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eBay

If you buy or sell items on eBay, you will find tips and advice on this forum.

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Original poster

eBay postage costs: what's unreasonable?

34 replies

Wigeon · 01/05/2015 14:38

I bought a dress for DD (age 6) from eBay and postage was given as £4.60. It's arrived, packaged in brown paper and sellotape, and the postage cost only £1.19.

The itself dress wasn't that expensive (£8.39 - although it was Mini Boden so I feel it was a good price!).

I don't mind sellers adding a little bit more for the cost of packaging materials, and the cost of getting to the Post Office, but £4.60 just sounds a bit much! But is it worth the argument...?

OP posts:

Original poster

Wigeon · 01/05/2015 16:17

Bump?

OP posts:

ragged · 01/05/2015 16:20

I wouldn't notice much less ask for a refund.

But It's a contentious issue. You'll get completely different majority opinion answers on different online fora.

If you're unhappy with anything to do with a sale, you should tell the seller and ask them to fix the situation to your satisfaction.

Tryharder · 01/05/2015 16:22

It's unreasonable.

I would email her politely and say you noticed that you had been charged £x for postage which in fact had only cost £y and you wondered if there had been some mistake?

Allow her to rectify it after which you leave nice feedback.

If she refuses or ignores your email, there is little you can do other than to leave appropriate feedback.

Original poster

Wigeon · 01/05/2015 16:53

Hm. In some ways I know it's relatively petty because it's not as if it's a huge amount of money. But as an occasional seller who is always really accurate with postage (generally just round it up by pennies, or I charge the actual postage), it's a bit irritating!

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wormshuffled · 01/05/2015 17:05

I'm amazed anyone managed to post a dress for £1.19!! , however you did know how much it was going to cost when bid. One of the stars you give is for realistic postage costs. I wouldn't give negative, but would write in the comments that the postage was OTT.

Original poster

Wigeon · 01/05/2015 17:16

Well yes, I did know the price of postage when I bid, and thought it was a bit steep. But I liked the dress!

Dress is child sized, but still quite impressive for it to be £1.19, I agree.

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strawberry01 · 01/05/2015 17:21

I would message them. When selling my DDs clothes I normally packed in large letter envelopes and would only cost about £1 to send. I have never charged more than £2 for postage

Cherryapple1 · 02/05/2015 21:38

Yes it is unreasonable and just greed. I don't agree with knowing the price when you bid. You don't know the weight or how much it will cost until after it is sent. A decent seller would refund the difference. P&P doesn't mean profit.

Original poster

Wigeon · 03/05/2015 11:56

Well, have contacted seller (yesterday) - no reply as yet...

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Griphook · 03/05/2015 15:34

Do you know that when you are 'only rounding up' with you postage you are losing money, lots of people don't know but you are charged 10% of your postage cost by Ebay.

GuiltyAsAGirlCanBe · 04/05/2015 01:10

The postage quoted was a bit steep, but it is really hard to estimate how much postage will cost until you get to the post office/buy the courier label.

I have sometimes overestimated and found it was cheaper to send when I got there, but other times I have been stung as it cost more than I thought. However I don't chase the buyer for the difference! And I do weigh items at home etc and try to look up costs online.
I think you should only bid on items if you feel the total cost including the postage is worth it. I can't say I have ever noticed how much an item I have received as a buyer has cost to send. And of course the seller does have to pay fees on the p&p and pay for the packaging itself. I recycle old packaging, but if they have had to pay £2 for a Jiffy bag then adding a bit extra is not unreasonable.

Cherryapple1 · 04/05/2015 07:43

It's not that hard to refund any postage difference though is it. And you are not allowed to chase the buyer for the difference after the auction has ended so your argument is pointless.

Christelle2207 · 04/05/2015 07:56

You knew how much seller was quoting before bidding. Yes it's steep but you're paying for postage, packing and the faff of getting to the PO.

BadgersArse · 04/05/2015 07:59

You knew the postage when you bid though.

MythicalKings · 04/05/2015 08:09

It's all very well to say you knew the postage when you bid but until it arrives you don't know if it was accurate. If it's well wrapped and has to be signed for it's going to cost more than shoved in a bin liner with a second class stamp.

Ebay forbids sellers from making a profit on postage. I just mark them low on stars.

Cherryapple1 · 04/05/2015 08:11

knew the postage when you bid is nonsense. You don't know the quality of packaging or the item weight. And private sellers can't charge for the 'faff of getting to the PO' either.

BadgersArse · 04/05/2015 08:13

quality of packing? It got there safely.

BadgersArse · 04/05/2015 08:14

Lots of its signed for that would say in the postage options.
Don't bid if you don't look at postage

WellyMummy · 04/05/2015 09:10

It's not just the cost of putting the item in the mail, it's the cost of packaging and maybe even time taken to visit the post office, mileage etc. So £1.19 post, 75p envelope etc. I'm not sure you should charge mileage to post office, but it's a 5 mile round trip for me, even at 20p a mile that's another £1 and my mileage costs would be more than that! I know my figures don't get to the cost, I'm only trying to illustrate.
I don't bid on such items as I agree the cost is too much, if I do I just see it as being part of the item cost.
You did know the cost before bidding so IMO you accepted it by bidding.

BadgersArse · 04/05/2015 09:12

mileage to the post office?!.

when you agree to post something, its a given you need to go to the post office fgs

YOu cant bill for that any more

Cherryapple1 · 04/05/2015 09:13

Welly - unless you are a business and registered as such with eBay and HMRC you cannot charge for mileage to the post office. That is ridiculous and wrong.

Original poster

Wigeon · 04/05/2015 19:23

Well, she replied, and basically said she had lots of interest, so people were obviously happy with the postage (well, 4 bidders and final price eight quid something...), and I knew what the postage was when I bid, and she thought it would be 'small parcel' but it was actually 'large letter'. Hm. Not very impressed. Have put low stars for the postage feedback, and mentioned it factually in the description feedback (ie postage cost £3.41 more than stated in listing').

However, I have also today sold a pushchair to a lovely buyer, and I was dead accurate in the description, and she's left me good feedback, so feeling like balance and honesty is back! (At least it was collection only so no controversy about the postage).

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Cherryapple1 · 04/05/2015 19:36

I hope you didn't take paypal for the pushchair?

I think you were generous leaving pos feedback tbh.

Original poster

Wigeon · 04/05/2015 21:09

Sellers are now required to offer Paypal as an option (see here), and she did pay by Paypal. I know there are a bunch of fees....

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Original poster

Wigeon · 04/05/2015 21:10

To be honest, I think I sold it for roughly the same price as I bought it (also from eBay second hand, although I did throw in a rain cover too), so I am not too bothered about any fees in this case!!

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