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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

eBay postage?

21 replies

ThePants999 · 30/08/2018 10:07

Bought an item on eBay, and when the seller sent it, they found postage was more than they listed. They sent me a picture of their receipt and asked me to BACS them the difference. WWYD?

OP posts:

insertimaginativeusername · 30/08/2018 10:12

Ignore it!

maZebraltov · 30/08/2018 10:14

How much are they asking for? What was it and could they have found a cheaper delivery service? Most people wouldn't pay it, & neither would I, unless I honestly felt I would have very happily paid the excess for the item originally. I'm mostly an Ebay seller, but this kind of problem is so basic, they shouldn't ask to change the terms of sale afterwards.

The flip side is I would never moan if postage they paid was less than advertised. Whatever I promised to pay at time of purchase is the deal I agreed to. Not less or more.

Homemadearmy · 30/08/2018 10:15

I think it would depend on how much it was. When I buy something I factor in total cost. The seller should have checked postage before they listed, but I’ve been caught myself and underestimated. You are not obligated to pay it, they should have really messaged you before sending and gave you the option.
I have in the past sent extra for postage without being asked, as I won a cheap bundle of clothes and it actually cost her money. With fees and postage

LordNibbler · 30/08/2018 10:21

I sell on Ebay. I list a lot of things so I often guesstimate the shipping. Most of the time I'm pretty spot on but sometimes I've overestimated and refund the buyer the difference. However if I have underestimated the amount then that's on me. I never ask for the difference back. I suck it up. If I were you I'd complain to Ebay. It's not your responsibilty to pay for their mistake.

OutPinked · 30/08/2018 10:23

Ignore. I have sold on eBay in the past and underestimated postage so have lost out. Sucks but it’s a loss you have to accept.

Original poster

ThePants999 · 30/08/2018 10:24

Item won for £36 + £5 P&P, and they're asking for an additional £6.

Receipt shows that the item weighed 2 and a bit kilos. I just posted an item of the same weight for £5.50 by a cheaper service.

Tangentially, turns out it was bloody lucky they did try this, because I could see from the receipt that they'd sent the item to the wrong address too!

OP posts:

Homemadearmy · 30/08/2018 10:55

If the address on the receipt is wrong it may be that they’ve messaged the wrong buyer, or they are trying it on and they’ve sent the same receipt to a few people

Original poster

ThePants999 · 30/08/2018 10:57

I initially thought the same thing, but I messaged the seller about it and they went "ooooooops I'll leg it back to the post office and try to sort it".

OP posts:

Original poster

ThePants999 · 30/08/2018 17:04

Maybe I should give them half of it?

OP posts:

Wearywithteens · 30/08/2018 17:39

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn at the poster's request.

BarbaraofSevillle · 30/08/2018 17:41

No, you bid based on the stated postage price. It's their mistake, they need to suck it up and do more research into postage costs in future. All the information is available online.

alltoomuchrightnow · 30/08/2018 17:42

nope they shouldn't get a penny.. I'm a frequent buyer/ seller, if I underestimate the postage I suck it up and pay it..it's not the buyer's fault! Even when I've been hugely out of pocket

Petalflowers · 30/08/2018 17:43

You don’t owe them anything. It’s up to the seller to put down the correct postage. I’ve made mistakes before but just swallow up the cost.

PatchworkGirl · 30/08/2018 17:47

Ignore. Not your fault they underestimated and overpaid for postage.

notsohippychick · 30/08/2018 17:50

No no no! I have a shop on EBay and I have once or twice miscalucted the postage. It’s my fault as the seller to check!

If they won’t let it go, open a case against them.

Weelis02 · 30/08/2018 18:00

You're not in the wrong, the seller is. The seller should of contacted you before sending the parcel in the first place to tell you it was more. Don't pay the extra postage

buttermilkwaffles · 30/08/2018 18:10

I once had this as a seller (moving house and having a clearance, don't regularly sell on there). Miscalculated postage on one item by quite a bit - but I just took the hit and paid it - it was my cock up not the buyers, so why should they pay? On another item the opposite happened, it actually cost a fair bit less, so in that case I did contact the buyer to let them know that I had refunded them the difference via paypal. Was about £5 or £6 in both cases, so similar amount as with the OP.

People make mistakes, but it was not your fault and payment was made and accepted, so why should you pay.

PUGaLUGS · 30/08/2018 18:13

No, don’t give them the difference. The seller should have weighed it before listing it.

It’s their hard luck.

If they found that it was cheaper to send it to you do you think they would have offered you a refund for the difference? NO THEY WOULDN’T.

PUGaLUGS · 30/08/2018 18:16

Unless you are a lovely person like butter 😊

Mumski45 · 30/08/2018 19:00

I have sold a few items on eBay recently and like other pp I have suffered the extra cost if I underestimate and refunded if I overestimate. You should not be asked to pay more after the sale has been made when it was their mistake.

I was caught out by the same problem actually. The postage costs with Royal Mail go through the roof if the weight goes over 2kg.

insertimaginativeusername · 30/08/2018 19:24

Absolutely don't pay! I always refund if I've overcharged on postage (usually because the post office has managed to squeeze the item in as a large letter rather than a parcel) but I would never have the cheek to ask for more money.

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