Combined postage

zerog

Getting back on ebay after a hiatus.

I won 4 auctions for similar items. The seller's P&P cost is £2.00, unspecified method. I know that each item will fit in a 100g second large letter signed for £1.79. The listing has lots of potentially unenforceable "terms" but does say that items will be sent tracked. (Yes I know signed is not tracked)

All together they would be able to go in a 250g second large letter signed for £2.20, including some allowance for packing material

I have bought from this seller before, using a different account, paypal, name and address, and after paying last time, I asked what postal method he would use. He did not reply but item came by RM.

I don't know if this is usual, but in the past buyers would message me and demand to be charged a specific amount for combined postage, usually quite reasonable, so I never contested it.

Anyway for better or worse I decided to message the seller and say I believe the total weight is 150g, therefore I think £2.50 would be a reasonable charge for combined postage if you are using Royal Mail

He doesn't reply but the next day I get an invoice for £6 postage (remember the total postage would be £8 if sent separately)

How would you proceed?

mgdavid

I'd pay up, and next time I'd ask the seller about combined postage before I bid, not after. Always better to work with facts rather than assumptions.

campdave

Sellers aren't obligated to combine postage. You should always check if they will before buying.

After the auction your choices are either not paying and risking a NPB, or paying what they are asking and leaving relevant feedback.

theonlywayisup

As per the other posts, you negotiate before you buy.

You do not know the costs of postage to the seller. For instance I use Royal Mail Tracked and you couldn't begin to guess the price.

DigForVictory

Talk before bidding! Or during. After is a bit late.

When I list, I say if I'll combine & if I say so, I do so.

If I've not included it, and someone asks after they've won, I'm much less inclined to negotiate. (Some of my things are wrapped for protection in storage & thus are more faff to combine.)

Your maths may be reasonable, but your grip on seller logic a tad less so.

kazwookie

Maybe they will send your items in 4 different packets, therefore there won't be any postage reduction.

JoW123

I have a business on Ebay and always combine postage for buyers buying more than one item. However, I ask them to wait for a combined invoice and I decide how much combined postage they pay and not them. In fact if someone told me how much they expected to pay I would think they were rude. In fact it has never, ever happened!! It's not up to you to decide what method they plan to send their items and how much it costs. You might find they have decided to send your items Special Delivery now hence the £6 cost as they have already got you marked as a potential troublemaker who will claim non receipt...........

bazzyb

zerog wrote: »

How would you proceed?

I'd pay what I agreed to pay at the time of bidding, rather than demanding the seller reduces the price I've already agreed to.

celestius

zerog wrote: »

Getting back on ebay after a hiatus.

I won 4 auctions for similar items. The seller's P&P cost is £2.00, unspecified method. I know that each item will fit in a 100g second large letter signed for £1.79. The listing has lots of potentially unenforceable "terms" but does say that items will be sent tracked. (Yes I know signed is not tracked)

All together they would be able to go in a 250g second large letter signed for £2.20, including some allowance for packing material

I have bought from this seller before, using a different account, paypal, name and address, and after paying last time, I asked what postal method he would use. He did not reply but item came by RM.

I don't know if this is usual, but in the past buyers would message me and demand to be charged a specific amount for combined postage, usually quite reasonable, so I never contested it.

Anyway for better or worse I decided to message the seller and say I believe the total weight is 150g, therefore I think £2.50 would be a reasonable charge for combined postage if you are using Royal Mail

He doesn't reply but the next day I get an invoice for £6 postage (remember the total postage would be £8 if sent separately)

How would you proceed?

As others have said it would have been better to contact the seller before bidding about combined postage.
At this stage I would probably pay the £6 and wait to see how the items were sent and how much they cost. Then rate the stars accordingly.

mrcol1000

It really annoys me when buyers think they know how much it will cost to post an item.

I had a buyer in Australia telling me that to send them a t-shirt to them should only cost 2 AUS dollars to post. That is a little over a pound!!! It would cost more than that to post to another part of the UK let alone Australia.

GeraldineA

I would pay it, then mark accordingly on the 'Postage cost' category. I would then never buy from this seller again, as I think charging so much more than the actual cost is wrong.

I've had this happen when buying fabric, when one piece would cost the same as 3-4. One seller reduced it by about 50p when I bought 4, so I ended up paying more than treble the actual cost. Since then I try to remember to ask before buying more than 1 item from a seller. It is a pain though and verging on dishonest IMHO.