question about the new ebay fees and combined postage

[ChazDingle]

I sell 2nd hand kids clothes on ebay, not on a big scale just DS's old stuff. I offer a discount for combined postage if someone buys more than one item and i adjust the postage when i send them the invoice after they've won.

The new ebay fees are now also calculated on postage, is it the postage as per the listing or the actual postage charged

[LilyBossom]

it is the p&p price you put on the listing.

[ChazDingle]

ok thanks will have to take that into account when i reduce the combined postage

[lljkk]

You might be better off offering postage inclusive but inform the bidders (garish coloured big letters?) that you will offer discounts for multiple purchases. Don't say it's for postage exactly.

[sarahtigh]

lilyblossom that is not right it is not the postage on listing but the postage actually paid so if item is £4 with £2 postage you pay fees on £6

if item was collected fees only on £4

however if they buy 2 items at £4 and you offer revised invoice with £3 postage you pay fees on £11 not on £12, however if they pay for both at £12 and then you give them £1 refund you still pay ebay fees on £12 though paypal will refund fees on any refund given ( but not the 20p transaction fee)

state clearly in listing postal reductions for multiple purchases but please wait for amended invoice

you must send a revised invoice for multiple purchases rather than refunding later, though if you accidental overcharge for postage you need to refund regardless to avoid low stars

[LilyBossom]

sarah - that is what I said!! The postage paid is what is shown on the listing isn't it??

[LilyBossom]

www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/shopping/2013/09/ebay-sellers-beware-its-fees-now-eat-into-postage-costs

[ChazDingle]

what i do is have a price on the listing, say £2.60 for example. Then in my description i say i give discount for multiple purchases and to wait for me to send a revised invoice before paying. Then if they buy two items i would reduce the postage to say £3, rather than the combined postage per the listings that would be £5.20.

So from what Lilybossom said i still pay on the £5.20 ie. the postage per the listing or from what Sarah says i only pay on the £3 which is my revised invoice sent to buyer.

[ChazDingle]

thinking about it i did get a message from ebay a while ago saying to set up postage options for multiple purchases on my listings so the postage is calculated automatically so maybe thats the only way to do it and if you just send a revised invoice its based on the postage in the original listing

[sarahtigh]

you pay fees on what the buyer pays in total so if you reduce postage before payment you pay fees on reduced postage

so if you sell your items for £4 with £2 postage that is a total of £6 per item with fees of 60p as per listing

however if someone buys 2 items and you combine postage so posting 2 is £3 2 items then costs £11 not £12 so you pay 1.10 to ebay not 1.20 in fees but in order for this to happen you must amend invoice to £3 if they pay £12 and you refund £1 your fees will still be £1.20 only 10p in this case but they add up so sometimes the postage paid is not the price on the listing

[LilyBossom]

yes - and the amount the buyer pays in total is what you put on the listing - unless they buy more than one item and you reduce the p&p, then you pay fees on the revised amount they pay.

[sarahtigh]

exactly the point i was trying to make