I'm coming down hard on so called 'Excellent condition' & over priced postage

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Sorry, but sick of mums listing clothes using words like "Excellent" when absolutely worn. Its up to the lister to thoroughly check the fabric and not make up rubbish wording.

Today I received a pair of Boden cords - the cordoroy fabric is faded, crushed and in some parts the strips are missing. I dont want playwear I want excellent condition clothing otherwise I would buy new!

For now on I'm contacting the buyer or else I am leaving negative feedback.

On the otherhand I think its important and pretty easy to weigh an item on the kitchen scales and check out the royal mail website for the correct postage. Not guess! I check now on arrival to see what postage was paid against what I paid. If its not near then I am leaving "unreasonable". No where have I agreed to the seller making money on the postage (50p over max)and at the end of the day it costs nothing to pop to the post office - i find it unbeleiveable that someone has to make a special out of their way 5 mile journey with all the other chores we have to make. I'm rural and never make a "special journey".

To be honest 80% of my purchases are excellent and I am delighted but noticing recently sloppy listings. I cant justify wasting my money for others to take the mic!

I agree on the quality thing definitely.
I agree with the P&P thing, but do take into consideration the packing costs too, obviously if it arrives in a second hand envelope or something then the cost is nil, but it is to cover packing too.
Some sellers add on a little for petrol to and from the PO, I'm not sure I can justify that though, agree it is very easy to check postage online.

If you're not happy with the postage price they are offering then just don't bid

I agree, I sold some children's clothes recently and was, I thought, honest about the condition.

I had two buyers comment, one in the feedback and one in an email, that the clothes were actually much better than described

I haven't bought any clothes on ebay as I have loads from family and friends but can only assume that a lot of sellers do exagerate the condition of what they are selling.

Postage isn't that tricky, there aren't many different bands. Its not always easy to know the weight of something before you buy though.

Totally agree on the condition thing.

But wrt postage, if you think it is too high and you don't agree with it then don't bid. If it is an item of clothing you can work out roughly what it will cost to send.

If you took two identical pairs of Boden cords and listed one at 99p with £6 postage and one at 99p with £2.00 postage I would bet a hotchpotch fun loving top that the first would sell for £6 and the second for £10.

It all levels out in the end.

I absolutely agree on the 'excellent condition' point... I recently bought a maternity top described as such, when it arrived it was covered in bobbles... I'm not a snob but I would think twice about sending it to a charity shop

P&P however - I must admit a few times recently (been buying maternity clothes!) I've looked at the price of postage & been a bit miffed that it was a couple of quid sometimes more than the 'actual' cost.

However, thinking about it, I realise that if I were to go post something, all our local post offices have shut, and to go to our nearest, I would have to drive there, pay parking costs (£1 for shortest time in nearby car parks - we live in a 'tourist' town, grr!) - so I would really be justified in adding a couple of quid on top of the 'actual' cost for packaging, petrol and parking! (Should be called PPP&P ?!?)

Maybe I should stick with Collection Only when I sell stuff?!

"nd at the end of the day it costs nothing to pop to the post office - i find it unbeleiveable that someone has to make a special out of their way 5 mile journey with all the other chores we have to make. I'm rural and never make a "special journey". "

I agree with most of your post except this. I don't live rurally, I live in a town. However - the post office isn't anywhere near anywhere else I ever go into town (not that I really go into town very often anyhow). The only times I've ever sold anything on Ebay I've had sometimes had to make a special trip out to buy packaging - and always make a special trip for posting.

Packaging costs money. Thankfully I do live close enought to the post office to walk - but from where I used to live it would have been £2 on the bus

Don't forget you pay for postage and packing.

I often don't bid on things if the postage looks too high - If it does seem highish I don't give them 5/5 for postage cost.

But I agree if something say excellent condition it should be

even if it costs you more than the average bear to get to the PO it is wrong to pass on these extras to the buyer. So, if it actually costs you £2 in petrol, £2 to park, £1 for the bar of choc cos you got hungry in the queue, and £2 for the wrapping paper cos you live in the middle on an iceberg in the centre of the desert and brown paper is scarce, you really should not pass this cost on to the buyer. The buyer wants to pay for the item, the stamps and the (reasonable) wrapping and that's it.

I do not like the attitude of you saw the price before you bid - because the buyer does not know the weight etc of the item - they place their trust in the seller. If a mistake is made the seller should refund the difference. If they don't then the stars should be marked down.

I no longer charge p&p. I used to charge stamp price but even then I'd get marked down on p&p. So now I pay extra in fees just to stop silly buyers from marking me down. It is because of this (plus I think it's wrong to profit from p&P) that I get cross when I see a seller charging loads for p&p and still retain good stars.

I once paid £5 for some dresses that only cost £1.90 to post, The seller more or less told me to piss off for complaining. I very rarely buy now as a result and as a seller don't charge for a signed delivery and if I overcharge postage due to mistake I refund the buyer.

I also hate when sellers add their speech about charging for travelling to PO. How do they think the rest of us get there

I recently bought a top with £1.50 postage - fair enough, but not when the seller had only stuck a first class stamp on the packet and I had to pay £1.10 to collect it! Got my money back, but no sorry or anything!

Some sellers include a certain amount in the P&P for listing costs and the ebay seller fee. I guess it means they can start the auction low and not lose out too much by hiking the P&P. I also refuse to bid on items with ridiculous P&P.

I think if you enter the auction you accept the terms. If part of those terms are P&P, that's part of the deal. If it's too high, don't bid.

How much does it cost you to get an item from Next? If you don't have a free postage code, you'll be shelling out £4.95 whether it's 1 item or 20. It doesn't cost them anywhere near that much. I know the've got more overheads, but they're usually making way more percentage profit too.

Most people selling clothes on Ebay are mums, trying to make a bit of extra money. They haven't forced anyone to bid on their items and the postage is as listed. You don't like it? Don't bid.

Really winds me up. Dishonesty is unacceptable, but if someone posts their terms up front, you have the choice...take em or leave em. And yes, I've been stung before and I don't trade on clothes with Ebay any more cos it's too much hassle!

P & P stands for postage and packing not parking and bloody petrol aswell.