topic Re: Excessive P&H Charges in Buying

Excessive P&H Charges

i-love-my-sheep — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 23:28:24 GMT

My husband bought an item on Dec 21st and was charged $14.90 for postage. The item arrived today and the label said $7.20 (I really wish he would show me before he bought stuff!!!). He didn't want to go ahead and just red or grey dot the seller (who seems to have a history of excessive charges), so has opted to send him a message letting him know he's not happy.

He's happy to let slide that it took 8 days to post due to the time of year, but he's really pished at the postage cost, especially when no packaging was bought. It was recycled (which is absolutely fine). He wants to let him know that unless he is refunded the excess costs, he will trash his feedback, but he doesn't want it to sound like feedback extortion. Can anyone suggest some way of wording it so he's not violating the feedback extortion policy?

I know it's acceptable to add a handling cost and also to add the postage fees into the cost, but at a total of more that double?

Are we being unreasonable expecting a refund for excessive postage? It was one of those items where it could easily have gone into the next postage bracket if he had packed it really well (packaging was pretty poor. Chucked into a box with 4 bits of loose styro). If he was a new seller I probably wouldn't worry, but he'd been selling for years and has over 2,000 feedback as a seller.

Am happy to hear your thoughts before we proceed with anything.

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

cq_tech — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 23:58:22 GMT

Given that he's actually charged more for postage than a 3kg prepaid satchel with eBay's 10% cut added, I wouldn't be overly impressed either, not when he's clearly paid the standard 500g rate. Hitting him with a low postage DSR isn't going to do him any damage or cause him a defect so there's no real point in doing that.

I think I'd be emailing him and suggesting that he must have made a mistake with postage as he's clearly charged over double the cost of a 3kg satchel instead of the correct 500g rate, and ask him what he intends doing about it. No need to mention feedback as the implication is fairly obvious.

If he apologises and refunds most of the overcharge, I'd give him positive feedback but if his attitude is somewhat defensive, I'd very seriously consider a neutral, and if he becomes aggressive or ignores you completely, I'd have no hesitation in negging him. Of course, that's just me; your opinion may differ slightly.

P.S. I can't stand postage pirates so my reaction may be somewhat harsher than yours.

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

classicedge01 — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:06:15 GMT

I don't think your husband should do anything apart from putting it down to experience,he knew that the postage cost was $14.90 and still went ahead and purchased the item,was your husband expecting the item to be rapped in silk and a wooden box?

If you don't agree with the charges a seller lists then don't buy.

This seller might of had to travel a fair distance to post the item? travelling and time expenses?

I always contact a seller before I purchase an item if I see that the postage cost is way over board and if the seller and I can come to an agreement then I buy, if not then I move on too the next seller.

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

i-love-my-sheep — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:13:43 GMT

Thanks CQ. Not harsh at all. That's exactly how I was thinking, but didn't want to violate any policies in my reply. I have just sent a message, not mentioning feedback, so will wait to hear. Given that a lot of his bad feedback says that he won't reply to messages, I am not really expecting a reply back.

I have now introduced my husband to toolhaus!!! Husband only looked at the last 12 months. When I showed him the toolhaus results, he felt really stupid because this seller has a long history of disgruntled buyers it seems.

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

chameleon54 — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:15:19 GMT

I,m with you on this one cq, I cant stand postage pirates either. As the item was close to the 500gm. limit, I would message the seller politely and point out the item was nearly over the 500gm. limit and so you can see how a mistake could be made. ( done this one myself, plenty of times, but I usually refund without being asked ) My feedback response would depend on the response I got from the seller. I,m usually fairly reluctant to use the negs and a seller has to be a real rip off merchant or very rude to get one. Its a pity the neutrals are a defect now as this was a good mid point if you where unhappy, but the seller was not a total shocker. Another option would be Pos. feedback such as "nice item but excessive overcharge on postage"

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

classicedge01 — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:17:38 GMT

It makes me laugh when people can't stand postage pirates,don't buy off them then it's as simple as that!

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

i-love-my-sheep — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:19:20 GMT

@classicedge01 wrote:
I don't think your husband should do anything apart from putting it down to experience,he knew that the postage cost was $14.90 and still went ahead and purchased the item,was your husband expecting the item to be rapped in silk and a wooden box?
If you don't agree with the charges a seller lists then don't buy.
This seller might of had to travel a fair distance to post the item? travelling and time expenses?
I always contact a seller before I purchase an item if I see that the postage cost is way over board and if the seller and I can come to an agreement then I buy, if not then I move on too the next seller.

As I said in my original message, if it was packed adequately, it could have slid into the next postage rate. As it was packed poorly, in a small box with very little packaging, it went well under the 500g. The seller would have known that. I have contacted sellers in the past if a cost seems excessive and done what you suggested, moved on, but this one was clearly a profit on postage costs.

I know when I first started selling I sometimes overcharged on postage. If I found it was the lower rate when I posted, I refunded the buyer. I call that good business sense.

The cost would have been acceptable if the seller sent everything in a 3kg satchel, regardless of weight, because I know some sellers do that, but he didn't.

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

cq_tech — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:39:32 GMT

@classicedge01 wrote:
It makes me laugh when people can't stand postage pirates,don't buy off them then it's as simple as that!

Just one problem; unless you have a crystal ball you won't know you've been overcharged until your item arrives. If the listing says $14.90 for postage then I assume it must weigh up to 3kg, but if it's only 500g (and poorly packed as well) then it's obvious I've been ripped off, and I don't take very kindly to that at all. And neither should anybody else.

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

classicedge01 — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:39:59 GMT

Yes I understand what your saying,so if you need to take it further as too why your husband was overcharged on postage then go ahead and contact the seller and if an agreement is made that both parties are satisfied with then if you still wish to leave appropriate feedback then do so,but like I said don't buy from any seller with over priced postage costs before enquiring about it first.

I have found that to many buyers want to argue after the sale has been done.

There's a section at the bottom of every listing if you have any questions please go ahead and ask.

Too many buyers want to get over aggresive with a seller after a sale when they should have just asked the question.

It's like that add on TV a few years back that said Why didn't you call?? lol.

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

lane-ends — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:43:39 GMT

I'm with cq, ask the question politely first before claiming postal pirate. obvious he has estimated 3kg rate when listing, then its ended up 500gm rate. maybe didn't realize, maybe did but didn't bother doing anything about it, or could have been completely deliberate. Wont know til you ask.

Buyers hitting bad fb without asking questions first is bad form in my mind.

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

imastawka — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:46:25 GMT

I've asked sellers, before buying, about excessive postage.

Only to have them be aggressive, and tell me if I don't like it

don't buy it.

Out of principle I haven't bought, but I was really mad!

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

classicedge01 — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:48:43 GMT

Obviously you should know that you are being overcharged with postage cost it's got nothing to do with a crystal ball.

$14.90 postage,what are you expecting it to arrive in?

I know that OP is an experienced ebayer and her husband may not be as experienced and therefor should have asked OP first,but this is still just a simple mistake as to not knowing postage pricing so therefor the seller shouldn't be punished for it.

Like I said and it's just MO contact the seller and try to resolve it and don't waste your life chasing postage pirates as the first postage pirate is the post itself.

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

i-love-my-sheep — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:52:01 GMT

Gee, with nearly 1,500 feedback as a buyer (and that doesn't include sellers who didn't leave it) and 574 transactions as a seller, who would ever think to contact the seller? I kind of got the impression that was what this message was about, contacting the seller, or didn't you read the original post?

Buyer getting aggressive? Give me a break. If I was going to be aggressive, I would have just gone ahead with a red dot and trashed his stars without bothering to contact the seller at all, let alone come here for advice on the best way to communicate with him.

I have no idea what ad on TV you are referring to......lol (the little lol at the end makes everything OK).

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

chameleon54 — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:52:42 GMT

classicedge 01 - Are you a postage pirate ???? As previously mentioned, buyers dont know the weight of an item or how it is packed until it arrives. Sellers should be making enough profit from the items that they sell that they shouldnt need to "rip off" their customers using unscrupulous means such as postage gouging. Sellers that do this contribute to the break down in standards of honesty and integrity that ebay needs to function properly. Excessive postage charges damage ALL HONEST sellers as witnessed by the 10 % FVF that ebay introduced to prevent these sorts of scams. Buyers become more un-trusting of all sellers when a few chose to engage in postage piracy. This damages everyones sales and leads to more of the argumentative type buyers you mention, making ebay a much less pleasant enviroment to work in.

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

cq_tech — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:52:45 GMT

If it's listed at $14.90 postage, I expect it to weigh somewhere between 501g and 3kg and arrive in a 3kg satchel. Don't you?

The fact that you seem to think it's perfectly OK to overcharge on postage tell me a hell of a lot about you as a seller, too.

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

classicedge01 — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:53:22 GMT

That's is right and it's because ebay allow them to do and say that in the first place.

With all the money ebay has you would think that they could come up with a system that when a seller goes and inputs their postage cost a sorry your postage cost is invalid meaning too high please enter the correct amount thank you haha.

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

classicedge01 — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:54:26 GMT

Check my sales out no I'm not and thanks for asking

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

classicedge01 — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:56:54 GMT

I never said that it's ok too over charge on postage now did I?

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

classicedge01 — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:58:43 GMT

Well the crystal ball is out isn't it?

What the hell does it tell you what I am as a seller?

Re: Excessive P&H Charges

cq_tech — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 01:05:37 GMT

Just checked your completed listings and there's very little consistency in your postage prices, particularly with the painting you listed one day with pick-up only, then with $150 postage the next. What's that all about?