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.

[9647ian · Accepted solution]

Although this seller's arrogance and lack of desire to communicate are clearly at fault and not doing him any favours, these are personal problems that only he can address and resolve. Clearly he has no desire to change, so in his own words he is "stuck with it". I am only ever rude or arrogant to people if they are rude or arrogant to me. Otherwise I am always very kind and friendly and polite. Some sellers seem to be opposed to me for highlighting this issue and have tried to undermine me and rile me in order to make me seem like a bad person. They have tried but failed and came away looking like a bunch of silly trolls. I can only guess that they are opposed to my suggestions because they like the idea of being able to rip buyers off if they feel like it. They seem to view skimming as a right, which is not on.

Basically I think ebay should make it a rule across the board that sellers must offer combined postage whenever they sell multiple items or multiple sales to a single buyer at any one time. This is the only way to end the confusion and frustration for buyers and will help to weed out any rogue operators who think they can skim another ten bucks or so off buyers for each sale to boost their profit margin.

I rest my case!

[davewil1964]

Basically I think ebay should make it a rule across the board that sellers must offer combined postage whenever they sell multiple items or multiple sales to a single buyer at any one time.

You ARE funny.

eBay is a business and like almost all businesses they look to maximise shareholder returns. They currently make it extremely difficult for sellers to combine postage, unless they are able to foresee postage costs for multiple items. Something I certainly can't do. And I doubt I'm alone. For eBay, who charge fees on the total transaction (including postage), the more a seller charges, the more they get.

You can think what you like, but please don't think your thoughts are going to have any basis in reality.

Build a bridge.

Marking your own stream of conscience as a solution to your question also shows that you don't really want an answer. Save the paragraph!

[lyndal1838]

---

@9647ian wrote:

Wow people really cannot read what it is written can they?

So we are going to start all over again are we?

1) I have stated many times already that I DID ask the seller for combined postage prior to bidding. HE DID NOT REPLY. The thing is I would have gladly paid the seller for the two lots of postage if he had told me this is what he expects, but he DID NOT reply. But of course I would not have bid on more than one sale if I had known this back then. I did not know because the seller would not reply.

2) I never heard from the seller for two days so decided to bid because the auction was getting close to ending. After winning the bids I went straight to checkout and noticed it showed combined postage there, so I clicked on the "Request total from seller" option. He never replied.

You did not hear from the seller but you were given combined postage in Checkout.   What was the problem?

3) I waited a day and sent a second combined postage request. He never replied.

Why would he reply to your endless requests when he had already combined the postage as you asked?

4) Later I sent him a personal message through the ebay contact form requesting combined postage. I also asked if he would have three of a certain item and if he would mind putting them together as a single ad. He never replied.

5) Next thng the seller sends me a message which just says "please pay by direct deposit, not paypal" and he provides his bank account details. I asked him why he did not respond to my requests to combine postage. He replies this time, but denies receiving any messages from me about combined postage.

Not a good look....you did the right thing using paypal.

6) He did not send any further replies so I decided to just pay him. I realized paying him by bank deposit could cause problems with buyer protection so I paid him with PayPal not bank deposit. He gets rude and nasty and sends me a message: "You want to pay this way then you are... stuck with it!" I send him a reply asking why he has combined shipping on his checkout but does not honour it. He replies that if I don't like it I should take it up with ebay.

Have you thought that by paying the invoice he could no longer alter it to reduce the postage.

7) Seller shoots himself in the foot because he proves to me that he must have received my earlier messages requesting combined postage. I noticed he had just put up a new ad with the very three items that I had asked him about. Definitely not a coincidence because they are rare items that he never normally sells in this way. He clearly made up this ad in response to my message. Sellers own greed caught him out. Moreover a bid shows up on this new ad almost as fast as it was put up. Not mine I assure you! I have decided not to bid on the ad for obvious reasons.

😎 Parcel arrived with the goods under one cover. He combined postage, but only to his own advantage!

Yes, he did as you asked and combined postage.....which he did from the very first invoice, by your own admission.

Never anywhere is this saga have I seen you ask the question about combined postage DISCOUNTS which is what you seem to be asking for.  No seller is obliged to offer a discount for combined postage.

---

[chameleon54 · Accepted solution]

---

@9647ian wrote:

Seems we have both come across a similar "type" of seller. This is the seller that is always feeling ripped off by the world and everybody in it. They constantly complain about things like postage costs, ebay fees, paypal fees etc. They are never grateful for high bids, no matter how high they go. Instead they are always rubbing their hands together at the thought of making more money out of any deal. So even if you bid their items up to the moon the seller will never thank you for bidding or be grateful. Instead they will try to get as much out of you for postage as they possibly can before letting you off their hook. Yes indeed, some sellers think buyers are the proverbial "milk cow". Buyers do not want to hear sellers whining about the costs even after they have gotten a good deal and you have paid them in full. I guess it is more their attitude of greed that puts buyers off them forever. It is like: "I alone have the goods you desire. You want them? Well expect to pay, and pay some more, and oh, while you're at it, pay me some more." Buyers who experience such an attitude generally never return. If a buyer is good enough to bid on ther products and ask reasonable questions in a polite manner, only to be met with hosility from a seller is not a pleasant shopping experience. It leaves buyers with a bad taste in the mouth. They never return.

---

Ebay sellers ( and buyers ) are just a reflection of people in society in general. Some are great, some are complete dirt-bags. And then there are a few who are down right crazy. ( I mean a few kangaroos loose in the top padock crazy ). I had one buyer who sent pages of typed messages about the end of the world and religous plots, coz he thought I was on the same wave length as him.......

Maybe you just struck it unlucky. Pay the guy, make use of the items and move on. Hopefully your next seller is a lot more helpful and your next purchase a more positive experience.

[countessalmirena]

I'm a buyer.

I'm not confused or frustrated - although if I were coming to this thread without having seen it evolve, and I saw your post marked green as a "solution", I might indeed be confused and frustrated, since that post does not seem to me to provide a solution. Why did you mark it as a solution? Doesn't this issue remain unsolved for you?

If you wish to tell eBay what they should do, I'm sure they will listen appreciatively... in some alternate universe (if one believes in the multiverse theory), in a dream, in a BBC play called The Buyer's Revenge, or something of that sort. Unfortunately, eBay are not interested in suggestions by eBay members.

When it comes to sellers' policies and practices, I would think it's a bit of a cheek to try to dictate to a seller how they do business, unless it's a case of violating consumer rights under law. I am able, as a buyer, to walk away from a deal, to refrain from purchasing, to shop elsewhere, etc. What is going to hit me harder as a buyer (much harder than worrying about whether or not a seller will offer combined postage, or a postage discount for purchase of multiple items), is GST on international items, since I do a lot of my purchasing from overseas. You may see me launching into dark monologues of festering dissatisfaction once that kicks in - or perhaps I'll just mutter quietly to myself...

[davewil1964]

(if one believes in the multiverse theory)

Before I go out on a limb again, have you heard of Michael Moorcock?

[countessalmirena]

---

@davewil1964 wrote:

(if one believes in the multiverse theory)

Before I go out on a limb again, have you heard of Michael Moorcock?

---

Yes. I had a mad mad mad science fiction/fantasy phase which results in bookshelves groaning with so many books that I need some of Terry Pratchett's L-space.

[digital*ghost]

---

@9647ian wrote:

Wow, you should be a politican. Only they can come up with that sort of reasoning and expect people to swallow it!

---

You clearly have not understood the jist of my post. There was no "reasoning" contained therein, it was simply a post that stated no one has the right to go around thinking that the things they want are things they can expect from others, in much more elaborate words, because those succinct ones I just used are often hard pills to swallow, since they work to diminish the ego of those that take them. 

I guess you also missed one of my other posts, where I provided an example of how I "solved" the issue of buyers expecting combined postage discounts, when it didn't save any money to combine items - i.e. increase prices to provide the impression of a discount. If you think that won't happen with sellers who want to make sure they end up with X amount after all is said and done, should eBay actually take your suggestion seriously and try to force sellers to offer discounts on multiple purchases, I have a few more bitter pills on hand.... 

[gewens]

Hello, everyone. I'd like to remind you that interpersonal dispute is not allowed here. Please be respectful to each other when you disagree with each other. Thank you very much.

[springyzone]

---

@digital*ghost wrote:

---

@9647ian wrote:

Wow, you should be a politican. Only they can come up with that sort of reasoning and expect people to swallow it!

---

You clearly have not understood the jist of my post. There was no "reasoning" contained therein, it was simply a post that stated no one has the right to go around thinking that the things they want are things they can expect from others, in much more elaborate words, because those succinct ones I just used are often hard pills to swallow, since they work to diminish the ego of those that take them. 

I guess you also missed one of my other posts, where I provided an example of how I "solved" the issue of buyers expecting combined postage discounts, when it didn't save any money to combine items - i.e. increase prices to provide the impression of a discount. If you think that won't happen with sellers who want to make sure they end up with X amount after all is said and done, should eBay actually take your suggestion seriously and try to force sellers to offer discounts on multiple purchases, I have a few more bitter pills on hand.... 

---

You're quite right in that a deal is a deal & discounts on postage after the fact are at the seller's discretion.I'm answering your post as I think you brought up an interesting point, just psychologically speaking.

Here we have a buyer (Ian) who paid close to $28 for postage and sees it stamped as costing $15.50. Therein, I think, lies a problem. Now all of us in here know of the extra fees, cost of bag etc but I'd hazard a guess most buyers may not. They may factor in the bag, that's all. 

I believe sellers can ask a little more for postage, over & above the actual price, and it is tolerated by most buyers. But a $15/$27 ratio is going to be resented by most of them. It's too much.

I actually think a seller would be better off, from the psychological viewpoint, to be asking slightly more for an item, to cover the postage fees, and having the postage charge a bit closer to the actual charge. Which is what you suggested-increasing prices.

I don't think Ian is all that different to about 90% of buyers, except he is on the boards here so we can hear the vent. I have some friends who are very reasonable people but who also complain bitterly if they pay a postage charge then find the seller paid significantly less.

If his experience happened to me, okay, I'd accept it as I bought on those terms, but I would be disappointed not to have had any reply to my messages and I'd also feel I got bitten a bit on postage.

$15.50/$27.90.

 Any seller in it for the long haul would be better off to do as you suggest and pad the costs somewhere else.

I know the seller didn't make a huge profit but it is a strange thing, I think sometimes these bad experiences stick in the mind for years, longer than lots of other, bigger losses. I bet Ian remembers this in 10 years' time. It's not the $7 loss, it is the conflict- the fact Ian felt he was not treated with respect by the seller, he was ignored.