Postage - RANT

chelmsfordgirl1

Just sold a few items to 1 buyer. They then send me a message asking if I can send invoice with combined postage so they can pay.

Just annoyed that they haven't communicated asking if I do combine it and have just assumed.

What does everyone do in this situation. I don't normally mind combining postage but only when asked before people bid.

angelcake

I don't see the problem, you are sending multiple things to the same address so why not combine? If they had purchased without asking for a combined invoice would you still charge them the seperate amounts?

chelmsfordgirl1

I don't mind doing it but it's the fact that people assume you will. I was always taught never assume anything.

punkpink

But surely posting two or more things together (as long as it doesnt change something from being posted as a large letter to package) means you wont incur any extra charges so its only fair to pass that on to your buyer?
Sometimes people dont get the chance to ask before bidding, if they see the auction last minute.

soolin

I would much rather they asked before they paid for the lot and have me faff about trying to refund part.

I have one line that weighs about 80gramme s but goes as a packet, so you can imagine how many other small items I can include in the same box totally free of charge!

eaglesrjh

must admit there are times i'm bidding on a lot of items that i might not even notice they are from the same seller until it is on the purchase page.

i would then politely ask as your buyer has done.

Seller then can refuse I guess but if they did so I would then expect each purchase to be sent individually as thats what I would have paid for.

Contains_Mild_Peril

eaglesrjh wrote: »

must admit there are times i'm bidding on a lot of items that i might not even notice they are from the same seller until it is on the purchase page.

This could explain it. I sometimes get annoyed at customers only asking things after they've bid/ bought an item, e.g. buying something and paying for the default 2nd class postage then saying they need it ASAP, or one I got who bought a 99p auction item, I heard nothing for a few days and was contemplating sending a polite reminder asking when to expect payment when it arrived by post, in cash, with a note asking me to keep the item for several weeks then send it to his new address after he moved house. I didn't have a problem with doing that but it would have been nice if he'd asked beforehand.

rartherinv

if you feel they asked too late or you just don't want the hassle of it, a good response which a seller once told me is "I'm very sorry but the items are already packaged and ready to send, so will have to be sent individually at standard postage costs."

another excuse is that the items are being dispatched by a third party and you cannot get them to combine parcels without prior notice.

soolin

rartherinv wrote: »

if you feel they asked too late or you just don't want the hassle of it, a good response which a seller once told me is "I'm very sorry but the items are already packaged and ready to send, so will have to be sent individually at standard postage costs."

another excuse is that the items are being dispatched by a third party and you cannot get them to combine parcels without prior notice.

Why would a seller need an excuse? A seller needs to be careful not to do something just to spite a buyer and end up worse off.

In my example refunding all the p and p for additional items and sending one invoice for the lot saves me money as I save a few pence on each bag or box (my boxes for small items are 16p a go), plus I save the paypal fees (either 20p or 5p depending on which of my accounts is used) and the paypal percentage on the charged postage. So by combining my items wherever possible I save money and loook very good to the buyer.

It would cost me more to wrap and send each item individually.

forgotmyname

If it was an auction how do they know how many items they will win?

I was going to buy one item then decided at the last minute to buy all 4 the seller had. But with only 10 minutes left and each auction ending within minutes of each other it was a bit last to ask how much to post 1 or 2 or 4.

How many questons would you want from potential buyers all asking how much the postage would be for 1 item or or 3 or 4 or.. however many items your selling.

After 30 people as i presume you will wish they asked after they won?

Avoriaz

Life is too short to let the little things worry you.

It will only take a minute or two to revise the invoice and you will save far more minutes than that by only having to prepare one package.


The only downside I can see is the possibility that the buyer will claim, either genuinely or fraudulently, non receipt and you can only prove dispatch or delivery of one package. I’m not sure what happens then.