Combined postage

[berlindandy]

A seller has three items I want, all the same size and weight, all the same price and all with the same individual postage, $14.95 AUD. I requested combined postage not realising that it meant I was committing to buy them, I thought I was just asking if they would combine postage. My mistake, that's on me. But now the seller has agreed on combined postage, however the postage is $44.85 AUD, which is the individual postage price times three. What's the point of there being combined postage if it's the exact same price as separate postage? I've messaged the seller asking why it's not cheaper but I've yet to get a reply.

Is this normal? If they send the three items in one package can I be reimbursed the difference if I can prove it didn't cost $44.85 for them to post it?

[domino-710]

Depending on the items - usually there is not much difference between sending 1 or 3 - boils down to weight & AP is pretty sparse on weight.

A few extra dollars for materials etc - all that is needed - of course taking into account fees on postage - but $44 odd for 3 - I have a bridge. LOL

[domino-710]

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@twyngwyn wrote:

you will then understand the difference between combined postage & discounted postage

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Not sure Twyn - the OP even mentioned discounted postage - it was not that which was asked.

[berlindandy]

Yes, sending three items together will cost more than sending one item by itself, because it's three times the weight. But it's much cheaper than sending three items separately. It's a magazine that I collect that I have bought them from many different sellers before and contacted about combined postage prior to ordering. Usually they change the postage price accordingly. This is the first time I've used the "Request Combined Postage" function which I assumed would work the same as contacting the seller and asking for it.

[davewil1964]

Go back to your previous method.

Talk to the seller prior to purchasing.

That's what I ask my buyers to do. Some of them actually do. The vast majority of book buyers who can't read get refunded less actual postage, fees for multiple transactions, and anything else I can legitimately charge.

I might come across as OCD, but I expect book buyers to be able to read.

[pnc75]

They're trying to cheat you. Just cancel your order, if possible. Then block them. 

[springyzone · Accepted solution]

Berlindandy, nope, you can't be reimbursed the difference if you find postage didn't total exactly what you were charged. Sellers are entitled to ask more to cover postage and handling etc. Wrapping can cost more than you realise.

However, a seller is pretty silly if they allow buyers to see they have raked off too much of a profit from postage as it can be a leading cause of resentment.

I would say it is NOT normal for combined postage to be exactly the same as the total of the individual postage prices. The whole point of combined postage is to save a bit of money. It is often what tempts buyers to buy more, if they think they can get a few more items for not a lot more in postage. Of course, people realise it will be more, but they expect a total somewhere between.

 

Okay, you made a mistake in how you enquired, but you're not stuck with it.

You have some choices.

Firstly you could write to the seller, explaining that when you hit the tab 'request combined postage' you didn't realise it was a commitment to buy, you thought it was just a query and you could then decide to buy or not once you knew the postage. Ask if they could cancel the purchase as the combined postage is much more than you anticipated.

Your second option (if you are really desperate for these items), is to just pay.

A third option would be to... just not pay. They have not responded to your message, you could keep waiting and if it times out, it times out. This could well earn you a strike (where the seller claims non payment) but as long as you don't get another within the next 6-12 months, it does not affect you. The strike disappears after a few months anyway. No one on ebay, including sellers, can see it.

The only time it could affect you would be if you got two non payment strikes within a  few months and then some sellers have their accounts set up to block buyers with 2 or more strikes from buying. But they can't block if you only have one strike.

And yes, the whole point of combined postage is usually to save a little bit on postage.  Even ebay recognises this. In the link twyngwyn put up, it says.

in multiple auctions from a single seller and wants a single invoice so the seller can combine shipping.

eBay is now testing a solution that gives winning bidders up to 7 days to pay so they can make bids on additional auctions before having to pay - with the goal of saving the winning bidder shipping costs.

Personally, I'd be asking the seller if they will cancel. They don't have to and will probably ignore you if they have already ignored your other messages. But don't pay.

 

[chameleon54]

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@pnc75 wrote:

Yes, that's what I'd be too too, Dom; I certainly wouldn't be paying it. Unscrupulous seller. 

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Maybe ???  It depends on the item. I have an item that weighs around 4.8 kg but fits in a small satchel. I charge $10 postage as I pass my AP business discount onto the buyer and dont charge a packing or handling fee. If buyer buys 3 items, it will weigh around 14 .5 kg. The cheapest postage will still be to send it 3 x $10 small satchels, so no discount for multiple purchases.  

Like everything on ebay, you cant make one statement fit every transaction and every sellers items. 

[domino-710]

Well - nobody is really interested in your 4.8kg which fits a small satchel - to say nothing of 3.

The conversation - had you read was - magazines.

3 magazines - well packed - would be more likely to cost almost the same as one - given the weight allowed in satchels.

[springyzone]

Like everything on ebay, you cant make one statement fit every transaction and every sellers items. 

I think that is totally true. I can recall once (a long time ago) being in the PO and after having a parcel weighed, I was told if it was possible to repack it into 2 smaller parcels I could actually send it for cheaper as the weight had just tipped the one parcel into a higher price category.

So every case is different and sometimes combined postage might not save money, but I think in this particular case, for 3 magazines, it definitely should. I would be reluctant to pay $45 postage for them. It shouldn't cost anywhere near that much within Australia, I would not have thought.

[pnc75]

If it costs $45 to post 3 magazines they must be very, very big magazines.