Postage overcharge

[andylennox2001]

Postage costs should be determined by the size and weight of the package, delivery service, and distance. However sellers are disregarding this and charging much much more!

[tressygirl]

Be aware,   there has been a massive change in how sellers now select and charge their postal options and charges,  it's called Simple Delivery.

Some sellers are waking up to see their correct charges changed to Simple Delivery,  and some charges are incorrect.

Sellers if not checking their items regularly and to be honest,  there's no need to,  may not realise this has happened perhaps until they sell an item.

It may not be the seller's fault here,  if you see incorrect postage charges on listings.

@andylennox2001 

[andylennox2001]

I take your point, however in a very recent instance, I asked the Seller why the charges were so high. The sarcastic response I had, did not address the issue or justify the postal cost. 

These are the recommended parcel prices for Simple Delivery;

up to 1Kg - 45x35x16cm - £2.94

up to 2Kg - 45x35x16cm - £3.71

up to 20Kg - 61x46x46cm - £7.19

The Seller wanted more than the highest price shown above!

The weight of the item I was hoping to get is 208 grams and dimensions are 18x108x8cm. Naturally I would want the item well packaged and expect to pay a litttle bit more for this, but the Seller is clearily profiteering!

[andylennox2001]

Sorry last part should have read;

The weight of the item I was hoping to get is 208 grams and dimensions are 18x10x8cm. Naturally I would want the item well packaged and expect to pay a litttle bit more for this, but the Seller is clearily profiteering!

[jckl1957]

If the seller is using Simple Delivery, they are not profiteering as they don't get the money for postsge.

Ebay set the price, collect and keep the payment for postage, and issue a label for the seller to use.

SD prices are higher if the seller chooses to only use one carrier.  So, if the seller deselects Evri and only uses Royal Mail for example, the price for postage is a bit higher.

As a buyer, you can clearly see how much you will be paying for the item plus postage and, if it is too pricey, you can find another seller.

[red_magpie]

I would want the item well packaged and expect to pay a litttle bit more for this

Just how much do you imagine that it costs to pack items properly?

You left feedback for one seller complaining that they had charged £1.44 to pack a £34 Scalexltric model car.

You have never sold anything here yourself. If you do, you will learn how much time, care and cost of materials it takes to pack things well enough to protect against rough handling in delivery. Have you ever read the Post Office guidelines on the standard of packing expected?

As for "who benefitted?" from this cost, you did if it was properly packed and delivered safely. The time to complain is when an item arrives damaged because the seller skimped on the packaging.

[andylennox2001]

They are not using Simple Delivery though, every item has the same postage cost.

[andylennox2001]

Wrong! I did not complain. I merely wanted to know who decides the postage costs.

I left positive feedback for this purchase, but simply queried the discrepancy between the actual postage cost (£3.95) and the amount charged (£5.39). I stated; "Not a large difference of £1.44, but someone is benefitting from it?".

My partner sells many of my items under her name on eBay, with (so far), no complaints. These are already in a strong Scalextric Jewel case and merely require a couple of winds of bubble wrap and a stout cardboard box. We wouldn't dream of charging for packing and materials. I know of no commercial companies that do so either.

[jckl1957]

But you listed the prices for Simple Delivery.

So, to send a RM Tracked 48 parcel is £4.05p from a Post Office.  That is how much I would pave to pay to send the item with the dimensions you described.

In my view, whatever you and your partner choose to do, unless they are using Simple Delivery, sellers can charge what they like for postage.

Most private sellers include a cost for packaging - nobody gives me free bubble wrap, padded envelopes or sellotape.

Why message a seller asking them about their postage prices?

If I go to Waitrose and their butter is too expensive, I don't ask them to justify the price, I go to Tesco.

Personally, if a potential buyer queried my postage costs, I would not bother to reply. I would ignore the message and block the bidder assuming they would buy from somebody else.

[andylennox2001]

I listed the price for Simple Delivery, because this gives us all an idea of what postage should be.

When private sellers are allowed to decide their own 'postage costs' to include packing, this leaves the eBay system open to abuse. This is precisely why I am highlighting the issue, as this was the case with my potential buyer.

You are condoning the situation with, 'sellers can charge what they like for postage'.

At present I can buy the following from Amazon;

100 m x 50 cm of Bubble wrap for under £10 (that's enough to wrap a house)!
25 Pack of 23 x 15 x 10cm Shipping Boxes for £23 (that is less than a £1 per box)!

Had my potential seller replied with a reasonable justification (for the additional £5 they wanted) and said I am supplying ' bubble wrap, padded envelopes or sellotape and also driving to the Post Office and wear and tear on my shoes' at a cost of £x then fair enough, but to pass this off as inflated postage is malpractice at the very least.

Your attempts (and red_magpie's) to help justify inflated postage is out of line.

[tobiasd4]

Simple answer is if you don't like postage cost, find a different seller.

[andylennox2001]

Yet another nonsensical answer. 

I must be on a different planet to you and the other pair of 'Mentors'

Ask yourself - is it alright to inflate a postage cost to make more money for yourself?

Are you not cheating your buyer?

You are in the same school as the other responders, use a loophole in the eBay service, exploit buyers, and it is OK as long as you don't get called out.

In my case the items on eBay are not usually available elsewhere, hence my interest at the initial auction price.

Buyers should build their packaging costs into their reserve auction price, not the postal cost!

[tobiasd4]

So you would pay £50 including postage, but not £30 for item and £20 postage?

Now who's being nonsensical!

[red_magpie]

I must be on a different planet to you and the other pair of 'Mentors'

You are. The reality of buying online is that sellers will always need to build delivery costs into the selling price, including the cost of time and materials for packing. Whether delivery costs are identified separately or included in the sale price "free delivery" is immaterial.

eBay's guidance on what sellers can charge for p&p (remember that the second "p" stands for packing!) is that it should not exceed the actual cost of postage plus the reasonable cost of time and materials for packing. Unfortunately, there have always been buyers on eBay who will quibble over even a nominal charge of a pound or so for packing. 

For private sellers the whole system is being overtaken anyway by eBay's problematic simple delivery scheme. As a buyer I would be more concerned that this has reduced much of the incentive for private sellers to pack things properly, and any saving achieved is likely to be more than offset by eBay's compulsory - and for low cost items, absurdly and disproportionately overpriced - new "buyer protection fee".