AIBU over postage here

[Saker]

I won three items in separate auctions from the same seller - two brio engines and a piece of level crossing. The total postage on the three items was £9.49 so I emailed asked for costs to be combined. Our email exchange is as follows and now she/he has reported me to ebay. Do you think I have done anything wrong?

Me
would it be possible to combine postage on the three items I have won from you?
Thanks

Seller
Thanks for you enquiry - but i'm afriad that I dont do this - the cost of the item/postage is as listed per item please.
Thank you.


Me
ok, well then I would like all 3 items packaged and sent separately. thanks


Seller
I am sorry to learn that you are so obviously disappointed witht the packaging and posting fees that you contracted to pay per item when you entered the bidding process.

You are welcome to come along and collect the items in person, or

If you no longer feel that the overall cost of your purchases represents value for money, then I am happy to organise with ebay that you can cancel your purchases and I will happily relist them.

In my experience as a reasonably regular internet shoppper if you order anything from Amazon that detailed individual prices for postage - you would pay all items of postage irrespective of how many parcels the order arrives in. Additionally I had several other bidders yesterday who also purchased multiple items, and apart from one arranging to collect directly, which I am quite happy with - everyone else has just accepted the postage that they have agreed to pay when bidding.

Me
I have accepted to pay the postage and I have already paid you for the postage as separate items. Equally you have listed them as separate items and therefore have contracted to send them out as such. If you pack them together and the package goes astray then I will lose all three items whereas if they are sent separately I will have more chance of receiving some of them. If I have to pay full postage on each one then I should at least have that benefit.

I do think your policy could be seen as stingy and you are the first seller I have had contact with who has not been happy to combine postage, I always combine postage on my sales. I see you are not a frequent user of ebay and maybe you will change your policy when you have been using it more often. I think people will feel it's not really in the spirit of ebay.

Anyway I will still expect to receive all 3 items separately as I have paid for them in that way.

Seller
As I said - I am happy for you to cancel your order if you feel as you do.

I dont appreciate your remarks about being stingy - and feel that you are quibbling over pence when you have got the items for a good price, and a price that you entered in full knowledge that the postage was on top.

I am not breaching any ebay policy by asking for what you signed up to.

I believe that the onus is on you to have checked my policy before you started bidding if it was that big a concern for you.

And, no, I will not be changing my policy on this - I dont need to. What you choose to do yourself is entirely up to you.

Me
I am not quibbling over price. I paid the full price yesterday and I didn't complain about it - all I am asking is for you to send the packages separately. That way if any go astray I will not have lost them all. You can't have it both ways - if you don't wish to combine postage, you can't combine packaging either.

Seller
I am sufficiently offended by your communications that I have spoken to EBay Customer services today to report your complaint and request their advice.

They have confirmed that

1. I am entitled to levy a postage price per item; and
2. Where an individual has bid successfully for more than 1 item that I am entitled to send the items out in one package.

I would remind you that you were the one who asked if I would reduce the postage AFTER the close of bidding AND when I completely reasonably said NO it was you who accused ME of being STINGY - when I had done no more than follow the EBAY rules and prerogatives that apply to selling.

I have asked them to review the email trail between our accounts and have told them I am not at all happy with the tactics you have used. Frankly I would be quite happy to cancel all three transactions and sell the items to a more reasonable purchaser.

On the basis of the Ebay Customer Service team advice I have therefore package all three items into one box but have upgraded the postal service offered to 1st class signed for.

[Saker]

Sorry for length but I hate being in dispute with anyone. I realise in hindsight I would have been better not to get sucked into arguing, but I don't feel I was rude or unreasonable.

[Saker]

Also should say that I paid immediately after I got her message that she wouldn't combine postage.

[ThedementedPenguin]

Surely if the seller has put them into one box and upgraded the postage to first class signed for then the postage cost has gone up?

I'm not an eBay regular, so I don't know the ins and outs.

I think YANBU, you have every right to ask for combined postage and if not then receive 3 packages.

Could you question how much the postage is now with one package?

[Saker]

I think that the parcel is unlikely to weigh more than 300g so first class signed for is only £3.60. Also I suspect the seller has only done that because ebay have pointed out I have a point about parcels going astray.

[ThedementedPenguin]

You can tell I don't have a clue.

If you hadn't paid I'd of suggested paying one by one and only paying next one when you'd received first.

Sorry I'm not much help.

Well I take it you want the items so maybe leave neutral feedback.

I really hope someone better comes along soon.

[SandyDilbert]

the seller is wrong, you are right. You can of course leave 3 separate negs 8 days apart, all with low stars. 8 days apart they count as 3 negs btw, closer together all 3 count as 1. I would refuse to sign for it, get a refund and shop elsewhere. And if she sends a cancellation you can refuse that if you wish too.

[SandyDilbert]

by having 1 payment instead of 3 the seller has saved on paypal fees, plus only 1 packaging cost. They are being blatantly unhelpful and obstructive - not to mention greedy btw.

[Saker]

Thanks for trawling through my original post. I hadn't thought about it that I could leave 3 negatives, I might be tempted to do that or at least neutrals. After all she has sent out the stuff - at least I assume so, so I feel that maybe 3 negatives would be unfair. It wouldn't be good on her listing as she has only 19 ratings!

[SandyDilbert]

well up to you - but I would prob leave at least 1 neg. Low stars are more damaging, and I would want to leave a 1 for her rudeness and for her extortionate p&p costs. If you leave them blank they don't count so if you want to have an impact you do need to mark the stars as something.

[Locketjuice]

Leave bad feedback

I value my 100% feedback and I generally only buy so I think if I sold and was left bad feedback I may cry a little.. Possibly not actually cry but you get the jist

[Saker]

Ok well I will definitely leave low stars on P&P and communication, I think they are justified.
Thanks for the support anyway, I feel better that you don't think I was being unreasonable. I have 100% feedback as a buyer and a seller and I generally get on with my buyers / sellers.

[Flibbertyjibbet]

Whilst I get the bit about 'the price is the amount bid plus P&P', when you win more than one item, the postage should be combined. Because the charge is for POSTAGE, not lining the pockets of the buyer.

On the other hand, I always check whether someone will combine postage before bidding, and if the answer is no (or no reply) then I don't bid. Where someone charges more than say £1 more than the actual postage, they get low stars. I charge for the price of the stamps and nothing more, yet I still don't have 5 stars for postage! So I don't feel bad about leaving low stars for postage when others bump it up.

OP if you are going to leave low stars for postage then just do it, don't tell the seller in advance or they could report you to ebay for feedback extortion. Had to laugh that in the reply from ebay they say they are able to send stuff out in one parcel but seem to have forgotten to ask ebay if they should combine postage when doing that!

[CloserLook]

They sound very rude and unreasonable. You are quite right to ask for the items to be posted separately if they won't combine the postage. It is true that ebay can't force the seller to do this but it's beyond me why they wouldn't combine. The postage charge is not there for sellers to make a profit. Also surely it's in the sellers best interest to combine and get good feedback and possible return customers?

I'd be leaving negative specifically saying how unhelpful they were and leaving very low stars for communication and postage.

[lljkk]

imho, this asking for items to be sent separately is bolshy nonsense. There is no Ebay policy on this at all.

That said, seller is a foolish jerk so I can't muster up much sympathy. It's too bad you already paid because 3 separate payments would be an extra 40p+ in Paypal charges to them.

By leaving 3 low star ratings you might well get their account closed down (maybe they deserve it with that kind of attitude). If at all possible, I would cease all comms & wait for the items to arrive.

[FeisMom]

That is out and out ebay fee avoidance IMO. YANBU at all.

[Saker]

The thing is I am quite naïve on ebay and didn't realise about the fees, only that she was trying to make a hefty profit on postage. When I paid, it showed as two separate payments, with the track in one and the engines in the other. I'm not sure why as I didn't specify.

I only remembered when I looked into it today that she can't leave me negative feedback.

llijkk, I know I should have checked before bidding which is why I didn't argue when she wouldn't combine, but just paid and asked for them to be sent separately. I also know I was being difficult over the separate payments, but I felt that she shouldn't have it all her own way.

I have not communicated with her since the last email above and do not intend to. I regret getting dragged into any kind of discussion and should have just stuck to "please send separate packages."

[lljkk]

There is no fee avoidance; 10% Ebay fees apply on postage now. But they are probably going to retain more of what OP pays doing it this way, because they can send all in one package & they missed out on 40p of paypal fees.

If items don't turn up then file item-not-received. If you get any more bolshy emails to imply seller isn't going to send items then report them for seller nonperformance. You have ALL the power here, although one thing you can't do is make them send for sure, so have a back up plan if this is Xmas shopping.

[ThistletoeAndWine]

I would have cancelled instead of putting up with her rudeness!

[ScornedWoman]

I had similar and did exactly as you have. My seller realised they were being tight, though.and sent the items together, but refunded some postage - without any snottiness.

[FreeWee]

I only ever charge P&P actual costs plus 10% 'handling' which is really my petrol cost. It's not against rules but it's against the spirit of selling not to combine postage. I'd leave a neutral saying 'Please note seller does not combine postage' factual and not derogatory but buyers will be warned.

[Saker]

I was tempted to cancel, but I do want the items and it can be a right effort to get those wretched Thomas engines. You can spend all evening hovering over the computer ready to bid at the last second just to lose it and then have to start all over again.

[Saker]

I was tempted to cancel, but I do want the items and it can be a right effort to get those wretched Thomas engines. You can spend all evening hovering over the computer ready to bid at the last second just to lose it and then have to start all over again.

[alemci]

sounds ridiculously expensive and rip offey. doesn't cost anywhere near that to send. she should refund some postage if you have paid.

[nickstmoritz]

YANBU What a rude and greedy seller. Don't get into an argument but contact customer services and see what they say when you explain it from your point of view. Bet they say something different to you. Sellers are not supposed to charge excessive P&P. Leave a neg for pompous rudeness! I would be furious with those messages and I don't leave negs lightly. I have left 2 in 11 years of ebaying.

[Saker]

Well I did get the items though they didn't arrive until yesterday. In the end I think the package must have cost about £6.00 but she printed the label herself so it didn't say the cost. I took FreeWee's advice and so far have left one neutral saying doesn't combine postage and 1 star for communication and 2 stars for postage.