(New Seller). Buyer offered a price '+ postage' but I only got the price offered, not postage

[pe_st_ja]

I'm new to selling on eBay, just the odd private sale.

This is two points in one really.

I had a heavy item (25 kg or so) for sale for £85 with free postage.  A buyer offered £65 and in the ebay dashboard it said the offer was:  '£65 + postage'.  eBay had earlier said the cost of the postage option I chose would be £8, so making the offer £73 - I accepted.

But eBay only paid me the £65 and the postage turned out to be £14 which I had to pay.  That's a lot of difference.  For an item I listed at £85, I would have got £73 but actually only got £51 (all before eBay take their cut).

So my first question is;   is this normal?  When a buyer makes an offer does it always say '+ postage'?   To me an offer of:  '£65 + postage'  means the buyer will be charged the postage.  But they weren't, I had to pay it.

Second question is; when the automatic postage selection page shows an option costs, say, £8, but the next day it charges £14 for the same postage option, is that normal, too?  If so why do they bother telling you the cost of an option if it's just not true?

  Am I missing something because I'm just new to selling?

Thanks.

[plum993 · Accepted solution]

You offered free postage with best offer,so the buyer would only pay the best offer price accepted on the sold listing

Usually items come with postage,so if a buyer buys with best offer they have to add on the postge cost to the best offer price.

Ebay postage is not 100% and can differ in price,and your under no obligation to use it,so can use any postal method you want,either buying direct online,or at your local post office.

[pe_st_ja]

Thanks.

  So usually the 'offer + postage' would be the case but because I was offering free postage I still had to pay it.  That's fine but it seems misleading when eBay sent me a message saying I'd been offered 'offer + postage'.  Well, I've learned for  nextime.

 And it looks like we'd be better off not buying postage through eBay, just going direct to the courier.

Thanks again for your answers.