A 2nd class package is £2.20 -am I missing something

[sherbetpips]

So as far as I know a package (not a letter) sent 2nd class in the uk is £2.20. So why do buyers on eBay try to make complaints about postage. I have had feedback comments with 'postage expensive, etc. Usually eBay remove them from serial complainers but am I missing something - are the post office ripping me off?

because often sellers add reasonable charges on top of the price of the stamp to cover jiffy bags, tape and time.
lots of buyers complain, but would do the same.

it's reasonable to charge £3.00 for that service (given that a jiffy bag costs a lot more than 80p!)

I don't think buyers realise RM prices.
They just think 'cor, that's expensive' but it is actually what it costs.

I have this issue, I send everything 2nd class recorded as I got burned a while ago by a buyer who complained about everything then claimed they never received the parcel and I had to refund them, losing out twice over.

The cheapest possible parcel 2nd class recorded is £3.15 but most things I send seem to cost around the £3.75 mark. You wouldn't believe the amount of complaints I get about the postage costs. I charge £3.99. I buy special postbags to send things in which cost a minimum of 80p each.

I recently got a neutral from a buyer who complained when I wouldn't send an item 2nd class standard. She got the item for 99p (something I was disappointed in, but hey, them's the breaks) grrrrr.

A4 size grey mailing bags cost about 10p each (you can buy them on e-bay!). Bubble wrap and brown paper is also cheap. I normally add 20p to the actual postage cost to cover packaging. Anything more than 50p on to the actual cost of the postage is unreasonable imo and I would leave low stars.

It depends what you sell. Many items of clothing can be sent as a large letter (so £1.10 1st or £1.20 2nd / £2.15 or £2.05 recorded). I wouldn't bother sending recorded though unless the item's above £15. Yes you have to refund if a buyer claims not received but most buyers are honest ime. I do look at feedback before sending though and sometimes send recorded if I don't get a good "feel" from it, even if it's a low value item! Having high postage costs will put lots of buyers off so I find you get more interest if your postage costs are reasonable. I wouldn't buy something for 99p and pay £3.50 for postage personally! I avoid sellers with unreasonable, imo, postage costs.

Ist class parcels cost £2.70 or £3.65 recorded

2nd cost £2.20 or £ 3.15 recorded, both up to 750g

it depends what you're sending.
I wouldn't send most of the stuff I sell in grey mailing bags, but clothes and sift toys would be okay that way.

That's true, I just re-read my post. I normally buy/sell clothes/shoes and toys so was thinking from that pov! Charging more than 50p for packaging could obviously be ok in other circumstances! 80p for a jiffy bag seems expensive though, unless it's a really large one?

I look at what the actual postage cost was and the packaging to see whether I feel it is a reasonable charge.

Op I agree with you, postage is expensive and I don't think people realise how much it cost to send stuff particularly recorded delivery.

Tesco do a4 Jiffy bags for 3 for a £1.

I get confused with the letter parcel thing as well

I sell lots on ebay (and buy), and honestly think if you don't want to pay the postage or think it is a rip off then get your item from somewhere else. It's all there in black and white on the listing so it doesn't really make any difference what the actual cost was.

Lots of people complain if you make 50p on postage for ebay items, but think nothing of paying £5+ for delivery from high street shops online.

You want to see what sellers and companies charge for BFPO! That's a joke given the fact that it is charged at UK prices as it is a UK postcode.

One company wanted £12.95 but offered free UK delivery. Drives me nuts as it all goes to a sorting office in the UK and then the military sends it over!

Rant over, thank you for reading.

panaloons

Completely agree with you, it's not like its a shock, you are told before the cost of postage, if you don't like don't bid. Don't bid and then complain

Hmm I disagree. I'm buying a lot from ebay at the moment. £3.50 charge for P&P when the postage cost was £2.20...ok.

£5 charge when the postage charge was £2.20...not so much.

As the buyer, I can't know that £5 is unreasonable prior to purchase - I don't know how much the item weighs. The seller does, and the seller should be setting their P&P charges appropriately.

If you don't want your items to go too cheaply, start the bidding at a higher price. Don't add money to the postage to guarantee a minimum sale.

i always weigh everything before deciding on postage. Always send 2nd class recorded except heavier items where they have to be first class or more valuable items that need higher insurance. Add about 30p for packing if using grey bags, 10p if re-using old packing material and up to £1 for fragile things that need careful wrapping with bubble wrap etc. I tend to state this in my listings, as well as the weight of the item.

The Post Office do charge more for BFPO addresses.I was caught out and ended up out of pocket.

I don't add money on to postage to increase a sale, I always do 2nd class recorded so £3.15 Jiffy bag cost me 33p so I always put pp as £3.50. I make no money from postage.

The postage label clearly states £3.15 and yet still I get moaned at about the cost if postage.

But I don't disagree that Royal Mail are a rip off

I think I'm missing something here too! I sent one item by Royal Mail and was charged £7.45 (recorded though, which I thought only added an extra pound). I thought I could only charge a max of £4.75 for postage?
No charge for materials or time etc.

I only ever charge the exact postage I have worked out beforehand. Packaging is either very cheap or free and it means my purchasers can have nothing to legitimately complain about.

www.royalmail.com/delivery/delivery-options-international/hm-forces-mail/prices

Just to clarify as the site says BFPO addresses are charged at the UK domestic rate. Have lived at a BFPO address for years and done lots of posting etc, I'm afraid mirage your post office charged you incorrectly if it was more than UK postage. All Royal Mail do is deliver it the military sorting office in London.

My pet hate are those that charge 2.20 for one thing say they combine postage and then charge more than that for 2 or 3 things. Talking kids tops or similar

People who wrote that they are charging for petrol or driving time also annoy me!!!

Write sorry on phone

Depending on what you're selling, it's worth checking whether you can make it fit into a "large letter" size packet (A4 size or smaller and less than 2.5cm thick) as these are way cheaper to send. E.g. a t-shirt folded twice usually slides into an A4 Do Not Bend envelope, or a strong carrier bag which you can then tape up and label.

Or you can sneak things into your work post and advertise them as free P&P, not that I would ever do that

My pet hate used to be that Ebay would only allow a maximumpostage charge which reflected the price of the item, not its size. But the way to get round that is to list it as the cheapest possible postage (second class, not recorded) then 'offer additional postage services' and give the option of first class, recorded etc with a note to buyers that you recommend choosing recorded delivery for high-value items.

I don't think RM is a ripoff at all. At least, no one else will deliver most of my stuff for £2.20. Obviously it isn't economical to even try.

I was thinking today about how sellers get shafted on postage both ways.

If they undercharge, sellers are considered to have no right to ask buyer for more.

If sellers "overcharge" they are expected (by many but thankfully not all) to refund buyers the difference. .