Postage costs quoting???

[ivgotallthegoodbits]

Hi iv been selling on here for just over a year and am having issues with buyers not being happy with postage costs for their items...

all of the items i send registered post with tracking minimum, and in all my auctions i request they prospective buyer to contact me before bidding with postcode so i can get costs from the autralia post online website, some of my buyers choose to do this some dont... Now my issues arise im struggling with good feedback for my postage costs as the australia post website seems to be over quoting prices and if i lower the prices i charge to less than shown on their website i will loose out...

When iv been quoted 1 price on australia post website, then when i post item off am being undercut on postage costs.. And evn its only a $1.00 under this seems to displease buyers even though i charge nothing for expensive packaging... 

Has anyone else been encountering these issues and can anyone please help with advise as i really like doing sales on ebay and using it to support our family .. Any help would be great thanks Kathleen

[digital*ghost]

If you use calculated postage in your listings, the postage show to each individual buyer will be calculated according to their postcode, as long as you enter accurate package weight and dimensions, there shouldn't be any discrepancy, and you can add an amount into the handling section for registered which will be added to the total shown.

That will mean a buyer should only bid after being happy enough to pay the postage costs, and may help deter people who will not be happy to pay the required postage. 

The only other thing I can suggest is to itemise the information in your listing to make postage info stand out more. Have a larger, maybe different colour heading for postage info, and detail the things you think are relevant in short, simple points. 

[rusty-shed]

I often charge a small amount ( around $2 ) to cover packaging costs and time taken to pack. If I have a discrepancy in my listed postage costs ( ie. charged the buyers too much ) I go to Paypal and refund the buyer for the extra few dollars charged in error. I send the buyer a message thanking them for their purchase and notifying them of the refund. Most buyers are very appreciative and this is often reflected in feedback left. Although I charge more than base postage cost ( packing and handling fee ) I still receive very good feedback. I think what makes the difference is that I mail items within 24 hours of payment ( often the same day ) and take care to ensure items are well packed with new materials. I also take care to try to ensure items are described accurately. If the buyer receives their purchases very quickly and they are happy with the item, they are much less likely to get "picky" about handling fees etc. I realise charging packing materials and handling fees is a subject of "hot debate" on forums I spend most of Monday and many other hours through the week packing. I cant work this time for free and need to recoup some cost for labour.

[dylan11235813]

If a buyer is displeased about an extra $1 on postage and your paying extra for packaging I would include part of the postage cost into the price of the item, for an auction though it can't really be done at a 0.99c start price.

Maybe look into flat rate postage like 'click and send' boxes and satchels and the normal ones available from the post office so that you can give a price to start with.

The flat rate boxes are quite good for heavy large(ish) items although I am still unsure if they can be registered or "signed for" or insured.

[shypansy]

Most of your items appear to have been pick ups, so no relevance to postage there,

The majority of FB received is fine, but those 4 neutrals are probably whats holding you back at the moment, not the ratings but assuming those sellers also left low DSRs as well.

List more items to build up your FB, make sure you communicate when buyers contact you, if you aren`t going to state the postage, this will effect your ratings, if the buyer asks you still have to send the cost, so why not state it on the listing.

Check out Click & Send, their rates for flat rate Australia wide for satchels and Aus Post boxes is the easiest way to add the postage to your listings. and the boxes are so cheap to send especially for heavy items which appear to be relevant to the items you are selling. . 

[shypansy]

Didn`t see your reply Dylan, but appears we are both thinking along the same lines 😄

[shypansy]

If a buyer is displeased about an extra $1 on postage and your paying extra for packaging I would include part of the postage cost into the price of the item, for an auction though it can't really be done at a 0.99c start price.

Maybe look into flat rate postage like 'click and send' boxes and satchels and the normal ones available from the post office so that you can give a price to start with.

The flat rate boxes are quite good for heavy large(ish) items although I am still unsure if they can be registered or "signed for" or insured.

Yes you can add Signature required, and extra cover when required to C&S, which is now the equivalent of registered post.   but for proof of postage only, you are not required to add signature required with C&S to satisfy paypal. 

[grevilleas4me]

in all my auctions i request they prospective buyer to contact me before bidding with postcode so i can get costs from the autralia post online website,

I must confess that as a buyer this really annoys me in a listing, the seller has the item, surely they can measure it and weigh it, and then use the option for calculated postage.

Also now that there is click and send, I want to buy from sellers who use it because the charges are so reasonable for flat rate boxes.   I often want to buy, but when I email the seller saying can you use the click and send option to save me postage, I get either no reply, or the reply that click and send is not available to all sellers.

Sometimes I have even offered to send a prepaid click and send label, so all they have to do is buy the right box, but meet resistance.   Perhaps sellers are so fond of their items they don't really want to sell?:-)

[*sparklz*]

grevilleas4me a lot of sellers are still not aware of the click and send so may not know what you mean.

[grevilleas4me]

I know, but I forgot to say above that when I email any seller about it, I always include the link so that they can read the click and send guide first

and just to go on a bit about request they prospective buyer to contact me before bidding with postcode so i can get costs from the autralia post online website  sometimes when it is an auction there is just not enough time to email the seller and get a reply.   If they don't want to use calculated postage even something like the parcel weighs 4 kg and is 30 x 20 x 20 and I add $2 for packing, would be helpful - I am quite capable of looking up the Australia Post calculator myself