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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Putting seller out of pocket AIBU?

26 replies

tootiredtoknow · 21/06/2015 14:58

I don't know if I am being unreasonable and would like some input.

I bought some random vintage car part my husband needed at the start of June. After 10 days, I emailed them to ask where it was and received no reply so raised a request for information (which automatically holds the cash in their account).

After being ignored for the best part of three weeks, I had a reply within 24 hours saying that there had been a death in the family and that the part had been put in the post that day.

That would have been fine. I'm not neurotic and don't demand items by next day post. However, in the same email, there was a paragraph stating that they had misjudged the postage and it had in fact cost them £12.90 not the £3.00 postage I'd paid and would I send them the difference.

I've done this myself and would never ask the buyer for extra cash. Therefore my initial thought was no, I'm not giving you any more. However, I feel mean and am not sure how to reply without sounding like a bitch saying tough luck.

Just in case it matters. The part was over £80 and we paid the going rate for it.

OP posts:
Original poster
tootiredtoknow · 21/06/2015 15:00

Just to add. I waited a further week before raising a request for information via ebay folowing my first 'where is my item email'.

OP posts:
Chattymummyhere · 21/06/2015 15:00

That's their issue I would say, I doubt she would refund if the postage was cheaper. Car parts are heavy unless your talking a little vent she should of weighed it and costed it before listing.

PHANTOMnamechanger · 21/06/2015 15:02

i reckon for an £80 item, the seller should absorb the extra postage, as it was their mistake.

ragged · 21/06/2015 15:03

Sounds like an PT seller with passion for vintage cars rather than trying to make a living out of the business side.

Contractually you owe them nothing.
If I thought that it would still be a fab price for an extra £9.90 then I'd pay that. Or I might scale down a bit to what still felt like great price to me.

To be a nice person you could split the difference, send them an extra £5 which is more than half the difference for their mistake. You probably would have paid that extra £5 for postage and you've done a nice thing.

Coffeethrowtrampbitch · 21/06/2015 15:03

I wouldn't. It is really their responsibility to check the price of postage before listing the item, and if they haven't done so they can't just assume you will be happy to pay more. They aren't, after all, even though it is their error.

CainInThePunting · 21/06/2015 15:09

You've got a formal contract to pay £3 postage, offer and acceptance.
If a seller misjudged the postage its their loss.
I've done this myself and wouldn't dream of asking for more because the price including postage, has already been agreed.

CrystalHaze · 21/06/2015 15:15

it had in fact cost them £12.90 not the £3.00 postage I'd paid

I'd say that's their fault for not weighing it and working out the correct postage beforehand. Any sensible person knows that something bulky/heavy is going to cost more than £3 to post Hmm

They need to absorb the loss as it was their mistake.

Floralnomad · 21/06/2015 15:18

Unless its massive they could have sent in Collect+ for cheaper than £12.90 - I wouldn't send them any extra it's their problem .

Original poster
tootiredtoknow · 21/06/2015 15:20

Thanks everyone so does...No sorry, I wouldn't have bid what I did had the postage been £12.90. I paid the going rate for the item at this moment in time. I've done this before myself and have always absorbed the loss as it was my mistake. I look forward to receiving the part...sound ok?

Or do I just ignore them like they did me for three weeks?

OP posts:
Original poster
tootiredtoknow · 21/06/2015 15:24

I know Flora. If they had asked before sending it 1st class, I would have been inclined to say I'm ok to wait, please send by hermes/collect+. However, I suspect that now that ebay are holding their cash, they want it back asap and are expecting me to pay up. Had they not ignored my initial email, I would have been happy to wait and would have never opened a case.

OP posts:
mrsfuzzy · 21/06/2015 15:24

may be i'm missing the point, but how would something costly £80 only be charged for £3 p&p ?? if i was selling at that expense, i'd get it weighed for proper costs and would have it signed for on receiving. how would l know that having sent it you got it ? some people would say no they didn't receive the parcel even if they had done. ebay will refund the buyer without there being any proof , so they get their money back plus the item.
personally, it's their loss and they should suck it up and hopefully learn from the experience.

mrsfuzzy · 21/06/2015 15:27

have you opened a case now ? was item paid for through paypal before the system changed?

humlebee7 · 21/06/2015 15:29

I've done the same thing as a seller and just taken the hit - as others have said it was my fault for not checking.

When it was the other way round and I knew a seller had not charged enough I did offer to pay more (as the item had basically cost them to sell) they declined saying it was fine and their fault.

CrystalHaze · 21/06/2015 15:30

I think it's probably against ebay's rules to ask the seller for more money after an item + postage has been paid at the listed price, especially weeks after the auction ended and the agreed price has been paid.

Original poster
tootiredtoknow · 21/06/2015 15:31

I can never understand how people reach their postage charge decisions mrsfuzzy. I personally sell with free postage as I can't handle the drama surrounding 'you overcharged me by 10p' etc..

It said £3 P&P. I knew it would cost more than that (the seller obviously didn't) and therefore bid accordingly. Therefore my question I suppose was 'Should I pay up even though I paid the going rate for the item' because the seller feels like they are now out of pocket?

Hope that makes a bit more sense to you.

OP posts:
vdbfamily · 21/06/2015 15:37

I personally would not pay more than a courier would have cost and most things can be couriered for £ 5/6

blankblink · 21/06/2015 15:51

Wait until it arrives then if you've the time, see how much it would cost to send it via post or different couriers. If the sellers have grossly miscalculated, you could offer half of the difference as a goodwill gesture, but there's no obligation to.

Their delivery estimates really shouldn't be that askew.

chickenfuckingpox · 21/06/2015 15:58

have you checked the delivery costs for the same item on ebay? a seller told me this once he quoted £5.99 said it would cost him more i checked identical listings they were all £5.99 or less so i didnt stump up the extra

MissDuke · 21/06/2015 15:59

Can you get a refund and purchase it from elsewhere? I think that is what I would do.

As an aside, I recently 'won' a bundle of clothes for my lo, for just a few pounds. When the bundle arrived, it was all a size smaller and different clothes than pictured. When I contacted her, it emerged that the package had been mixed up with someone else's. Myself and the other buyer both agreed to keep the wrong items because we knew it would cost more for the seller to pay postage to rectify the mistake than she had received from the sales!

I think it is good to be fair to people, however given the amount of money involved in your case, I would take a refund and buy elsewhere!

mrsfuzzy · 21/06/2015 16:04

tootired sorry, i understood the original question i can't see how people make the wrong p&p charges. but what ver happens do not forward anymore money, it's my understanding of ebay policy if you offered at a price,a bid is made and accepted then you can't charge extra for the item or increase the p&p, some people under charge then change their minds.

pasturesgreen · 21/06/2015 17:27

No, it's the seller's problem.
Tough luck, they should have weighed/measured the item properly prior to listing.

ragged · 21/06/2015 18:02

I thought OP meant that the item had already been posted, seller is just trying to appeal to sense of fairness. So no need to open a case if item arrives fine.

Morally.... If it's wrong for sellers to "overcharge" postage than it's wrong for buyers to "underpay" postage, regardless of what contract says about who is responsible for getting the postage charge correct.

My own moral rule of thumb revolves around max. I was prepared to pay for item including delivery. If that was £83 which is what I paid (including delivery) than I would tell seller that I had already paid the maximum I was willing to pay, sorry I can't help this time.

Original poster
tootiredtoknow · 21/06/2015 19:04

Thank you everybody. I'm just going to take ragged's advice and say that I'm really sorry but had the postage been £12.90 instead of £3.00, I would have bid £10 less. And as they have received the going rate on ebay (including postage) for the part, on this occasion, I won't be paying up.

OP posts:
Iloveonionchutney · 21/06/2015 19:09

Goodness me I think they have a bit of a cheek asking for more! I've been a business seller on eBay and after a similar incident in which I was hospitalised and my dh didn't check the account, I apologised profusely, refunded them the full amount and sent the item anyway! It was admittedly a smaller amount but left me about ten pound out of pocket in the end but it was technically my fault! They should have checked the cost before listing it.

fastdaytears · 21/06/2015 19:12

ragged I wouldn't say it was immoral to overcharge on postage if the amount has been agreed upfront