Buyer says they have to pay additional postage costs

[markajp52]

Buyer has contacted me saying they're having to pay an extra £3.50 for an out of date stamp (no idea what that is) and another £3.50 for incorrect weight before they can collect. There have now been two failed delivery attempts on this package.

I took this and another package to my usual post office who weigh the parcels. One has been delivered with no issue.

My question is who's responsible and what happens if the buyer fails to collect? Obviously my funds are also on hold because of the way the way payments have changed. 

I've sent the buyer a photo of the post office receipt.

Thanks.

[tressygirl]

Post Office stamps do come off if not stuck on firmly, they can be pulled off when thrown into those rough grey postal sacks.  You can send this excess postage paid by the buyer to the buyer,  either via a partial refund, or a  PayPal Friends and Family  payment.

If you have tracking to show attempted delivery,  eBay counts this as a ' delivery' entering the tracking into any case the buyer opens will close it in your favour, no need to refund.

@markajp52 

[markajp52]

Thanks

So if a delivery has been attempted (twice on this parcel, yesterday and today) then it should give a date when it is in the Ebay balance? But it just says 'funds pending awaiting delivery'. The current status on this shows 'available for redelivery or collection'.  

The other parcel which was received yesterday shows item as delivered and funds available on the 15th.

[john1297576]

I suspect that attempted delivery merely protects you against claims of not received. I doubt it counts as delivered for release of funds.

Out of date stamps. Did you use old stamps, before the issue of the current issue? They should have been sent for replacement a long while ago.

[markajp52]

It doesn't look like it as there is no date for release of funds. Basically I'm at the mercy of the buyer. 

[markajp52]

I don't use stamps, I just hand over the parcel at the P.O and they weigh it and stick the postage label on.

[tressygirl]

When not using my little village PO, sometimes I use the large general Post Office in town.  Once there a PO worker showed me the inside one of those grey postal sacks,  it had 4 postage stamps stuck to the bottom. They'd been pulled off, parcel then went through system with no stamp and excess presumably to be paid on receipt.

If attempted delivery which does help in an item not received case may not help with the new Buyer Protection, to be honest I've not seen anything to say it does or doesn't help with the new Buyer Protection Fees,  you may here need to wait 14 days for that payout. 

@markajp52 

[red_magpie · Accepted solution]

Basically I'm at the mercy of the buyer.

It's not your buyer's fault that their postage was underpaid. In fact, it's your buyer who's at your mercy, as they're entitled to receive their item for the price paid. They don't have to pay a delivery surcharge and can refuse to accept it if underpaid. If the stamps fell off or it was incorrectly charged at the PO, it's your responsibility to resolve this with the issuing Post Office.

IMO the sensible thing to do would be to ask them to send you a copy of the overpayment notice, and send the buyer the sum required to collect it.

If you refuse to do this, unless you cancel and refund through eBay the buyer can open a case for a full refund under eBay's money back guarantee. The production of their underpayment notice should ensure that they win this. It wouldn’t reflect well on you as a seller to force them to claim a refund through eBay, which they would probably reflect when leaving feedback

[markajp52]

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

[markajp52]

Took your advice, messaged the buyer and offered to pay the extra and then take up the matter with Royal Mail. He admitted he got it wrong. It was another sellers package that was underpaid.