Does anybody know: is it legal under Australian Law for ebay to impose postage fees on sellers?

[niceandbright]

Does anybody know:  is it legal under Australian Law for ebay to impose postage fees on sellers?

While ebay is a wonderfully accessible global marketplace,  charging far less sales commissions than any actual auction house, the postage fee seems mis-placed.

The postage process actually has no involvement by ebay:  it is between seller buyer and Australia Post.

Seller invoices buyer for postage, buyer pays seller postage,  seller takes item to AustraliaPost, pays same postage, the entire postage charge goes to Australia Post, seller makes no profit from postage charge,  how soes ebay become entitled to charge a fee on something it has zero involvement with?

It's like a GST on something we have already paid a GST on, which is the postage charge.   Government receives GST on postage charge.  ebay receives a commission on postage charge.

I'm not whinging about it not being fair.

I'm asking if it is legal.

[niceandbright]

Hi everyone, thanks for your input.

Just had live chat with ebay, asked similar q's re the f.v.f. on shipping.

I specified there are two seller options repostage:    Use the ebay postal system, for which they might feel entitled to charge the f.v.f. on shipping because there they would be involved in the shipping process.   Or, not use the ebay postal system:  physically go to the post office shop, ask exact postage, charge buyer exact postage, get from buyer exact postage, pay post office exact postage: no involvement whatsoever, zero, by ebay,  for which they feel justified in imposing the fvf on shipping process that they have not participated in.    They seem to make no distinction.    Reason given:  trying to impose on unscrupulous sellers who've been making money out of shipping.   Asked how is this possible?   How is tis "fair" on all sellers, are we expected to give items away just to dispose of them,  just a step up from donating to an op-shop.

Ebay person's suggestion:   contact their Higher Concerns department.  I was to reeive a record of our live chat sent to my messages, which arrived, with the sentence that I will be unable to read it.

What are they doing.

Soothing the buyers while weighing down the sellers?   

[niceandbright]

Anybody know how to contact ebay's Higher Concerns department please?

[4green2000]

can soemone please tell me what good has ACCC ever done...

every time fuel,power,food,telco companies,etc etc etc etc etc goes up they say ACCC,ACCC,ACCC.....yer well i have never noticed ACCC ever doing good to consumers..

[4green2000]

oh yer....i heard the news that carbon tax has been abolished but the fuel excise tax went up to compensate the governments loss...so whats ACCC going to do now?

[niceandbright]

Can't answer your hypothetical questions.   Perhaps open a new discussion to discuss the ACCC so yu can ask the community.

Trying to keep to my subject here.  Thankyou, good to know people are trying to help other people.  Best wishes,

[tall_bearded01]

Like any other Governmental regulatory body the ACCC is bound by the legislation. Therefore if the legislation says no law has been broken then the ACCC has no power to intervene.

Therefore if you have a problem with what eBay is, or has been doing, then target those who can do something about it, with the best place to start being your local MP -  both State and Federal.

[niceandbright]

what a good idea, tall bearded, thankyou.

It's all seemingly geared towards pleasing buyers towards the move to listing ebay and paypal as public companies, then buyers can be really REALLY happy, buy shares and get their money back AGAIN again, in dividends.

I'm like a dog with its bone re this f.v.f. structure, how can it be legal to impose fees on a postal service which they do not participate in.   I don't use the ebay postal system, they play no part, but like big companies who own the world, they can do what they can do and call it whatever they want, at least they didn't call it a G.S.T.

There are law firms who specialise in class actions.   I can't find a discussion board to see if anyone's contacted any of those, out of similar curiousity.

MP might be a good idea.    Minister for Finance?  Minister for War and Peace?  Minister for the Innocent and the Oppressed?

gotta laugh.

At least ebay with its 10% fee orcommission on sales zero on buys,  is a cheaper alternative than "real estate" auction houses whose minimum commission usually starts at 22.5% upwards.

[niceandbright]

And now, they've added the buyer refund option due to change of mind option.

Isn't that an option that happens in a department store ?  

Never heard of any auction house who acts on behalf of a seller and a buyer, takes a commission for hammerprice sale, then offers change of mind to buyer.  No way.   ebay is an auction house.  Are they blurring their lines thinking like a department store?

A bid is a bid, a commitment to buy and to pay for their "purchase", not do a change of mind after, leave seller dangling.

What possessed them to introduce this?   How is that going to benefit their credibility?

[niceandbright]

Yes the 10%fvf plus gst on that 10%,  charged on postage charged by the seller.

Seller doesn't charge it. 

Seller provides the postage, physically.    

Ebay does charge it, ebay does not provide the postage at all.  

Therefore the principal if not the law is,  can a business chrge for a service that it does not provide.  That's the gist of my discussion raised.    It might be a moral or a legal issue.    yes, their lawyers will have advised them,  and somehow they get around this by saying they introduced it as a way to prevent sellers from gouging on selling.    hahahahahah.

[katistrophik]

This thread is 6 years old, most  everyone has accepted by now