Combining postage for 2 SD items bought 15 hours apart

kalsha

Does Ebay combine postage for 2 SD items bought a couple of hours apart?
How does it work?  Do I have to do anything?
What if the buyer buys them more than a day apart (and I haven't yet posted the first item).
Buyer seems to think that I just have to refund her for one item's postage!

molerat

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/postage-rates/offering-combined-postage?id=4169

https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Seller-Central/How-the-Hell-do-I-combine-postage-for-several-items/td-p/7825000

The problem you will have by simply refunding one postage charge and sending both together is that you will only have tracking for one item.

soolin

This is the major downside of SD, they can't be combined unless they go into the buyers basket first and are checked out together- which in practice rarely works for BIN items. It does work, sometimes for auction items.

I've had a couple recently where buyer has luckily asked before they buy and I have just added the 2nd item to the other listing, changed the price and let them buy both on the same listing. This does need a great deal of care though as doing it wrongly the bot will think you are dealing 'off' ebay if you get a question, and then immediately delete the item.

Some buyers don't believe we can't change things or 'just refund them', but explain as best you can that ebay now control the postage for most items from a private seller, and that the seller never sees the postage money and just gets pre paid labels. 

savergrant

kalsha said:

Does Ebay combine postage for 2 SD items bought a couple of hours apart?
How does it work?  Do I have to do anything?
What if the buyer buys them more than a day apart (and I haven't yet posted the first item).
Buyer seems to think that I just have to refund her for one item's postage!

If you paid for postage the only way to get a refund is to jump through hoops and use another tracked carrier (which may not accept the two items using the same tracking details). If the buyer paid postage they SHOULD receive a refund of the cost of the label if it isn't used BUT you'd be at serious risk of Item Not Received If you simply stuck both items in one package.
If the buyer is unhappy to pay for both postage labels you might be beat advised to refund and relist as a aingle listing as soolin suggested.

kalsha

I did explain that we sellers have no control over SD postage anymore and that we don't even see the money in our accounts so I can't refund.  I gave her the option to cancel the first purchase and buy it back with the 2nd item by putting them in the basket together.   If that failed I was prepared to do a fresh listing with just the items she wanted with appropriate postage.  I don't think she believed me that I couldn't refund her just like that.

se2020

It doesn't really work if they add both items to the basket either.

I had a buyer add 2 items (both large letter size, 150g) into the basket. 
Postage (seller pays) was £2.70 each item, ebay charged me £5.15 for the combined label so I still lost out.

kalsha

se2020 said:

It doesn't really work if they add both items to the basket either.

I had a buyer add 2 items (both large letter size, 150g) into the basket. 
Postage (seller pays) was £2.70 each item, ebay charged me £5.15 for the combined label so I still lost out.

Thanks for letting me know.  I will have to figure out another way to combine.   That is not on charging so much when it could be put in one parcel at a cost of £2.70 or £2.94.

soolin

kalsha said:

se2020 said:

It doesn't really work if they add both items to the basket either.

I had a buyer add 2 items (both large letter size, 150g) into the basket. 
Postage (seller pays) was £2.70 each item, ebay charged me £5.15 for the combined label so I still lost out.

Thanks for letting me know.  I will have to figure out another way to combine.   That is not on charging so much when it could be put in one parcel at a cost of £2.70 or £2.94.

There is no 'safe' way for a seller to get round this unless you can lump together items and list as one item/lot.