Seller charged for Express Post but sent by Parcel Post

[yumidiamonds]

Hi all, I purchased a laptop from a seller in NSW. The only postage option availabe was for Express Post to post this to me in QLD. I paid for the purchase and the Express Postage, but the seller then sent it via Parcel Post.

I sent the seller a message about it and his reply was that when he went to the post office, he was told that Australia Post had suspended their Express Post service between NSW and QLD due to Covid, which was why he sent it via Parcel Post. This is obviously false as Australia Post never suspended this service. When i called him out on this, he apologised and started going on about how he lost money selling the laptop to me and admitted that he sent it via Parcel Post as a way to recoup some of his losses.

I feel compelled to report this matter to eBay, and wanted to find out which category to report it under, and if anyone else had experienced this before and what they did.

Searching eBay's FAQs and the community boards, I could not find anything that relates to this sort of postage service switch. The closest thing that i could find was under the "receiving something that doesnt match the item listing" category, although all the answers regarding the definition or determination on this appear to relate only to the item itself and not the receiving of a different and cheaper postage service.

Will leaving a negative feedback warning other eBayers of his fraudulant practice be the only recourse here?

Thanks for sharing your comments and advice in advance!

[springyzone]

I think you have every right to feel annoyed and I am a bit shocked, to be honest, by anyone saying you paid the price you were willing to pay so move on. 

The basic fact is you didn't get what you paid for.

Now express post isn't what it used to be, the one or two day guarantee etc no longer applies. However, it is still suppossed to be given some priority and so should, by rights, be a little faster than normal post. The speed of express post isn't the point though. The point is you paid for it and didn't get it.

The bit I don't like is where you say the seller admitted he was trying to recoup some of his 'losses' with cheaper postage. For a start, he didn't make a 'loss'. He sold the laptop at the price he could get, no one forced him to sell. He has no right to make extra on a postal service he does not supply. I am not saying he would have to charge the exact cost that Auspost charges him, there would well be extra costs for boxes & wrapping. But charging express and sending normal post-not on.

I can understand he may have been advised to send parcel post instead of express but he could at least have offered you a partial refund of the difference. You're perfectly entitled to leave the feedback that reflects your feelings and in this case, I can tell you feel let down, ripped off. I think a negative is fair enough if you feel like that.

[davewil1964]

A negative for an item received in a reasonable time in GOC?

Honestly?

They did get what they paid for. A laptop.

[padi*0409]

Just a question, is this a newish seller ?  If so they may not even know that they can do a partial refund for excess postage.

[*tippy*toes*]

Springy, are you serious? You have pretty much lost all credability with that post.

FYI, I recently posted an item express to WA from NSW. It took almost 3 weeks. Regular post is arriving quicker. I nearly sent it regular post for that reason. Would I then expect to be negged?

What if the item was "free" express post? Should the seller be negged if they sent it regular post, even though they are footing the postage costs?

I can't believe you think that seller deserves a neg. I am seriously rolling my eyes.

[silver-fox-bullion]

to THE POSTER you can leave a neg feedback on the seller but ebay will remove it.   As ebay have stated no seller will be neg feedbacked while there covid issues with auspost and postage.    so the neg feedback is pointless

[gr8t_happee2givitahome]

I have always refunded buyers the postage difference which they appreciate.

I used to spend hours and hours asking ebay for a refund on the 10% or so commison on postage fees but gave up in the end because the amounts just weren't worth it. 

I actually think that if sellers refund buyers for postage overcharge then this sends a positive message to consumers to have faith in their Ebay sellers honesty.

You do get people like this I have noticed. I would report them if you feel so strongly about it. Probably the seller won't bother to list anymore.

[digital*ghost]

---

@*tippy*toes* wrote:

Springy, are you serious? You have pretty much lost all credability with that post.

FYI, I recently posted an item express to WA from NSW. It took almost 3 weeks. Regular post is arriving quicker. I nearly sent it regular post for that reason. Would I then expect to be negged?

What if the item was "free" express post? Should the seller be negged if they sent it regular post, even though they are footing the postage costs?

I can't believe you think that seller deserves a neg. I am seriously rolling my eyes.

---

I purchased some items from the Aus post shop recently. They have free post for their items, and charge $15 for express - I selected express and paid the extra $15,

When it was marked as shipped, i checked the tracking and the page said the service was parcel post, not express post, so I sent a message to AP and asked them to confirm the service they used, and if not express, to please refund the $15.

They confirmed it was sent parcel post, apologised, and refunded the $15.00.

I'm telling this story because anyone who thinks "as well they should" when they read that story, should also be taking issue with the seller's actions in the OP's instance. Did they pay "extra" for express? No, but if you advertise a specific service, you need to provide that service - end of. 

Anyone who is familiar with ebay's policies and / or constantly criticises others for not keeping up to date with said policies should also go searching for the one surrounding advertising a postage service and not providing that service. This debate over whether express guarantee is still in place or how long express is taking is 100% irrelevant - the only way it would have been relevant would be if the seller had got in touch and just said "hey, i downgraded the postage service because lately it seems standard post is arriving faster" (which, by the way, is outside the norm - express is taking longer than pre-covid, but mine are arriving significantly faster than my regular post parcels, and I know the same is true for many other sellers, so a few people's experience if them taking longer is also 100% irrelevant here). 

Jeez, and I thought I had a seller bias. I probably wouldn't leave them a neg, but the seller did the wrong thing, for the wrong reasons. 

[countessalmirena]

I may be a tad too forgiving/easy-going in these things... A family member today did say I was "too goodhearted" when I proposed putting a branch from a tree in the garden of the next-door neighbours behind us (when the said branch - not a huge one - had fallen into our back garden) into our organic / garden bin rather than tossing it over the fence.

To be completely honest, it wasn't just my supposed goodheartedness at play. Three other factors:

• The back fence between our back garden and the culprit neighbour's back garden is very high - so high that tossing the branch over was going to exacerbate the existing nerve pain I have in my right shoulderblade. (I don't think that my neurosurgery was as successful as I'd hoped it would be.) I didn't believe that the branch-tossing would be worth the effort,
• Yes, yes - it'd be more polite for me to get into my car, attach the branch to its roof, drive over to the next street, identify the neighbours, and hand-deliver the branch to them together with a note saying, "Perhaps you haven't noticed, but...etc." But it would be even easier to just snap the branch into pieces and stuff it into the garden waste bin.
• I'm struggling with a "what does it matter" state of mind at the moment.

If a seller sent something to me at the moment, and it was supposed to be sent via express post but wasn't, I truly do not think I would worry about it.

If I had paid additional postage for the service, I suppose I might contact the seller and say something like, "It doesn't appear that the item was sent via express post, for which I paid. I do understand that at present express post timeframes are not being guaranteed, and that would explain why it was sent by regular post! Could you refund the difference between the postage method used and the amount that I paid? Thank you."

[digital*ghost]

Again, irrelevant. Maybe my story was too, I was trying to contextualise the issue in a way that would help some people understand why the OP has a valid complaint. 

I realise I'm probably going to appear rude here - it's not my express intent, but I'm tired and stressed so am not putting as much time into thoughtful and diplomatic replies as I usually do.

"I wouldn't find it an issue, so you're being unreasonable if you do" is the same kind of logic that brings other members to the forum to complain about not getting instant feedback and using "I always leave feedback as soon as buyers pay, so others should too".

If there's a valid and relevant argument for why the buyer shouldn't worry they didn't get the advertised service other than "I wouldn't care", I'd be happy to hear it, but "I don't care" isn't it. 

[countessalmirena]

I'm not sure that my reply was irrelevant... It may be irrelevant to the (valid) point you were making, but it's not irrelevant on the terms on which I made my reply.

I don't intend to convey that because a parcel being sent by regular post to me rather than by express post wouldn't be a significant issue to me right now, that anyone else ought to feel the same way.

My primary reason for not being worried over it is a personal situation.