Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to leave this ebay seller negative feedback?!

31 replies

jinglebelly · 04/03/2011 16:54

I buy and sell a lot on ebay and always charge a fair price on postage. I bought a bag the other day, seller said as it was heavy postage would be £9.50. It arrived recorded delivery today with no postage label (printed it herself online), I expected it to be heavy and it was pretty light so I put the weight into royal mail price calculator and came up as £3.50 postage..... I mailed the seller to say I was unhappy at being overcharged by £6, she said she's had it insured and teh packaging had cost her £2... I asked at my p/o while there dropping my own parcels off this afternoon and they said you can't actually get insurance on top of recorded delivery.. I'm really pissed off, mainly with the principal of it, I hate being lied to and hate being overcharged.

OP posts:
steamedtreaclesponge · 04/03/2011 16:56

Have you contacted the seller again re: the insurance? I'd definitely try again for a refund before leaving a negative comment.

Original poster
jinglebelly · 04/03/2011 17:00

I might write and ask for a £4 refund or otherwise I'm goig to leave neg f/b

OP posts:
squeakytoy · 04/03/2011 17:02

Did the auction say £9.50 before you placed a bid or bought the item? If so then YABU but I can understand you being pissed off about it.

You werent overcharged, you paid what was stated on the auction.

It is excessive postage, and if you sell yourself, then you would have been aware a handbag would not cost that much to post. As for packaging, no way would you need to spend £2 on it. A bag is not a fragile item. A bin liner with lots of parcel tape would be fine for the purpose.

But also, if the overall total price you paid was reasonable for the item, then its still a bargain.

BluddyMoFo · 04/03/2011 17:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BluddyMoFo · 04/03/2011 17:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
jinglebelly · 04/03/2011 17:05

It did say on the listing, but it also said it was beacuase the bag was heavy (its a large leather handbag) so I assumed it would be heavy but it was actually quite light.

OP posts:
Original poster
jinglebelly · 04/03/2011 17:05

I don't mind being overcharge a couple of quid but £6 is crazy!

OP posts:
missmehalia · 04/03/2011 17:07

Contact again and give her a final chance to refund the difference to you. And say that's what you're doing, and that you want to be able to leave positive feedback.

She'll be able to guess the rest.

She shouldn't take the p*ss.

SnackTime · 04/03/2011 17:07

If the seller won't refund in line with reasonable postage, then leave neg feedback. It's a nasty little practice, overcharging for postage, and enough people leaving neg feedback will eventually wipe it out.

QueenStromba · 04/03/2011 17:08

I think YABU. Whenever I buy anything on ebay I automatically just add the postage to the price and think of that as being the actual price.

lazylula · 04/03/2011 17:08

I think you would be UR to leave feedback in this circumstances, as no matter what you knew the postage was £9.50 and agreed to it when you put the bid in. It is annoying but it seems to be a way that some ebayers use to make a bit more money.

Original poster
jinglebelly · 04/03/2011 17:14

But she lied about the item being heavy & about having insurance. If this was true, as she claimed in the listing, I wouldn't have minded the cost

OP posts:
Vajazzler · 04/03/2011 17:16

I think YANBU.
Yes, you agreed to pay £9.50 postage but that means that the postage and packing should have cost this much. P&p is not a way for sellers to make more profit.
Ask for a refund on the excess P&P and if they refuse then leave a neg feedback.

NotSoPukeyMum · 04/03/2011 17:18

So many sellers make a profit on the P&P, it drives me mad.

When I sell things I always refund the excess P&P. Although in some categories the P&P limits are farcical. (Anyone ever managed to mail a coat for £4 or under? Please tell me how!)

SnackTime · 04/03/2011 17:21

I saw a child's sweater listed yesterday as £4 postage (from a seller located a few miles away). I didn't bid as there is no justification for that.

But even though you knew about the wildly overpriced postage when you bid, I think you're right to complain when there turns out to be no justication for it.

goldenbirdies · 04/03/2011 17:23

YANBU and this is rife on Ebay. I had a similar experience last year - I was charged double the actual P&P costs. I contacted the seller and said that although I was happy with the item I was upset about being overcharged. He refused a refund so I left neg feedback.

He then contacted ebay and persuaded them to remove the feedback on the grounds that I had known the P&P charges beforehand and that I had said I was happy with item. Ebay removed the feedback! Very poor.

Bogeyface · 04/03/2011 17:26

My latest hobby is reporting fee avoidance via P+P and its a bad day for me if I dont spot one :o

A couple of days ago I was looking at baby pram bedding bundles. There was a good bundle, starting price 99p with 2 bids on it. It was a couple of fitted sheets, a couple of flat sheets and some blankets.

P+P? £34.99. I kid you not!

LittleJennyRobyn · 04/03/2011 17:38

I asked One seller i wanted to buy from about combined shipping on her items (Charms for my bracelet) altogether wouldn't have cost anymore than £4 combined, Actually quoted me £12.50 and when questioned she admitted bumping up the price as she wanted more than the 99p start price.

Needless to say i didn't bid on all the ones i wanted.

Cost me £5.00 P&P (more than they actually cost to buy) for the 4 i did bid on, i had stupidly assumed that combined wouldn't cost that much and did not ask before bidding.

Have been using Ebay for years...but was having a thick moment!!

YANBU, The price quoted should reflect the actual costs.

I always offer a refund of the difference if i have overcharged, alternitivly have lost out when i undercharge.

LadyOfTheManor · 04/03/2011 17:41

I've just sold a lot of things on Ebay...in certain categories, you're capped.

For e.g DVDs and games you're capped at I think 2.00 for posted (I charge £1).

Jeans..are capped at £4.00 (which is still pretty high).

But Ebay are slowly and surely changing.

thieving bastards.

FabbyChic · 04/03/2011 17:41

Seriously you paid 9.50 for postage? Thats horrendous even you as someone who sells should have known how much the postage was she paid no more than 4.00 including packaging and ripped you off.

Leave a neg.

DitaVonCheese · 04/03/2011 21:00

YANBU - it's a pet hate of mine. Three newborn babygros do not cost £3.50 to post Hmm

My personal favourite was when DH bought a box set of DVDs off ebay, but when it was delivered, it came straight from Amazon - clearly some canny seller had noticed it cheap on Amazon and was "selling" them on ebay but only ordering once he'd made a sale iyswim. Our own fault for not checking Amazon as well. However, he did charge postage when it would be free on Amazon (and it wasn't as if he'd have to pay for petrol and parking like some sellers claim Hmm) - bit cheeky! Did refund that when challenged though I think.

Didn't know you could report high postage

OhCobblers · 04/03/2011 21:31

As a seller on Ebay i pride myself on only charging for actual postage and what the packaing costs.

When buying I can see a mile off if someone is overcharging BUT i include that in the total price i would pay for something. My Maximum bid is always my Max inc P&P.

i once complained to a seller about excessive postage (once i had received the item) and she said that i should have raised the issue prior to bidding and to be fair she was right.

I wouldn't leave a neg but maybe a neutral. You agreed to her P&P costs when you bid and i think you need to accept that but you can certainly leave a low score on her "star ratings" when leaving the feedback can't you?

NickiAndAlex · 04/03/2011 22:06

I bought a pair of maternity jeans on ebay and the P&P was stated as £9 "because they are heavy". The postage on the package was £4 and it came in a posting plastic bag that you can get from post offices for under £1. But then, I knew that they were overcharging before I bid, and I bid lower as a consequence.

I always assume that people may be charging more for P&P than they will spend, but I factor that into my bid. And I leave less than 5 stars for postage if I really think they've overcharged.

So I think YANBU for being a little annoyed, but I'm not so sure about leaving negative feedback.

squeakytoy · 04/03/2011 22:12

On occasion I have overcharged, but if it is more than a quid (usually when doing a combined parcel) I will always send the buyer an email to let them know, and refund it to them.

If I cock up and undercharge, which is more often, as I underestimate the packaging weight of fragile stuff, I take the loss, its my error.

However as I said earlier, if the postage was stated as £9.50 before the end of the bidding, you should have queried it, or accepted it if you bid on it.

As an aside for any sellers, if you sell bulky stuff, or heavy stuff, its well worth using a courier and much much cheaper than RM so long as it is in the UK. CityLink charge about £8 for anything upto 10kg, and you dont have to lug it to the post office. It is completely covered by paypal too.

PigValentine · 04/03/2011 22:16

YANBU on the grounds that she lied.