topic Re: Complaining about postage costs in Selling

Complaining about postage costs

sonya0576 — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 08:31:57 GMT

Ok I know it may sound petty but I have had 2 people complain about postage costs in the last few days. My postage costs are fixed prices so the buyer knows upfront exactly how much it will cost them. Plain and simple if you don't like the postage cost when you are making the purchase why buy it?

I have since raised my prices a little to enable me to reduce postage & handling costs, bottom line is though the buyer will still be paying the same.

What are other people opinions on it? Do some buyers really think we set the postage costs? It is dictated to us by Click & send etc.

Re: Complaining about postage costs

zenremix777 — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 08:52:32 GMT

You could try putting everything as $1 or $2 postage and add the rest of the postage price into your item price. It's still the same price but it's a much more favourable appearance as far as postage cost.

Re: Complaining about postage costs

sonya0576 — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 08:56:05 GMT

Biggest problemm with doing this is that fvf is charged on the asking price not inclusive of postage, so in effect I would have to raise prices further to cover extra ebay fees on the items....

Re: Complaining about postage costs

bsal6160 — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:09:50 GMT

So by the last posters logic, only charge 50c for every item sold and then charge $30.00 for postage. Overpriced is just that...overpriced.

Re: Complaining about postage costs

thesoulyearns — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:23:55 GMT

Bsal... 🙂

The question isn't if the items are overpriced. The seller is stuck with $7 postage for most things unless they combine. That's just the price that AusPost sets for things under 500g but thicker than 20mm. The question is how can the seller make the postage seem lower to the people who may not understand why it needs to be at $7 for that single book.

Personally, I'd probably concede the extra .50c eBay fee for adding postage price into item price if it meant I was selling more items.

Re: Complaining about postage costs

foxette-in-sox — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:24:43 GMT

JMO as a buyer but $7 postage for a THICK book (weighing less than 500gm) posted in a satchel is fine BUT are any of your books thin enough to be posted as large letters ie less than 2cm thick ? You could post them for a few dollars if they are.

Also,what a shame you didn't phone ebay when you copped that neg last year.As it was a pickup item,I wonder if you could've argued about getting it removed.Too late now unfortunately.

Re: Complaining about postage costs

sonya0576 — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:31:31 GMT

The only ones that are thin enough to post that way have free postage on them already.... I will go back through them and look though.

And for the neg feedback I was a newbie seller then Did not even know I could get it removed and now just see it as a battle scar lol since I was able to respond and spell out circumstances.

Re: Complaining about postage costs

judyfidella — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:47:20 GMT

Can you group your books into 500g lots, or 3 kg. lots?

If you use Click & send you can get postage for 500g down to $6.20.

I would rather charge just the C&S price and have the luxury of telling buyers that I only charge the postage price. It seems to go down fairly well.

Re: Complaining about postage costs

sonya0576 — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:55:40 GMT

I used to sell my books in lots, but have had far more luck selling as single items.... I am thinking about only charging the c&s price but I also have to factor in that I am paying for the satchels and other wrapping for the books. For such low cost items it is difficult to find that balance between making sure the buyer is happy with the price aswell as leaving a little there for me in the end.

My main gripe is why complain about postage costs when you know 100% what your being charged before buying the product?

Re: Complaining about postage costs

judyfidella — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:45:55 GMT

I think that we will probably never understand why people gripe about obvious stuff like postage prices, but they do, and their attitude can have a bad effect on your DSRs, as well as looking bad in your feedback.

So I have gone to considerable lengths to head them off at the pass, so to speak. If I start having any problems with postage complaints, I will just go over to free postage and increase the prices to cover it. And any items too low-priced for that treatment will go to the car boot sale!

Re: Complaining about postage costs

arnl7178 — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 23:02:41 GMT

It's the same for postage times.

Getting marked down for Australia Post's slow delivery is unfair, but hey, what can you do?

Re: Complaining about postage costs

justdestinycollectablesoftatura — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 23:05:31 GMT

Some times you cant win

Re: Complaining about postage costs

wishuponastarcelebrationsandgifts — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 03:32:41 GMT

No matter what you do with regards to postage you will receive complaints.

I have received complaints when I have combined postage and reduced it down to less than what the postage is for 1 item - and charged less than it actually cost to post the item. I have received a DSR of 1 for postage cost in this situation as well. (Yet another aspect of the feedback system that doesn't work). Just goes to show no matter what you do some buyers will never be happy. Thankfully their are in the minority. I don't think many buyers know how much postage costs, and given the cost of registered mail, tracking etc isn't included on the AP postage labels and satchels don't have prices printed on them how are buyers toknow what is reasonable.

You need to do what works best for you. If you have a lot of buyers that purchase multiple items and you offer a combined postage discount and decide to incorporate part of the postage cost into the item price, this will result in them paying more for their items in total. If you typically sell single items then it won't make much difference except your FVF will increase slightly.

Re: Complaining about postage costs

coast_golf — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 03:59:09 GMT

I was marked down on postage cost the other day by a buyer in country WA, I had set a flat rate of $20 (was willing to take the hit if someone in the middle of nowhere bid) and it cost me over $40! Some people cannot be pleased.

Re: Complaining about postage costs

2106greencat — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 07:20:16 GMT

Funny thing tho - if a buyer has to 'return at their own cost' for a paypal claim - they are quick to run here and whinge about the cost of postage then. I gave up trying to figure it out a long time ago 😉

Re: Complaining about postage costs

mitty_2010 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:50:23 GMT

In all the time I have been doing ebay that comment or negative left after the person has paid for postage I truely find that really unfair why buy then leave neg ! I noticed many sellers write in their listing please dont buy and then complain postage was expensive