Partial postage refund - am i being unreasonable?

rachaelc_2

Hi all,

i sold an item on ebay last week and posted it out on Saturday, didnt take much notice of how much i was charged for the item at the post office as i had a few to post, i charged what i normally do for similar items (i sold a chunky cardigan and have previously sold jumpers and other thick tops and went for simillar postage costs) yesterday i recieved a message from the buyer stating that i had over charged them by a difference of £3.65 as they item stated it cost £2.60 to post so she wanted the £3.65 refunded. I have sent a refund of £2.50 and an apology for the error, but explained that due to paypal and ebay fees i dont actually recieve £2.60 for postage, and that i also factor in the cost of the jiffy envelope, bubble wrap, my time, petrol cost as these are all factored into the cost. I have recieved another message from her stating she is not hapoy with the £2.50 refund and wants the full difference back as 'it only cost me £2.60 to post'. Am i being unreasonable to say im not refunding her anymore?

Please be polite - theres no such thing as a silly question.............

littlecutiepie

I can understand what she thinks but as long as she bids for your items everything is over this means that she's happy to pay the postage price too. ebay doens't accept such refund requests but i think she may neg you and leave a low DSR rating which may affect your selling account, If i was you i will refund the pences to save the headache of communication and block list her , also be careful on your next listings with the P&P charges as there is sellers who over charge always , I recently bought a pair of heels I paid £8.95 for P&P but seller sent them unboxed ( even though box was showing with shoes in the pics ) and wrapped in a bin bag , I was very unhappy but then kept the shoes as i loved them

techspec

No-where in your listing did you say the postage charged will be the same as the postage cost. Tesco don't charge the price of the stamps.

I always refuse such requests - and as they are demanding money from you - any subsequent feedback and stars can be removed.

Not saying you should charge that much over - but hey - sometimes i accidentally charge too little - but i don't go back to the buyer.

First report the buyer using the report buyer button. If they leave you a neg - do the same again (you can report for more than one reason). Littlecutiepie can confirm that reporting buyers works.

Then request feedback removal on the grounds that the buyer tried to change the price and demanded money back. Tell them you gave some back - but they then demanded more. When you refused - they trashed you feedback.

Irn-Bru-Kid

You charge £6.15 to post a jumper?

This is excessive and it will hurt you eventually. Your DSR's will bear the brunt of the buyers wrath.

And before the 'the buyer new what the P&P was before she bought' brigade kick off, its irrelevant. The buyer is clearly unhappy as it cost less than 50% of the postage charged to actually post.

Buyers are also not interested in paying for your petrol or time to go to the PO. This has just put her back up even more.

To be perfectly blunt, it is crazy to fall out with a buyer for the sake of £1.15.

If you value your account, you need to be much more careful and truthful with postage costs and don't argue with customers for the sake of a pound or two.

You will pay in the end, one way or another.

Danni-R

You can charge for the jiffy and the postage (maybe the bubble wrap but not sure why you'd bubble wrap a jumper) but you'll soon be in trouble if you start charging for 'my petrol to the post office, my time, my parking etc'.

PS.techspec's spot on about the report a buyer feature!

techspec

littlecutiepie wrote: »

, I recently bought a pair of heels I paid £8.95 for P&P but seller sent them unboxed ( even though box was showing with shoes in the pics ) and wrapped in a bin bag , I was very unhappy but then kept the shoes as i loved them

I'm interested to hear what feedback and star ratings you left.

techspec

Totally agree with others - you cannot charge that much over any more. I add 30-50p, and often undercharge.

If its a one-off error , fine - but look a bit closer at your postage charges in future. The new £2.60 Royal Mail fee, is very generous in size and weight.

That said, i point blank refuse refunds - that's what star ratings are for.

They got what they paid for, in the time agreed and at the price they agreed. Only on Ebay would a buyer think that was unfair.

Irn-Bru-Kid

The problem is they do think it is unfair and if three or four buyers in a 12 month period reflect this in the DSR's, you've had it. I'm assuming the OP is a small seller.

With regards to reporting the buyer, this might work but there is absolutely no guarantee that feedback and stars will be removed because a buyer asked for a partial refund on postage.

Major hassle for £1.15, just not worth it

Twisted_Cherry

No I wouldn't refund her anything. She bid won an item and by doing so agreed to pay the postage advertised. Yes it perhaps was excessive but the buyer saw that and still bid and paid.

mrcol1000

I agree. If you don't like the postage charge then don't bid. These online retailers who charge 4.95. Does it really cost them 4.95 under a contract with a courier per parcel? I doubt it. Charging over £6 for a small parcel is excessive though. Especially as for £4.20 My Hermes would collect it from your front door.

littlecutiepie

techspec wrote: »

I'm interested to hear what feedback and star ratings you left.

LOL believe me i didn't leave any , even though the seller deserves a neutral or a neg but the shoes were too nice so i closed my eyes for the feedback.