Do you ever refund the difference for lower postage?

[MeridianB]

I’ve been doing this for a while but am wondering if it’s worth it.

As a buyer I avoid sellers who set crazily high postage and find it annoying when sellers quote a price then send for a much cheaper rate.

So as a seller I like to refund difference if I have managed to send something quite a bit cheaper. For instance a large letter instead of a small parcel. I refund via PayPal then message the buyer. Occasionally buyers send a nice reply but more often I don’t get any reply and it doesn’t seem to have any impact on feedback.

Should I stop bothering? Does anyone else do this?

Don’t bother. You set your price they are happy with it. Remember within postage that includes packaging and any delivery costs to the post office so can be more than your actual postage.

When I buy anything I take both together and look at the total cost and decide if I’m happy with that.

I wouldn't because I have occasionally underestimated postage as a seller, so it sort of balances it out. As pp said from my point of view as a buyer the price is the price, I don't really separate out postage from overall cost. I don't always check how much the postage was when I receive an item anyway!

Thanks both!

We do or at least we do if more than one item purchased. It generates a lot of good will and we often get another sale on the back of it. We are a business seller though which I guess makes a lot of difference.

Same as OP here - I used to refund any overcharges of more than a pound or so, and whilst some people would then send a thank you most never bothered. So I've stopped doing this now - it's not had any impact on my feedback.
I've often paid much higher postage than the delivery cost and have never been refunded.

Sorry, but as a buyer I mark down stars if its a £2+ overcharge.
I'll still do positive feedback, but ive had some ridiculous overcharges.
As a buyer I expect the seller to have a rough idea of actual postage, not guess and keep the rest.
Its almost like lying or a break of trust, that might sound ridiculous, but you asked.

I always do, but like you OP I rarely get a thank you.

Only if it's a large overpayment (£4+).

I also used to refund overpayments due to purchasing multiple items and paying postage multiple times (despite clearly stating in the description to request an invoice before paying), but customers rarely acknowledged it, so I stopped except for large overpayments.

@PrincessPain Are you taking into account Ebay fees, Paypal fees, packaging and potentially petrol costs in your £2 threshold? If i need to send a parcel for £4, I will also need to pay 40p in Ebay fees, 12p in Paypal fees, about £1 for the box, plus petrol, bubble wrap, tape etc.

No! I find that even if I save a bit on postage the PayPal and ebay fees often eat most of that anyway. If it was a significant amount or I was a business seller maybe I would, but not as an individual selling a few bits.

No, I wouldn’t. As a buyer you’ve decided you’re fine with that amount of postage and just factor it into the overall cost of the item.
As a buyer I’d be really surprised if someone refunded me 57p.

@user127819
I have almost never received an item in a new bag or box.
Always carrier bags and amazon recycled boxes, so no, i don't count those in my £2, because I can see they were not purchased for me.
Most sellers won't go to the post office for one item, they'll sell alot of items at the same time, so realistically petrol should then (even if i accounted for it) be split between the number of parcels, i would say most people don't live in the Highlands and chances are have a post office within a mile or 2.
A 3 pack of sellotape is £1 from the poundshop, again, most parcels will use a strip or 2.
So I think £2 is quite a fair extra allowance, thats my opinion.
I know private sellers have a hard time, but some take the mick, i've been charged £11 postage on a wedding dress that arrived wrapped in a used carrier bag with a £3.10 sticker on.
All the "I had to get 3 buses and walk 2 miles" justifications won't make me think that I'm not being ripped off.
As a buyer, i don't think its my responsibility to pay someone's bus fare.

This has happened a few times to me. It's nice but I don't expect it and smiler to others if the difference is small I wouldn't care, I'm happy to give a small amount for packaging and travel etc.

£3+ then I would like it but to be honest unless it was a large/tracked item I'd probably be put off bidding in the first place if the postage seemed unreasonable

No, unless there’s a huge difference, especially as the Ebay fees takes a percentage out of the postage nowadays. Also if I’m combining goods then I may refund some. Remember, the fees include postage and packing.

I do. I tend to sell items that are likely to be small parcel size. In the past I've listed something as Large Letter but then either wasted a lot of time and energy trying to make absolutely sure (squashing it down, using card to keep the packet flat!) or had to lose out. For the small cost of items I usually sell it's just not worth it, and it isn't worth going to the post office to check things first.

I don't like listing thinking I may be overcharging but I do if it's borderline. Sometimes I write in the listing that I will refund in this case. I add a little to help cover fees but certainly not £2 (on a small parcel). I reuse packaging and I don't think buyers should be paying for petrol. (If possible I try to do another errand when I have to drive to post something).

Thanks so much for all the replies and thoughts - really helpful.

I just charge the right amount for postage. I don't really count for packaging as I reuse (not an old carrier bag which is my pet hate!) I don't have petrol costs but I round up the price to include my time.