Postage Gouging...again!

Strapped

So much excitement over £2.30.

Really?

:silenced:

SharkyGeorge

Absolutely agree with Techspec and Plumface.

I think it's outrageous to give low stars if you've agreed to the postage cost and at no point prior to bidding indicated to the buyer you think it's too high. No one has put a gun to the head of a buyer and forced them to pay that price - if they don't like the postage cost, don't buy the item. End of.

plumface

SharkyGeorge wrote: »

Absolutely agree with Techspec and Plumface.

I think it's outrageous to give low stars if you've agreed to the postage cost and at no point prior to bidding indicated to the buyer you think it's too high. No one has put a gun to the head of a buyer and forced them to pay that price - if they don't like the postage cost, don't buy the item. End of.

Totally agree, but as it is ebay some people (SOME BUYERS) think they have the right to complain after agreeing a price.
The reason is, they can complain because ebay let them complain.
Perhaps GLEEFUL should change to WINGEFUL.

PasturesNew

When I buy, I agree to pay the postage and so long as the item arrives undamaged I don't give a tinker's whatsit how much I could calculate it cost them to send it.

People forget the TIME it takes to go to a Post Office, queue, wait and return home.

You're buying online for your convenience. You agree to pay the postage when you buy. End of. You could always have got your fat arris down the town and spent ages seeking out the item, paying for fuel, parking ... and running the gauntlet of a traffic warden/ticket if you over-stayed.

Your choice.

It came to your door. It's magic.

Hush now.

bsms1147

So if a website charges you £4.99 for delivery, and when you receive the item, you realise the delivery service would only have set them back half that cost, would you feel a bit miffed? Don't forget you had already accepted and agreed to the £4.99 charge in the first place so the 'real' cost is irrelevent.

martindow

OK, the buyer agreed to the quoted price. But Soolin's point about the seller being more likely to receive poor stars remains.

I don't think that offering low prices for the article with postage charges well over the actual postage cost is a good long term strategy for a seller.

superfran_uk

Why should a private seller lose out though? The truth is that jiffy bags, printing, parking etc DO cost money. If I sell a dvd or item of clothing for 99p, that's 80 profit after ebay and paypal fees, not taking into account time spent listing. Then according to the OP's logic should pack it, drive to the PO, pay to park, queue etc at my own cost? Hmmm.... Just not doable. If you like the price, pay it. If not, don't.

Cornucopia

soolin wrote: »

Just keep an eye on yoru expanded seller dashboard that is all that matters, not the headline stars. Every month when ebay clear the under performing sellers the community boards are full of sellers who have been suspneded yet show exceedignly good headline stars.

It pays to be forewarned and eventually you will come across buyers who believe postage and packng should be just that, and not include everything else a seller can think of. It isn't always easy to maintain a perfect account on ebay and it doesn't pay to make it harder on yourself.

Thanks.

What should I be looking for on the expanded dashboard?

I see the same "stars" scores, and a bunch of 0% for Low Ratings - I assume that's healthy.

One of the reasons why I feel justified in charging for packing is that my items are always well packed - typically in cardboard boxes that are sized for the cheapest available postage. Occasionally the feedback comment reflects this: well packed or clever packaging etc.

jpsartre

SharkyGeorge wrote: »

I think it's outrageous to give low stars if you've agreed to the postage cost and at no point prior to bidding indicated to the buyer you think it's too high. No one has put a gun to the head of a buyer and forced them to pay that price - if they don't like the postage cost, don't buy the item. End of.

I agree that there's no point in complaining about postage after buying but if you can't mark down stars when postage costs are inflated when can you? If I buy the same type of item from two different sellers and one charge me close to the exact costs of the stamp and the other 3 times as much, you can be sure I'm not giving the latter seller 5 stars.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

If the P&P were only £1.50 would you have bid an extra £2, would someone else have? Would the item have sold for any less overall if the P&P were different?

In my opinion "postage Gouging" is the sellers charging 1p for the item and 29.99 for shipping.