Seller refuses to combine postage - profiteering on postage?

[9647ian]

So I am quite prepared to pay the $80 to a seller on two separate sales. The sales are for some spare parts that would fit into the palm of my hand when combined, but he wants $13.80 postage for each sale. That makes an incredible $27.60 postage on items that he will be able to post for half that cost.

And how much do you want to bet, he will post the two sales together in one envelope?

I have told him that if he intends to charge me two lots of postage then I will expect two separate envelopes.

I almost made the mistake of bidding on a third ad of his for another $40. That would have made a combined postage of $41.40 on small items that could be posted for less than half that amount.

Why are some sellers so unreasonable when it comes to combining postage? Are they profiteering on postage? Seems so.

[digital*ghost]

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@9647ian wrote:

*Sigh* The standard non-answer.

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What kind of answers do you really expect from the only questions you actually asked? That is, one loaded question, and one answer posed as a question, at the end of a rant about one seller? 

Your questions: Why are some sellers so unreasonable when it comes to combining postage? Are they profiteering on postage?

The first one contains a judgement, that sellers who refuse to combine postage are unreasonable. How can anyone here actually answer a question that's based on your opinion of actions when we don't have a reason why the seller (or any seller) actually took those actions? You may as well ask why people are so unreasonable in general, even someone who has a deep understanding of human behaviour is either going to shrug at you, or ask how much time you've got, because there can be myriad reasons why someone else does what they do, and all posters here can do, is give you some of the valid reasons they know where combining postage either isn't possible, or doesn't reduce costs. Unless there's a self-proclaimed unreasonable person here willing to explain why they won't combine postage, I guess.

The second question would appear to be a statement posing as a question - in other words, your first question contains the judgement, your second question contains the answer you're seeking validation for. But... People are unreasonable and won't behave in ways you expect them to, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

I'll take a stab at it anyway - 

They can't combine postage 

They don't want to lose money, and / or they want to get the most they can for their auctions (this tends to happen a lot when items sell well below the worth the seller placed on the items. Some larger companies who run the odd auction specifically state that auction items won't get combined postage rates, because their profit margins are low even at full price, and they tend to take losses on the end prices as it is, so they are trying to minimise their losses on auction items, rather than maximise them). It's easy, I guess, to call this "profiteering on postage" when you don't have any insight into the inner workings of a business, or even a casual seller's motivations behind their decisions. Most people don't twig that when a seller wants a minimum of X amount for an item, they'll get it whether it's made up of column A + column B, or all in column A (or B) - sometimes it's opportunistic, sometimes it's planned.  

They're unreasonable, and profiteering on postage

Choose your own adventure. 😉

[kopenhagen5]

Some additional things to consider - 

A seller charges postage which isn't necessarily only stamped costs.

They can include package and handling costs.

Envelopes, boxes, bubblewrap, tape, labels, time n petrol to go to the post office.

(eBay also charge fees on the postage costs now but that should be worked into the cost of items)

eBay have also recently changed the format for sellers whereas Immediate payment required is being forced so not possible to combine postage costs. Sellers are also finding the cart function doesnt always have the possibility to request invoice for buyers in order to combine postage.

And lastly, if a seller offers combined postage it means the items will be combined so as they are delivered together.

It doesn't mean they will be discounted also, as weights often take postage into the next tier of costs.

Combined simply means sent together for convenience.

It is up to the buyer to ask if a seller combines for reduced postage costs prior to purchasing.

[chameleon54]

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@9647ian wrote:

So I am quite prepared to pay the $80 to a seller on two separate sales. The sales are for some spare parts that would fit into the palm of my hand when combined, but he wants $13.80 postage for each sale. That makes an incredible $27.60 postage on items that he will be able to post for half that cost.

And how much do you want to bet, he will post the two sales together in one envelope?

I have told him that if he intends to charge me two lots of postage then I will expect two separate envelopes.

I almost made the mistake of bidding on a third ad of his for another $40. That would have made a combined postage of $41.40 on small items that could be posted for less than half that amount.

Why are some sellers so unreasonable when it comes to combining postage? Are they profiteering on postage? Seems so.

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Often its because they are responding to unreasonable, rude buyers who demand stuff and expect everyone to jump the moment they send a message................... At least thats why I get unreasonable sometimes.

Most people have a certain tolerance level. You might be able to handle one rude buyer a day. Maybe two or three if you are a saint, but by the time you get to the fourth unreasonable, rude buyer who sends abrupt messages expecting stuff, ( not politely asking ) and then gets narky if they are not answered instantly, the responses can become more " honest "  as you go along. ..........

[chameleon54]

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@9647ian wrote:

So I am quite prepared to pay the $80 to a seller on two separate sales. The sales are for some spare parts that would fit into the palm of my hand when combined, but he wants $13.80 postage for each sale. That makes an incredible $27.60 postage on items that he will be able to post for half that cost.

And how much do you want to bet, he will post the two sales together in one envelope?

I have told him that if he intends to charge me two lots of postage then I will expect two separate envelopes.

I almost made the mistake of bidding on a third ad of his for another $40. That would have made a combined postage of $41.40 on small items that could be posted for less than half that amount.

Why are some sellers so unreasonable when it comes to combining postage? Are they profiteering on postage? Seems so.

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OK , another answer that might be more " helpful ".

Postage costs are influenced by both size and weight. The items may fit in the palm of your hand, but do you know how much they weigh ? If they are metal spare parts / components they may weigh enough that it is cheaper to send seperately, rather than in a single parcel. Also if new, they may come in a box or packaging that only fits one per satchel etc. Or maybe they price the item very cheaply and factor part of the postage cost into their profit.

You suggest they can take the items to their local post office and get a weight and quote. OK half an hour from their lunch break ( if you are very lucky ) to drive to the nearest PO, park, stand in line etc. $5 for fuel and a buck for the parking meter.........you would have to pay me $26 if you want me to do all of that, as I value my time at $40 an hour plus costs. I dont work for free even if some people expect me too.

Sure the seller would make more friends if they combined post, but if its not advertised, you cant just expect it.

[collect247]

I'd hire you at $40ph you're cheap lol

[imastawka]

So I've heard, lol

[brerrabbit585]

Another couple of things to consider:

Ebay has enforced immediate payment for a lot of sellers (without our permission).  As you've been able to request an invoice I assume this doesn't apply to this particular seller, but if it did and you make two separate payments the seller would be forced to send the two items separately to get the benefit of seller protection from tracked postage.  As I said, it sounds like you haven't had to pay yet so what I've said probably doesn't apply in this instance.

If they're asking you to pay by bank deposit I wouldn't trust them an inch, so yes, they probably are trying to rip you off for postage.  In fact, I'd refuse to go ahead with the purchase on principle, unless I was REALLY desperate for the items and couldn't get them anywhere else!

[countessalmirena]

Chameleon does not look cheap! (No flashy bemsilk purple trousers, no fake-gold fake-Rolex...)

[justkidzbiz]

Make sure you pay for each item separately via Paypal, that way the seller has to send them separately with separate tracking numbers.

[*tippy*toes*]

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@countessalmirena wrote:

Chameleon does not look cheap! (No flashy bemsilk purple trousers, no fake-gold fake-Rolex...)

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He's cheap. Really cheap. Not free, just really cheap!!! He's covered in thick gold chains. Reminds me of a loaded Italian! You've not seen gold until you've seem Cham! 😄

Spoiler

Joke, Cham, joke. You're the best!