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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask eBay seller for a refund?

25 replies

Chuffy22 · 10/11/2021 18:51

I bought a top from eBay. Had a card through the letterbox saying my parcel was at the sorting office, the sender hadn’t put enough postage on it and there was £3.50 to pay. Collected parcel today and discovered that the seller had posted it as a large letter instead of a small parcel. I have asked her to refund me the £3.50 but she isn’t answering. Am I being unreasonable?

OP posts:
nancybotwinbloom · 10/11/2021 18:57

Just raise it with eBay they will refund you if you have all the receipts etc. I've had to do this before. Both as a seller and a buyer.

mumto2teenagers · 10/11/2021 18:58

Had you paid for small parcel postage? If so I would ask for a refund of the £3.50 you paid.

nancybotwinbloom · 10/11/2021 18:59

I always post signed for but on occasion the post office have said post as a large letter then Ots been rejected later on

amylou8 · 10/11/2021 19:14

Give the seller a chance to reply first. She has probably been at work all day and hasn't had time to get on and check her messages yet.

Original poster
Chuffy22 · 10/11/2021 19:27

She did reply to me at first. The message just said ‘Hi, I’m glad you received the top. The lady in the Post Office told me it was a large letter size. I’ve messaged her twice since then and have been ignored both times.

OP posts:
Original poster
Chuffy22 · 10/11/2021 19:28

Oh, and she charged me £3.20 for the postage

OP posts:
Prattypitel · 11/11/2021 06:24

Raise it with ebay and leave a bad feedback for the seller.sometimes you get just shite sellers and you have to cut your losses.

Mylee · 11/11/2021 06:28

£3.20 is Royal Mail standard fee for any small parcel up to 2kg, so she definitely should have posted it as that or refund you the extra

MyCatEatsPrawnCrackers · 11/11/2021 06:34

I would message her again to say that you'll refer it to eBay for a refund within 24 hours and if there's still no response then do that and comment on it in the feedback.

ScaredOfDinosaurs · 11/11/2021 06:42

She's taking the piss, no way did the post office get that wrong.

TopCatsTopHat · 11/11/2021 06:44

Just let it go. Its out really worth the hassle? Yanbu mind you but I couldn't give this the headspsce.

SomebodysMum · 11/11/2021 06:45

Have you provided her with any proof? There have been scams like this where people have asked for refunds for the same reason but not had any evidence.

Just wondering if she’s ignoring you because she thinks you’re a scammer. I’m not saying you are!

rabbitwoman · 11/11/2021 06:49

I sell quite a lot on ebay.

Sellers don't seem to realise just how much they are liable for under law; even if they are just getting rid of a few bits from under the bed, it's treated like a business transaction and so it's the seller's responsibility to get the item to you - any problem, like the item gets lost, damaged or the wrong postage is put on the parcel, its the seller's liability. The seller should refund you and take it up with the post office....

This is law, not just Ebay's own policy.

Don't message her any further, raise it as a refund and let eBay do the rest

TyrannysaurusXXrightshoarder · 11/11/2021 06:50

@ScaredOfDinosaurs

She's taking the piss, no way did the post office get that wrong.
They do unfortunately. I’ve posted stuff before at my local PO branch and they’ve put through as large letter (they measure with a plastic slot device thing) only for some else down the line in RM to look at it and decide it’s a parcel not a letter - hence holding it up for extra charges. Otoh, and be refunded the buyer because whoever’s fault it is it’s certainly not theirs.
MyCatEatsPrawnCrackers · 11/11/2021 07:10

@TopCatsTopHat

Just let it go. Its out really worth the hassle? Yanbu mind you but I couldn't give this the headspsce.
Why should the OP let it go? Maybe the seller does this all the time hoping that buyers let y go and is making a nice little profit out of them not giving it headspace Hmm
Owlmeow · 11/11/2021 07:21

Yes you shouldn't be paying postage twice! Do you have the card still saying you owe a fee? Scan that and then take a screenshot of the listing and your payment to show you've paid twice. EBay usually side with the buyer to be honest.

cowburp · 11/11/2021 07:38

Just go to Ebay now. Send them proof you paid extra.

TopCatsTopHat · 11/11/2021 08:12

mycateats Well yes, it's pants isn't it. If you feel strongly then go forth into the fight and good for you. Op asked for opinions I gave one, but it's only my opinion and if she wants to take a stand then great.

Duckerbizzle · 11/11/2021 08:28

They do sometimes get it wrong at the post office. Not exactly sure how but sometimes they say it can go as large letter and then further down the line someone decides it is actually a small parcel. So the seller could well be genuine in saying that. And if she had set the postage at 3.20 then more than likely that's what she was expecting it to cost, but then when she went to post it the person at the counter said it would go as a large letter. So it doesn't necessarily mean she is a commercial trying it on. Unlikely as it just means risking negative feedback which could affect her future sales. Having said that, whether she likes it or not she should be giving you a partial refund for the postage. Although she might not realise this so you might have to chase it via ebay. But more than likely she didn't intentionally do anything wrong when she went to post it!

Duckerbizzle · 11/11/2021 08:29

Scammer not commercial*

Eileen101 · 11/11/2021 08:37

If she's not responding after a reasonable amount of time, raise it with eBay requesting a refund of postage as you paid for a small parcel. You shouldn't be paying for postage twice.

HarrietsChariot · 11/11/2021 09:00

Raise a complaint with eBay, leave her some appalling feedback then move on with your life.

Tommika · 11/11/2021 09:44

Raise anything like this as a claim from the start - that sets the process going with the seller first and all correspondence is logged in one place with timed elements ready for eBay intervention as required

Ask for a partial refund of the extra that you paid, accompanied by pictures of the card & payment (assuming you kept the receipt)
Ultimately eBay will uphold that

Once the buyer (or eBay) refund you then the seller raises a claim with Royal Mail, identifying the error at the counter
This generally results in compensation to the seller
In the past for Royal Mail compensation I would get stamps (which was a nuisance as I don’t send items with stamps but prepaid & printed labels) more recently I have had a cheque

(Actually with the stamps I could one day end up in profit, I give the stamps to a friend and they sit in the drawer of the till at her shop. Once in a while a customer asks for stamps. Thus with them having been sat there for a few years the price of a stamp has gone up.)

drpet49 · 11/11/2021 09:47

I imagine it’s a little scam she regular pulls. Hopes people don’t bother to complain and pocket the extra.

Definitely raise it with eBay- you’ll get your money back for the postage. Don’t let her get away with it.

rabbitwoman · 11/11/2021 09:52

I doubt it's a scam, she just probably thinks it's the post office's fault so unfair to blame her..... But it is her liability....

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