Buyers paying less in shipping cost then me all of a sudden?
Summary: romej25 shared a frustrating experience with eBay Australia over a shipping cost issue when attempting to sell an item worth $950. The buyer refused to pay the correct postage, leading to a canceled transaction and a decision to remove all listings from eBay. *casey* advised that sellers cannot ask for additional money from buyers and warned about potential scams when selling high-priced items overseas. sandypebbles agreed, suggesting that inexperienced sellers are often targeted by scammers and that using eBay’s systems correctly is crucial to avoid losses.
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**.
*casey*
·1 month ago · Editedromej25
You're an inexperienced seller and you'll be scammed if you sell high priced items on this site to overseas.
All an overseas buyer has to do is open an ' item not as described ' claim and you'll lose your money and your item.
Read up on everything to do with selling on eBay.
You're NOT allowed to ask a buyer for more money.
Besides that you're Free Selling and you were required to use an eBay label
As it's currently not possible to print an eBay label for postage from AU to America, you should have cancelled the sale anyway
If you haven't done so already, you'll need to be registered to sell, verified with both your personal and bank account details and signed up for managed payments.
And as a new /occasional seller, your payment 'may' be on hold for 31 days
sandypebbles
·1 month ago · EditedYes, they have had a lucky escape from being scammed big time, if not with this, then certainly with one of the other '100 expensive items' they would have listed
Scammer buyers LOVE sellers selling high priced items, who have no idea of selling basics
I'd be counting my lucky stars, not complaining I wasn't scammed out of almost a grand
romej25
·1 month agoebay Australia have a known issue and have yet to solve it. It's extremely frustrating!!! I sold an item worth $950 to a lady in the States, ebay advertised the postage as around $30 to ship there. I advised the lady that the postage cost was incorrect and I would advise the true cost and send her a copy of the receipt at the post office so she could pay the difference. I also sent her a receipt for a similar sized item postage cost that went to the States and that was over $102. I also said it didn't include tariffs and she refused to pay. She became abusive so I cancelled the transaction and she got her money back. She was 'deeply disappointed' that I didn't wear the cost LOL!!! I would have been out of pocket about a $100 by the time you add the tariff cost in. I spend hours/days with ebay support trying to resolve the issue and gave up in the end. I removed all of my items for sale and now have to find another forum to sell them. ebay lost a lot of business as I have over 100 expensive items to sell, more fool them! Until they sort this issue out, I won't use them.
springyzone
·3 years agoCan't solve your postage queries, except to suggest you try what others here have suggested.
I was disappointed not to see the teapot with a broken spout but if you have removed it, well done. I did see an ad for a k mart teapot. Only one photo, teapot intact though i can see another handle to the left of the photo.
Just be aware that in the description you have Kmart teapot X 2, so if you are now just selling the one, needs to be adjusted.
My take as a buyer: When something is valued at $1, unless it is an auction type sale where bids are likely to take off, then usually I would not think the item was worth buying, not if postage was an extra $14 or whatever.
Have you thought of facebook marketplace? For the small items that you want to clear, just put eg $5 on them and someone local might buy them because there are no additional postage fees, they can just pick up. Insist on cash only. No fees for you either. It's a good way to clear your low value items. Just an idea.
renki4649
·3 years agoI 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.
adam.babb
OP3 years agoCan i have this thread deleted please there is nothing further to gain from this thread and i will no longer response anyone elses judgements and peoples inability to understand my situation where i paid more for an item that i precising measured and yet they paid less then me. Thats it im done.
gutterpunkz05
·3 years agoYou don't seem to understand , that buyers can only select postage costs and carriers that you offer, at cost you specify, or that is calculated by data you enter.
k1ooo-slr-sales
·3 years agosorry that you see no value in the responses given here. Many of them aimed to save you money through easily implemented straight forward measures. In hindsight, I'm sorry I bothered! It won't happen again. Cheers.
imastawka
·3 years agoI thought I addressed the problem of postage costs.
Some people can't be helped.
adam.babb
OP3 years agohttps://i.postimg.cc/MH8n0JS7/Screenshot-20230212-212503-e-Bay.jpg
This cost me $32 to ship from melbourne 3064 to nsw 2528 to the customer above (pictured) address with the following packaging dimensions;
3.7kg 62cm x 41cm x 32cm
Item sold at $50. Buyer paid $66 in total for the item including shipping.
Customer had both shipping options for ebay labels and auspost to choose from in my auction listing
I oversized the box and weight measurements slightly in my postage calculator estimate to a standard 5kg option and then once i had boxed up the item during the label purchasing screen, i readjusted my measurements to be exactly the above dimensions of package for the item to ship to the customer.
Customer also asked me, after he had won the auction, if i could ship using auspost express postage services which when i looked it up for him was going to be nearly $80 though auspost express shipping using their online calcultor to the buyers address in nsw 2528 which both he and i agreed was too exprensive of a shipping cost to use.
I sent the packaging through ebay labels (sendle) at a cost of $32.45 but both auspost and sendle had simiular prices of $32 to his address during the label purchasing screen so i had no option available to match the $16 postage price he was able to pay.
imastawka
·3 years agoMaybe the problem was you customised the packaging instead of using AusPost packaging?
Using your own packaging will always cost more as far as I'm aware.
Someone will tell me if I'm off the mark.
And never use Sendle - it will get you a neg.
gutterpunkz05
·3 years agoGiven 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.
adam.babb
OP3 years agoNope 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?
gutterpunkz05
·3 years agoHi 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
·3 years agoHi 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)
gutterpunkz05
·3 years ago
Size: 62 x 41 x 32cmCompare domestic parcel services
countessalmirena
·3 years agoFinal Value Fees are not 10%.
OP, you really need to be aware of what is payable so that you can set a price that will let you at the very least not lose money.
The FVF is ❝13.4% of the sale amount up to $4,000❞ (including the listed postage amount) plus an additional 30¢ per transaction.
If you can create a spreadsheet with formulae to help you automatically work out fees and margins, you’ll be in a position to set prices that won’t end up costing YOU.
Selling items for $1 seems to me to be an exercise in stopping the tides. There is also the possibility that the very cheapness of that will count against you. Customer perception may be “Oh, $1, they wouldn’t be practically throwing it away for $1 if it was any good”.
Try listing at a price that reflects the items’ actual value, or just below. Yes, INCREASE your item prices. If you list them at a price that says you don’t rate them as more than rubbish, other people will take their valuation from yours.
There is no point in having loss leaders if they don’t draw buyers to buy larger /big ticket items from you.
Look at the excellent advice given by k1ooo, davewil and s&d; and good luck.
adam.babb
OP3 years agoThough i appreciate the advice given in this thread i would not say its great advice, more of a "you need to know more about selling on ebay then you current think you do" type of advice. Ive looked up a ebay fees calculator to see what has been presented in this thread and i can now see what profit margins are like with all of ebays fees included and from what ive seen i should not sell anything under $10 to make it worth selling anything on ebay. If i knew such a calculator was available i would of used it earlier. But at least now i know and i have revised all of my listings to be more then $10 in value.
Also none of the advice presented so far has explained to me why the buyer paid less for shipping then i had to and it turned into more why the **bleep** are you selling at a loss anyways which though turned out to be true doesnt answer my original enquiry as to why it has happened and whether it was a listing error on my behalf.
I dont believe low prices means putting buyers off as im 100% honest with all of my listings and i have maintaned a 100% positive feedback so far and i want to keep it that way as much as i can to help me sell more items in the future. I buy more on ebay then i sell and i am very price conscious when buying anything on ebay and i always go for the cheapest price available and prefer to spend less then pay more. So thinking as a buyer i would think spending less would mean i get the sale but not everything is saleable as it seems even on ebay and i need to find other aveunes to sell items no one seems to want.
imastawka
·3 years agoI haven't looked any further than your KMart teapots. Please throw out the one with the broken spout - it's not cracked, it's totally broken.
Just sell the other one. Complete rubbish.
And there's no way you were going to fit both those boxes in a small satchel and post for $10.85
Please read APost's site for Nationwide postage costs with - If it packs it posts
If It Packs, It Posts - Australia Post (auspost.com.au)
edit: Now also wondering about postage for a radiator at $14.00
adam.babb
OP3 years agoWow people are so critical of my listings because of this thread, i mean imagine if you could sell 2 items for the price of one when they didnt cost you anything to being with. I dont understand why everyone is complaining about my listings you may not want to buy it doesnt mean someone else wont, i only just listed that item last night it hasnt even had time to get a good viewing. After a week ill take out the broken item and make you happy imastawka. Gees noone is answer my **bleep**ing original question if you dont have any thing nice to add then dont comment on this thread. I know this is public but god i havent bothered to check out anyone elses listing its none of my business what you sell.
domino-710
·3 years agoCalm down.
I took a look at your floral teapot x 2.
As far as I could see - 2 boxes - do they even contain a teapot.
More work - better sales.
gutterpunkz05
·3 years agoI don,t care if you lose money or not, but you really have to understand exactly what your costs are.
As for your original question on postage, you need to measure and weigh your items precisely, before listing,
Australia Post has clamped right down on estimates and incorrect details, your parcels will now,most likely, pass through auto measuring devices at some point in transit.
If you wish to use calculated postage, then you need to build into your item price 13.4% of postage cost, + the cost of all packaging and any handling costs.
Frankly, you would be better off putting a $1 item on the sidewalk with a FREE sign
countessalmirena
·3 years agoWhen you post on a public board, you are likely to garner views on your listings. The "none of [your] business" line does not make sense... Human nature is human nature, and that is why some people will use "posting IDs" to post on the boards if they don't want any of their buying or selling activity to come under casual scrutiny.
I am a buyer on eBay; I don't sell here. I won't claim that my views are representative of every buyer or even of most buyers. I haven't looked at your listings before, but in order to be able to comment more appropriately on this thread, I'm doing so now.
Hmm. I'm with imastawka on the teapot. There is nothing I want less than a vintage-styled teapot with a broken spout. That is damage that affects the functionality of the item. How well does a teapot pour if it has a broken spout? Not well enough, not by a long shot, and it looks awful. I'd only accept damage of such sort in an antique item older than 200 years, and only if the item were very rare. Even then... broken spout? Hmm. That is my perspective - as a buyer.
The game guides - prices seem fine. Hopefully you'll get some buyers for those.
The dual-core processor - price at $10 is not too bad, but it's the postage that will turn buyers away. Are you able to use an AP satchel? (Didn't davewil suggest that?)
I think the radiator is priced too high, and postage seems unrealistically low. (I may be wrong; that's an initial quick assessment.)
The thing about which you complained in the opening post - postage cost - is down to your making sure that you know the postage cost at the time of listing. It's up to you to make sure that you have the correct price. I do not personally have any historical reason to be anti-Sendle, but my residence is in an area that is served extremely well with deliveries. Other people have mentioned nothing but issue after issue with Sendle-brokered couriers. Why not offer both options in your listings? AP and Sendle, with the buyer to choose? ... and for your own sake, know the postage price. eBay is notorious for not always rendering correct postage prices, so it is your responsibility to ensure that the price shown to the buyer is what YOU will be charged when the item is handed over to AP or courier.
davewil1964
·3 years agoYou have several options -
Don't use Sendle.
Build the actual cost of postage into your price.
Don't guess. You have the item/s in your possession - weigh them and measure them.
Don't use Sendle.
Don't use calculated postage. AP have flat rates for up to 5kg country-wide. Avail yourself of this option when applicable.
If you know what your items are worth ($1 is unlikely to be the value, and if it is why bother selling it? eBay fees are more than that) try using Buy It Now rather than auction. Auctions, except in limited circumstances, haven't really been a useful tool for many years.
Edit: You seem to be charging $13.90 postage for things that could probably go as a large letter. Certainly they would fit in a Small AP satchel at $9.95, so you seemed to have solved your problem
adam.babb
OP3 years agoHmm i had a feeling sendle was going to be the problem here. I know $1 sounds like a waste of time to most people but im kinda obsecure items that i need to get rid of as soon as i can with plenty more items to try and sell after their gone. I dont know if people wouLd even buy some of these items nowdays but i feel the need to tey and make something off then then to just throw them away. also i included offers, low intital auction prices and buy now prices to draw more potential buyers to my auctions but even that doesnt work on some of the items ive tried to sell in the past. Ive had to throw some items in with other items ive sold just to try and get the item out of my hair.
*sons_n_daughters*
·3 years agoWhy are you choosing to lose money on items you sell? For example, your Dual Core E2180, you have listed as a buy it now for $1. Postage to me is saying $32.45 (from Vic to NSW). If I bought that, the fees on postage alone are going to be nudging $4. For an item you have sold for $1. WHY????
You have sold multiple items for $1 with in excess of $10 postage (for me, showing $13-20). You are throwing money away, then whinging because buyers aren't paying enough postage, and you are out of pocket. YOU'RE ALREADY OUT OF POCKET!!!! No one in their right mind would throw away money like that. If they are only worth $1 with $13+ postage, throw them on the footpath for the next council clean up. At least you don't have to pay for that.
adam.babb
OP3 years agoI appreciate your response i feel i am not fully aware of all of the hidden fees ebay charges for the sale of an item and i was not taking into account the postage fee costs ebay takes so thank you for informing me of that fact. I dont like to throw items away unless their broken but that cpu and cooler you mentioned has been up for sale for 6 months at that price and yet the listing has not really shown me many views and no one seems to want it at any price, so i might have to bin it after all.
I was only aware of a 10% cost of the sale price not including the freight to ebay, so if i sold an item for $1 ebay gets cents of the sale, i guess this information is completely false and i need to look into what charges ebay puts on so i am not losing out as you put it.
I am selling items to make a little bit of extra cash with all of the stuff i have collected and held onto over my life and so i wasnt trying to make a living or a business out of the sale of my old unwanted items. I have made some big sales in the past netting me a ni e profit but not all items i am selling achieve a massive profit and so to tey and get rid of the more obsecure items i sell them cheap hoping for a bidding war to occur which seems to rarely happen unfortunately.
Anyways ive spoken with ebay directly and they are going to look into the reasons why the buyers are paying a lower shipping fees then what i ended up paying at my end which is more a fault of the system then anyone else in my opinion.
k1ooo-slr-sales
·3 years agoif a postage option is chosen that is incompatible with sending to a PO BOX then cancel the sale with "problem with buyer's address" as the reason.
Then block the buyer and do not relist if you are likely to lose on the sale.
adam.babb
OP3 years agoOk thank you but the system shoukd be doing this automatically, the buyer should be locked into their address location the postage costs should be charge according to that fact why do buyers have an option either way is what i want to point out. I will be contact ebay directly to discuss the situation because i cant do this anymore.