topic Re: Paypal claim made because postage too expensive in Selling

Paypal claim made because postage too expensive

buttonlily — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 00:11:34 GMT

I normally send my sales via click and send, but in this case, the item, although less than 500gm, was too big for the bag, so I could have sent it in a 3kg bag, but felt that this would be quite expensive, as I normally charge $13. Also the click and send bags may not have offered as much protection as the box I did send it in. I charged $10 for postage and the parcel actually cost $6.95 to post. The buyer has now lodged a complaint through Paypal saying that she received an item that was significantly not as described and is claiming $3.05 to be refunded to her (the difference between the cost of postage and what she was charged). Because of this claim, my Paypal account was blocked, which after 3 phone calls to them, I've now had unblocked. With click and send, everything is done online and my post box is half a block up the road. In this case, I had to find a suitable box, seal it all up, get to the post office by car, wait in the queue etc. On top of this the buyer didn't pay straight away and after my second email to her she responded saying she was having trouble with Paypal. I offered to wait until she'd sorted out her Paypal issues, so long as she kept me up to date. Long story, I know, but I feel the buyer is being unreasonable and I was hoping someone might have some advice as to how I can deal with this.

Re: Paypal claim made because postage too expensive

digital*ghost — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 00:26:10 GMT

You can respond to the dispute, but if escalated to a claim it will almost certainly close in your favor straight away - PayPal do not entertain claims for partial refunds and/or for differences in postage costs, and even if by some strange chance the claim for "not as described" is successful, the only thing that will happen is that the buyer will have to send the item back by trackable post to get a full refund.

Your buyer's claim is, IMHO, ridiculous.

Re: Paypal claim made because postage too expensive

kustomizer99 — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 00:34:25 GMT

Their claim should be against Australia Post -- talk about highway robbery!

Re: Paypal claim made because postage too expensive

kustomizer99 — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 00:37:16 GMT

@digital*ghost wrote:
PayPal do not entertain claims for partial refunds

They do, I was recently successful in such a claim myself. I did have to involve the Financial Ombudsman, however.

Re: Paypal claim made because postage too expensive

digital*ghost — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 00:46:11 GMT

@kustomizer99 wrote:
@digital*ghost wrote:
PayPal do not entertain claims for partial refunds
They do, I was recently successful in such a claim myself. I did have to involve the Financial Ombudsman, however.

Sounds to me like they didn't entertain it, if you have to involve the BFSO to force it for whatever reason. There is no provision in the Buyer Protection policy for partial refunds; if you get a discretionary payment (in whole or in part of the original payment), chances are PayPal funded it (not the seller) to avoid the costs a BFSO investigation incurs, which happens whether their original decision was correct and/or according to their policies or not.

Re: Paypal claim made because postage too expensive

k1ooo-slr-sales — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 01:38:00 GMT

@buttonlily wrote:
The buyer has now lodged a complaint through Paypal saying that she received an item that was significantly not as described and is claiming $3.05 to be refunded to her (the difference between the cost of postage and what she was charged).

are they stating that their claim is because of the postage discrepancy, or, are they claiming that a $3.05 partial refund would make the price they paid more appropriate for the item? I would hardly think a $3.05 difference in item value would be successful grounds for a Significantly Not As Described claim.

I think that some buyers are clueless when it comes to postage. They don't understand that postage costs do not just include the 'stamp value' and there is packaging etc involved. Also, they have no idea about realistic delivery times and that delivery time is not controlled by the seller and that the seller only controls the time taken to post once payment clears.

I think that your buyer will take out any frustration through feedback and DSRs if they do not get an outcome that is satisfactory to them. What you have to ask yourself is, "Is it worth $3.05 just to keep a clueless buyer happy or will I stand my ground?". If you did save some money on postage by posting in a different way to what you thought you would need to then maybe a $3.05 refund is not such a bad idea.

Re: Paypal claim made because postage too expensive

kustomizer99 — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 02:26:59 GMT

Yes, Paypal funded tha partial refund, not the seller. Either way they were prepared to do it when called on it.

Re: Paypal claim made because postage too expensive

kustomizer99 — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 02:29:46 GMT

I had a buyer complain that postage I charged them was $3 more than the actual stamp value. I told them that $2.95 was the cost of the Sign on Delivery service, then they were all apologetic.

Re: Paypal claim made because postage too expensive

ggearstore — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 02:46:51 GMT

@buttonlily wrote:
described and is claiming $3.05 to be refunded to her (the difference between the cost of postage and what she was charged).

Your not going to have any issues with the claim, just explain the buyer it's a handling cost epecialy if you have to travel to the post office to post the item $3.05 does not go far.

Re: Paypal claim made because postage too expensive

k1ooo-slr-sales — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 09:32:19 GMT

@ggearstore wrote:
Your not going to have any issues with the claim, just explain the buyer it's a handling cost epecialy if you have to travel to the post office to post the item $3.05 does not go far.

I agree. However, buttonlily, if it is the Barbie doll that the buyer bought then I would change the words "postage quoted is for Australia only . . . " to "postage and handling quoted is for Australia only . . . " in any future listings that you have.

The reason for this, is that under the Postage and payments tab there is a heading for Postage and Handling, and this is where you had the charge of $10 listed. Many eBay buyers do not even realise that there is a Postage and payments tab on every listing, so they would not see that heading, let alone realise that the $10 was for Postage and Handling.

Putting it in your description as a 'postage and handling' cost helps prevent buyer misconception regarding what they are paying for, and strengthens your case when the buyer only looks at the stamp cost as you can refer to your description where it mentions 'postage and handling' and not just postage.

You could politely message the buyer and direct them to the Postage and payments tab and point out that the $10 was clearly shown for postage and handling, not that I think that any buyer who looks only at stamp value would be swayed.

Re: Paypal claim made because postage too expensive

belindabargainhunter — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 09:42:11 GMT

After being charged $11 over the cost in packaging and postage I looked into it and PayPal have a section for a claim for overcharge on postage. I do like this because I think it will stop the .99cent dresses from china with $120 postage as its not fair on sellers doing the right thing and getting charged higher fees.
However in this case I do not believe $3 being charged by a seller for wrapping and a handling fee is to much.
I guess this supports the sellers on here that say buyers are complaining about postage and rating them un fairly .

Re: Paypal claim made because postage too expensive

retailtherapist_8 — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 13:13:16 GMT

@belindabargainhunter wrote:
After being charged $11 over the cost in packaging and postage I looked into it and PayPal have a section for a claim for overcharge on postage. I do like this because I think it will stop the .99cent dresses from china with $120 postage as its not fair on sellers doing the right thing and getting charged higher fees.
However in this case I do not believe $3 being charged by a seller for wrapping and a handling fee is to much.
I guess this supports the sellers on here that say buyers are complaining about postage and rating them un fairly .

Yes belinda it does. Frankly I am really saddened by Buyers who hit your stars for postage charges. I charge $11.50 for express postage which actually costs me $14.80. I gift wrap most items include a small gift & my turnaround is less than 48hrs, less than 24hrs on weekdays. My stars have been dinged for this service. Whatta ya do? lol

Re: Paypal claim made because postage too expensive

polocross58 — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 04:02:14 GMT

When people want to sell items at a garage-sale or church-fete or market stall, they have to put their items in boxes and bags, load up their car or get someone to give them a lift or pay for a taxi. Next, they have to find someplace to park. They next have to cart their items from their car to the market or hall or stall or just out into their own driveway if it's a home garage-sale. They have to display their items. They have to sit in the sun or dusty hall or crowded market and keep an eye on their goods -- put up with endless tire-kickers, questions, people's sticky hands, insults, etc. At the end of the day, even if they haven't made a single sale, they have to pack everything up again and head off to where the day began

When people buy something at a market or church/school fete or home garage-sale, those buyers expect the seller to wrap the item and bag or box it. They don't expect to pay extra for that. Potential buyers wouldn't entertain a seller whining about having to drive 40 miles to the markets. That's the seller's look-out. If they weren't prepared to do the leg-work to gain a few dollars, they should have stayed home and given their items to St. Vinnie's.

Ebay is an 'online market-place' --- right ? It's an online version of the school-fete or front-yard garage-sale where people want to sell without the hassle of sitting in the sun all day dealing with tyre-kickers and hagglers or of loading the car and driving through busy traffic and all the other inconvenience

When sellers start looking at sales through the eyes of those from whom they hope to make money, there will be far fewer disputes

All it takes is a bit of basic intelligence. For example, before even considering listing something for sale, anyone with a bit of intelligence would first work out how they're going to send that item. They'd try popping it in a bag. Or they'd scout around for the correct size box. Then they'd work out -- in their own time -- just how much it would cost to send that item. Only when they had all the details clear would they list that item for sale. And they'd take the time to inform all prospective buyers -- within the item's description -- of all the ins and outs, including packaging, etc.. Armed with full information, buyers could then decide if they wanted to purchase the item or not, including freight or postage costs

The buyer is entitled to be appraised of ALL outstanding costs within the listing

Imagine going to a market stall where the seller included the cost of his petrol and time in the final price. Better still, try selling that way at a market or garage-sale or fete. Try putting extra on top of the marked-price because you've had to drag the stuff from your garage to the front yard. Sellers would laugh as they walked off

It's dishonest to list an item at a certain price as a means of getting a sale, only to add extras later on account of travel to post-office and wrapping to ensure the item arrives in one piece. No. If a seller intends to charge a buyer for his travel and other costs, then those should be included in the start-price, not added later

Re: Paypal claim made because postage too expensive

the_billycan — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 04:15:22 GMT

When I list an item, I do it with the intention of making a profit. There is no good reason to list otherwise. I set a price for shipping that will cover all my costs and produce that profit. It is provided in my listings for any buyer to see BEFORE they make a bid. They are free to reject my items based on the total cost to them and purchase elsewhere but that is as far as it goes. To then complain, leaving negative feedback after the fact based on how many stamps are on the envelope is completly out of order.

I will hunt them down and exact my righteous vengeance, ne-ach, ne-ach, ne-arrrh.