How can people sell dvds on ebay for less than the P&P? 19 February 2020 at 12:29PM in Boost your income 10 replies 877 views

cj2011

Sometimes I see people/businesses (?) selling used dvds for just over £1 including P&P on ebay? How is this possible, given that it costs £1.32 to post a dvd? Do they get heavily discounted stamps? If so, where?

A single dvd with case weighs around 120-125 g so would have to go as a large letter.

£1 minus 10p (ebay fees) minus (3p + 20p) (Paypal fees) minus 1.32 (large letter stamp) = -£0.65

Am I missing something?

General_Grant

Do you think the DVD arrives in a plastic case?  I would expect them to arrive in a cardboard sleeve and are small enough to be posted as an ordinary letter which I think is only about 61p first class at franking machine rates.

cj2011

General_Grant said:

Do you think the DVD arrives in a plastic case?  I would expect them to arrive in a cardboard sleeve and are small enough to be posted as an ordinary letter which I think is only about 61p first class at franking machine rates.

If it isn't stated that the case is missing, it would go against ebay policy to post without. I guess they start at 99p thinking the price would go up but because they're second hand films, it's likely they'll end up losing more than they gain. 
Some of these sellers don't have perfect feedback, maybe it's their way of trying to improve on it by selling at a loss until they get more positive feedback.

lisyloo

When I order hay fever tablets, I get the boxes arrived flattened to get sent as a normal letter.

General_Grant

cj2011 said:

General_Grant said:

Do you think the DVD arrives in a plastic case?  I would expect them to arrive in a cardboard sleeve and are small enough to be posted as an ordinary letter which I think is only about 61p first class at franking machine rates.

If it isn't stated that the case is missing, it would go against ebay policy to post without. I guess they start at 99p thinking the price would go up but because they're second hand films, it's likely they'll end up losing more than they gain. 
Some of these sellers don't have perfect feedback, maybe it's their way of trying to improve on it by selling at a loss until they get more positive feedback.

Is it EBay policy that all DVDs should come in plastic cases unless otherwise stated?  I thought the DVD was what was being bought not a DVD and plastic case.  (I don't usually visit this MSE Board and I'm not knowledgeable about EBay, just about how things can be posted!)

mjm3346

General_Grant said:

cj2011 said:

General_Grant said:

Do you think the DVD arrives in a plastic case?  I would expect them to arrive in a cardboard sleeve and are small enough to be posted as an ordinary letter which I think is only about 61p first class at franking machine rates.

If it isn't stated that the case is missing, it would go against ebay policy to post without. I guess they start at 99p thinking the price would go up but because they're second hand films, it's likely they'll end up losing more than they gain. 
Some of these sellers don't have perfect feedback, maybe it's their way of trying to improve on it by selling at a loss until they get more positive feedback.

Is it EBay policy that all DVDs should come in plastic cases unless otherwise stated?  I thought the DVD was what was being bought not a DVD and plastic case.  (I don't usually visit this MSE Board and I'm not knowledgeable about EBay, just about how things can be posted!)

Don't know if there is a specific ebay policy about DVDs but I expect to receive a disk. sleeve and case, same as I would if purchasing from a high street shop etc - if any of these parts are missing without the item description saying so then I would open a claim through ebay and expect to win - why would so many listings say supplied without a case if they could get away without providing one (just disks alone usually have less value than the complete item)?

cj2011

General_Grant said:

cj2011 said:

General_Grant said:

Do you think the DVD arrives in a plastic case?  I would expect them to arrive in a cardboard sleeve and are small enough to be posted as an ordinary letter which I think is only about 61p first class at franking machine rates.

If it isn't stated that the case is missing, it would go against ebay policy to post without. I guess they start at 99p thinking the price would go up but because they're second hand films, it's likely they'll end up losing more than they gain. 
Some of these sellers don't have perfect feedback, maybe it's their way of trying to improve on it by selling at a loss until they get more positive feedback.

Is it EBay policy that all DVDs should come in plastic cases unless otherwise stated?  I thought the DVD was what was being bought not a DVD and plastic case.  (I don't usually visit this MSE Board and I'm not knowledgeable about EBay, just about how things can be posted!)

It IS ebay policy that all items need to be as described. The condition description for "good" reads:

"Good: An item that has been used but is good condition. May have minor damage to jewel case or item cover, including scuffs, cracks, or scratches. The cover art and liner notes are included for a CD. VHS or DVD box is included. Video game instructions are included. No skipping on the CD or DVD, when played. No fuzzy or snowy frames on VHS tape, when played. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections." It is beyond doubt that if the picture shows a disc in its box, the box will be included. Otherwise, the buyer will be able to open a claim due to the item not being as described.

soolin

eBay do not insist on jewel cases , they do require the seller to say exactly how the item will be sent. So a DVD in paper slip case is acceptable as long as it is sold as used. I would also expect any seller to protect themselves by not using a stock photo where a case is shown .

from the t and Cs re condition

• New: A brand-new, unused, unopened and undamaged item. See the seller's listing for full details.
• Used: An item that has been previously used. See the seller's listing for full details and description of any imperfections.

cj2011

soolin said:

eBay do not insist on jewel cases , they do require the seller to say exactly how the item will be sent. So a DVD in paper slip case is acceptable as long as it is sold as used. I would also expect any seller to protect themselves by not using a stock photo where a case is shown .

from the t and Cs re condition

• New: A brand-new, unused, unopened and undamaged item. See the seller's listing for full details.
• Used: An item that has been previously used. See the seller's listing for full details and description of any imperfections.

Sorry but did I ever say that it's never acceptable to sell a used dvd without the box? Somebody asked whether it needs to be stated that the box is missing, and it does. All items need to be described accurately.

ElefantEd

Also, being cynical, maybe some people don't pay the postage themselves - eg. they 'borrow' stamps/franks from their workplace. Or maybe they've got a bunch of stamps that they won't use and can't sell (eg from doing RM surveys) and feel that it's better to get some use from then.

cj2011

ElefantEd said:

Also, being cynical, maybe some people don't pay the postage themselves - eg. they 'borrow' stamps/franks from their workplace. Or maybe they've got a bunch of stamps that they won't use and can't sell (eg from doing RM surveys) and feel that it's better to get some use from then.

Wouldn't surprise me if that's true. Or they don't intend to honour the bid if it ends up lower than they're happy with.