Overcharging on postage

[hjcircus]

I recently purchased some trousers and when they arrived the postage was only $6.60 even though the seller had stated it was $11.50. They came wrapped in some brown paper and a plastic bag. I emailed the seller and said that I thought it was a bit expensive and she said that all eBayers overcharge postage to cover for interstate costs and that she was really time pressed and that she had more urgent things to think about than refunding me. I was taken aback, because I go out of my way to make postage as cheap as possible. I also told her about the postage calculator by postcode that she could use. She thinks I am just an unhappy eBayer and stated so. She has a 100% feedback and I am reluctant to give her a negative. I also stated that in her listing she should state that her postage covers all states. What do you think?

[hjcircus]

Yes I did feel a little bit that she was not very helpful. I spend the time and weigh everything I send to be fair to the buyer. If anyone ever questioned it I would try to resove it and refund postage. I did consider the extra time and cost for packing and postage, however considering it was not packed in a pre paid and she told me she posted it from work, then it seemed a bit rich.  I think it was more the point of it and not fair play on eBay. I will just leave it for a few days, but feel I do need to warn others.

[nouveau_retro]

BTW while not condoning such a relatively high addition to post, there's lots of things we may not totally agree with in the world but at the end of the day no harm is done +can't see merit in arguing the point.

We shouldn't assume that seller had weighed and used calc or that we'll ever be treated exactly the same way as we treat others- everyone is different and some add handling, some don't. 

[crypsynight]

Her statement about 'all sellers do this' is just plain rubbish - I only ever charge actual postage costs, and all items I've recently purchased have only charged the actual cost as well.

However - it is postage and handling costs, not just the cost of the stamp. What's to say she doesn't employ someone purely to do up and post her parcels. That would be a legit handling charge, woudn't it?

When you purchased the item, surely you knew the cost of the postage then. When I buy something, I look at what it costs me in total. If you are happy with that price, then what does it matter what the postage charged was, and if you were unhappy you shouldnt have purchased in the first place.

Leave her low postage costs DSR if you feel it justified, and as another post mentioned, 'okay' for feedback comment is probably something along the lines of what I would do...more so for her lack of respect in her email to you than anything else.

[iamanark]

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"buyer agreed to post cost when purchasing"

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Yes, the buyer agreed to the cost because they TRUSTED the seller to be honest

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There was no mention of “handling” charges, so the buyer is reasonable to expect that the cost quoted is the real cost

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"negs are for scammers"

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Yes, again you are right, but when the OP gets the answer

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"she had more urgent things to think about than refunding me"

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That screams SCAMMER to me

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NEG her … stand up for the honest sellers on eBay

[nouveau_retro]

Direct C+P from listing, handling stated twice:

Postage and handling

Item location: South Eastern, NSW, Australia

Posting to: Australia

Postage and handling

AU $11.50

[wishuponastarcelebrationsandgifts]

I agree with nouveau's comments. The handling charge factored into the postage and handling charge is probably higher than you would expect, but at the end of the day you purchase an item on the basis that you believe the total cost you are paying is reasonable for the item.

The seller may not have scales, and may have estimated the item weighed over 500 grams only to find it was less when they posted it. Their comments to you about the postage were unprofessional, and certainly not appropriate but I don't think they warrant a neg.

[leader-of-the-band]

I did consider the extra time and cost for packing and postage, however considering it was not packed in a pre paid and she told me she posted it from work, then it seemed a bit rich.  I think it was more the point of it and not fair play on eBay.

totally irrelevent!

If you were happy with your "Total Spend" then there is no issue.

Consider this . . . . . . would you be happier now if the seller HAD only listed with a $6 postage and handling charge AND more eBayers would have bidded the item up and you had to pay $50 more than what you did pay?  I think not.  Maybe her postage charge put people off bidding enabling you to the item well below you otherwise would have!

As another poster said . . . . move on!

[room3_2010]

If you were happy with your "Total Spend" then there is no issue.

Maybe her postage charge put people off bidding enabling you to the item well below you otherwise would have!

As another poster said . . . . move on!

Three very good points leader.

OP, you make a choice about your feelings.  Forget about negatives, choose to let it go and move on.

If you neg the seller they could put a follow-up/reply to your feedback along the lines of "Member accepted P&H charges by choosing to bid, buyer is an unhappy eBayer".  Would that make you happy?

[iamanark]

"buyer is an unhappy eBayer"

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Well that is stating the blooming obvious

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NEG her ... she ripped you off

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It doesn't matter if if if

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IF your grandmother had wheels you would have been a bus

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She overcharged you and then was rude and smart about it

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and did not give a rat's behind about your item ... just wrapped it in a plastic bag

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NEG her and give 1 dsr(s)

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The quicker ebay gets rid of this type of seller the better for all

[leader-of-the-band]

NEG her ... she ripped you off

the buyer was not ripped off IF they had all the information required to make an informed decision as to whether or not to bid/buy, and then decided to bid/buy, which in this case they did.  Buyers consider their 'Total Spend' when deciding  . . . . . . I feel like I am going around in circles here!

This buyer knew the P&H costs as they were clearly stated in the listing and they agreed to them by deciding to bid/buy.  Sure, all sellers should only charge reasonable P&H, but buyers can walk away from a listing if the P&H charges are unreasonable.  By bidding/buying you are agreeing to their charges for P&H and are considering them reasonable, otherwise you wouldn't bid/buy.