topic Re: Overcharging postage in Buying

Overcharging postage

michaela1162 — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 11:14:43 GMT

I bought a top from a seller who charged $8.50 for postage. It arrived in a yellow A4 paper enveloe with a postage stamp of $1.60. I was disapointed and emailed the seller requestng a refund for the difference. She responded saying it was her policy to charge a flat rate of $8.50 and this was to encourage buyers to puchase more than one item and save on postage as she would combine postage on additional items. I replied saying I think its great you offer to combine postage however its a bit unfair to charge buyers buying only one item such a high rate when it arrived in an envelope with a $1.60 stamp! She responded again saying this was her policy and that I had agreed to the terms when bidding. Im not concerned about the money, its more the principle! As a seller myself I would never do this to another buyer! I always endeavour to do the right thing by paying for items immediately and charging whatever it actually costs to post items. Should I leave negative feedback and report her for overcharging or am I in the wrong due to her stating her 'policy'? I have tried to resolve this with her but am getting the 'its my policy' thing. Thanks!

Re: Overcharging postage

harley_babes_hoard — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 11:27:53 GMT

you agree to the total price once you purchased. There is also more to postage than the price of the stamp. Just wondering if you shop at another website store outside of ebay which has one standard price postage do you complain to them and demand a refund? i think not.

Re: Overcharging postage

kopenhagen5 — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 11:34:09 GMT

Reporting this to ebay probably won't get you any results.

And yes, you did accept the price in the first place.

Leaving appropriate feedback will warn others before purchasing.

However if the item was to your satisfaction and received in a timely manner, I would possibly leave a neutral rather than a neg depending on how polite the seller was in her correspondence.

Keep in mind a seller may include handling time and fuel costs to a post office.

Personally if I purchased an item at a great price and the seller made a few extra dollars for sending it to me, I wouldn't be concerned.

Provided it was still packaged well enough so it couldn't be damaged.

Leave it a few days and see how you think about it later before leaving feedback.

Re: Overcharging postage

iainlouden — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 13:13:02 GMT

You bought the item at a total price that included $8.50 postage so if it had cost the seller $16.50 to post it would you offer to make up the difference?.

If you wouldn't make up the difference would you expect the seller to leave you a negative if they could?.

Re: Overcharging postage

imastawka — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 13:21:58 GMT

Must be just me and the OP then.

Yes the OP agreed to the postage cost - but -

I would expect my item to turn up in a satchel not a $1.60 envelope.

$1.60 is a bit rough - I would expect a refund myself

Just me again, but I would ding the postage & handling charges stars

and warn others in the feedback

Having said that, you would probably end up being blocked

And the seller has paid fvf's on that high postage, so, not so smart

Re: Overcharging postage

digital*ghost — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 13:55:15 GMT

@michaela1162 wrote:
She responded saying it was her policy to charge a flat rate of $8.50 and this was to encourage buyers to puchase more than one item and save on postage as she would combine postage on additional items.

I have a very similar policy - I charge one flat rate for almost all items, no matter how many are purchased. Granted, there is nowhere near as big a discrepancy as $6+ between the lowest cost (to me) to post and what I charge for P&H, but this is how I have decided to do things, so that's the way I do things - by which I mean it is part of my business model, and it affects more than just the P&H charge displayed on a listing, in much the same way "free" post business models tends to affect the price of items, and/or other things - so, you never know what calculations have gone into something when a seller decides how to price both items and postage.

I understand why the discrepancy stands out and annoys, as I said my rates are not that much higher than the minium cost (but at the same time, I'm lucky enough to primarily only have to take letters into account, some sellers need to account for letters and parcels); and I'm willing to bet the alternate scenarios presented in the posts above don't do much to change that, because I'm also willing to bet it's the notion that you could - or should - have paid less for postage, because the seller didn't pay as much as the $8.50 charge implied they would. But the P&H quote on a listing isn't a quote for how much the seller gives Australia Post, it's a service quote to the buyer, and the seller has already confirmed that you couldn't have paid less than $8.50 for that service because they charge $8.50 no matter what.

I tend to be a little 50-50 on issues like this, as there is also a limit to what I would personally consider an acceptable handling fee, but at the same time, presumptions based on just a price have shot me in the foot before, and I gotta take responsibility for that. (i.e. I paid $10 P&H for what turned up in an envelope with $1.20 stamps on it. I made the assumption that for $10, the item - releatively rare and not unbreakable - would be sent as a parcel. More fool me for making the assumption and not bothering to make sure, but also, that seller's service was not worth $10 >_> I didn't neg them, just in case you're interested, the seller did exactly what they said they would, which was send me the item, exactly as described, in the promised timeframe, for the price that I paid, I just think they over-valued their service).

Re: Overcharging postage

harley_babes_hoard — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 23:16:26 GMT

If the OP had gone to purchase these items from the LJ website she would have been charged 10.00 flat rate postage regardless of how it was packed. I don't think she would then be complaining to LJ about the so called postage overcharge. Same applies here, sellers can split their price and postage costs however they wish to. When you are buying you consider the total including postage. No wonder most sellers add in postage and call it free, it certainly cuts down on this behaviour.

If they item was $7.00 dearer with 1.60 postage would she still be complaining?

Re: Overcharging postage

annies_fancy_dress — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 23:47:08 GMT

I charge different rates depending if I can fit the item into an envelope under 2cm thick.

I try to charge just a little more than the stamps/postage would cost.

BUT

There's always someone who doesn't read the listing.

The buyer(who hasn't bought yet) who emailed about combined postage for 12 of an item.

The listing clearly states the amount of postage for one, and then 50c for each additional same quantity.

Why don't people just read the listing????

Re: Overcharging postage

4myson2003 — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 06:18:07 GMT

You clearly new knew the postage cost before buying so why complain? If you dont like the post cost dont buy.Ever heard of P&H charges ? Its short for "postage and handling charges"..

Dont forget ebay also take out seller fees on postage not just the item sold.

Re: Overcharging postage

janeababe — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 07:01:26 GMT

Michaela, I purchased a pre-paid A4 envelope today, and it cost me $3.50.
I was shocked at THAT price, and thought it was too dear, but lets say that that is average cost.

so your seller has $5 extra in his pocket so far.....
Then he has to get in his car and drive to the PO, park, post your item, drive home again.
Now, I dont know about you... but petrol in my acre of the world is $1.47Lt.
So, lets say, it cost your seller another $2 in petrol. (short trip)

So now your seller has $3 in his pocket for his time and trouble.

Do you really want to neg your seller for $3???
After all, you knew the costs prior to bidding, AND, your item actually arrived!

Consider yourself one of the lucky ones.

Re: Overcharging postage

imastawka — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 09:09:01 GMT

Hullooo, me again.....But, but...........for $8.50 postage

I would expect tracking. No tracking on $1.40 envelope. Not even SOD!

Yeah, yeah, I know it arrived, but just say it didn't?

Seller is charging enough for tracking

And how come the listing says 'standard postage'?

Isn't that excessive for standard postage?

Re: Overcharging postage

harley_babes_hoard — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 09:26:48 GMT

Standard postage is just that standard, no extras. I have standard postage on mine to because standard has 1- 6 days.

Re: Overcharging postage

davewil1964 — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 13:55:13 GMT

@imastawka wrote:
Hullooo, me again.....But, but...........for $8.50 postage

I would expect tracking. No tracking on $1.40 envelope. Not even SOD!

Yeah, yeah, I know it arrived, but just say it didn't?

Seller is charging enough for tracking

And how come the listing says 'standard postage'?

Isn't that excessive for standard postage?

Then you open an INR case and get your money back.

Spurious argument.

Buyer accepted that price for standard postage.

Ditto.

Re: Overcharging postage

springyzone — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 01:12:09 GMT

I had a similar thing happen recently but the seller contacted me and offered to refund the difference between what I paid and the actual postage cost. The seller said when she got to the PO they told her it would fit in an envelope and she had expected it to go in a more expensive pack.

I ended up telling her not to worry. In the end we were only talking a few dollars and as I said to her (not sure if she even realised it as she wasn't a big volume seller) she was paying ebay fees on postage as well.

My item arrived no problems & I think Aust Post is very reliable but my worry for small sellers is that if they have charged enough & then find it comes out cheaper, they would be better off to pay the extra for tracking just to cover themselves from unscrupulous buyers.

Re: Overcharging postage

sherbetlemon63 — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 12:35:14 GMT

"Must be just me and the OP then"

Not just you imastawka at all, what is wrong with you all. I'm a seller for over 10 years and there is no way I would charge a cost of a satchel or box and put in a cheap envelope. Getta outta here!

Blatant postage profiting and against eBay policy. If you can send via a cheaper postage option than what you have listed, refund, simple.

Re: Overcharging postage

davewil1964 — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 13:34:46 GMT

@sherbetlemon63 wrote:
"Must be just me and the OP then"

Not just you imastawka at all, what is wrong with you all. I'm a seller for over 10 years and there is no way I would charge a cost of a satchel or box and put in a cheap envelope. Getta outta here!

Blatant postage profiting and against eBay policy. If you can send via a cheaper postage option than what you have listed, refund, simple.

eBay don't care - they charge FVF on postage so still get their cut.

The bottom line -

If OP (or any buyer) gets what they ordered, undamaged, in a timely manner, for the price they were prepared to pay, they have no reason to complain.

Re: Overcharging postage

4myson2003 — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 20:06:45 GMT

@davewil1964 wrote:
eBay don't care - they charge FVF on postage so still get their cut.

The bottom line -

If OP (or any buyer) gets what they ordered, undamaged, in a timely manner, for the price they were prepared to pay, they have no reason to complain.

100% agree with davewil1964.

I bought a new seiko watch as a BIN, p&h was $30.Was sent in a AP cardboard box which cost $10.40 to send (had to sign for delivery) but because i bought this watch for half price compared to a local jeweler including the p&h, i was very happy. Same make, same model..

Also bought a brand new and sealed filter splitter for $10, p&h was $8 (total $18) when actual post stamps on padded bag was $2.80 but i saved $12 this way as they sell these for $30 each at a well known electronics store here.Same make, same model.

So in my books, if i can buy an item here for around half the price compared to shops including the added p&h cost, im a happy shopper and my savings are better in my pocket than anyone elses dont you think ?

Re: Overcharging postage

bakeandfry — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 20:50:46 GMT

In one way i agree with you, the amount for postage, you would think it would be sent SOD and or tracking, and on the other its just what the seller offers.

When i sold on ebay, my standard was tracking and SOD, with bubble wrap in a b1 box, just to make shure it could not get lost.

only once did i send a item out by regular letter, it freaked me out so much i never done it again.

Re: Overcharging postage

digital*ghost — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 03:00:24 GMT

@sherbetlemon63 wrote:
"Must be just me and the OP then"

Not just you imastawka at all, what is wrong with you all. I'm a seller for over 10 years and there is no way I would charge a cost of a satchel or box and put in a cheap envelope. Getta outta here!

Blatant postage profiting and against eBay policy. If you can send via a cheaper postage option than what you have listed, refund, simple.

It's like any other service-based industry. My landlord likes to complain to me all the time about the shonks who try to overcharge her for the work she wants done around the place - one gardener quotes $2000, another quotes $500. One company quotes $1500 for the installation of an AC, another one $1000, and you can bet the cost of the air-con is pretty much the same for both of them, and you can also bet you can only make an assumption about the quality of the work / service each one will provide (with perhaps being somewhat informed if there are customer reviews available somewhere). Point is, just because someone is charging more than someone else, it doesn't mean the more expensive one are "scammers".

There is no such thing as "postage profiting" IMO - well, there are exceptions, if I request (and pay for) an express service, and the seller uses standard then pockets the difference, then they have deliberately profited. As a seller, I am fully aware that when someone (professional or casual) sits down and decides how much they want to receive for a particular sale, they don't make any more or less than their total just because they put X amount in column A and Y amount in column B. That seller may well have decided to make $8.50 their flat rate for whatever reason (I use flat rate postage because it simplifies everything, I don't have to adjust, reinvoice, issue refunds, buyers know P&H costs up front, don't have to wait around, can get a good discount if they buy multiple items, and don't have to pay postage several times over as they would if I tried to incorporate a free post model), so perhaps knew full well the top could be posted for less, but lowered the price they asked for it by $6.00 to continue to streamline their model.

Like I said, I get why it leaves a bad impression, and if the seller came to the forum asking for advice, I would advise them to rethink their postage policy because it has the potential to give their customers a very bad impression, as we have witnessed, but that doesn't change the fact that you can't presume your impressions, presumptions etc based on what you do are correct or factual, or that it means the seller "ripped" someone off.

Re: Overcharging postage

duck---dodgers — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 11:18:42 GMT

If the seller sent an envelope with $1.60 stamp she paid too much, it should have been $1.40.