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Original poster

Asking for postage back

30 replies

TigerLilysbadday · 07/01/2023 15:34

I sold 3 items to the same person which means the postage was £8.05 instead of £13.98 as it would have been as separate sales. The buyer has messaged me asking me to transfer £5.93 to their PayPal. I think it’s cheeky to ask, especially as she didn’t factor in anything to cover the cost of the box, padding materials and tape. I had already packaged them as separate items to get the exact weight so I had to repackage and I damaged one of the original packages so I can’t reuse it. I shipped them as one item at her request. Do you think it’s just cheeky or is there a scam going on here and she will do something weird if I PayPal her the difference?

OP posts:
StrikeandRobin · 07/01/2023 15:44

I thought ebay had rules about not overcharging for postage?You could have just said ‘sorry, they are all packaged so will be sent separately’ rather than open and damage the packaging.
I don’t think it’s cheeky or a scam, I think she’s just pissed off at paying more than she should have tbh.

Original poster
TigerLilysbadday · 07/01/2023 15:47

Sorry to drip feed, but she was really insistent that all of them should be packaged together. I said no to start with and she sent a long message about how far the post office is from her house and how inconvenient it would be to go there with her children to collect 3 separate signed for items possibly on 3 different occasions.

OP posts:
AdInfinitum12 · 07/01/2023 15:58

Did she buy them at the same time? Why wouldn't you combine postage?

Namechange1345677 · 07/01/2023 16:00

I always say sorry no, that price includes my time, fuel and packing materials.

Adviceneeded200 · 07/01/2023 16:04

I've been the buyer on a few multiple purchases and in all of the listing it says "happy to combine postage". Then, on winning multiple items from them, they automatically give me some money back on the final item as a refund. I assume that's the postage saving.

I don't know if you have to do it but many do, so I suspect that's where the buyer got the idea of asking you for it from.

You'll have to.find.out ebays rules on it as, presumably, your listing didn't say you'll combine postage to make it cheaper.

CheeseCakeSunflowers · 07/01/2023 16:08

My experience as a buyer is that the buyer asks the seller by messaging before they pay what the reduced postage cost would be then receives an invoice if the seller agrees to a lower amount. I am usually offered a reduced amount but not the exact difference between the postage costs as the packaging cost also has to be factored in. I considered any reduction I am offered to be a win.

Original poster
TigerLilysbadday · 07/01/2023 16:12

The sales were spread over 9 days because I’ve been listing things as I get them organised. She messaged me after winning the first item to try to make an offer for the others and I said no. She then asked me to hold on to the 1st item because she was intending to buy 3 other items and wanted them shipped together. They are books by the same author so it made sense that she might want them all. She only won 2 of those 3, so 3 in total and then asked me to ship them together, which I did.

OP posts:
Alarae · 07/01/2023 16:13

Cost for postage also includes materials to do so (I.e. packaging), cost to transport and time, not just what you pay the courier.

I would perhaps round up the postage cost to you at £10 (if that reasonably covers your costs) and offer back the remainder?

Technically you could say there was no refund due to additional costs of packaging, transport to courier etc. a buyer should contact the seller first for a revised invoice to reflect any reduced postage cost, if agreed, before payment.

As other posters say you can't profit of postage charge but as you say, it is meant to cover all costs and it's not unreasonable to say there is no refund due to costs of repackaging etc.

HundredMilesAnHour · 07/01/2023 16:14

I actually think a good seller would make the refund without the buyer needing to ask. That's what happened to me recently when I bought multiple things from the same seller, and it's what I do when someone buys multiple things from me.

I don't package up my items until after they're sold for exactly this reason. Especially if I see the same person bidding on more than one item.

Original poster
TigerLilysbadday · 07/01/2023 16:14

@CheeseCakeSunflowers with hindsight that would have been a much better option! Thanks. I’ll do that next time.

OP posts:
Original poster
TigerLilysbadday · 07/01/2023 16:16

@HundredMilesAnHour how do you know exactly how much something will weigh before you’re put all the packaging on?

OP posts:
girlmom21 · 07/01/2023 16:24

The only scam is a seller charging more for postage than it's actually costing.

oudie · 07/01/2023 16:31

You sound like such an awkward seller.

What's wrong with waiting while she bids for other items and sending together? I used to run a business on eBay years ago and that was absolutely normal.

OzziePopPop · 07/01/2023 16:35

I’m amazed you got paid by PayPal. Since eBay split with them it’s all eBay payments now? It’s for me (business seller) anyway. If you have been paid by eBay payment I wouldn’t be refunding anything by PayPal. Refund only to the payment method, if you decide to refund at all.

if you don’t refund and get negative feedback for it, I’d be speaking to eBay about removal.

drpet49 · 07/01/2023 16:36

girlmom21 · 07/01/2023 16:24

The only scam is a seller charging more for postage than it's actually costing.

Tough. You bid on the item happy to pay the postage cost. So tough.

girlmom21 · 07/01/2023 16:37

@drpet49 it's still shifty

Original poster
TigerLilysbadday · 07/01/2023 16:39

@oudie I did wait until she had bid on everything she wanted and then send it together! I’m not a professional Ebayer, I’m a normal person about to emigrate. I held on to the first book for 9 days until the 4th ended and then shipped the 3 she won together. I packaged them up before I listed them so that I could know the accurate postage cost because otherwise I wouldn’t know the weight to get the price right. I charged exactly the postage and packaging cost of the postage for each of the 3 items but because they were all signed for it worked out cheaper to send one big pack rather than 3 small ones. I don’t think I was being awkward here.

I’ve had a bunch of people win big items (like a bike) and then ask me to ship them to Indonesia or Australia when I had never offered international shipping. I was advised not to ship to them because it is a scam. I wanted to check that there wasn’t something weird going on here too because I’m not a professional and I don’t want to fall for a scam.

OP posts:
Original poster
TigerLilysbadday · 07/01/2023 16:40

@OzziePopPop I didn’t get paid by PayPal. She wants me to pay her some of the postage back by PayPal (through friends and family). She paid by eBay payment.

OP posts:
1984Winston · 07/01/2023 16:41

I combine postage on my items (usually all end at the same time) but I don't offer that in my listings because some people take the mickey with it (I send plants and like to package them with only 2 each in a package but some people try to insist I send them all together) I think it was cheeky considering they didn't end at the same time

OzziePopPop · 07/01/2023 16:44

TigerLilysbadday · 07/01/2023 16:40

@OzziePopPop I didn’t get paid by PayPal. She wants me to pay her some of the postage back by PayPal (through friends and family). She paid by eBay payment.

Yeah, definitely don’t do that!

You can part refund through eBay payment if necessary but definitely don’t refund through another payment method, stick to refunds through the received method.

Or don’t refund, there’s no need to.

lljkk · 07/01/2023 16:46

All my private (not charity) sales are postage included to avoid this nonsense.

I would be happy to do a partial refund for combined postage.
I'd probably send the £5.93 in OP's situation.
I'd also put buyer on my BBL just because they were so precise about the refund amount must = £5.93.

ny20005 · 07/01/2023 16:47

I'm not sure if refund in that case. If you explained that they were all pre packaged before she bid on subsequent items, it's cost you more to repackage so your well within your rights to charge for those increased costs.

Definitely don't refund through PayPal though - always through eBay

lljkk · 07/01/2023 16:47

you can do a partial refund via ebay Adyen; don't refund by any other means.

Lovesnowforever · 07/01/2023 16:52

So she made three different transactions?
if so you need so send them separately as if posted together, you will have proof of delivery op for the other two.
If purchased all 3 together, send them together. I did that few times and refunded the postal difference through eBay payments.

Lovesnowforever · 07/01/2023 16:53

** I meant if posted together if paid separately you will have NO proof of the other two..