Ebay Postage seems so high............

[anniebear]

anyone else notice how high the postage seems on clothes?

I have been looking at dresses for a 5 year old and the p&P for quite a lot are between £2.50 and £3.50

It would probably only cost £1 to send then the padded envelope if needed

I started looking on E Bay a while ago now and people didn't seem to try and make money on postage then

Just my waffling thoughts lol

[23balloons]

I feel bad now. I hardly ever sell on ebay (last time last xmas) but this w/e I have sold 5 dvd box sets. I tried to work out the postage fairly from the leaflets I had but because they were all more than 25mm thick I assumed I would have to send them parcel post - cheapest price on my leaflet £3.85 and this is what I listed the postage as. When I acutally posted them this morning they were quite a bit cheaper - £1.75 I think. I didn't do it intentionally but most other similar sets had the same or more postage listed so I don't feel inclined to give a refund.

I often buy things and usually the actual postage cost is cheaper than I have paid but I figure if the postage was a problem I wouldn't have bid. I would never leave negative feedback comments because of it.

[southeastastra]

you have to take into account the packaging and time spent to actually post the item. 23ballons that doesn't sound bad! if you don't agree with the postage costs don't bid! and don't leave feedback comments about it without contacting the seller first.

[throckenholt]

another thing - maybe people need to make a special journey to the post office - they should be able to claim something towards that.

I generally agree with the - don't bid if you think it is too much - approach.

[quanglewangle]

I do what Voluptua does, not underhand at all.

If something goes for, say, only 99p a huge proportion of that goes on charges and it just isn't worth the time and effort unles you try to recoup some of it on postage and packing. I do try and make some money otherwise there isn;t any point, easier to send stuff to the dump.

And please don't forget the packing. It can take ages to pack something safely as well, as maybe having to buy the packing material. ebay policy allows sellers to charge for time, as long as it isn't extortionate.

And buyers know exactly what they are bidding for. All upfront.

[tissy]

I have had items arrive in clearly re-used plastic envelopes or Jiffy bags- no problem with that at all, but I would object if someone charged me way more than the actual cost of postage and packing- why shouldn't I? And as for charging for your time and effort getting to the post office- how exactly do you calculate that then?

[VoluptuaGoodshag]

I am not being underhand - I am totally upfront about the postage. I don't overcharge by huge amounts (we're talking £1 at most) but it is a lot of time and effort to package things carefully, especially with 2 toddlers in tow. I have 100% positive feedback so whoever is buying my items are obviously not concerned about the postage.

Also, I do not expect Ebay or Paypal to be free but nor do I expect to use my time and resources to giving someone something for absolutely nothing or at a cost to me.

What I do is done by probably the majority of Ebay sellers and is generally accepted. This is probably why Ebay list the full costs inc postage in a summaryfor the benefit of those who cannot read properly.
If you think the postage is too high then do not bid - no one is forcing you to buy something that you think is too pricey. Equally I probably buy the same amount as I sell and I'm happy to pay the postage for something I truly want

[tissy]

so, how do you charge for time, then?

I would say that Fimbo was ripped off over postage- she was charged £3.50 for something that cost 37p to post....even if you add the price of a top quality brand new Jiffy bag, not bought in bulk, it still doesn't come to that much.

[skerriesmum]

As an aside, how much do eBay actually charge for listing an item? I had a bad experience lately as well but we sorted it out when the seller got her listing fees and FVFs(?!) back.

[VoluptuaGoodshag]

Ebay charges depend on various factors - there is a minimum charge of 35p I believe but an additional fee of 15p if you include a photo. There are other charges depending on how fancy you want your ad to be. But, on top of that, Ebay also take a cut when the item is sold. This is a percentage of how much the item went for (checking to find out exactly how much this %is). In addition to that Paypal take a cut of the final selling fee too.

If I am selling anything, the minimum amount of postage I charge will be £1 to make it worth my while. I am not trying to con anyone I am always up front about costs.

[throckenholt]

baisc is about 20p, with a small gallery photo is about 35p - more if your starting price is higher. Then they charge a percentage of the selling price if it sells - can't remember how much.

[VoluptuaGoodshag]

There are associated costs when listing an item on eBay, which are referred to as the Insertion fee. If the item sells you are also charged a Final Value Fee. There are also fees for optional features that help to promote your item. The total cost of selling an item is the Listing Fee, plus the Final Value Fee, plus any optional features fees. Fees vary depending on the site and category you are listing in.

Insertion Fees
up to 99p - 15p
£1 - £4.99 -

[VoluptuaGoodshag]

Oops clicked post too early
Basically ranges from 15p up to £2 for items over £100 or £3 if listing more than one item over £100.

The percentage cut is 5.25% for first £29.99. Between £30 and £600 then it's as above and 3.25% of the remaining closing value balance. For items over £600 it's as above plus 1.75% of remaining closing value balance.

Paypal charge 25p to withdraw money less than £50, 1.4% plus 20p to accept money plus an additional 2.5% if there is a currency exchange involved

[tissy]

I suppose it depends whether you are listing your unwanted items as a public service to those less fortunate than yourself, or whether you are selling to make a profit. When you say "minimum amount of postage I charge will be £1 to make it worth my while" it sounds as if you wouldn't bother if you didn't make enough money from the sale- well surely the answer to this is to price your item realistically- if no-one wants the item at that price it won't sell! As I said before, it is easy to check on postage costs, but many inexperienced Ebayers get all caught up in the excitement of an auction, and bid without thinking of the TOTAL cost. Yes, they shouldn't be so stupid, but those who charge extortionate rates for "postage" shouldn't take advantage, IMO.

[VoluptuaGoodshag]

So (just doing sums here), if I sell an item for 99p I have over 61p taken off me before I even wrap it to post if I want to withdraw the money from Paypal immediately.

[LittleScarer]

I remember once getting some wee shorts on Ebay, postage was something like £2.50-£3 and when it arrived it had only cost 60p. That was annoying and I left 'neutral' feedback saying good service except from that. Luckily I didn't get a nasty email about it though!

Having done it myself now it is rather expensive listing on Ebay though!

[quanglewangle]

tissy, are you saying ebay should be a public service and not for profit? I think you would find a lot less on offer if that was the case. What's wrong with making a bit of money? Free-cycle is there for giving stuff away.

And, in any case aren't we splitting hairs here? It is the total price that counts. I have no difficulty in recognising that a low selling price and high postage is there to help out the seller with his fees. Fine by me.

[VoluptuaGoodshag]

Well I am not a public service - nor am I a sodding great business intent on making as much as possible. I am however not in paid work so any money I get for selling stuff I no longer need on Ebay immediately gets used to buy stuff that I do need. What I don't sell goes to charity.

Perhaps I should put a sign above my door asking folk to come in and help themselves to my stuff coz I've decided to be a martyr?

[VoluptuaGoodshag]

Oh and I also Freecycle too (thank for reminding me QW). I can't help feeling I'm being lumped in with cowboy builders and conmen who are just out to take advantage of poor unsuspecting folk.

[quanglewangle]

Well, I am on your side Voluptua.
I have in the past lost out on p&p so now I play safe. I workout the p&p before listing but have sometimes found including an extra bit of paper e.g. the packing slip tips it into the next postal charge bracket, and bang goes all my profit if it is a cheap item. Plants are the hardest. Weigh them dryish and water them before posting and the postage rockets!!
Must go and ride into the sunset....

[tissy]

no, I'm not saying that it should be a public service, what I'm saying is that postage costs should BE postage costs and not Postage-packing-Ebay-listing-fees-Paypal-fees-and-a-bit-extra-for-my-time-and-effort, that's all. Just because "everyone" does it, it doesn't make it right. If you have in your mind a minimum price you want for an item (for example what you would sell it for in a face-face with someone at a car boot sale) why not just list it for that price? I think it is dishonest to sell and item for a minuscule price and get the profit on the postage costs. And Ebay must disapprove as well, or there wouldn't be a procedure for reporting people who take the piss.

[quanglewangle]

Yes but tissy, there isn't a slot for "a-bit-extra-for-my-time-and-effort" so what's wrong with including it with the p&p instead of the price of the item? The same logic could apply to both. But that way the seller benefits and the buyer doesn't lose out. Everybody should be happy.

[VoluptuaGoodshag]

For heaven sake - no one is forcing you to bid or buy. No-one would sell items on ebay if they thought that it was their public duty to do so subsequently all those cheapy items would never find new homes where they would be used. How many times have you been 'caught out' with the postage anyway? Once is bad luck, twice is excusable but if you continually bid against items where you think the postage is too high but don't bother checking beforehand then it's your own fault

[quanglewangle]

How true.

[Piffle]

alos posting often involves paying for parking, the envelopes themselves are up to 15 p each even buying in bulk.
Also lots of people hike their ebay selling fees onto p+p which is NOTa llowed but as paypal charge for receiving funds, Ebay stopped allowing sellers to charge for the use of paypal and postage went up...
I keep postage at £1.75 for small kids items - ebay evens out, if you have high charges it does put sellers off, unless you have a really desirable item...

[quanglewangle]

In fact, now I think about it, p&p is the place to charge for time and effort, not to mention packaging materials.
Much more appropriate than tacking onto the item, which imho should reflect the worth and condition of the item and not postage costs.
Hiking fees onto p&p may not be allowed, but it acts as a useful guide. After all if you costed time it could be an awful lot more - even if you costed time very modestly!