topic Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app in Selling

Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

labrador0627 — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 04:20:46 GMT

This morning, I sold an item $10 with postage costs $8.25

Next I receive an email from the buyer, demanding free postage. Checked listing, postage set correctly at $8.25. Buyer sent me a screenshot of their eBay app, really showing free postage. Contacted eBay who says there is a "glitch" in the system. Had to cancel transaction and endure nasty emails from buyer. What will happen next - free items with free postage? To cop negative feedback. Truly unimpressed.

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

*tippy*toes* — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 04:35:47 GMT

Is it the blue top? I just checked the listing via the app on my phone and it showed as $8.25 postage. That was both the search result and inside the listing. The buyer must have known it had postage, otherwise why would they send an email demanding free postage? I wouldn't mind betting that when they first saw it they could see the postage, then later it showed as free, hence the demand.

That said, the app is very glitchy. Pick up only items show as free postage. Make it difficult if someone is selling say a 500kg garden ornament and it's showing free postage. Then someone from Perth expects a seller in Sydney to post it!

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

amber-eyed-girl — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 04:48:46 GMT

It isn't just the app.

I had that happen with an item I put in the cart. Postage came up as free in the cart but was 8$ in the listing. I had two honest choices: pay for the item and then send a follow-up 8$ and let the seller know why.

Ask the seller to check what was going on.

So far I have just left it so the guy missed a sale.

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

labrador0627 — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 05:23:21 GMT

It is the blue top yes. I have canceled and packed with the charity bin to take tomorrow. No more ebay selling for the next few weeks. The way the buyer treated me did not help, even though this was eBay glitch and they admited to it. The irony of all this that the ecommerce platform I use for my business is really pushing ebay as one of the selling channels. In the last couple of months, I had two phone calls from ebay, offering free store to start selling here, no way I would jeopardize my brand in such environment.

eBay is good to sell second hand or seconds as such but it ends there.

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

davidc4430 — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 05:55:12 GMT

i think that ebay would prefer we all opt for free postage on our listings. maybe these 'accidental gliches' are not so accidental. maybe thes 'gliches' will become more prevelant until we all feel to get out of the headache we choose the free post option and add the postage onto the items starting price.

all well and good if you know exactly how much to add to cover every destination

i used to use australia posts calculator but since it got a makeover recently it wont work for me.

so now i use ebays inbuilt calculating system, fine for small lightweight items but i'm finding anything over 1kg is constantly being over charged by $10. i'm sure when potential buyers see a charge of $30 instead of $20 its making them think twice about a purchase.

i'm sure i'm losing sales because of this.

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

labrador0627 — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 09:27:57 GMT

That push for free postage has been on for years now. I used to be a powerseller (under different id, 100% positive fb) and left a few years ago because I realized I cannot have any control over the spiralling fees and possible damage to my brand here.

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

englishrosegardens — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 11:47:31 GMT

I think there are other things going on at the moment, not just with the ebay app. Today I sent two invoices - the first one showed parcel postage instead of the standard postage that's on ALL my listings. The second one was for two items and should have showed $4 ($2 for first item and $2 for every subsequent item) but it only showed $2. In this particularly case I was able to send two items for the same price as one, so it wouldn't have mattered if they'd paid straight away, but if they bought more than two and only paid $2 postage I'd be out of pocket.

My business policies should show the same on all listings but what showed up when I initially created each invoice didn't match my business policies at all - and I was using a normal computer (I'm a dinosaur, or so I'm told).

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

123angeleyes01 — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 15:32:06 GMT

this has also happened to me many times of late usually to USA buyers

Strange indeeed .......

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

5kazam — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 03:21:24 GMT

As others have said, an eBay glitch. And my understanding is, particularly with iPhones.

When this happened to me, my buyer agreed she was using a mobile. I saw no reason why either my buyer or I should be out of pocket as a result of a 'free post glitch'. My post cost is set at 'freight'.

I contacted eBay and told them that as it was their stuff up, they should pay for the postage cost. eBay admitted it was a glitch, and reimbursed me through credits on FVF's.

So there are ways of getting it sorted without losing a sale or antagonising a buyer.

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

labrador0627 — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 03:37:25 GMT

eBay should consider paying the postage costs for the seller if this happens. We pay for the privilege to sell here with minimum seller protection. What is next, free goods with free postage? This really bothers me.

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

5kazam — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 03:42:15 GMT

Sorry, possibly didn't make myself clear enough. eBay did cover the postage cost, by reimbusing me through FVF's.

As said above - their stuff up. And I repeat, why should either my buyer or myself be out of pocket (for post cost) when this happens.

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

daintreejudi — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 07:47:50 GMT

Hi David, I basically know how much an item is going to cost ie $7.45 small parcel, with a fairly big one costing $21.00. I charge a set fee on most items of $17.50, unless it is very small and then I charge $10.50 knowing that it will cover the cost. Facts: ebay takes 10% of your postage so if you charge the buyer the exact amount - you are out of pocket: Fact: what company would use wrapping paper, ie bubblewrap, etc etc and not charge anything for delivery; ie I have to drive 20 mins to take my items to the post office I think it is only fair that we scrape a little extra every now and again on postage just to reimburse all these unseen expenses, otherwise selling on Ebay is just not worth it, Sometimes I lose out by underestimating but recover on the overestimations. Used to be able to make some money selling on Ebay but now it is very hard because buyers want everything for nothing and between Paypal fees and Ebay Fees and Postage costs, you certainly do not make enough to make a living on! I am not knocking Ebay, I think it is a great way to sell, it is just a shame they have got so greedy over the years and I dont understand why they dont charge fees on Gumtree, that way they could reduce the fees they add on for listing an item.

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

davidc4430 — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 08:13:49 GMT

unfortunately australia post now slap a sticker on your parcels showing exactly what you pay to send and most buyers just see that not the fact i buy new boxes, new buble wrap, rolls of sticky tape, fragile stickers, paper for the printer, drive 20 minutes to the post office. they just see a sticker with the post office charge and a lot think, 'im being ripped off on postage' i'm sure there are a lot of negatives being left for sellers just because the seller wants to recoup his/her outlay.

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

davewil1964 — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 08:53:26 GMT

i use prepaid envelopes, eBay satchels or eBay boxes.

No AP stickers on those.

Nor on anything where the seller uses stamps.

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

*tippy*toes* — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 09:32:25 GMT

@davewil1964 wrote:
i use prepaid envelopes, eBay satchels or eBay boxes.

No AP stickers on those.

Nor on anything where the seller uses stamps.

I charge $8.25 for postage for small parcels (which most of mine are for a single item, with a few large letters thrown in for good measure). I thought about using satchels, but as most of my items fall into the fragile category, they need to be boxed first. Most of the time the box needed to ensure it's packed adequately wouldn't fit into a 500g satchel, which is a real shame.

Larger orders that come in over 500g I normally put them in a 3kg satchel because it usually works out cheaper for the buyer. Depending on how much they've spent, sometimes I'll spend the extra $1 and a bit and send it express. I do that automatically for repeat buyers.

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

davewil1964 — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 09:35:16 GMT

I sell books. By definition not fragile. AND able to withstand 20kg from waist height. As long as they're horizontal to start with.

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

*tippy*toes* — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 09:57:13 GMT

That's why my boxes don't fit into a 500g satchel. They are packed well enough so they can have 20kg dropped from waist height. I've had fragiles sent to me arrive broken due to inadequate packaging. I don't want the same to happen to my buyers.

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

digital*ghost — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 12:48:46 GMT

@labrador0627 wrote:
This morning, I sold an item $10 with postage costs $8.25
Next I receive an email from the buyer, demanding free postage. Checked listing, postage set correctly at $8.25. Buyer sent me a screenshot of their eBay app, really showing free postage. Contacted eBay who says there is a "glitch" in the system. Had to cancel transaction and endure nasty emails from buyer. What will happen next - free items with free postage? To cop negative feedback. Truly unimpressed.

Wait til this one happens to you....

I don't do free postage, so every item in my store has a separate P&H charge. Sold an item, payment made, but it's an eCheque.

eCheque bounces, eBay remove the P&H charge from the order details so it shows on both my and the buyer's side as "free postage", buyer tries to pay again but postage actually appears in checkout, so I get angry messages accusing me of false advertising and then a demand to cancel the transaction because postage was supposed to be free....

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

mbselections00 — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 13:44:08 GMT

That is terrible - what are eBay going to do about it ?

Re: Warning eBay sets your postage to FREE on eBay app

lyndal1838 — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 13:57:42 GMT

Probably what they usually do in these circumstances.....nothing, unless Digi perseveres and chases them till the end of time.