OVERPRICING OF POSTAGE

[shellyshelly40]

DOES ANYONE HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I WAS CHECKING OUT DVDS AND FOUND ONE SELLING FOR $3.00 AND THEN $8.00 POSTAGE. BOTH SELLER AND BUYER ARE IN BRISBANE. WHY CAN'T EBAY DO SOMETHING ABOUT REGULATING POSTAGE AS THERE ARE SELLERS OUT THERE THAT SELL THEIR GOODS FOR A SMALL PRICE AND THEN HIT YOU WITH UNBELIEVEABLE POSTAGE. THEY SHOULD BE AWARE THAT IT ONLY DRIVES A BUYER AWAY AND IT IS NO LONGER CLASSED AS A BARGAIN.

[jamimishke]

If the seller doesn't tell you the postage costs until after the buyer makes the purchase/s, only then the buyer can legally withdraw from the transaction.


Nope. if the seller doesn't tell you the postage cost prior to auction end then the buyer should NOT bid at all. The seller can charge whatever they like if the buyer does not check before bidding and the seller is within their rights to do so, whether the amount is fair or not.

I then replied to him told him his postage was way too expensive and asked for the dimensions so i could get a postage price i did this and the price is $115 US a big difference. what can you do in these situations where the Seller thinks he was hard done bye and tries to make money on the postage?

There is no point in reporting it to ebay. You agreed to whatever cost was charged by bidding on the item without knowing if the seller was going to agree to the amount that you thought was fair and that is what ebay will tell you.

Why would the seller agree to a mutual cancellation? You bid before you heard back from the seller so it is your obligation to pay. The seller will probably issue you with a non payment dispute and you will get a strike from ebay.

Next time, be sure to get postage quotes before you bid.

Well explained lily

[hardtopxa]

What really annoys me, is when a quoted price for post is given and when goods are received the post is up to half what was quoted..This is just padding the price of the goods. When you point this out to the seller they get all defensive or come up with some feeble excuse. I make sure I don't deal with them again.

[jamimishke]

quote mid="504163182"]What really annoys me, is when a quoted price for post is given and when goods are received the post is up to half what was quoted..This is just padding the price of the goods. When you point this out to the seller they get all defensive or come up with some feeble excuse. I make sure I don't deal with them again.[/quote]

This is sometimes true unfortunately and the postage descreptancy can be due to for example: giving a postage cost to cover your backside if someone buys from you that lives in Perth and you are in Sydey obviously that is dearer to post than if it was sent to a buyer living near you. In that case I actually put the money being overcharged in with the item. But you must also remember that it just not the price on the stamps that is involved in the postage costs as you will see time and time again if you read the posts from the begginig of this post.[

[jaybee_treasures]

Hi Guys, To try and get the postage right is a minefield for the seller. To ship an extra large parcel, ten to one you get it right, but there is the one that slips through which the PO do not measure and only weighs! In that case, I do a refund through Paypal which is very easy to do and I get the Paypal fee back too. If the postage is more, I am usually pay for it myself. (for large parcels it can go quite a bit more - I just refunded for overseas cause they only weighed and not measured) I found that with booklets, small pieces of clothing, you can tightly wrap it in Cling Wrap, put some sticky tape over it so it wont bulge out and stick it in a B4 envelope. Most of the time the postage will be between $1.10 and $1.60. So, to charge $2 flat rate is not much? The envelope cost aprox 30 - 45c. The clingwrap can add up and I use lots of cello to make the package secure. If you see the postage cost on the envelope, that is not all the cost we have. We pay for bubble wrap, cello, you have to source boxes - if too big, make it smaller with lots of cello, I use rubbish bags to cover the box for more protection. Most of the time I still only ask for the postage only cost. But, now I also put the weight/measurements on my description for the buyer to work it out too, so they can be more comfortable in assessing the postage themselves. Hope it helps 🙂

[writingcj]

If a listing doesn't have a postage & PACKING charge it is not necessarily going to be an overcharge. Buyers tend to forget the costs involved with packing and also fail to realise that the actual postage sticker may not include the registration and insurance amount, and certainly doesn't include other products.

BUY ON THE TOTAL PRICE - or take the risk of being ripped off.

[jamimishke]

Yes Jaybee re weight. I too put the weight on my description for small items such as Batteries and larger items such as blankets as the weight is way over what people would assume it costs and then they say it is "expensive postage". This way they can weigh it themselves.
I also put any overcharged coins in the package with a note explaining why I have returned money to them.I was a buyer for 4.5 years before starting to sell so see it from both sides. However I was not prepared for the reaction and feedback I received when I first sold. My items were free shipping for a couple of months, then I charged half the price of postage to get going. To my surprise I was not left 5 DSR points for postage and I also sent every item the minute it was paid. I had my computer on all day beside me,had $$ of assorted stamps and a post box a few houses down at the top of my street So let's figure that one out.
Going back to an earlier reference I made about sending to places further away yes we can all pick up the brochures regarding postage from any Australia Post Office. Not sure if it is the case in other states but here in Victoria the booklets are no longer to be used so if you are using those they are incorrect.
On these brochures they have a phone number which I used yesterday and I must say 5 STARS to Aust Post.
I had to send a blanket to USA the buyer asked for postage cost so I grabbed the brochure but still not sure(my first o/s buyer)rang the 1800 number for Aust Post. I was put on hold for about 1 minute and then told to leave details and they would make an apppointment to return my call at a time that I said. They DID exactly that and the lady told me the exact postage cost.All I had to tell her was where it was going and the weight. They no longer use dimensions (thank god for that, it is so time consuming).

So to help Victorians out go to the local P.O and get the 3 sheets, pink Aust Postage costs,blue international Postage costs and yellow Express,Courier Reg etc Post.

Sorry I can't help others in Australia but I would assume with the name AUST POST that it is probably the same for you too.

[ucem62]

Yes Overpricing is happening a lot of time I try to be reasonable with my postage and I do put on my check out that the price is high because of the amount of items. I queried it once on ebay but nothing happened. I am only a small ebayer but I am afraid I may be giving it up soon fees too high buyers not paying and then have to chase them for the money. Sick of it.

[falangatang]

Yes I agree that some sellers take advantage of postage costs. They should only charge what it cost them to post.

I think it would be a good idea if sellers are obligated to itemise the cost of postage in a special section on their description page or in the shipping/postage section.

E.g.
Bubble envelope $1, Stamps $1.10, Registered label $2.80, tissue paper 10c Total $5

One seller had a really nice Pandora bead I wanted but charged $10 for regular post (not even registered, that would be another $2.80 extra!!!).
As my total cost list above shows, it should not cost more than $5 for reg. post NOT $12.80!

I also questioned another seller about the high postage and was told that he added the eBay fees and the PayPal costs to the postage!
This should definitely be calculated into the selling price, NOT the postage cost!

I usually tell them that because their postage costs are too high, I 'm not interested in their item and won't be bidding on it. Such a shame... sometimes I'd have loved that specific bead or item, but the ridiculous charges for postage repel me!

go and buy anything of an online store and you will see price gouging by major companies on post costs, you also see it on tv offers, and on delivery costs of items bought in the shops.. all you moaners need to get a life and realise that its postage AND HANDLING.. what i used to say was if you want me to chuck it unwrapped into a letterbox from my house without me driving anywhere you can have it at post cost only, if you want it wrapped and taken, shut up or dont buy....

i never had anyone bail out of a sale, and could not care if they did.. some people want everything for nothing.. and more

If ebay REALLY cared a hoot there would be state by state postage choices, but there is not, because they do not

[saltpanbay]

you all make good points.I am a seller and buyer.I ALWAYS look at postage if I am a buyer,and ask if its not mentioned before I bid....but I have just had an interesting experience.I listed for sale for the first time, two items on ebay USA,with postage..from Oz to USA...but my bidder was from Italy!He didnt ask me what the cost would be,and yes it was a little more.So in good faith I posted it.

Not sure if I have done the right thing,but I have posted it,not told him,and asked for the extra few dollars.I feel he should have asked first before bidding....I dont know..It will be interesting to see if he pays me the few extra dollars.Shouldnt he have asked me before bidding?

[jamimishke]

you all make good points.I am a seller and buyer.I ALWAYS look at postage if I am a buyer,and ask if its not mentioned before I bid....but I have just had an interesting experience.I listed for sale for the first time, two items on ebay USA,with postage..from Oz to USA...but my bidder was from Italy!He didnt ask me what the cost would be,and yes it was a little more.So in good faith I posted it.

Not sure if I have done the right thing,but I have posted it,not told him,and asked for the extra few dollars.I feel he should have asked first before bidding....I dont know..It will be interesting to see if he pays me the few extra dollars.Shouldnt he have asked me before bidding?

You have been very generous by posting it but you won't make money if you have to take it out of your own pocket. If the buyer sends you the balance it's a win for you but I can't see this if you didn't tell the buyer.

I have on my listings that any international bidders MUST email me first as postage is different to some parts of the world. If they don't email me and win a buy it now item I email them with the cost of postage.I then ask them to immediately pay with PayPal or reply if they don't want to go ahead with the transaction I then open a dispute to cancel the transaction. I also state in my listings if you have a zero feedback the buyer is to contact me before bidding then I can cancell their bid if I am not convinced they are genuine.

eBay will give you the persons details and with this I phone them to see if they are the real deal. It is hard to know what's right but I find this works for me. I did this as I had 9 unpaid bidders all with zero feedback in 13 days and 2 international buyers as well.
Hope this helps a bit but please don't send anything until it is fully paid for and also if you are not sure how much to charge for international put in your description the buyer must email you first.

There are a few very dedicated people on the forums who will have better advise than me so hopefully they will see this and help you. But as I said this works for me until I learn allot more. Regards