eBay Plus and Postage Refunds

[thebossesaccount]

Had an interesting case today where a buyer purchased 3 separate items, each with a postage cost of $10.00 - total postage paid by customer $30.00. 

As per normal, once we packaged the order and calculated the postage, we refunded the buyer the differece between what the buyer paid and the actual cost.

Buyer then contacted us to kindly advise that under the eBay Plus plan they did not in fact pay any postage.  Rather eBay themselves paid the postage.

Rang eBay to ask how are we to know if the buyer paid the postage (and entitled to a refund) or is the buy an eBay Plus member did eBay?  Response - you cannot.

Bit of a wierd situation and fraught with danger

[the_2nd_zoo]

If you go into SellerHub and in the Orders section click all orders and you can search for orders by several ways including email, title and ebayplus.

[allfixelectrical]

If the buyer paid postage for each item and paid for them as separate transactions then you should send them as separate parcels each with their own tracking, otherwise you leave yourself wide open for two item not received disputes which would be impossible to win as there would only be one tracking number.

Nothwithstanding that reason, it is against ebay and paypal policy to combine orders that were purchased and paid for separately, probably for the same reason.

[davewil1964]

eBay's systems make it difficult to impossible to combine postage pre-payment.

I send by the cheapest applicable method and refund the difference.

I've never had a complaint, much less been scammed. In fact, buyers often note in their feedback that I have refunded  them excess postage.

[countessalmirena]

Spoiler

seller gave me too much money back in excess postage refund - now my purse burst because of all the extra coins. - buyer: w***a

               davewil - am sending you new purse by special delivery

                    w***a - seller still didn't charge for purse. New purse still too full! Charge me, charge me!

[davewil1964]