over charged on ebay postage. can I please have some good advice?

custardy

Nerja wrote: »

An extra £1.20 on £2.60 postage does sound like quite a lot to me if you are sure the packaging materials cost 20p and not £1.20.

Too many sellers have high postage charges, and the solution is to either not buy from them, or give them low scores for postage.

just because you can get packaging for less
doesnt mean the seller did
Im sure most sellers have seen people buying over priced packaging in shops
So the seller may have paid £1+ for the packaging

ballisticbrian

The fundamental point I'm making is that total cost of item = item cost + postage cost. or a = b + c. It doesn't matter if b = 2 and c = 3 or b =3 and c = 2, the end result is still the same.

plumface

soolin wrote: »

How does that matter? Whether we are businesses or private sellers it is till the same buyers being asked to leave stars. Are you suggesting that buyers will not leave low stars if someone shows as a private seller and charges more that other people in the same category?
No, buyers can leave low stars no matter what, even if the price is justified.

Well you keep saying that private sellers cannot put costs into the p&p amount yet business sellers can.
If it is a cost in sending an item then it is a cost and should be added to the p&p amount. The buyer, having agreed the sale price should not have a right to complain.

soolin

plumface wrote: »

Well you keep saying that private sellers cannot put costs into the p&p amount yet business sellers can.
If it is a cost in sending an item then it is a cost and should be added to the p&p amount. The buyer, having agreed the sale price should not have a right to complain.

I have never said that, I do not believe either a business or a private seller will get away with adding costs into the P and p element of the sale. I have always said, and will always say, that buyers see no marked difference in how they are asked to leave stars regardless of whether it is a business of private sale.

By all means keep threads running telling sellers to charge what they want but as long as we accept that sellers may then regards that advice as flawed if they get restricted.

If this thread persuades the OP he is wrong and *must* leave 5 * what are we all going to do about the several million other buyers who do not have the benefit of that advice?

I think it is foolish of any of us to claim that we can charge what we like and somehow justify it to the handful of people on this thread. Whilst the majority of people here would, I assume leave 5* for p and p , we are a mere fraction of the buyers on ebay.

Rev

How do you know the envelope cost 20p?

Smallest padded envelope on my nearest post office is 45p. And you'd need a much bigger one to send a DVD box set.

I am all for asking for a refund if you have been vastly overcharged on postage. But complaining over £1.20, especially when you've guessed the envelope price seems rather petty to me.

I'd send the seller an apology, plead temporary insanity and feel slightly ashamed of myself if I were you.

Nerja_2

plumface wrote: »

No, the only solution is not to buy from them.
Dont buy and complain about it later.

And how do you know if the postage is reasonable before you receive the item?

ballisticbrian

And how do you know if the postage is reasonable before you receive the item?

That's an assessment you make whether you buy on eBay and the postage is 99p or some other outlets in the press who will send you items with 9.99 postage. You surely still make a mental assesment of what you are prepaired to pay and how badly you need the product and this also cross referenced with waht other seller's prices are?

RFW

ballisticbrian wrote: »

The fundamental point I'm making is that total cost of item = item cost + postage cost. or a = b + c. It doesn't matter if b = 2 and c = 3 or b =3 and c = 2, the end result is still the same.

You can't actually stop anyone from feeling annoyed about the price they have paid for something be it above, below or at cost.

One of the arts of selling is to make the customer think they are getting a good deal whilst making as much as possible. That can transpire in many ways, the illusion of 'free' post is one. The less you give them to complain about, the less they will complain about anything.

Nerja_2

ballisticbrian wrote: »

That's an assessment you make whether you buy on eBay and the postage is 99p or some other outlets in the press who will send you items with 9.99 postage. You surely still make a mental assesment of what you are prepaired to pay and how badly you need the product and this also cross referenced with waht other seller's prices are?

true, but if after you receive it you find the postage is a lot lower than you have paid then you are entitled to be annoyed. Btw I don't know if £1.20 is a sum that counts as a lot lower.

emweaver

This_Year wrote: »

Sorry, I don't agree. You can measure and weigh your item at home [if possible in the packaging that you will use] before even listing it so you can calculate the postage costs. Everyone will have scales at home, may not be to the same accuracy as the Post Office but you'll have a fairly good idea.

Never estimate postage, it will bite you on the bum if you get it wrong.

Not everyone has a scales at home, I haven't.

As for the assumption the envelope cost 20p, where I live not even the post office sells ones for boxsets for that price. I pay 45p for one the size of a DVD! Then we have to pay to park just to go to the post office, maybe the seller does too so factors this in aswell.