ebay seller wanting more money for post

iammumtoone

I bid and got an item for 99p plus 3.20 first class delivery

I received a message from the seller saying they have been and posted it but the post was more than they thought so they sent it second class (fair enough), it cost them 5.20 to post so they would like me to send them an extra £2 as they don't want to lose out.

I wonder what I should do? I know its only a couple of quid but its 50% more I am trying to decide if the post was stated correctly if I would have wanted the item or not.

I feel for them the same thing has happened to me in the past as a seller but I have never asked a buyer to cover the extra. Do you think it is reasonable for me to wait until I receive the item to see if I think it is worth the extra money?

I see lots of threads on here where for example a seller charges £6 post when it only costs £2 and buyer wants some money back, the general consensus seems to be that buyer knew the costs before hand so is not entitled to a refund. I will be interested to hear how people see it the other way round seller knew what they were charging they could have checked their cost before listing it is right they then ask for the extra?

MisterBaxter

In my opinion they have stated a price and you have paid it, they should have weighed the item and checked on the Royal Mail website before listing the item. It's not your fault they got it wrong and would your decision to buy have been different if the total cost including P&P been higher.

soolin

Personally I think the seller has a cheek for asking, but I suppose nothing ventured nothing gained.

I wouldn't be paying more though.

Flyonthewall

There's no excuse for getting the price wrong. Weigh, measure, check the site. Royal Mail tell you the exact price and you can get quotes from couriers too.

As the buyer it is not your fault that the seller got it wrong and the seller should not be asking the buyer to cover their costs because they made the mistake. I'm sure ebay say that sellers should not ask for extra money.

Annoying as it might be for the seller they've only themselves to blame, they should accept that this time they've made a loss and they should have learnt a lesson - check postage costs before listing in future.

It shouldn't matter if you feel it's worth more or you would have paid the higher price or your maximum bid was higher. You won it at that price, you paid that price and you shouldn't have to pay any more just because the seller made a mistake.

usefulmale

Flyonthewall wrote: »

There's no excuse for getting the price wrong. Weigh, measure, check the site. Royal Mail tell you the exact price and you can get quotes from couriers too.

As the buyer it is not your fault that the seller got it wrong and the seller should not be asking the buyer to cover their costs because they made the mistake. I'm sure ebay say that sellers should not ask for extra money.

Annoying as it might be for the seller they've only themselves to blame, they should accept that this time they've made a loss and they should have learnt a lesson - check postage costs before listing in future.

It shouldn't matter if you feel it's worth more or you would have paid the higher price or your maximum bid was higher. You won it at that price, you paid that price and you shouldn't have to pay any more just because the seller made a mistake.

If the seller had over-estimated the postage by 2 pounds, would you give the same advice, or would you be asking the seller for 2 pounds back?

soolin

usefulmale wrote: »

If the seller had over-estimated the postage by 2 pounds, would you give the same advice, or would you be asking the seller for 2 pounds back?

I assume if sellers expect their buyers to make up a short fall in postage that they would also be rushing to reimburse the buyer if they over charged.

Rhymsta

Could be a case of them using a bigger box than they needed pushing it into the medium parcel bracket.

mrcol1000

Had the seller contacted you before they posted it to say they want £2 extra then you could have done a mutual cancellation and let them relist it with a higher postage cost (if you wanted to). The fact they have posted it and now want the money I do not think is right. They could have dropped it off at a My Hermes parcel shop for £3.90 assuming it was under 2kg. As someone else said they might been able to repack it so it goes as a small parcel.

Its a bit of hard luck. It has happened to a few people (including me) but how many people have demanded more money after they posted it? How many people have felt a bit stupid but covered the loss and learnt for next time?

Flyonthewall

usefulmale wrote: »

If the seller had over-estimated the postage by 2 pounds, would you give the same advice, or would you be asking the seller for 2 pounds back?

I generally know how much postage will cost for the items I buy or certainly always have a very good idea. Therefore I always bid based on the price I am willing to pay in total. So I would never ask for the money back and a good seller would refund it without being asked.

For others, not everyone knows what postage will cost but they can still bid based on the total they're willing to pay.

It would be different if they stated they'd post it one way and then posted it a different way far cheaper because you've agreed to and paid for it to be sent a specific way. That's unfair on the buyer as they've clearly paid out for something they haven't got and far more than needed. Again, a good seller would refund that without being asked though.

Either way a seller should not be getting postage costs wrong so they should accept their mistake when it's under and refund when it's over.

googler

When weights, sizes and rates are shown in abundance on the Royal Mail website, there's no excuse for getting it wrong. Sellers should figure out the size and weight of the parcel needed (not the item) before listing with postage rates.

The seller got it wrong, it was their mistake, and they should suck it up and learn from it for future auctions. You should refuse to pay the extra on these grounds.

cattie

I've been caught out on 2 or 3 occasions when the post office has decided something I've sent out costs more than I'd worked out, especially now it has all of these new sizings etc. that can be open to interpretation, depending on who is serving at the p.o. It has grated a bit, especially if the item went for a low price.

Usually I've messaged buyer to say item was on it's way & that post cost more than I'd estimated, stating that I'm not asking them to pay extra, it being my mistake & added that it's a mistake I'll try to avoid in future.

I'll admit I've always hoped that the buyer will offer to pay extra if they are very pleased with the item. One buyer offered to pay half of the extra, one happily sent me the whole of the extra & one didn't even acknowledge my message.

If I felt a private seller ended up paying quite a bit more for an item I was happy with, I would be very happy to send them the extra, as I know it's an easy mistake to make & for all I know, that person could be on a very tight budget indeed. I find it difficult to have the attitude of tough luck mate.