Overcharge on postage

[gilld12]

Greetings, I recently posted wanting advice on correct procedure for posting, but my post disappeared completely, so I am putting it up again. I recently bought an item with postage of $12.50. I was happy with the postage as I expected a bit of care to be taken with the item. When it arrived, it was in an envelope (not a box, or some more substantial packaging), and the postage charge on the envelope was $1.20. I was extremely surprised that it had arrived undamaged, as Aust Post is notorious for the damage it causes.

I normally do not question a discrepancy in postage, as a dollar or two is expected for good packaging, but to see my purchase arrive in an envelope, with such a big discrepancy makes me wonder if I would be entitled to a partial refund of postage? I emailed the seller suggesting that perhaps someone else posted it and used cheaper postage to help her out, and I requested a $10.00 refund which gives her a margin for packaging costs. She did not respond. I messaged again, no response again.

I have read other posts where the general opinion of (what I consider) fraudulent postage, and the poster was somewhat torn apart by some responders for not accepting that ripping off buyers is normal practise. I never rip off my buyers, and take into account packaging costs in my selling price, or I just absorb the cost myself. Perhaps someone could advise me of acceptable practise?

My options if the seller continues to not respond are to leave a negative comment about her packaging (I don't think that 'OK' or 'parcel arrived' is a strong enough warning to others; or I can contact Ebay about this seller. I am reluctant to do this, however what is the point of Ebay requesting feedback if it is not genuine? I have had issues with sellers (one forgot to post a parcel) and have always been able to resolve the issue by speaking with the seller, however, this seller won't respond. Can someone respond honestly (and politely with no aggression) with some good advice? Many thanks!

[belindabargainhunter]

I have had the same and posted about it. I was charged $11 over and also no care was taken. There is nothing that can be done so I would leave neg and state the overcharged amount.
I am now very careful of checking sellers comments, looking at how they say they post and if the amount is more than I think I ask the seller.

[*crikey*mate*]

It sounds like excessive postage to me, and eBay do have a policy about that

Excessive Postage and Handling Policy

so if you want, you can report them to eBay.

I doubt you can do anything about the refund for postage if the seller doesn't want to play.

Obviously you can hit their postage DSR's (remember to at least mark a 1 as leaving it blank affects nothing)

But if it all arrived in good condition as described etc, I think a neg might be a bit harsh if their postage time, description and communication was ok - but feedback is your perception of the transaction, so no one else can tell you what to do.

But I save the negs for the really bad sellers, and whilst I'd be grumpy about the post price and certainly mention it in my maybe neutral dot and my DSR's , there are a lot worse than that out there

[thecatspjs · Accepted solution]

If it were me and I paid by paypal I would message the seller seeking clarification and justification of post charge and then open a paypal dispute if their response is not satisfactory.

I have had success in the past with this approach to post pirates who break ebay rules for both excessive post and circumventing ebay fees.

Whilst a claim for a refund may not be an outcome if paypal are deciding. The initial opening of a paypal dispute can prove to be the trigger for a quick partial refund by the seller to have the matter sorted.

[gilld12]

Thank you for replying. I thought I had done enough checking by looking at the other buyers reviews that were generally positive. I guess you can be caught out by anyone. I will give the seller a few more days to respond to my messages, then decide if I raise a case or leave a witheringly bland feedback - something along the lines of 'good to see such frugal packaging - seller supports minimal packaging - excellent if it is not raining during shipping' or 'glad to see that the seller could save so much on packaging by using an envelope' or something along these lines. I always wait to deal with issues, as you get nowehere by firing off emails if you are angry. Cheers, Gill

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[gilld12]

Thank you for responding, I appreciate the suggestion. I did message the seller twice, but received no response. I have been fair in asking for only $10.00 of the excessive postage cost to be refunded, and I like your suggestion that the mere opening of the claim may be enough for the seller to discuss the situation. Thanks again! Cheers, Gill

[gilld12]

Thank you for your suggestion. I am aware (from other people's posts) that there are a lot of worse problems than being ripped off for postage. It just goes against the grain to accept such behavior from another seller.

[dylan11235813]

I would expect more care in packaging for such a high postage/packaging price, but I also don't think that charging $10 for handling is high either. How does ebay value someones time?. Could I not value my time at whatever price I want making it impossible to get a violation for excess postage charges? Is charging $1 too high a price for handling I wonder.

If ebay don't already they should have a section in listings on how something will be packaged, and also include what the cost breakdown is.

It takes me on average about 5 minutes to package a single item of mine, so at say $30 / hour for my time I should be charging about $2.50 on top of the actual postage cost for handling, which I do not, yet I still have low DSRs for postage costs for most of my items at $1.95 total postage cost (combined as well)

I would not neg them but I would comment on the high postage cost (I would also check such a statement does not violate the feedback removal policy) and leave a low star rating for postage.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@dylan11235813 wrote:

I would expect more care in packaging for such a high postage/packaging price, but I also don't think that charging $10 for handling is high either. How does ebay value someones time?. Could I not value my time at whatever price I want making it impossible to get a violation for excess postage charges? Is charging $1 too high a price for handling I wonder.

If ebay don't already they should have a section in listings on how something will be packaged, and also include what the cost breakdown is.

I

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Excessive Postage and Handling Policy

[*crikey*mate*]

i would think the OP's situation fits this example if it could be posted for $1.20 in an envelope

Examples of violating listings:

• Sony 2 GB Memory Stick Pro Card

  BIN: AU $37.35

  Postage and Handling: AU $26.99 Standard Post

  Explanation: The seller states that the item will be posted “Standard Post” and not

  overnight or private courier company. Given the small size/weight of this item, overall

  postage and handling charges are inflated.