topic New Negative to Try to Save Customer on Postage in Selling

New Negative to Try to Save Customer on Postage

helenm777 — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 09:31:39 GMT

I have today received my 2nd Negative, totally devastated as all honest sellers are when it happens.LOL

Just wanted to see what other sellers do in this case.

These were a 4 set paid of baby socks in packaging.

I have sold a lot of these by advising buyers they would be Flat Packed with Packing to save them post and have never had a problem beofre

The saving being $3.50 Post to the higher 7.95 postage, if not flat packed!

Customer advised I had misrepresented the listing, even thougt the listing stated " Items would be Flat packed with Pagaing to save you on post"!!

I therefore pack the socks in a new cellaphane self seal plastic, and arrange the socks flat and include the packaging.

Can anyone advise if they do the same thing and if not stating " Item will be sent Flat Packed with Packaging"

Do I need to add something else to explain how they will be packed to the listing.

Any help with this would be greatly apprecaited

Re: New Negative to Try to Save Customer on Postage

kopenhagen5 — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 09:36:59 GMT

From the looks of the neg, appears someone has tampered with all the contents.

Is that possible do you think?

Re: New Negative to Try to Save Customer on Postage

twyngwyn — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 10:53:51 GMT

OMG.....I would ring ebay & have it removed.....as it plainly says in your listing how you will send & the reason why

Re: New Negative to Try to Save Customer on Postage

shiver_me_shrimp — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 11:16:25 GMT

Sorry to hear that. I'm guessing the buyer either didn't read the postage part of the listing, or assumed the item was flat enough to fit into a large letter. It wouldn't hurt to call ebay and try to have it removed.

Maybe in future listings, you could include photos of the way it will be shipped so there is no confusion. And to be really sure, a detailed explanation of your packing process. Make it foolproof, so it can't happen again.

Re: New Negative to Try to Save Customer on Postage

helenm777 — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 13:49:18 GMT

thanks all

Yes photos may be the answer but i would have thought "Flat packed" meant "Flat Packed"

I did not even think to ring ebay to have it removed, might try that one too.

I did send her a nice message apologizing for her disappointment and offering a full refund if she would like to return, as I thought she may have purchased for a gift!

Received a not very nice email back stating I had "Misrepresented" the Item on the listing. But did not ask for refund or return,( she got a good price as it was a much lower offer that I accepted than was listed)

Anyway have blocked that buyer!!!!

As I said I have done this many times, to save on post and never had any issues and always received great feedback from those customers.

thanks all for your help

Re: New Negative to Try to Save Customer on Postage

springyzone — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 22:02:47 GMT

I think you have been a bit harsh on the buyer, she just didn't understand what you meant.

Your photos show the socks with tags attached.

If you want to do that-detach all tags and send them with the socks, then you need to spell it out a lot more clearly and yes, show a photo as an example of how they will be sent. If you're sending them that way, you could even detach the socks beforehand, for the photos.

Re: New Negative to Try to Save Customer on Postage

casbit33 — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 22:12:41 GMT

Photo's might be the go, because so many buyers only look at those and don't bother to read what's in the listing.

Re: New Negative to Try to Save Customer on Postage

englishrosegardens — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 22:30:44 GMT

On the rare occasion when I repackage something so it can go as a letter instead of a parcel I say I've repackaged it so it's flatter and can be posted at the cheaper letter rate. The word repackaged tells them it won't be in its original packagaing so if they want it as a gift they'll know not to buy, or to ask can you send in the original packet with dearer postage.

I'm not saying you did the wrong thing but if I read 'flat packed' I'm not sure I'd really understand what you meant. I might think it was vacuum packed but still in the original packet. I've had parcels sent that way and it can reduce the size substantially if it's done with a proper machine. You have to remember that not everyone sees things the same way so some things have to be spelt out.

Re: New Negative to Try to Save Customer on Postage

digital*ghost — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 00:13:35 GMT

I'd list the items as 'new without tags' rather than 'new with tags', if they are detached (despite being included).

If you really want buyers to pay attention, one option is to create a variation listing where one choice is flat packed / packaging removed, and the other is regular parcel, tags intact. They can't blame sellers for a conscious choice they made... (works better if you have free postage, though as you can't have different postage rates between variations).

Re: New Negative to Try to Save Customer on Postage

isellstuffs101 — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 02:08:46 GMT

Sorry to hear about your negative. I agree with Digital*Ghost that if you detach the socks from the original packaging it doesn't matter that you include it with the socks, the item becomes "New Without Tags".

Based on my personal experience, if I was a Buyer, I'd assume that you had a vacuum press packing machine and simply put - use it for flat packaging, but not detaching from the original setting because your pictures show intact products.

I bought a few items before, Sellers advised in their listings that items are flat packed for shipping. The items did come flat packed but opposing to your hand repackaging they were in the original setting, because they used this vacuum press packing machine. The downside of this type of packaging was that the items came out from the pack with deep wrinkles and I had to steam iron them (if not washing first) to get to the original condition. Not good for gift giving.

Re: New Negative to Try to Save Customer on Postage

helenm777 — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 10:49:29 GMT

Thanks all for you feedback and comments I will take them all into consideration if offering this type postage again.

Don;t think I will thought will just increase the postage to the Parcel rate.

Re: New Negative to Try to Save Customer on Postage

*tippy*toes* — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 11:14:58 GMT

Not sure if it's been suggested already, but why not have 2 different listings? One new without tags that go flat packed for the cheaper rate and the other new with tags at parcel rate for those that prefer them with the tag still on. That way buyers have a choice and there should be no more mix ups.

Re: New Negative to Try to Save Customer on Postage

imastawka — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 12:19:42 GMT

Re: New Negative to Try to Save Customer on Postage

everard6920 — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 21:09:44 GMT

I had the same dilemma recently with a different product (I didn't receive a negative, but the item in question wouldn't fit through the letter gauge in its packaging, but would fit through without it).

I opted to go for "subsidised" postage (put part of the amount of the postage in the item price, so then the postage cost doesn't look so steep). Also offered a combined postage discount.

You could also opt to sell more socks in one listing to make the postage more economical.

Tippy's plan is not a bad one, but everything I sell is new and in packaging so I think having a listing where it ISN'T would confuse my buyers, because there is that expectation. We know many buyers don't read descriptions. They just see the cheaper postage price and off they go (at least you could have the negative removed under Tippy's plan, though).