Buyers paying less in shipping cost then me all of a sudden?

[adam.babb]

Hey everyone, Ive been selling on ebay for a few years now and though it has been mostly good selling items on ebay, the last few sales Ive made, have been very frustrating to say the least. My issue is with the postage costs payments differ between me the seller and a buyer. In the last few weeks I have found that  buyers for me at least recently have been paying the bare minium in terms of calculated postage costs compared to me where I have been paying almost double and even triple what I buyer initially paid after winning one of my auctions.

For example, I sold an portable potty for $1 and the buyer payed $11.20 for a grand total of $12.20 to me, when I went to purchase the shipping label, i was hit with a $20 shipping cost. **bleep**? and because the buyer was using a PO box address I had no choice but to pay for the $20 postage fee and lose $8 on an item i was better off not selling at all.

Then I sold another item for $50 this time a thermo fan, the buyer paid $16 postage, I had to pay $32 postage on my end. WHAT THE HELL, i cant win I may as well give up, its just not worth selling things on ebay at this rate.

My assumption is in the first example the buyer paided the price for an ebay (sendle) postage cost but because they have a PO Box address i have to use auspost to ship the item to them and so I have to pay the auspost shipping cost but why is the system allowing the buyer to choose which postage to pay for? shouldnt the system calculate the correct postage cost based on their address details and charge the buyer from there taking into account sendle dont ship to PO boxes. it makes no sense

I cant really example the second example as I roughly estimated the size of the box and over did the weight but no amount of readjustment changed my situation which means the buyer is in one of sendles heavy tax areas and so i paid triple the postage cost. any ideas as to what the hell is going on with these situations?

The only solution I can think of is to max out all of the measurements (LxHxW) on my auctions regardless of if the item is tiny or big  but when i tested the theroy on one of my current auctions using the postcode for one of the buyers location in the above examples it said he would have to pay about $32 dollars in postage for that item, so why did he not have to pay that in the auction he won already, he paid $16 so even if i did make max out the measurements the buyer still might not need to pay the correct amount. Im so lost with this I just cant eplain it at all.

please I need help or suggestions to solve this problem, because ilm really losing instead of making money selling on ebay and its just bull**bleep**.

[gutterpunkz05]

Given the measurements and postcodes you have provided,  postage  via AP   Standard  $44.05

Express  $126.25

So if the buyer was only charged   $16,  the data you entered into the  listing must have been way off.

[gutterpunkz05]

Got it! Delivering from CRAIGIEBURN VIC 3064 to BARRACK HEIGHTS NSW 2528 Change

• Parcels Parcels - now showing
• Letters Letters - show below

Size: 62 x 41 x 32cm

Weight: 3.7kg Change Clear

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Express Post Max. weight 22kg

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Prices from# $126.25

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Parcel Post Max. weight 22kg

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[adam.babb]

Nope as i said i oversized my box dimensions and weight and that us what he paid for shipping. I then corrected the box dimensions to exactly the correct weight and sizd and yet i had nothing under $32.

My assumption is he was able to select sendle metro shipping prices and paid for it as such even though his address as you see in the photo clearly states he is in a area which niether ebay labels or auspost would ship to at $16. So how did he only pay $16?

[renki4649]

I tried putting in the measurements and postcodes OP provided and I also got $44.05 quote from Auspost postage calculator. Just by looking at the dimensions there is no way this will fit into the "If It Packs, It Posts" Large size (roughly $16). 

I think the problem is that eBay calculated postage only accounts for parcels using Auspost packaging, thus giving a flat rate up to 5kg. If you're using your own packaging, postage is charged on volumetric weight. A bigger box will cost you more. 

[gutterpunkz05]

Hi there,  From your original listing,  postage to my location, rural QLD,  is calculated  at $20.05.  Again  this is due purely to the postage setting in your listing.

Your buyer has simply paid postage as set to their location, they have not had to manipulate the cost in anyway, let alone alter the carrier to suit themself.

[gutterpunkz05]

Just to add, while you may have overstated the weight, up to 5kg,  the actual measurements mean the item is deemed to be well over 5kg by metric volume.  Hence the much higher actual postage cost

[gutterpunkz05]

From my calculations, your parcel is actually  deemed to be  20.4kg

[gutterpunkz05]

Hi there,  From your original listing,  postage to my location, rural QLD,  is calculated  at $20.05.  Again  this is due purely to the postage setting in your listing.

Your buyer has simply paid postage as set to their location, they have not had to manipulate the cost in anyway, let alone alter the carrier to suit themself.

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The actual cost to ship the item to my location........$81.65  (standard)

[adam.babb]

I just to update everyone on ebays response to me which i recieved via email today after contacting them about the issue with my buyers paying less then me for ahipping several days ago.

Here is their response to me.

Firstly, we appreciate your efforts in reaching out to us in this regards and highlighting this to us . I appreciate you taking the time to express your concerns. Thank you for reporting the issue and I’m extremely sorry for the problem you faced as I see it would have been an inconvenience. To resolve this faster, I shared the relevant details as a sample to our concerned team and would like to share with you that we have credited the difference in the postage charges for the order 16-09694-31149 and 14-09694-93768. Below is the breakout of the $25.6 amount that we are crediting you as adjustment for the orders, respectively
AU $32.45- $16.30= 16.15

AU $20.65- $11.20= 9.45

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So ebay has sighted an error with the system and how i was charged more then the buyer was and is crediting me the difference. They didnt state why and how it happened but at least i got the resolution i was hoping for.

I have taken some of the information in this thread to educate myself more on ebays hidden fees and put in measures in all of my listings to allow me to better sell items and make sure im making a profit on a sale and not losing money which i was totally unaware i was doing previously.

[gutterpunkz05]

All the best, but it sounds like somebody else does not know what they are talking about, hopefully your refund actually eventuates,