Unhappy about postage charge, what should I do?

[Selks]

I bought two tops on ebay, didn't notice that they were from the same seller, so was surprised when they arrived in the same packet. Each top cost £4.99 in postage and I paid twice for this, so total cost for one modest sized package, sent by Hermes, cost me £9.98. I think this is far too high for one modest sized package which fit through my letter box.
I contacted the seller to say I was unhappy about being charged so much for one package and that I would like a partial refund on the postage. They contacted me back to say no can do, they "don't do combined postage" although they were happy to send both tops in one parcel and charge me for two.
It is a business seller, if that makes any difference. I messaged back to say I was unhappy with their response and under the circumstances would not be able to leave good feedback as it would be marked down for the postage. No further response from seller. I haven't left feedback yet, and there is no actual case open.
Any advice? Thanks

[butterflybuttons]

leave 2 negs and 1 star 8 days apart - nope, nothing you can do. They should have sent in 2 separate packets and I am sure they know this.

[Selks]

Thanks, that's what I thought. Or could I report them to ebay for the postage charges?

[alemci]

yes do, it is cheeky. I bought 2 items from same personand the seller only charged me £1 more, which is much fairer and reflects the real cost. things nicely boxed.

[Selks]

How would I report them to ebay?

[alemci]

you could ring them on local no or have online chat. it is tricky to find info on there but have a go.

[lljkk]

I don't think it matters when you leave negatives; and sellers can only get one defect per transaction so Simple thing is to neg them and then not waste your time on rating stars.

You can't report them to Ebay for postage charges there isn't an explicit policy for them to violate; you only get to state your opinion in f/back if you think charges were unreasonable. If they get 8 defects in 12 calendar months then they lose their selling privileges forever so you'll get them one quarter the way there (? I think the 2 purchases will count separately).

[nauticant]

I don't think it matters when you leave negatives; and sellers can only get one defect per transaction so Simple thing is to neg them and then not waste your time on rating stars.

There's a world of difference between an occasional private seller picking up the odd negative and a business seller getting them:

www.ebay.com/gds/How-Do-DSR-Detailed-Seller-Ratings-Affect-Buyers-/10000000008154320/g.html

If you're pissed off OP, put negatives in all areas you consider to be justified. It can have an effect and sellers really should take note.

[lljkk]

I'm no expert, but That's probably old (obsolete) info, Nauticant. Try this (new system), which shows TRS status lost at just 5 defects, admittedly. Your link wasn't even up to date earlier this year because it doesn't mention how sellers could get 5 for communications if they don't communicate at all (how weird is that?! so sending any extra messages was bad practice) and 5 for dispatch if seller offered 1 day dispatch & marked it as dispatched within 1 day too. Whereas, a new change is that now any description DSR below 3 counts as a defect (used to only be 1s & 2s).

Defect system is very complicated and nobody thinks they understand it.

[Trapper]

So you saw the price, decided to buy the items, then later change you mind and expect them to say 'okay, I'll give you the items for less'?
And then neg them for not agreeing to you getting two tops for lower than the price you originally agreed to?
I really hope eBay side with the seller if you complain.

[butterflybuttons]

no - the buyer paid for 2 items - the seller should have sent them in separate parcels - but no, they sent them in the same packet with only one charge - they should not have done that. They had only one parcel, one lot of postage and one lot of paypal fees on the payment. £7 profit on postage is daylight robbery - there is no justification for it other than utter greed.

[Selks]

Trapper, I paid expecting to pay for two lots of postage, but only one lot of postage was used. How is that fair to me? I am not receiving the items for less, the item prices remain the same. It is being ripped off for postage that is the issue.

From your post I assume that you are a seller who finds ripping off for postage acceptable.

For your information, I haven't taken any action yet. I thought I'd weigh it up with the benefit of opinions on here.

[Trapper]

You it the items you wanted fr the price you agreed. I don't understand how receiving them in two separate packages would have been better.
I tend to look at prices on eBay and then decide to buy, rarely do I do it the other way round. I have occasionally asked if there is an opportunity reduce postage costs by combining items, but I do this before placing an order. Surely this would have been a more sensible approach?

[Selks]

As I explained upthread, at the time I did not notice that the items were from the same seller. They were bought four days apart. To be honest that was another annoyance, that the seller delayed the sending of one items so that they could add it to the other one and maximise their profits.

If the postage charges had only been a little over I would have taken it in my stride, but this is excessively over in my opinion.

[butterflybuttons]

because 2 separate packages means the seller used the buyers p&p payments to pay for p&p rather than only using a small amount of the £10 (ie £3) and sending them together, thus making a huge profit and keeping the difference.

As the OP said she didn't realise it was the same seller until after purchase.

[lostmymarblesbutfoundthewine]

I've had this before but not as steep postage. two separate orders and two separate packages.

I assumed as they didn't do combined postage they would post them.

thing I was annoyed at that one would fit through the letter box. which is why I done two separate orders. they sent two together and that got sent to local mail office which was a few miles and could only be got to by car (which I don't have) can see why you're annoyed