Ebay - "P&P costs as detailed in the listing and are only estimates"

Mindless_Clone

Can anyone tell me, can a seller vary the P&P charge after an item has been bought?
I saw this in the item details for a BIN item:

"Postage: Packing & postage/shipping costs as detailed in the listing and are only estimates to be added to the final bid. We charge packing and shipping at cost some items cost more to pack than others. Please wait for an invoice before paying as this will include the correct shipping charge for your deliver postcode and insurance options."

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

They should list the correct P&P price in the listing by eBay rules but if that statement is clear then you have been warned.

Best advice is don't bid/buy. If that was in the small print and you've already ordred then only pay what was stated on the P&P tab.

sniggings

I think they are trying to keep the shipping costs down and fair, rather than con anyone with that statement.

If the shipping is too high or you do not know what it is going to be, then you can cancel.

A contract has to have an offer of an amount to pay and an acceptance, if you don't know the cost you can not agree to it so no contract...

soolin

sniggings wrote: »

I think they are trying to keep the shipping costs down and fair, rather than con anyone with that statement.

If the shipping is too high or you do not know what it is going to be, then you can cancel.

A contract has to have an offer of an amount to pay and an acceptance, if you don't know the cost you can not agree to it so no contract...

Except this is ebay so when buyer tries to refuse to pay he gets slammed with an NPB

Best avoid the seller

alykatz

If i saw terms like that in a listing i would move on sharpish for several reasons.
a, It`s possible the shipping price will be loaded dependant on items final price
b, Shipping price will be loaded regardless and is not on the listing because its so high.
c, As Soolin has rightly pointed out, if you refuse because postage is loaded then you can get slammed with a npb for refusing to pay.

As for keeping shipping costs down ect, that did make me giggle as in this day an age there is no reason for any seller to not know roughly the ballpark figure of postage beforehand.

sniggings

alykatz wrote: »

If i say terms like that in a listing i would move on sharpish for several reasons.
a, It`s possible the shipping price will be loaded dependant on items final price
b, Shipping price will be loaded regardless and is not on the listing because its so high.
c, As Soolin has rightly pointed out, if you refuse because postage is loaded then you can get slammed with a npb for refusing to pay.

As for keeping shipping costs down ect, that did make me giggle as in this day an age there is no reason for any seller to not know roughly the ballpark figure of postage beforehand.

Everyone on ebay does not rip people off.

Depending what the item is and where's it's going, P&P can vary quite a lot.

I've seen people on here asking should they leave a neg cos the postage was overcharged by a £1 and others given negs for the same reason.

alykatz

sniggings wrote: »

Everyone on ebay does not rip people off.

Depending what the item is and where's it's going, P&P can vary quite a lot.

I've seen people on here asking should they leave a neg cos the postage was overcharged by a £1 and others given negs for the same reason.

I never said everyone did.
Agreed p&p can vary but this still does not mean a seller has no way of knowing until item is posted.There are so many different sites online that a person can easily access to estimate p&p beforehand fairly accurately..
Any seller who refuses for whatever reason to not state postage upfront looks dodgy..

soolin

I also did not say they were dodgy?

It is just more hassle than it is worth and it is not worth bothering to buy something if you don't know what the end cost is, that is just daft.

George_Michael

Two things spring to mind from reading those terms.

items cost more to pack than others.

So. Surely they should know the packing cost before listing an item.

and insurance options

A business seller so why should a customer have to worry about insurance?

And as to the sellers terms for refunds for faulty goods.

If there is a major error in the description which prevents the effective use of the item then the buyer must contact me within 2 days and if agreed and with a returns number return the item in the same state that it was shipped and with adiquate packing at the cost of the buyer. Upon receipt a full or partial refund will be given.

sniggings

soolin wrote: »

I also did not say they were dodgy?

It is just more hassle than it is worth and it is not worth bothering to buy something if you don't know what the end cost is, that is just daft.

I didn't say you did or for that matter say anyone here did.

I have seen that statement quite a bit on ebay and forums I have bought from.

I would make a judgment on whether I thought the seller was trying it on depending on what the item was, and their feed back etc

alykatz

sniggings wrote: »

I would make a judgment on whether I thought the seller was trying it on depending on what the item was, and their feed back etc

And therein lies the problem.
Once you have hit the buy button so to speak ,your commited and its only then you find out the postage costs. Which if they are ok is all well and good but if they are extortionate your in the postion of having to pay otherwise you end up being slapped with a npb.
Common sense surely dictates that rather end up with ludicrous p&p costs you avoid like the proverbial plague.