topic Re: Wanting postage difference back in Selling

Wanting postage difference back

bilbobaggins86 — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 10:24:54 GMT

I had a buyer asking for the difference of the postage back after he has recieved and payed for it, In all my years of selling I have heard something so dumb, set price he payed I sent he got that should be it.

Re: Wanting postage difference back

cherry*135 — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 10:36:48 GMT

What exactly did the buyer want back -- the difference between how much the postage cost you and how much you charged him for postage?

the whole amount of postage he paid back?

Re: Wanting postage difference back

digital*ghost — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 10:38:45 GMT

@bilbobaggins86 wrote:
In all my years of selling I have heard something so dumb,

I have heard of buyers requesting refunds for 5-10c when the postage paid on the package was that much less than the buyer paid.

I also once heard a buyer demand money from a seller because the buyer pulled out of the sale, so the seller relisted and sold the item at a higher price, and the buyer then figured they were responsible for the seller making more money so they should have a piece of it.

The only thing you can do is try to explain as politely and professionally as possible that P&H includes all the costs incurred to package and send their item safely, which is always higher than the stamp price on a package.

Re: Wanting postage difference back

horizon1907 — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 10:39:41 GMT

Could you give a little more info ? What was the cost to send and what did he pay ? He must have thought there was a difference ?

Re: Wanting postage difference back

phorum_junkie* — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 10:39:44 GMT

How much do you add as a handling charge? I rarely add more than a dollar plus 50c for the cost of packaging, sometimes an item goes for less than I have quoted for in which case I do refund the difference.

While you do not have to explain yourself you could tell them that delivery charges consist of the actual postage cost plus the cost of packaging materials and a reasonable charge for the time it takes to pack the item in line with ebay's policy (if you pay extra for SOD, insurance or anything include that) and send them a link to ebay's polocy.

Re: Wanting postage difference back

cherry*135 — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 10:42:18 GMT

They buyer may not be aware that eBay gets 9.9% of the postage paid also.

Re: Wanting postage difference back

bilbobaggins86 — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 10:50:34 GMT

I had $40 postage because it was heavyier than stuff I sale and postage ended up being $22 seeing as I accepted his offer for of $300 when I had it listed for $350 I'd say he did alright

Re: Wanting postage difference back

bilbobaggins86 — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 10:51:27 GMT

He wants the money I didn't' spend on the postage

Re: Wanting postage difference back

phorum_junkie* — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 10:56:33 GMT

$18 for packaging and handling is outrageous and the delivery cost has nothing to do with how much the buyer offered. I would have refunded them at least $14 as soon as I got back from the PO. It would not have happened though as I am perfectly capable of working out what the postage is going to be without guestimating.

Re: Wanting postage difference back

horizon1907 — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 10:58:11 GMT

So he wants $18.00 back ? I would say that he is within his rights to get it back. Regardless of what you accepted as an offer, postage was $22 and he was charged $40 I wouldn't be all that thrilled either .

Re: Wanting postage difference back

bilbobaggins86 — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 11:03:30 GMT

I got charged $36.50 for something that should of been about $20 because of distance, and i didn't go to the buyer hey postage was dearer then I had listed can you send me the money to make the difference

Re: Wanting postage difference back

kylies*swap*cards* — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 11:06:14 GMT

If you went to coles and they over-charged you by $18 on something you wouldn't be a little ticked off and expect it back? Ok it's not exactly the same a real B&M store but if you want to have a good online reputation then I'd be apologizing and offering the refund. The red dot your buyer is likely to give you and the low star rating you are almost guaranteed to get will follow you around for a long time.

Re: Wanting postage difference back

digital*ghost — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 11:08:29 GMT

@bilbobaggins86 wrote:
He wants the money I didn't' spend on the postage

Which is how much after postage, packaging and any other services that may have been used?

While there are a lot of people who will say that $18 is ridiculous and the buyer has every right to be upset, I can guarantee you that if the buyer started a thread about this, they'd receive a resounding chorus of "you agreed to that price when you purchased, and while it is a bit steep and I'd never charge that much, you have no right to ask for a refund".

I personally (and perennially) take the middle-ground. While the buyer doesn't have any real right to ask for a refund, I can understand why they're a bit upset over the difference. If you overestimated postage costs just to try and make sure you didn't undercharge, I presume there was no intention to profit from the postage portion of the sale (regardless of sold price), so I would also presume you would be ok with offering the buyer a compromise and partial refund of the difference.

Re: Wanting postage difference back

horizon1907 — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 11:09:29 GMT

Your last answer has me confused. What was the postage cost ? What did he pay ? Not what you were out of pocket.

Re: Wanting postage difference back

bilbobaggins86 — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 11:09:54 GMT

We have agreed on $15.00 refund which I think is fair seeing as I have fees and travel expenses

Re: Wanting postage difference back

kylies*swap*cards* — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 11:13:03 GMT

that is a great compromise 🙂 just make sure you refund the money directly from PayPal and use the buyer's email address they paid you to manuallly send the payment back - if you do a refund through ebay I am pretty sure you get a defect for that? someone a bit more cluey should be able to clarify that one though.

Re: Wanting postage difference back

digital*ghost — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 11:13:24 GMT

@kylies*swap*cards* wrote:
If you went to coles and they over-charged you by $18 on something you wouldn't be a little ticked off and expect it back? Ok it's not exactly the same a real B&M store

This is a problematic comparison, because we're not talking about the difference in shelf price to scan price, but the difference from a portion of costs to asking price.

To compare this situation to a B&M scenario, it would be more akin to buying grapes at $10 a kilo, seeing on the receipt that the grapes cost the store $3 a kilo to buy, and asking for $7 back.

Re: Wanting postage difference back

kylies*swap*cards* — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 11:15:12 GMT

I realize the differences, just it was a broad example of if you purchase something then get overcharged you get ticked off and want a refund.

Re: Wanting postage difference back

ms_aussie — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 11:16:13 GMT

Don't get upset with the people here because they are telling you something you don't want to hear. They are right.

You charged the buyer $40 for postage and the actual postage was $22. You accepted a deal that was $50 lower than the price you hoped to get for the item - $300 instead of $350. That has nothing whatsoever to do with the postage. You cannot make up for the lower price by overcharging on postage.

I would get the money back to the buyer fast before he decides to open a dispute and gives you a neg. Ebay may then give you a defect.

Re: Wanting postage difference back

bilbobaggins86 — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 11:23:42 GMT

I'm not upset just stressed when people message back with complaints when I just wants sales to go smoothly and it has already been fixed