To be fed up of CFs on eBay?!

[Ninoo25]

I’m fed up of buyers on eBay thinking they can demand the earth for such a small sum of money.
I’ve been selling our old clothes etc to try and make a bit of money before Christmas. I am an individual and not a business. My postage charges are high and I explain this on my listings - I only send recorded delivery, due to people claiming not to have received items in the past and include the cost of postage, the wrapping and the bus fare to the post office. I set my starting price at 99p as otherwise I don’t get bids given the higher than usual postage charge and have had people leave snotty feedback about the postage being far too expensive, despite me having explained that it only covers my costs (I explain this on the listing as have had people see the cost of posting on the parcel and then query why they have paid more).
Example - a Radley handbag with some small scuffs on it (shown in photos and detailed in the item description) bidder paid 99p + £5.95 postage. Left negative feedback about the postage and put in a claim to PayPal for excess postage. I posted the day after delivery and what they paid me only just covered my costs and with eBay fees I will have received around 50p for all the effort. In return I left negative feedback, saying that the buyer has been unreasonable and now they have complained to eBay.
AIBU ago be peeved at these CFs who expect something for nothing?! 😡

What’s this Shuttl postage? Can someone please explain how this works?
When I send recorded delivery the cheapest I’ve paid is £2.95 for a very small item, I normally pay £4.95 for sweaters etc and have paid up to £7.50 for a large handbag. That’s all with Royal Mail.

And I do package things properly btw. In the thick plastic postage bags and use bubble wrap and tissue paper when needed.

@ChelleDawg2020 Thu 15-Nov-18 13:16:51
I'm one of the many who don't bother with eBay any longer. My buyers were all fine, but I got sick of all the stupid questions / comments. The amount of "profit" wasn't worth the bother, these days I don't list anything I think won't raise £50+, it just goes in the bin and straight to landfill.

Why don't you take it to the charity shop or an xyz bank? I'm assuming they have community banks for everything now, I saw a video on fb about a baby bank. We have a place near here that you can give furniture to and they sell it cheaply, much cheaper than BHF.

If you’re selling big brands I find it better to do buy it now prices, including free postage. So £10 for a jumper, posted. Cuts out the hassle of complaints. Factor in all your costs, eBay fees etc. Or specialist Facebook groups for particular brands eg joules. Boden, fatface etc.

Ebay are bad because they suggest a postage price and starting price that basically leaves you with nothing. If you sell an item for 99p and only charge postage cover price £2.95 (so 3.94 from the buyer), Ebay take 10%, PayPal take 20p + 3%, postage costs 2,95 leaving you around 30-35p before costs such as wrapping, transport, washing/ironing of items etc. If you don’t get free listings, you make nothing. It’s very unethical of them to suggest this pricing strategy, you are basically working for them making no profit yourself.

I quit Ebay for selling years ago due to CFers. But you're cheeky to charge bus fare!

I've just thrown in the towel with eBay after a CF episode. I sold 2 BN Mint Velvet tops and a BN Boden top. They were totally BNWT because I ordered them for a holiday, didn't like them, didn't get round to sending them back etc so ebayed them.
I give combined postage AFTER the auction and after she'd paid, so refund her a fiver. Then she messages to say the Boden top was faded and worn soft. It was a soft jersey so, er, was soft ! It was absolutely not faded. She had me over a barrel saying either refund her half of what she'd paid or she'd file.
I should have got her to send it back but I just can't be fucked anymore with these scammers. Because that's what they are.

Don't bother with EBay anymore everyone wants something for nothing usually trying to dispute prices after receiving the items or trying to claim they didn't revive it when you have a copy if their signature on the delivery receipt.

She had me over a barrel saying either refund her half of what she'd paid or she'd file

Actually that's feedback extortion which is supposed to be reported to ebay - not that they'd do anything about it of course

Another unpleasant, current trick is business sellers posting fake tracking numbers, in the hope they'll be covered when the item doesn't arrive - only ebay don't seem to do anything about that either

Someone above mentioned the actual postage being just under £3.00 and was charged £8.00. It looks as if the seller might not have been experienced enough to know that they could send for £2.95 as a small parcel and in fact estimated it to be a medium parcel. I would have queried this to see if there would be a partial refund before leaving low stars.

However, you are supposed to consider the overall cost before bidding or buying and if you don't agree then just don't buy it. Sellers have a tough time as it is without being penalised for every little mistake.

I am fed up with buyers who will leave feedback that says fast posting and then leave 4 bloody stars even though it arrives in 2 days. These are often men I have noticed. They just randomly select the stars without a thought and don't realise that you can work out who it was if you are a small seller.

Don't forget that you pay eBay sellers fees on the postage too. So even if you price postage at cost you should (IMO) add 11% to cover the eBay fee, otherwise you tare making a loss on the postage that eats into the price of the item. If the item price is low and the postage high, it could wipe out the sale.

Note that the automated eBay postage calculator only covers the bare postage, so you have to manually override it to add the 11%.