Sellers using excessive postage cost to avoid fees

[daniellebradydesigns]

Apologies in advance if this is a duplicate thread.

I recently came across a seller while searching for an item I was looking to purchase.
The item was listed for $3, with postage cost of $80 within Australia standard postage, not an overly large item either.

I messaged the seller asking if it was an error, and he pretty much flat out said his postage cost was to avoid paying the FVF.
He'd incorporated the cost of the item into the postage. Which mind you was still higher than the actual value of the item.

I reported the seller, and eBay are going to have his account checked by the Trust and Safety team and most likely removed.

My issue here was the flat out cockiness that this seller conveyed. Made the remark that he'd been doing it for years. And he got aggressive at me for even questioning the postage costs.

I do think eBay fees are a little higher than I'd like to pay, but nevertheless I pay them. I've never overcharged on postage. One time I overestimated the postage cost of something, and I refunded the buyer the excess and then a little more for the inconvenience.

I'm curious what other seller's and buyers views are of these kinds of practices. 

[kopenhagen5]

There are always going to be the ones that don't give a darn in life.

It sounds like you have done all you can and best to move on.

Karma gets them at some point. (usually when they trip up) 

[bsal6160]

You are doing the right thing by all sellers for reporting this type of activity. Sellers are complaining about the high fees already and part of the reason would be because sellers like that forcing the fees higher through them not paying their dues.

[haolove13]

This looks like a case that should be reported and acted on, but there are also cases where people complain unnecessarily.
I saw a case recently where a buyer left a negative for an item with $10.00 postage and complained it should have been $7.00 postage but did not allow for handling, cost of packaging etc.

With my postage costs I guesstimate everything as if I had to weigh every item individually or take it to the post office I would need to add five dollars to everything to allow for my time and wasted effort.
Sometimes I make a dollar or two and other times I lose a dollar or two.

so there is balance in everything.

[bsal6160]

halove, i think you missed the OP point. It was selling at very low price but way overcharging on postage to get out of paying fees. if this practise keeps up then i can see that ebay au may change to the same as the US site. Fees paid on TOTAL including postage. Just a thought.

[dazzledayz · Accepted solution]

The OP's seller is doing us all a disservice big time.

eBay had this problem in the US some years ago.

They fixed it by simply extending FVF's to postage price as well.

Problem solved!

But sellers who sell low value high postage items were severely impacted.

The OP has done the right thing by reporting this scammer.

Noone likes FVF's and they are high but the alternatives are a lot worse.

[haolove13]

I did not miss the point, I was just balancing out the view as quite a few buyers complain about fifty cent overcharges on postage.

As I said I agreed with the point that it was excessive I did not miss the original point.

If Ebay do change to FVF on the total cost (just like we pay paypal on the total transaction what will happen then to postage charges allowed.

For me the actual cost of postage will become quite expensive.

Say $ 13.40 for post, $2.00 for packaging, so on $15.40 there will be FVF of about $1.54 so will Ebay allow me to charge $17.30 just to recover actual costs?

And then there is the time it takes for a business to actually post parcels which means paying wages etc.

And will Ebay amend the DSR ratings if uninformed buyers leave me low DSR's for postage cost when I make nothing from posting parcels. The stupidity of it is the buyer is allowed to perceive an overcharge which could even be postage at a loss.

[daniellebradydesigns]

---

@dazzledayz wrote:

The OP's seller is doing us all a disservice big time.

eBay had this problem in the US some years ago.

They fixed it by simply extending FVF's to postage price as well.

Problem solved!

But sellers who sell low value high postage items were severely impacted.

The OP has done the right thing by reporting this scammer.

Noone likes FVF's and they are high but the alternatives are a lot worse.

---

Thank you. You made my point so clearly and eloquently!

In response to haolove13, I'm primarily a seller. And sometimes a buyer. As a buyer I don't have an issue with sellers adding on a couple of dollars for their time and effort.

But as a seller, when they are clearly trying to avoid the final value fee's by adding the costs onto the postage and then blatantly admitting to it and stating they have been doing it for years, I feel that reporting them is the only option.

I feel as though people like that who try to cheat the system so to speak should not be allowed to sell on eBay. This seller was allowed to relist this item 4 times, before eBay stopped him from doing so for the fifth time. I always though it was a three strikes kind of deal? 

Thanks again to dazzledayz who couldn't have said it better!

[familyisall9]

Here's another: Stunning Sterling Silver Antique Pocket Watch Chain w/ Coin Fob Scrap/Use 12.9g

POSTAGE $45.00 AUST

What's with the postage cost when this would fit in an envelope?

This is why ebay decided to include postage in their charges - because sellers were scamming the system.

Unfortunately, as usual, because others were doing the wrong thing, people who were doing the right thing will also be hit by this.

[go-tazz]

That seller is in the US: $45.00 (approx. AU $48.54) USPS Priority Mail Express International