Having to pay extra for posting, because seller didn't pay enough...

[menaceandmayhem]

I won an auction for a new usb cable for my phone on the 9th July, and have just received a card from Royal Mail stating that they could not deliver it because the posting was 51p short. On top of this is a £1 handling fee. Where do I stand on this? Do I ask the seller to cough up the extra, or pay it and then start a dispute? Peed off as it is because its taken so long to get here as it is. Thanks

OK, to add to this post....

Have just gone to post office to collect the package, and the seller has put NO postage on the item at all. Therefore I have paid the 51p postage, and the £1 handling fee.

I have already paid £2.50 P&P when I won the auction, however the seller has used a second hand bag, so has not paid out for any packaging. I have therefore paid in total £4.01. This seller is clearly on the P&P make.

To add to this, the cable I have bought is damaged; the insulation casing has broke and the inside wires are exposed. DP (a computer geek) has advised me not to use it, so I have paid for something THAT I CAN@T BLOODY USE!!!

I have sent a bit of a shirty email stating I would like a refund for the whole amount I have paid (£4.36 in total), or I will dispute.

Anyone else ever had this problem, and have I handled it the right way?

I think you were quite restrained in only sending a bit of a shirty email (instead of an extremely shirty email) and not opening a dispute straight away! What a cheek.

Dispute. Then neg feedback once you get the money.

I've had to collect a parcel from the post office before as it had no postage. It was in a plastic bag and I reckon the postage had probably fallen off. I contacted the seller and they refunded the extra I'd had to pay at the post office, no problems.