sellers overcharging postage

[northernoptions]

Seller charged $50 for postage when actual cost was $16.85,refuses refund.

[zelly888]

Please give more details as the actual postage cost doesn't necessary mean what it cost the seller too post as there is the handling and packaging part of the posting which needs to be taken into consideration.

[evil_akuma_2002]

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@northernoptions wrote:

Seller charged $50 for postage when actual cost was $16.85,refuses refund.

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Obviously, you bought the item. Surely then, the postage cost was in the listing? And if you felt it was too high then, you had two options?

Either not make the purchase, or query it with the seller?

Caveat Emptor.

[i-love-my-sheep]

Did it come in the 3kg satchel that the seller stated in the listing, or a box? I couldn't imagine a pewter jug would need a huge amount of packaging. If it did, it would go in a box, not a satchel. I wonder if the seller didn't get as much as what they wanted for the jug? That said, it did say $50 in the listing. I couldn't see any mention of a handling fee, so not sure why the seller would have charged that much. Did it come by post or courier? Sellers are allowed to charge a handling fee, but that does sound excessive. It may have cost more if it came via courier.

I can understand why you're angry though. I had a similar incident last week where I was charged a bit more than double. It was one of those things where if it was packed well, it probably would have gone over 500g into the next postage rate, but the packaging wasn't the best and it came in under. The seller refunded the difference.

[black*poppy]

I can understand why the OP might feel angry too.  I haven't seen the listing to comment, thought I'd share some stories instead.

The lies I've been told about postage - OMG.  One time I bought a car part and was told needed large box and courier as coming from interstate, for $50 freight.  Now I'm not au fait with car parts so couldn't question with any real knowledge, also I couldn't get the part in Tassie.  Absolute disgrace that it arrived in 500g satchel.  Wow I was furious. This was a website purchase with credit card rather than ebay.  I had a contact number and had to hound them for 3 months threatening chargebacks to get a refund after they initially agreed.

Several times I've queried postage eg why two tops need a 3kg satchel (told they weigh too much), only to find they arrive in a 500g satchel.  One seller tried to tell me that the PO didn't have any 3kg bags so they sent it in a 500g bag but were charged as for a 3kg bag... yeah right, I weighed the shoes and they were 450g.

Basically everyone wants a bargain.  No one wants to feel like they could have got a better bargain, even if it's only a few dollars. I just have to look at whether I would have been happy with the total price if the postage difference was added to the item instead.

To digress a bit - I read an article once about selling on ebay - sorry can't find it ATM, but basically people don't look at the total price equally when comparing similar items.  So for the same item, $25 plus $10 postage is not as attractive as $30 plus $5, and $35 plus free post is even better.  I don't totally agree, but there are nuances here and when the postage price is obviously over-inflated even on a super ultra cheap item, it doesn't feel like the same bargain.  JMO

[robinsonmarineparts]

What did the invoice say?

[robinsonmarineparts]

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@black*poppy wrote:

I can understand why the OP might feel angry too.  I haven't seen the listing to comment, thought I'd share some stories instead.

The lies I've been told about postage - OMG.  One time I bought a car part and was told needed large box and courier as coming from interstate, for $50 freight.  Now I'm not au fait with car parts so couldn't question with any real knowledge, also I couldn't get the part in Tassie.  Absolute disgrace that it arrived in 500g satchel.  Wow I was furious. This was a website purchase with credit card rather than ebay.  I had a contact number and had to hound them for 3 months threatening chargebacks to get a refund after they initially agreed.

Several times I've queried postage eg why two tops need a 3kg satchel (told they weigh too much), only to find they arrive in a 500g satchel.  One seller tried to tell me that the PO didn't have any 3kg bags so they sent it in a 500g bag but were charged as for a 3kg bag... yeah right, I weighed the shoes and they were 450g.

Basically everyone wants a bargain.  No one wants to feel like they could have got a better bargain, even if it's only a few dollars. I just have to look at whether I would have been happy with the total price if the postage difference was added to the item instead.

To digress a bit - I read an article once about selling on ebay - sorry can't find it ATM, but basically people don't look at the total price equally when comparing similar items.  So for the same item, $25 plus $10 postage is not as attractive as $30 plus $5, and $35 plus free post is even better.  I don't totally agree, but there are nuances here and when the postage price is obviously over-inflated even on a super ultra cheap item, it doesn't feel like the same bargain.  JMO

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What was the O.P's quoted price?

[i-love-my-sheep]

Here's the item number to the Op's purchase 251781444498 It says 3kg satchel in the postage details. 

[cq_tech]

Just checked the seller's completed listings and there's no doubt at all that he's a postage thief. 😞

[springyzone]

$50 for a 3kg satchel is highway robbery. The seller should call himself Ned kelly.

Seriously though, if I sold a pewter jug for $366, I would be sending it off with a bit more protection than just a satchel. I would wrap it carefully, maybe in bubble wrap, and then place in a box. There are plenty of attaractive, sturdy boxes in gift shops for just a few dollars and if you were charging $50 for postage, you could afford to do that. You wouldn't want any chance of it getting dinted.

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Black poppy said:

To digress a bit - I read an article once about selling on ebay - sorry can't find it ATM, but basically people don't look at the total price equally when comparing similar items.  So for the same item, $25 plus $10 postage is not as attractive as $30 plus $5, and $35 plus free post is even better.  I don't totally agree, but there are nuances here and when the postage price is obviously over-inflated even on a super ultra cheap item, it doesn't feel like the same bargain.  JMO

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I am sure you are right.

Postage costs are a bit like taxes, they are seen as a loss. I know that in return, people are getting a service for both postage and taxes, but postage costs aren't seen as part of the item. So of course if you feel you are only losing out on $5 for postage as opposed to $10, much more attractive, regardless of the fact the total may be the same.

There is another intangible that goes with this. I read that most people are wary of the cheapest price, they may perceive it as lesser quality even if it isn't.

So if someone sees one item at $25 and a similar one at $30, they may wonder if the $30 is better quality or in better condition.

I struck something of this sort on the weekend. My sister and I had a garage sale, we're trying to clear a deceased estate. I advertised the microwave (an older panasonic model) at $8 and had one woman very suspicious-"what's wrong with it then?" she asked. "Doesn't it work properly?". We were able to demonstrate it worked perfectly but the moral of the story is we may have had more interest if we had put a $15 price tag on it!