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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To make awkward seller send two parcels?

51 replies

AiryFairyMum · 09/09/2019 20:52

I'm aware this makes me petty...

I won two lots from the same eBay seller. One is for me and the other for a friend who I see regularly. Postage is on the higher side but hey ho, I thought she would combine it for two small items. But no, she has refused to combine the postage, or even reduce it at all and hasn't given a reason.

WIBU to carry out two transactions, one to my house and one to my friend's (two minutes walk away) so that she can't make a saving on the postage?

Is there anything else I should do more sensibly? At this rate, we are paying almost as much for (second class UK) postage as for the items. And yes, I know I should have checked before placing the order, but this has never happened to me before. I can't understand why she wont just put both things in the same package?

OP posts:
PersilOrAriel · 09/09/2019 20:55

You’ll need to set up her address is PayPal, she can refuse to send it to anything other than a registered address, but you can have more than one set up.

Templetonstunafish · 09/09/2019 20:55

This happened to me with a seller once & I was fucking annoyed it's so petty! Wish I'd thought of this tbh.

BeanBag7 · 09/09/2019 20:56

You could do that but I wouldnt be surprised if she just stick them in the same package and sends it to one of the addresses. Since you already asked to combine postage she knows you would be happy with them both going to the same address.

lljkk · 09/09/2019 21:01

Sometimes the packaging makes it hard to combine into one pkg.
Also quite possible she's drop shipping (perfectly allowed).
Um... you asked, so I feel like saying yabu. You knew the terms before you bid & combining postage is not an entitlement.

Original poster
AiryFairyMum · 10/09/2019 10:01

I do feel it's really petty, but then I can't understand why she isn't willing to just put two small fabric items in one bag.

What's 'drop shipping' by the way?

OP posts:
WaterSheep · 10/09/2019 10:05

Combining 2 items bought by the same buyer into one transaction is very easy to do on Ebay, so i'm unsure as to why she is being difficult.

However, if she is refusing then she should send the items separately.

If she sends them together I would mark her P+P star down when giving feedback.

DontCallMeShitley · 10/09/2019 10:07

Drop shipping is when people send item from another company, they buy them from somewhere like Amazon and have them sent to you, the buyer.

You should ask before you buy regarding postage, or check the listing on the tab for postage. Seller is probably competing against other sellers to make a living and is listing at a low price to get the sales and them making the profit on the postage. The sellers fees will still be the same.

It is not the best way to sell, and you can mark the stars down and trash their account, but you really should look before you buy, and being petty is also being awkward, and not nice

PenelopeFlintstone · 10/09/2019 10:11

Is she doing it because you scored them both for 99p each, or something? No other bids? Not saying that makes it right - just wondering why she won’t.

Whattodowith · 10/09/2019 10:14

Happened to me once, really fucked me off and I left negative feedback. I won two children’s jumpers for 99p a piece and they refused to combine postage so I paid £6 for postage. They sent the jumpers together of course...

I would definitely make them send them separately.

HeadsDownThumbsUpEveryone · 10/09/2019 10:18

Absolutely not unreasonable to get her to send them as 2 parcels. If she's making you pay 2 lots of postage then I would be expecting 2 parcels.

I would also be marking her down if she insisted on sending them as 1 parcel. Its so easy to combine postage on Ebay so the only reason she's choosing not to is to show she's being a dick.

Dontlikeoranges · 10/09/2019 10:23

Tbh you knew the terms before bidding. The time to ask about combined posting is BEFORE winning the auction.

She may have packaged things already - I do this to enable fast dispatch - and just stick the address label on the front.

I don't think it's fair to then mark them down if they provide the service stated.

Original poster
AiryFairyMum · 10/09/2019 10:26

I'm guessing she puts a couple of pounds profit onto the postage and she doesn't want to lose it. These are second hand items so not drop shipping.

OP posts:
HeadsDownThumbsUpEveryone · 10/09/2019 10:28

She may have packaged things already - I do this to enable fast dispatch - and just stick the address label on the front.

If she's already packaged the items prior to the auctions ending then they will be sent as two parcels so the Op is getting what she paid for which is fair.

I don't think it's fair to then mark them down if they provide the service stated.

The service stated is the items being sent second class. If the seller sends them individually second class then the OP has no reason to mark them down as she is getting the service stated.

If the seller puts both items into 1 package which is likely to be what happens and still charges the OP for 2 lots of postage then it is absolutely fair for the OP to mark her down.

WhatWouldChristineCagneyDo · 10/09/2019 10:49

Well she's an idiot if she thinks she's making more money by jacking u her postage prices, eBay will charge her the same percentage on her postal price as it does on the sale price.

As an ebayer the only times I've refused to send as one parcel is when a combined order is too physically large to send as a small parcel, and instead of costing me 2 x £3 for postage the one parcel would cost me £10 plus.

Then again I put most things on as free postage (Which is disingenuous really, it's INCLUSIVE postage, as I'm hiding the cost of shipping in the item price)

TimeIhadaNameChange · 10/09/2019 10:51

Ridiculous!

A few years ago DP and I were buying stocking fillers for various children. I'd bought some from a website I'd found, sent the link to DP and he did the same. The shopkeeper noticed that the addresses were the same so rang DP and asked if we'd mind everything going into one parcel, then included the change in an envelope. For a business (rather than a single person on eBay) I thought that was impressive!

AdoreTheBeach · 10/09/2019 11:44

If the seller has been burned in the past by a buyer claiming non-delivery of a combined postage of two separate transactions, they may refuse to combine. If you’d opened a Paypal dispute for non-delivery, seller only has one proof of postage/tracking. Without proof of postage, Paypal would side with a buyer.

LittleMousewithcloggson · 10/09/2019 11:55

I sell a lot on eBay
I photo, list and then pack up the item straight away - writing in pencil on the front what it is so I don’t get confused!
As soon as the payment is made I pick up the parcel and post on the way to work
It’s the only way I can get things sent on time.
Maybe your seller does the same and already has the items ready to post?

purpleboy · 10/09/2019 12:05

The reason sellers are encouraged to send items separately is because they are 2 separate transactions on eBay, but if you combine items you can only have 1 tracking number. You cannot then prove you sent both items.
As there are so many dishonest people, the scammers have realised if they get you to send the items together they can then claim you only sent 1 of the items and eBay will refund them for the 2nd item as there is only 1 tracking number not 2. So as a seller you are out of pocket and the item down.
I have personal experience of this and now will only send parcels separately, although I always refund any excess postage.
It's a shame and I hate having to explain it but unfortunately the actions of a few have ruined it for all.

BarbaraofSeville · 10/09/2019 12:14

YABU and petty. It's incredibly hard to make any money selling on ebay as a small seller due to the fees charged by ebay and sellers expecting the moon on a stick for buttons.

You agreed to the postage terms when you bid. If you had asked prior to bidding about combined postage, the seller may have agreed, or you could have chosen not to bid. If the listing doesn't say anything about combining, don't assume that they will.

And sometimes due to glitches in the postal pricing, combining two small items into one large parcel doesn't actually save any money anyway, or the insurance terms don't stack up - the higher value might mean the parcel isn't fully insured for two items, as sending a bigger parcel doesn't get you any extra insurance.

Also, the cost of postage vs the cost of the item is irrelevant. Go look up the cost of posting a tin of beans or a potato if you don't believe me.

BarbaraofSeville · 10/09/2019 12:16

sigh - buyers expecting the moon on a stick for buttons.

Original poster
AiryFairyMum · 10/09/2019 12:41

This isn't a business seller, and it isn't tracked postage. It's two small items of second hand clothing. If she explained her reasons I'd be less fed up. I sell on Ebay too and I have never heard of anyone not combining postage before.

OP posts:
WhatsMyPassword · 10/09/2019 12:44

And yes, I know I should have checked before placing the order, but this has never happened to me before. I can't understand why she wont just put both things in the same package?

Might be pre wrapped.

Might want the tracking numbers for both items. Buyers are more dishonest than sellers, they will try every which way to do a claim back

PinkyPrincessy · 10/09/2019 12:49

Someone refused to combine the shipping for me so I told them that I would expect two parcels then or I would be reporting them. Two parcels turned up.

Petty, sure. But it’s the principle

HeadsDownThumbsUpEveryone · 10/09/2019 12:54

Someone refused to combine the shipping for me so I told them that I would expect two parcels

Nothing wrong with that especially given you and the OP had paid for 2 lots of postage, fingers crossed the OP also gets what she paid for.

I agree she'd be entirely correct to be pissed off and to report if the seller sends both items in 1 parcel, sadly from experience this is likely what will happen.

Whatsnewpussyhat · 10/09/2019 13:00

Can you request two separate invoices still?
That way they have to send two parcels.