've paid for.

Crowqueen

Mozzi wrote: »

There are quite a few posts on here about unreasonable P&P costs.

Point to note, the last few small packets I posted, 2nd recorded, cost £3.15 each (for under 1kg), postage costs have risen quite a bit recently, almost making selling items of low value just not worth the effort anymore.

I agree, but the seller could send these items for £1.10 each (probably combined they would cost £2.20 to post 2nd and £2.70 1st, as that weight band is now extremely generous), and it's the price on the stamp that counts when something arrives, and also the prices your competitors are able to offer. What annoys me is not the price of postage - people are still buying my stuff on Amazon. It's the price larger sellers can offer postage included - I need a clear pound in addition to the Amazon postage credit even to see 8p of the final price on many thick books I'm selling.

Consequently I'm only uploading things to sell that are worth substantially more of that - I do have quite a few things that are fairly valuable and although I am a private seller, my gross margin is about 33%, given that I am not having to pay for stock or overheads and I used one sale to subsidise packaging costs for 50 small packet items.

High postal prices may depress sales, but when someone buys something, the burden shifts to the seller to make sure they post it at the agreed rate. The problem is that quite often this agreed rate is not representative of the actual costs to post, and this annoys buyers. And - simply put - if you annoy enough buyers, you get booted. So the trick is not to annoy the buyers - the people who pay for your items.

What you are charging would still be almost £2 under the cost this particular seller is charging. And you don't need recorded on a 1.98 sale, unless you are paranoid.

They are risking their account for the sake of a tenner. Big mistake.

bris

soolin wrote: »

Just another thought, if this is a business seller then you can cancel the sale and tell her not to bother sending.

Low start price, and shock at winning means it was an auction sale. DSR does not apply to auction sales so no cancellation rights.

soolin

bris wrote: »

Low start price, and shock at winning means it was an auction sale. DSR does not apply to auction sales so no cancellation rights.

For business sellers the eBay system defaults to returns accepted and most business sellers seem to,leave that enabled.

Crowqueen

I think business sellers have to accept returns, they can't put 'No Returns Accepted', can they?

Business sellers will have to accept DSR returns and cancellations on auctions from next year as well. If OP's seller is still around by that time, they are going to get a rude awakening if indeed they are a business seller (though it seems slightly odd, as this is not a tactic a good business would use - sounds like a private seller to me).

theonlywayisup

Mozzi wrote: »

There are quite a few posts on here about unreasonable P&P costs.

Point to note, the last few small packets I posted, 2nd recorded, cost £3.15 each (for under 1kg), postage costs have risen quite a bit recently, almost making selling items of low value just not worth the effort anymore.

This is word for word what you added to the another thread.

Most on here realise that recorded is a waste of money for items of £46 or under as a certificate of posting (free) will cover you in the event of a claim.

Mindless_Clone

Even if you ask her to post them separately, it's still £2.20 for second class standard (assuming that they will not fold flat enough for a large letter). So total £4.40... packaging costs probably no more than £1.


You could be a bit naughty and ask her to post them to two different addresses (on the pretence that one is for a friend. :P )

Or muck her around and say you want to pay by cheque, send her a cheque and cause her the inconvenience of having to go pay into her bank.

Or ask her if you can pay by Paypal credit card and cost her paypal fees...


... or hope she sends them standard mail and claim they didn't arrive...

... or find something wrong with them and raise a SNAD...

... ok none of that is terribly constrictive, sorry. Just amusing ways to be awkward :rotfl:


OK, just to be clear, I don't actually condone any of that but when people nark you off, it's fun to imagine how you can get your own back.

Back to serious though, just out of interest to our other ebay experts, if this seller did post them in one (considerably cheaper) parcel, does the buyer have any recourse to protest and get some money back? Seems like a bit of a loophole in ebay otherwise, especially as they take such pains to protect their profits from sellers inflating P&P prices.

stephga23

wow guys!!

Thank you for all of your responses, i guess when i posed this afternoon / morning i was a little irritated by it!

Mindless Clone - your post made me giggle so much!

To everyone else who replied thank you so much, i'll mark a few stars down when the items arrive

Steph

Just_Like_Honey

I had the same thing happen and when I asked about postage coming to £8 for two 99p items I got the response "excuse me you have got 2 items that would cost you nearly £15 in the shops so I am not losing out on this!!!"

When they arrived having cost £2.20 to post I asked for a refund of some of the postage cost, they declined, so I left low stars for p&p and in feedback stated that postage was incredibly inflated.