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Original poster

ebay etiquette question

34 replies

bakedpotato · 27/10/2004 11:27

i'm an ebay virgin. i just bought a book (topsy and tim's snowy day! yay!) from the site for the bargain price of £4.50 plus £2 p&P. now what i need to know is, if the book arrived today by 2nd class post (56p) in a hard-backed manila envelope which at the outside may have cost 60p, should i remark on this on the buyers' feedback form on the site? the protocol seems to be totally sycophantic, but i feel a bit cross about being ripped off a quid.

OP posts:
charliecat · 27/10/2004 11:30

I would say no, as you knew what the P and P was going to be and you bid on the item accepting it as that.
You shouldnt bid if you dont like the terms really.

Original poster
bakedpotato · 27/10/2004 11:31

but i assumed it would come first class? ie, what he charged for p and p wasn't what he spent?. is that considered to be OK?

OP posts:
MissHoolie · 27/10/2004 11:32

No - if you leave bad feedback for something so trivial it can reflect badly on you iykwim.

charliecat · 27/10/2004 11:33

Explaining a bit more, some sellers start thier items at 0.01...and then you look at the postage,its 14.99, its to dodge Ebay fees, which your not meant to do...but some people do.

charliecat · 27/10/2004 11:34

Im afraid to say that is considered ok...did it say it was gonna be first class? All my auctions say it will be 2nd class, but I do charge what it costs me and no more.
If it said 1st class you do have a point.

Original poster
bakedpotato · 27/10/2004 11:38

no, it didn't say first class. i just assumed it, from the p&P costs.

well, thanks for clearing that up.

OP posts:
charliecat · 27/10/2004 11:46

Dont assume anything about Ebay, if its not stated ask if it its included..And in future if theres more than one seller selling the item go with the one thats got the lowest p and p

lilsmum · 27/10/2004 11:52

this happens alot on ebay.. i have suffered from this too. ebay have recently brought a new rule that p&p has to be reasonable. maybe email the seller and express your feelings but i wouldnt go as far as leaving neg feedback.

a tip on feedback is though.... if you have reason to leave neg feedback wait until they have left theirs first as i have found other sellers/buyers will leave you neg feedback as revenge and in a tat for tat manner even when you have done nothing wrong.

hth xx

MrsFogi · 27/10/2004 12:12

I think you have just got stung this time and will have to live with the lost quid. One thing I've learnt from Ebay is NEVER assume anything - email questions covering everything and wait until you get a written response to your satisfaction or do not bid.

Original poster
bakedpotato · 27/10/2004 12:18

feel gutless but, bearing lilsmum's point in mind, have marked him positively on the feedback form . did however keep it comparatively short and muted. at least it was only a quid. you live and learn

OP posts:
JuniperDewdrop · 27/10/2004 12:21

You never know bakedpotato he may have had a bus ride to the Post office and that may have been included in P&P?

Original poster
bakedpotato · 27/10/2004 12:23

or perhaps he needed to buy a plaster after getting a blister walking to the postbox at the end of the road

OP posts:
JuniperDewdrop · 27/10/2004 12:26

yes that could be it.

LunarSea · 27/10/2004 12:38

If your seller had Paypal listed among their payment options they have probably added on a bit to cover the Paypal fees. If you paid £6.50 by Paypal, the seller would be charged 42p for the privilege of receiving the payment, plus probably 38p in Ebay fees (depending upon the starting price). So of that £6.50 they'd have paid out getting on for £2 in total for fees/postage/packing. Of course if you paid by Paypal you wouldn't be shelling out for a stamp, so it's not really costing you more.

I usually include probably Paypal fees in calculating postage (and charge just enough to cover the cost), but offer a discount for non Paypal payments, as Ebay don't allow you to charge extra for accepting Paypal, but discounts seem to be ok.

When comparing like items and deciding what to bid on I always consider the postage as part of a total cost. Sometimes that means I don't bid on one particular item, other times it means that I buy from sellers abroad rather than in the UK if prices are lower (especially from the US where postage to the UK is often hardly any more than it is within the US).

Original poster
bakedpotato · 27/10/2004 13:10

lunar sea,
i just checked back and the reason i didn't go for paypal originally was that seller had said, 'If paying by Paypal please add 4% to final sell price' . so, is that against ebay policy?
not really that bothered tbh, just curious. after all, l i've got the book, and dd will blow up with excitement when she sees it at bedtime tonight

OP posts:
nasa · 27/10/2004 13:11

so glad you got the book though bakedpot. Have you seen how much people are bidding for Bonfire Night? £17! (would like it myself though) did you ever get foggy day?

Original poster
bakedpotato · 27/10/2004 13:16

i've got quite close several times. i was 44 mins away from bonfire night this morning, at £17 incl p&P, but someone snuck in overhead. thank goodness, really -- at that price, it's close to insanity.
i must have made about 8 bids in last fortnight for foggy day. have no idea why that is the hottie. i can't remember it very clearly but think there was some powerful sequence about roasting chestnuts.

OP posts:
nasa · 27/10/2004 13:19

it's tempting isn't it (bonfire night I mean) but DP would kill me for spending that. Foggy night sounds excellent, I don't think I've ever read it {the shame!}. Let us know how snowy day goes down.

JuniperDewdrop · 27/10/2004 17:33

What's bonfire night if you don't mind me asking?

zebra · 28/10/2004 18:55

Guy Fawkes Day 5 November? When he tried 2 blow up Parliament (1600-something) & failed. I think he died some gruesome death & the English celebrate his failure by mocking him doing what he didnt achieve, burning a big bonfire & blowing things up (Fireworks).

pixiefish · 28/10/2004 19:02

hia bp. People don't generally leave negative for high postage but you could always comment on it in a positive- something along the lines of- lovely book, postage a bit steep though and goods sent second class... if you want to.

marthamoo · 28/10/2004 19:05

For the sake of a pound - I'd have given positive feedback too (though cool positive feedback, as you did). It is annoying, but it does happen. You should buy from me in future - if the P&P is less than I estimated I refund the difference. I'm so lovely!

MissHoolie · 28/10/2004 19:06

I have the foggy day topsy and tim, lurking somewhere in my kids bookshelves if you want it.

dogwalker · 28/10/2004 19:51

LOL I don't think Juniper meant what is the actual Bonfire Night but is it a book you're talking about ?

nasa · 28/10/2004 19:52

ooooo.. Misshoolie, can I have foggy day, can I, can I? please

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