topic Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send in Buying

Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

wizz_2026 — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 06:24:23 GMT

Hi, I recently purchased an item and paid $8:25 postage. When I received it, the postmark sticker said it cost the seller $2:10 to post. The item was in a recycled plastic bag which was put in an A4 envelope, so packaging costs were minimal. When I queried the postage discrepancy, the seller said it was because their Post Office was a 20 km round trip. They said the postage and travel actually cost them more than $8:25, suggesting that they had somehow done me a favour in only charging me that amount.

Does anyone think this is unreasonable? My one bugbear about postage is when seller's appear to be creaming profit from it.

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

kopenhagen5 — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 06:33:52 GMT

When I purchase I look at the item plus postage as one total and if I think I got a bargain for the combined price, fine.

If the seller then has managed to post it for less and considering they have pack n handling costs, I am happy to let them have an extra couple of dollars especially as ebay have fees on postage as well.

That's just my take on it.

(I picked up a bargain today, saved at least $200)

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

collect247 — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 06:41:27 GMT

What were you expecting for $8.25?

I used to charge the exact cost of postage but still had buyers leaving low scores for it so now I post with free postage.

And I agree with the seller as it would have cost them more than $8.25.

Buyers shouldn't buy if they're going to whinge after the fact.

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

digupatin — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 08:18:50 GMT

How does it really make a difference if you paid say $1 for an item and $8.25 postage, or paid $8.25 for the item and $1 postage?

It's still the same total payment.

How is the seller creaming profit from it?

The same fees are paid by the seller on the postage as well as the purchase item price you know.

You have to look at the whole picture.

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

lane-ends — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 08:21:39 GMT

Is $8.25 a standard post they quote for their items? It is probably to cover a 500gm satchel.

Often sellers guess an item would need a 500gm satchel, then when they pack it the item compresses enough to go in a large letter. As postage has been paid they just send it. The excuse given is probably an afterthought rather than real reason

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

phorum_junkie* — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 10:00:28 GMT

How is it unreasonable? You paid $x to have an item delivetred to you and that is exactly what you got. How much the seller chooses to add in handling charges does not come into it. The cost of getting to the PO should not be included in the delivery cost but if it isn't then it should be added to the item cost making the total price exactly the same so what is your beef?

If the seller were a business using an AP account you would have had no idea how much the actual postage cost woulkd have been, presumebly then you wouldn't have had a problem so you are penalising a seller for having to pay more than a big volume seller for postage.

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

harley_babes_hoard — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 10:36:28 GMT

my bugbear is buyers whinging about the cost of postage after they see the price of the label.

The cost includes postage and handling.

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

mbselections00 — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 10:59:29 GMT

@harley_babes_hoard wrote:
my bugbear is buyers whinging about the cost of postage after they see the price of the label.

The cost includes postage and handling.

And also the cost of the packaging (eg. if sent in a padded envelope or the like).

I do see sometimes why buyers might complain if they don't know what postage prices are - for example (and I have had one or two complaints) the printed postage label only shows the cost of postage and does not include the cost of the Registered label if one is used, although you would think common sense would tell the buyer that - but as they say, common sense ain't so common.

Most importantly as mentioned already, why complain AFTER the purchase - I agree with previous comments on the issue - if you're not happy with the total price - then don't buy it and complain later also not all sellers pricing structures are the same

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

harley_babes_hoard — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 11:49:03 GMT

I reckon even with $ 8.25 postage they still got a bargain.

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

mbselections00 — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 12:09:08 GMT

@harley_babes_hoard wrote:
I reckon even with $ 8.25 postage they still got a bargain.

I'm not so sure if it wasn't sent Registered, (but I have no idea what they bought and am taking into account that you are not supposed to add any allowance for fuel - which is ridiculous as the article doesn't find it's own way to the PO) but regardless, what pees me off is buyers who are happy enough at the time they make the purchase & then complain later - sorry OP, but as a seller and a buyer, that's how I feel - if you're not happy with the postage being charged by a seller, question it with the seller before you buy & if you're not satisfied with the explanation, then don't buy - simple as that

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

lyndal1838 — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 13:11:43 GMT

The seller is expected to build their petrol/travelling expenses into the item price or handling fee and not be honest enough to tell the buyer where it is hidden.

I believe this stem back to the postal system in the USA.....a lot of sellers have their items picked up by the USPS. They don't have to travel to post their items so have no costs to pass on to the buyer.

As we all know....if it does not happen in the USA it doesn't happen anywhere in the world.

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

*tippy*toes* — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 14:18:54 GMT

Last year I won an auction where the item sold for 1c (I was the only bidder obviously) and the postage was $40 (this was after the fee for postage came in and I knew it wouldn't cost anywhere near that to post it). The seller had a very similar item with free postage and the auction went to $70. I was stoked getting it for $40.01 because it was actually worth about 3 times that. The high postage cost stopped pretty much anyone looking at it, yet they were happy to pay nearly twice as much because it had "free" postage. I got it cheaper than the other winner and the seller still paid exactly the same amount of fees as he would have if it sold for $40 and free postage.

It all comes down to the power of the mind. $9.99 looks much cheaper than $10. 6.55am sounds much earlier than 5 to 7. $42 and free postage is much more appealing than $2 with $40 postage.

I won an auction item from the States last night and my husband said he was going to bid on it but the $US20 postage sounded a bit steep. I said that I had already messaged the seller saying I was interested in more of her items that were ending in 4 and 5 days would she mind if I held of paying until those auctions had finished. She was more than happy for me to wait and said that she could put all 8 items in the box for the same postage. I then said to my husband that if we do end up winning all 8, the postage will actually work out cheaper per item than buying them individually from Australia. Suddenly it didn't sound so expensive. Even if I don't win any of the others, I still got that item for half the maximum bid I'd put in, so as far as I'm concerned, I still got a bargain.

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

foxette-in-sox — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 18:58:29 GMT

Well I guess I'm going to have to take the old flak jacket and armour plating out of mothballs because

I agree with OP-seller is unreasonable and I would leave feedback that reflects that 🙂

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

4green2000 — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 19:17:34 GMT

@wizz_2026 wrote:
Hi, I recently purchased an item and paid $8:25 postage. When I received it, the postmark sticker said it cost the seller $2:10 to post. The item was in a recycled plastic bag which was put in an A4 envelope, so packaging costs were minimal. When I queried the postage discrepancy, the seller said it was because their Post Office was a 20 km round trip. They said the postage and travel actually cost them more than $8:25, suggesting that they had somehow done me a favour in only charging me that amount.

Does anyone think this is unreasonable? My one bugbear about postage is when seller's appear to be creaming profit from it.

who cares what they charge for postage ?? i dont as long as i like the overall price.

i bought an item for $20 plus post was $9.00 (when actual post price was $2.50) but i know i paid a great overall price for what i got and i gave good FB with full stars.

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

springyzone — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 21:58:36 GMT

I don't think you need a flak jacket.

It all comes down to a matter of opinion, to some extent.

I can understand the buyer's frustration. I once paid for a tiny clothes item (not for myself obviously) that came rattling around in one of those prepaid 3kg bags, where a small 500g bag would have left plenty of room and 400g to spare. I too was disappointed at what seemed needless expense.

This current case seems a bit different I know-but not really. In my case I felt a bit annoyed but didn't mark the seller down in any way as they obviously did spend the $8 whatever (even if they could have done it way cheaper) plus I knew the cost before bidding. I had wondered about it, mind you.

In the present case, it seems the seller has actually spent the $8 to get it posted (do they live in a country area? 20km is a long way),no matter what the stamp cost might be. Plus the buyer knew before they bid what the postage cost would be.

So.. it can be a bit frustrating, but in their shoes, I wouldn't mark the seller down.

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

pennyforum14 — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 22:27:09 GMT

If the customer bought from say, COTD or DD they would pay a standard postage price regardless of size and weight of item, they operate that way for efficiency reasons, as their sales volume means it is much quicker and easier to have standardised packaging rather than muck around trying to package items to send as cheaply as possible, and they just average their postage costs across their annual sales. If you buy more than one item you may or may not get a 50% postage discount on the second (depending on whether it is a sale item or not), and it is rare to find items posted separately so often there is no actual extra cost to the store for the second item. Reading their reviews you don't tend to see people complain about postage costs after the fact. So why do eBay buyers feel it is okay to complain after the fact? If you were happy enough with the postage to bid or buy, what difference does it make what it cost the seller, there will probably be plenty of times when the seller has to pay more than the quoted price, especially if they are using standardised postage. I have seen listings that state that the seller uses only prepaid satchels so there are only ever two possible postage costs. If the buyer feels the postage is too much and the item could be posted cheaper, then they should ask about it before buying, or just don't buy. Once you have bought, it is too late to query the cost.

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

joethenuts — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 23:16:47 GMT

hi wizz did the seller on there postage dep have just postage or 500g satchell or what ever for $8.20.

if it was just postage then ,you are happy to pay the total. but if it had whatever lets say express postage then its sent by normal mail then thats another story.

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

elusiveeditions — Sat, 10 Oct 2015 00:30:05 GMT

I think I'm with the OP here- for 8.25 I'd expect a 500g satchel with tracking, not large letter rate with no tracking.

Most of my stuff can either go large letter or 500g satchel and I typically use LL, letting the buyer know in the listing that this is the cheapo postage with no tracking.

I'd feel like I'd ripped someone off to charge for a satchel but use LL. But, did they actually charge for a satchel, ie, list it as "Aust Post pre-paid satchel' or as 'Standard delivery no tracking"? That'd make a diff to me- if they advertised it as satchel delivery then used LL, that'd be poor form.

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

mbselections00 — Sat, 10 Oct 2015 01:24:08 GMT

@elusiveeditions wrote:
I think I'm with the OP here- for 8.25 I'd expect a 500g satchel with tracking, not large letter rate with no tracking.

Most of my stuff can either go large letter or 500g satchel and I typically use LL, letting the buyer know in the listing that this is the cheapo postage with no tracking.

I'd feel like I'd ripped someone off to charge for a satchel but use LL. But, did they actually charge for a satchel, ie, list it as "Aust Post pre-paid satchel' or as 'Standard delivery no tracking"? That'd make a diff to me- if they advertised it as satchel delivery then used LL, that'd be poor form.

I use Large Letter for most of my items also & if sent without tracking - I post in padded envelope (usually we'll say) for $1.80, if sent Registered, then I charge $5.60. Sure, there's a little added in there to cover padded envelopes, FVFees on postage, labels etc and I hate when buyers don't request combined post as I cannot & will not overcharge for post I either offer an extra item/s as compensation or refund, personally I couldn't sleep at night if I charged $8.25 for postage on an item that cost me $1.40 postage (plus an envelope). I do not allow fuel costs in postage & it's roughly a 1 hour round trip to the PO for me - however, in the good times, I take several items so it would be unfair to have fuel costs built in individually to postage in my mind.

BUT and this is the issue here for me, it really irks me when buyers complain after the event. Surely when they buy an item they have some idea of the size and weight etc, so if they consider the postage being charged is unreasonable - before buying is the time to question it - not after. I can understand they might consider they were overcharged, but if they were happy with the total price in the first place, why complain now ? Based on my costings methods, I do think $8.25 is exorbitant assuming it wasn't sent Registered, but it goes without saying, not all sellers calculate their pricing the same way.

Anyway, that's just my reasoning & my opinion

Re: Seller charged 75% more for postage than what it cost to send

collect247 — Sat, 10 Oct 2015 01:33:30 GMT

Yes poor form if they advertised one and used the other but nothing is free in business except air and daylight so you need to take a deep breath and open your eyes before buying anything.

If you're not happy with the cost of anything then move onto the next.