Paypal partial refunds

[egglesdtp]

A customer purchased two items, didn't wait for a combined invoice, paid for each including postage by Paypal. Both items can fit in the one satchel. If I do a partial refund via Paypal is there a financial 'penalty' by Paypal?

Once the FVF on postage comes into effect early next month, what will happen if a buyer doesn't wait for a combined postage invoice?

[*crikey*mate*]

Next month, if your customer doesn't wait for a combined invoice, you send them as many separate parcels as they paid for you to send.

It might take time, but with luck, eventually people will learn to wait for their invoices if they want postage discounts.

A small positive in this for sellers is that in theory, eventually our customers should largely become trained to wait which will eventually save sellers some time and mucking around in issuing partial refunds etc.

In this instance, you cannot combine the items as you void both the buyers and the sellers protection as two separate tracking numbers must be assigned and a buyer cannot pay for an item in two installments/payments.

You will only be able to assign one tracking number to one of the items, leaving yourself as a seller open to a fraudulent claim of item not received as you will not be able to prove you have sent the second item as you have no tracking number for it.

[egglesdtp]

I accept that from next month that if buyers don't wait for a combined invoice, and pay for items separately, then they will sent those items separately, regardless of how much they could save if only they had waited for a combined invoice. I very much doubt however, that buyers will ever 'learn' to wait for combined invoices.

But as for the current problem - the default invoice that ebay presented contained both items (each costing $7.50), plus the total of their individual postage costs (2 x $8 = $16.00). I am quite sure that the buyer would be quite happy to get the two items in the one satchel and pay just $8.00 postage instead of the insane situation where the postage for each item cost more than the item itself.

But this hasn't answered my original question - is there a penalty if I give a partial refund of $8 to the buyer?

[letscleanupmycupboards]

No penalty. PayPal will recalculate their fees so you only pay fees for the amount you retain if that makes sense. That is you get the fees back on the refunded portion.

I do it often, particularly with heavy bulky items where I've quoted based on cubic weight and the post office has charged on actual weight. It has on one or 2 occasions meant a $30 refund.

[egglesdtp]

OK thanks.

[phorum_junkie*]

I make it very clear in my listings that postage discounts are only given on items paid for on the same invoice, if they purchase more than one item and pay for each then I juast treat them as single transactions.

[*crikey*mate*]

I believe, that there will be an avenue for us to claim back fees on refunds. PJ? They have it in the UK, don't they?

It had teething oproblems at first, but then was a bit easier to use.

There has been talk of it being here, but I don't know for sure.

[egglesdtp]

I also make it very clear in my listings that I am happy to combine postage on items purchased within a 7 day period. I also ask buyers if purchasing more than one item, to please wait for my invoice before paying to receive combined postage cost.

They rarely do.

But I'm a nice person, so I refund them the overpayment on postage anyway. I won't be doing it from next month however, unless of course the buyers of multiple items actually wait for my invoice.

[davewil1964]

How do you go when they make one payment, but include both postage costs?

I just refund. And it is easy enough in C&S to put both items on the one transaction, which in turn, adds the tracking number to both items. As does usingthe eBay labelling system. i don't know how it goes for large multiples, though. Given the records C&S keep it would be easy enough to show that both items were sent in the one parcel.

[thecatspjs]

In future when I refund for overpaid post I will be refunding via a separate paypal transaction, noting in the comments exactly what it is for and referencing the eBay item number. 

I will just wear the implications and any loss of $$$ for my decision and see how it goes.  Couldn't be bothered with chasing eBay over wrongly issued defects, my times worth more to me.