eBay Fees and postage :(

[wllblsstn]

Not really a question as I read a few threads before making this post. More of a rant.

Basically, sold an item for $320 + $40 shipping to the UK and I was paid out $307.50.

I paid for the shipping label directly through eBay and shipping turned out to be $78.09, which is over the $40 shipping I listed but I was fine with taking the $30 loss. I thought this was already covered in the payout I got. Just got a message that I now need to pay the $78.09 postage because the $52.50 (43.85 FVF at 12.18%, 3.60 International Fee, 0.27  FVF, and 4.78 GST) that was not paid out to me was all for fees.

What could I have done to ensure that the postage paid by the buyer is actually covering the postage I have to pay? Since FVF include cost of shipping, increasing the listed postage rate to an honest cost would not have done much. 

[countessalmirena]

Perhaps use calculated postage and add an $11 handling fee for international sales...?

NOTE: I'm not a seller on eBay, so perhaps one of the clued-in sellers here will have a better suggestion.

[wllblsstn]

Thank you 🙂

Yeah I probably should have used calculated postage. I usually set default international shipping cost to $40 which is roughly what I usually pay but with this listing, the item turned out heavier and the box turned out to be larger than expected. I assumed it would have been roughly the same as my previous sold listings. My fault here.

Problem here is that I'm basically losing another $80. I already lost $320 - $300 = $20 from fees and now it turns out eBay fees basically eradicated the shipping cost paid by the buyer and slightly more

[davewil1964]

There you go. Assumptions. Maybe actually determine the postage cost before listing. Or take all the windfall payments on International shipping (those that cost less than $40) and offset them against this particular sale.

Heavier and larger? YOU had the item, presumably, at hand and would have known the weight and size. Fail.

[jellybirddesigns · Accepted solution]

Someone paying in GBP is not going to feel much postage pain as they have such a strong exchange rate, so you could definitely have charge the right amount plus a handling fee to cover fees, the box, fuel and sundries. 

Personally I don't rely on Ebay's calculated postage and would have taken it to the PO and put it in a box/satchel or whatever was appropriate and gotten quotes at the counter before listing it. When I have larger items that are outside my norms, I will always get quotes upfront to the UK and USA as they are my main international destinations.