Clarification Regarding Postage Charges and Delivery Delay

[ungu31]

Has anyone else experienced a buyer being asked to pay extra postage by Royal Mail, even though the correct postage was already paid through eBay?

I recently had a buyer contact me saying they were asked to pay £3.50 by Royal Mail to receive their item. However, the correct postage (£1.70) was already paid at the time of purchase, and the amount collected covers the shipping cost based on the item's weight.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation? Is this a common issue with Royal Mail, and what is the best way to handle it when a buyer assumes the seller is responsible?
Any advice would be appreciated—thanks in advance!

[tressygirl]

Don't know about a common issue with Royal Mail, it does happen there yes,  but seems to be happening more so now that this Simple delivery is upon us.

Was this a SD delivery?  If so can you remember if Marketplace Seller was on the label purchased?  If it was eBay are supposed to pick up and pay the difference as it is their error.

Not sure if this will work but contact eBay Customer Services and explain what has happened they may (should??) make that discretionary refund to you so you can reimburse the buyer,  which I would do anyway.

One tip contact CS only very first thing in the morning when the lines first open at 8 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m.  on weekends as there's more chance of Dublin answering and perhaps understanding a little more the workings of SD .

This is the easiest and quickest way to contact eBay Customer Services, for a Call Back option.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/eua?id=5275&mkevt=1&mkpid

Lines open 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. on weekdays

9 a.m. - 6 p.m. on weekends.

Automated agents will be available on chat outside of the above hours.

I recommend contacting CS first thing in the morning as there's more chance of Dublin answering.

@ungu31 

[jckl1957]

You sent the item as a Large Letter so it would have to be a padded envelope size item, less than 2.5cm deep.

That is not very deep at all and sellers can often get caught out by depending on weight alone and not being careful enough about the size of the package.

If an item is found to have the wrong postage on at the sorting office, it is delayed and can take two weeks or more to arrive.

With 535 new items for sale, and 222 new items recently sold, it is clear that you are trading and you need to upgrade to a business account as soon as possible.  You are breaking consumer law by having a 'no returns' policy and not displaying your business details on your listings.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sellercentre/selling/create-ebay-business-account