Seller from UK trying to overcharge on postage to AU on auction won.

[2eternalhell]

Hello, I have a story to tell if those want to read it.  There is a collectible that I've been looking to purchase from a seller in the UK thats only available in the uk, I saw an auction & asked offline if he would ship to AU he said yes.  The auction had a listing of GBP10.00 with a buy it now of GBP 20.00 postage extra.  I had missed out on bidding on the auction however asked him via message how much he'd be willing to sell without ebay. he said GBP 25.00 and wouldn't budge on the price, fair enough.  I told him Id try to bid for a lesser price & he tried to get me to buy now to not waste time bidding on item, Even sending paypal address so that I would send payment right away. 

He relisted & with the same starting price & buy it now, I bid on it and won for GBP 10.00.  I receive an invoice for a grand total of GBP 22.00 which is GBP 12.00 for postage to AU more then the actual items i bid on.  Bare in mind I have purchased many items from the UK to AU, some same size figures only more (i'm buying just 2 of these figures) in quantity for GBP 5.00+.  I even purchased a construct a bot wall-e in a box for GBP 8.10.  I brought this up to him and he begins to get testy with me giving me all kinds of reasons and excuses for why the price is GBP 12.00 even requesting I cancel transaction & bringing up that the offer he gave me outside of ebay was how much postage was going to be.  Also tells me cost of box, bubble wrap even the post office he sending it to.  I know for a fact that something that small doesn't cost the amount he's requesting yet he insists that either I pay it or he won't deal with me.  I had been willing to offer as much as GBP 7.50 which should be sufficient enough for postage & refuses.  I know I'm being overcharged for postage & he even knows yet he refuses to admit to it. I know he's just looking to get as much money for his figures as possible.

I find it very disrespectful of his practices & I would cancel transaction but I want the items I bid on.  I just hate being taken for a fool and being overcharged. As a seller I know that getting to the post office & whatever you use to ship item(s) out is your responsibility, anything extra should be told to the buyer if he wants to pay more, a seller shouldn't expect buyer to pay more because of the hassle the seller goes thru, you list it on ebay KNOWING all the things you must do to ship/sell so it shouldn't be a surprise. He claims tracking & signature are a reason too & said he doesn't want to ship on the cheap.  I told him it should be MY choice to ship certain way as they would be my figures once paid. He doesn't acknowledge that either.

I'm not sure what to do, he sounds like a smug scammer & automatically expects buyers to pay what he says based on his word.  I want the items I just would feel like a moron accepting to pay his outrageous postage fee.  I feel that if I do accept to pay his price that I should demand proof be sent along or be seen on the package & if the total amount doesn't equal the amount he asked me to pay then I should take the appropriate actions on him.  Thoughts?

[cherry*135]

Did you get a quote for postage before you bought the item? That is the only way to have avoided this issue.

You say you would pay up to £7.50 postage ($13.50AU)

Seller is charging £12 ($21.58) postage + tracking & signature + packaging

That is about $8AU difference., not a lot really, if you want these items and are not able to buy them in Australia.

This seller doesn't usually post to Australia so he is doing you a favour there.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@2eternalhell wrote:

Hello, I have a story to tell if those want to read it.  There is a collectible that I've been looking to purchase from a seller in the UK thats only available in the uk, I saw an auction & asked offline if he would ship to AU he said yes.  The auction had a listing of GBP10.00 with a buy it now of GBP 20.00 postage extra.  I had missed out on bidding on the auction however asked him via message how much he'd be willing to sell without ebay. he said GBP 25.00 and wouldn't budge on the price, fair enough.  I told him Id try to bid for a lesser price & he tried to get me to buy now to not waste time bidding on item, Even sending paypal address so that I would send payment right away. 

Offering to trade outside of eBay is against policy,

He relisted & with the same starting price & buy it now, I bid on it and won for GBP 10.00.  I receive an invoice for a grand total of GBP 22.00 which is GBP 12.00 for postage to AU more then the actual items i bid on. 

Did you get a quote beforehand? or did you just assume that the seller would send the item at a particular price?

Bare in mind I have purchased many items from the UK to AU, some same size figures only more (i'm buying just 2 of these figures) in quantity for GBP 5.00+.  I even purchased a construct a bot wall-e in a box for GBP 8.10.  I brought this up to him and he begins to get testy with me giving me all kinds of reasons and excuses for why the price is GBP 12.00 even requesting I cancel transaction & bringing up that the offer he gave me outside of ebay was how much postage was going to be. 

Also tells me cost of box, bubble wrap even the post office he sending it to.  I know for a fact that something that small doesn't cost the amount he's requesting yet he insists that either I pay it or he won't deal with me. Well, as it is at the moment, it is you who is not honouring the deal by refusing to paying.

I had been willing to offer as much as GBP 7.50 which should be sufficient enough for postage & refuses. 

This should have been sorted out beforehand

I know I'm being overcharged for postage & he even knows yet he refuses to admit to it. I know he's just looking to get as much money for his figures as possible.

Would it have made a difference to you if the item was listed at 22 pounds and free postage?

I find it very disrespectful of his practices

I find it very disrespectful that you would contemplate trading off ebay and breaking their policy

& I would cancel transaction but I want the items I bid on.

so pay what he is asking. Then, if when you receive the item and he hasn't packaged it in a suitable manner and used a method opf postage that justifies the cost, then let your feedback reflect this.

  I just hate being taken for a fool and being overcharged.

As a seller I know that getting to the post office & whatever you use to ship item(s) out is your responsibility,

Not so, the price is for postage and handling and postage price is allowed to include a handling fee and also the cost of packaging

anything extra should be told to the buyer if he wants to pay more, a seller shouldn't expect buyer to pay more because of the hassle the seller goes thru, you list it on ebay KNOWING all the things you must do to ship/sell so it shouldn't be a surprise. He claims tracking & signature are a reason too & said he doesn't want to ship on the cheap. That is his choice

I told him it should be MY choice to ship certain way as they would be my figures once paid.

Perhaps, but if the items are not received, it is he who will need to prove tracking and lodgement, and for the UK site, he probabkly has to also prove delivery (I don't know this bit) - HE has every right to insist that you pay this money, as they are the terms underwhich he is prepared to p;ost the items.

He doesn't acknowledge that either.

Probably because you are wrong and he is too politwe to say so

I'm not sure what to do, he sounds like a smug scammer & automatically expects buyers to pay what he says based on his word.

See above, the time to negotiate postage is beforehand. He was doing you the favour here, he doesn't normally sell to AU, and he made an exception for you. Depending on how badly you want these items, I'd be kissing his feet and paying what he asks. If his postage is excessive, ie more than handling, packaging (including oprioce of box, bubblewarap, stickytape, etc) and the actual postage charge inclusing the SOD or whatever he wanted to use, then report him for breach of policy and let your feedback give your opionion.

  I want the items I just would feel like a moron accepting to pay his outrageous postage fee.  I feel that if I do accept to pay his price that I should demand proof be sent along or be seen on the package & if the total amount doesn't equal the amount he asked me to pay then I should take the appropriate actions on him.  Thoughts?

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yep, think I covered everything

Best of luck with it

[*crikey*mate*]

I reckon if i was that seller, i would be dong what i could to get out of honouring that sale, as it seems that he is in for a rough tijme of things because of what appears to be your unrealistic expectations and limited understanding of what is allowable on eBay.

[phorum_junkie*]

If I was the seller and knew that you didn't give a stuff about ebay policy then I would not trust you by using a cheaper postage service that does not qualify for Paypal seller protection, it isn't like Australia where you only have to prove a parcel has been sent to the buyer's address a UK seller has to have on-line proof that the item has been delivered and believe me that is a lot more expensive than the basic parcel rate.

Ebay would not consider the amount you were charged excessive as the seller is perfectly entitled to charge for the time it takes to prepare the parcel for posting and for all packaging materials right down to the ink used for the label.

Pay up and please don't trash the seller's feedback and DSRs because you don't understand ebay policy.

[chezzy]

Spend some time with the Price Finder on the Royal Mail website and you will soon see that signed for/tracking is generally GBP 5 more than the standard service no matter the weight breaks on smaller packages. I too have purchased numerous collectables from the UK and am pretty used to budgeting for "Airmail Small Packets" (now called "International Standard"). On a couple of occasions sellers insisted on the signed for service which I recall being around GBP 10-12 despite it being a small light weight item. Perhaps your seller is quoting for International Signed For Small Packets (now called "International Signed").

Not sure if the bridges are burnt with the current item but it could be worth mentioning that even with the cheaper service there is compo coverage of up to GBP 20 providing the seller gets proof of despatch (they can ask for a proof of posting certificate free of charge at their Post Office). The service won't have tracking or signature but the idea of compensation might appeal...

[chezzy]

Re Royal Mail from UK to Australia

I made a screen shot of the prices for a small package 250 grams
(formerly: Airmail Small Packets, International Signed For Small Packets and Airsure Small Packets)

[chezzy]

Re Royal Mail from UK to Australia

Here is a screen shot of the prices for a small package weighing from 251 to 500 grams
(formerly: Airmail Small Packets, International Signed For Small Packets and Airsure Small Packets)

[2eternalhell]

Offering to trade outside of eBay is against policy,

Overcharging for postage is against ebay policy & i didn't know asking him a question about item after an auction ended is a violation but ok

Did you get a quote beforehand? or did you just assume that the seller would send the item at a particular price?

I assumed he would be honest about postage being that I've purchased many items from the UK from other sellers at reasonable prices for items bigger than what I purchased.

Would it have made a difference to you if the item was listed at 22 pounds and free postage?

I'm not dumb, If I wanted to pay 22+ pounds I would. I consider cost of shipping with every auction I've ever won in how much I'm allowing myself to spend. If a seller with an item selling for 22 pounds with free shipping is more than the seller selling the same item with an actual shipping which is cheaper then guess what i'm going the cheaper option.

I find it very disrespectful that you would contemplate trading off ebay and breaking their policy

again didn't know asking after auction ended was a violation,  last I checked there's nothing stating that after auction has ended a member can't contact seller regarding their item. Only thing is if the item is currently listed which it wasn't & if it is a violation then that would mean he'd be just as guilty for wanting to sell outside of ebay. BUT seeing as I was within the rules of ebay & bidding as I should then it's a non issue & I'm withing the rules & policy....but his overcharging is in violation.

so pay what he is asking. Then, if when you receive the item and he hasn't packaged it in a suitable manner and used a method opf postage that justifies the cost, then let your feedback reflect this.

contemplating having him provide proof of what he's charging, knowing him he won't provide it.  If he doesn't provide details i can then take the appropriate actions however Id still be out the money I'm being overcharged. Idk about you but regardless of how much I'm being overcharged its still just that.

Not so, the price is for postage and handling and postage price is allowed to include a handling fee and also the cost of packaging

 and I quote:

"Now, it is common for sellers to charge an extra dollar or so for supplies - boxes, bubble wrap, etc.

But do not accept a $5 overcharge because the seller "had to buy the tape".  It is also against eBay policy for a seller to charge for gas, mileage, or time at the post office - do not let the seller off the hook if this is the explanation you get."

Perhaps, but if the items are not received, it is he who will need to prove tracking and lodgement, and for the UK site, he probabkly has to also prove delivery (I don't know this bit) - HE has every right to insist that you pay this money, as they are the terms underwhich he is prepared to p;ost the items.

That would be my risk then for being cheap if thats what you believe i'm being.  i've done this plenty of times & i've gotten my items fine without fail. 

Probably because you are wrong and he is too politwe to say so

no, as stated before it's hard to believe one place offers a different amount of postage as opposed to another.  If that's the case then the UK is messed up, however from the items I've purchased they have all been consistent with the postage amount being relatively around the same price range.  This seller is the ONLY one asking for way more money than any other seller I've dealt with.

He was doing you the favour here, he doesn't normally sell to AU, and he made an exception for you. Depending on how badly you want these items, I'd be kissing his feet and paying what he asks.

umm No.  I ask every UK seller whether they are willing to sell outside of the UK. A lot say no, and a lot make an exception and work with me on  the transaction.  If sellers outside the UK are not willing to sell items that I'm interested in to AU or elsewhere then I move on and go to the next seller willing to do so.  If kissing feet or whatnot is what you do to obtain your items then more power to you.  I nor other buyers should never have to suck up for anything, especially being overcharged for items/postage.

[2eternalhell]

thank you so much for this, see even the price he's giving me isn't consistent to what he wants.  the figures are 2" a piece and in my feedback the last item purchased are the ones I'm buying from him only 2 of them & even the person I purchased the 7 items from it was nowhere near what this seller is asking for.