Do you expect combined postage if buying more than one item?

soolin

mrs_sparrow wrote: »

I have paid for 2 lots of postage.

Out of interest. How many parcels do you think I should receive? One or two?

Because if the seller is not 'offering' combined postage they should not be sending combined postage either. Agreed?

I agree. If seller states that cannot offer combined postage then you should get 2 packages.

One of my popular BINs is not offered with any postal discounts and even then if someone buys 2 I tend to email and explain whythey are charged for 2 lots of postage.

One item just about goes as a large letter under 100g , so 69p two items though are well over the large letter width and have to go as a £2.20 packet.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Mindless_Clone wrote: »

But I would expect all business sellers to offer combined costs.

We sell with free P&P so there's no discount and most volume sellers in the same cat who do charge separately don't discount (and outside eBay it's typically free standard P&P with no discount and profit to be made from as faster service).

Typically 1 item costs 80p to post, 2 can also go at 80p. 3 or 4 comes out at 2 x 80p parcels or 1 x £2.20 (or £3.20 if RD is required), more than 4 is £3.20 (all sent RD).

Each item has 80p factored in so there is an extra "profit" to be had from certain multiply buys.

Of course it's a small amount of money but there are several little bits here and there like this which we can gain a little extra profit on that all add up. The buyer may prefer that this is passed on as a saving but our view is that this helps us run our business in the interest of everyone, by giving all a good price to start with (it's a very low margin product) and helping to cover the cost of quality customer service, rather than the odd customer getting a small discount.

If the seller says they combine then they of course should but if they don't say nor combine it doesn't necessarily mean the seller is just stuffing your cash in their pocket as a bonus.

baffcat

mrs_sparrow wrote: »

I have paid for 2 lots of postage.

Out of interest. How many parcels do you think I should receive? One or two?

Because if the seller is not 'offering' combined postage they should not be sending combined postage either. Agreed?

I can't see how one affects the other, not logically anyway. I list with 'freepost' so this argument no longer affects me, luckily. The seller could, if he wished and the item accepted such treatment, split each order into 4, maybe because it became cheaper under PIP. If he did, I'd applaud his efforts to keep costs down.

soolin wrote: »

I agree. If seller states that cannot offer combined postage then you should get 2 packages.

Why? This always seems infantile to me. He can combine packing if he wishes.

If you bid on more than one item, haven't confirmed that they'll combine into one package, and haven't agreed a price for a multi-item order, then accept the total price in good faith, or stay away from those auctions. As long as the seller uses at least the delivery service for which you've paid, then that's a 5 star transaction. If he does drop his P&P at your request, made after winning, you're lucky (but it's always worth asking).

If a seller listed lots of different sizes of items, with differing weights, but makes a business decision to average out the cost of delivery to £2 per item, from lows of £1 to highs of £4, he's losing money every time he sends out 1 x £4 item. However, on the items costing £1 to send, or multi-orders, he's regaining the losses. He sets out clearly on his listings it's £2 for the first items, and £2 for each extra item.

Maybe he self-insures. I'm sure I've seen plenty of support for this, when posters have mentioned RD.

To you, not knowing or caring of his business model, you'd be wanting him to send out multiple packages.

None of us know how or why sellers set their payment instructions as they do, maybe they give the extra to charity (okay, probably not). But if you bid without checking the score first, accept the consequences with good grace.

baffcat

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head wrote: »

We sell with free P&P so there's no discount and most volume sellers in the same cat who do charge separately don't discount (and outside eBay it's typically free standard P&P with no discount and profit to be made from as faster service).

Typically 1 item costs 80p to post, 2 can also go at 80p. 3 or 4 comes out at 2 x 80p parcels or 1 x £2.20 (or £3.20 if RD is required), more than 4 is £3.20 (all sent RD).

Each item has 80p factored in so there is an extra "profit" to be had from certain multiply buys.

Of course it's a small amount of money but there are several little bits here and there like this which we can gain a little extra profit on that all add up. The buyer may prefer that this is passed on as a saving but our view is that this helps us run our business in the interest of everyone, by giving all a good price to start with (it's a very low margin product) and helping to cover the cost of quality customer service, rather than the odd customer getting a small discount.

If the seller says they combine then they of course should but if they don't say nor combine it doesn't necessarily mean the seller is just stuffing your cash in their pocket as a bonus.

Loony said it so much more succinctly than I.

plumface

soolin wrote: »

Which of course puts most buyers backs up immediately - what has the cost of getting to the PO got to do with them?

Perhaps because it is a cost of 'posting'!

plumface

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head wrote: »

If the seller says they combine then they of course should but if they don't say nor combine it doesn't necessarily mean the seller is just stuffing your cash in their pocket as a bonus.

Try telling that to most ebay buyers,all sellers are on the make. :rotfl:

buggritt

We are probably debating a couple of 99p purchases here.
We could do with another war.

MultiCat

If I see the same bidder bidding on more than 1 item I will send them a message stating that I will combine postage if they win both and to wait until I send them an invoice before paying.

Although sometimes people completely ignore this and end up paying double the P&P...

soolin

plumface wrote: »

Perhaps because it is a cost of 'posting'!

Which of course should not be charged to the buyer if seller hopes to keep their account in good standing.

plumface

soolin wrote: »

Which of course should not be charged to the buyer if seller hopes to keep their account in good standing.

Are business's a charity then?
P & P = Posting and packaging.