Combined postage

[gazzer666]

I won 3 items from a seller, The 1st I paid for immediately as it was several days ago & item received. 
I had contacted the seller before bidding to ask if I won 2 or 3 items would they post in one package for 1 amount of postage which they agreed. I told them I paid seperate postage for 1st item so as not to make them wait 5 days. 

Yesterday  the other 2 auctions ended so I asked seller for an  invoice. 
This is the gist of the reply. 
I’ve been away and my brother has been taking over my accounts - I’ve checked with him and he’s already posted your last item . He’s also wrapped everything separately (attempting to do a good deed), so i will be unable to combine postage now… Huge apologies for the inconvenience x

I have told seller to cancel one of the 2 auctions as I don't want to pay over £7 for 2 lots of baby clothes as they are for a friend who is really struggling. I would have not bid the amount on the 2 items that I did if they had not agreed to send for one amount of postage. The items will 100% fit in one parcel. 

Do you tthink this is fair for me to ask for auction to be cancelled when seller not honouring what was agreed prior to bidding? 

[tressygirl]

Personally,  I think your question is fair.  I have in the past packed 2 items promptly, then having one toe nearly out of the door and buyer comes back and asks , could I please combine postage sending them together.

It's a minor / no problem, to unpack and repack, well it doesn't happen every day ,and a good seller would oblige.

Nothing to enforce them to do this, hopefully they'll say yes and cancel one order, but if they're not a registered UK business, sounds not,  then they do not have to.

[**peaseblossom** · Accepted solution]

Of course it's fair.   As you say, you only bid because the seller agreed to combine postage and now they're wriggling out of it.   Bad selling practice.

[gazzer666]

I only bid the amount I did because of the postage being 'combined'. I asked prior to bidding on any of the items rather than just assuming. I felt it was wrong to make seller wait another 5 days until the other 2 auctions ended. I also messessaged seller within minutes of yesterdays auction end. I would not have won both auctions that both went to my maximum BUT my maximum was higher due to combined postage. 

[a45heaven]

I have this issue often since the ludicrous directive of insisting on payment within 4 days, followed up with reminders every day after.

For the seller Its not easy holding paid for items until later auctions end - ebay slap you for late dispatched, so you have to mark items as dispatched when they have been agreed to be held - so a physical method of retaining the items awaiting the agreed other items are realised.

Ebay do not want combined postage - they make more on separate packages with individual postages. And be dammed about what the buyer and seller agree, and environmental issues - profits speak louder.

[a45heaven]

Do you feel ebays rules contribute to the situation?

If payment made, Dispatch by dates for the seller or slap, 4 days delay on awaiting payment and a potential strike for the buyer.

There are ways around it, but mistakes can happen, yes by all means cancel the later items - or the seller can reduce postage (which would be the preferred option id take if i messed up) - customer relations are important, nurture them.

[gazzer666]

The other scenarios did not happen in this situation. 
I messaged seller to ask if I won 2 or 3 auctions could they combine postage to one amount to send in one package. I did this before bidding on auctions & seller agreed. 1 auction ended 5 days before the other so when I notied I paid at auction end (and messaged seller. I was not sent any reminders a I paid on the day of that auction end. 
Yesterday the 2 other auction items ended so I messaged seller for the combined invoice to which she then refused. I am not happy at paying £7.38 for 2 items that will easily fit into 1 small parcel. They are baby clothes so not heavy either. Why have they sealed parcels before I have even paid? If brother has access to get my address on ended auctions he also has access to messages. Also when I messaged her 6 days ago she did not mention that she would be away! I think it is a lie TBH  

[a45heaven]

The scenario as you out line seems to favour yourself - prepacked items ? unless they are simply selling on for someone else?

Its a shame sellers and buyers aint respectful of each others needs, especially if dialog had been had.

As you will probably end up being  a none payer if you carry through with your thoughts , ebay will punish you ( yes very unfair, but its the shape of the automated platform now a days) - returning items is very easy these days on ebay though - check the item description before paying and see if you can find  a loop hole, its very easy now with AI descriptions, and maybe the seller will agree to cancel?

[gazzer666]

The items are baby clothes. One in a small gift box the other (vests) loose

[a45heaven]

You seem to be the wronged one then -  its down to ebay now

[magpiecorner1]

Definitely not fair, because eBay will give a defect to the seller for not posting after the item has been paid for.

Was a time when it was easy to just hold items.  These days it's extremely difficult.

So apologise to the seller for getting upset about this, and suck up the cost, because any actions could result in you getting defects.   Learn the lesson though, work with the seller and it can, quite often, be done.

The thing to have done is to have got confirmation of combining postage from the seller and then you should NOT PAY.  Ok, you will get a heap of emails reminding you to pay, sent by eBay and not your seller.

The other thing is if you pay separately for items but want combined postage, it will cost your seller more than if you simply hold payment and ask for a combined invoice.

Probably not what you want to hear, I actually hold items, but it's the devil's own work combining postage if one of the items is paid for, and most sellers wouldn't know how to get around eBay rules.  Tests my brain sometimes, and I'm an experienced seller!

[geosacha007]

You are in the right. Sellers should not renege on agreement made before you bid.

This effectively makes the items not as described.  If the seller takes out an unpaid item case against you you should contact ebay and ask for it to be removed.

[papso22]

While this is all very silly of the seller, unless they are a making money on the postage,  and as long as they do post all three items separately,  they are not gaining by their apparant inability to go through with the agreement. 

[gazzer666]

The seller did not hold the items. There were 3 auctions. 
i asked about combined postage BEFORE I placed any bids & seller agreed to post up to 3 items for one amount of postage. I bid on 2 items then 1 finished 5 days before the other 2 items I was interested so I paid for that item (includibg postage) rather than making seller wait & seller posted and item has arrived.

The other 2 items finished day before yesterday so I asked selleer for an invoice for the 22 items that had now ended & that is when seller refused to combine stating items had been packaged seperately & couldn't combine. 
I asked her to cancel one of the 2 items as I did not want to pay 2 lots of postage for 2 small items. I bid higher based on the £3.69 saving for combined postage  (that was agreed prior to bidding) . 
She has cancelled using buyer asked for cancellation - I did BUT only because she changed the goal posts over combining postage. 

As for seller being penilised for not posting quickly - ridiculous idea Ebay as some sellers list as sent then don't send for several days anyway. I would rather have a genuine expectation as to when item will arrive rather than wondering if item is missing. 

[magpiecorner1]

The problem arose because you paid for one of the items - you put the seller on the clock to dispatch, which they did - because if they hadn't they would have had a defect!

What you should have done is not paid, then the buyer could have sent you a combined invoice for all items with a single postage amount.

Your last paragraph shows that you haven't understood the situation you put your seller in - it may be ridiculous but it is eBay rules.  The seller will be penalised for not posting - you can hold off sending until the last date that eBay shows - which depends on the seller settings - so I have two days to send because I have 2 day despatch on most items - but not many have a five or six day despatch.  Do you realise that defects can mean that the seller will end up paying over 40% more in fees - for a year!  

So, as I said, the the lesson to learn is to not pay until you have won all the auctions - of course that is hoping the seller doesn't have automatic settings  (and eBay does a great deal automatically without the sellers knowledge) to cancel orders after 4 days, which gives the buyer a defect and can prevent you buying in the future.

So let it go, learn the lesson, call eBay whatever you like, eBay has no feelings and makes millions, but don't have a go at a seller - selling on eBay is blummin' hard and you have now learned a lesson which will help you the next time!

[sml192]

The OP paid for the first item separately specifically so that the seller wouldn't have to delay posting that item, and messaged them to explain, so that is not the cause of the problem. 

[four_mid_able]

"I’ve been away and my brother has been taking over my accounts"

which basically means the account holder should stand by whatever the person looking after things agreed to.

If i were the seller i would have stood by the deal and done a fairer deal on p+p as had been agreed to before buyer bid.I would have been out of pocket but a deal is a deal is it not.

[ett1954]

I agree with @four_mid_able 

Any good seller should live with their mistakes, and learn from them.  We all make mistakes; it's how you deal with them that counts.

[gazzer666]

Plus they would not have been out of pocket as postage was £3.69 per item nd both auctions would have fitted one small parcel by size & weight. 

[gazzer666]

Not really sure what the 'mistake' was? 

1 enquired about 3 items prior to bidding & asked if I could have one postage amount for 2 or 3 items to be sent in 1 parcel if I was sucessful in winning more than 1 auction. Seller agreed. 

I then bid on 3 items but 1st auction ended 5 days before the other 2 items I was bidding on. 
I messaged seller to say paid seperately for 1st item so they didn't have to wait around for the other auctions to finish (on same day as each other).
After other 2 auctios ended I asked for an invoice to pay for the 2 items with 1 postage amount & 1 package. Seller refused to honour combined postiage once both auctions ended. 
There is NO MISTAKE. 
I asked seller to cancel 2nd item I won which she has done. The items were baby clothes - vests so not large or heavy & a baby gift set again not large or heavy.  Both items would have easily made a small parcel with size & weight so seller would not have been out of pocket.