Ebay prices for Royal Mail are WRONG

[nylonsinc]

I have selected posting of small items via Royal Mail based the option ebay offer (based in supplying the correct size and weight) and multiple Royal Mail post offices are rejecting them as 'UNDERPAID'.  For other items they did accept, Royal Mail sent the buyers demands that the postage had been UNDERPAID and wanted them to pay more. And of course, you cant actually complian to ebay.

It was so much easier when we just posted an item by ourselves and not have Ebay insert themselves in the process and screw it all up.  Is anyone else finding this?  Time to switch to a competitor.

WHAT IS GOING ON EBAY?

[m25jet]

Although I gave up selling on eBay when they got rid of PayPal and brought in eBay Managed Payments, I do have some suggestions that may work, so long as eBay haven't changed things too dramatically since I last sold on eBay.

If eBay's postage options are resulting in the items being declared as underpaid by the Post Office, with your buyers then being asked to pay the shortfall, perhaps it would be easier to do some research as to how much postage you will need to pay for each item based upon its packed up weight and the overall dimensions of the package that the item is being sent in, then once you've worked that out incorporate the postage and packing costs into the asking price, or into the starting price if listing the item as an Auction listing, and set the listing up as offering free postage.  That way your buyers can't complain about being overcharged on postage, and it also gets rid of eBay's unwanted interference with regards to the postage costs.

If you decide to take this advice it might be worth revising your current listings to incorporate the above suggestion so as to minimise the chances of your buyers contacting you to say that they have been told by the Post Office that you underpaid on the postage and that they've got to pay the outstanding amount.  If you can eliminate this problem then you should also be able to eliminate the chances of receiving negative feedback relating to an underpayment of the postage costs when the item was sent out.

[kempseykate]

I only use LL >250g and  Tracked 48, both those show the correct price for size and weight. Can you give an example of a size/weight that had the wrong price?

Also, if you print the labels off ebay, it doesn't actually show a price, so how do the PO/RM know it's underpaid?
Are you looking up the price on ebay labels, but sticking stamps on instead? If so, that is where you are going wrong, there are different prices for online and over the counter.

[a45heaven]

Why do you have ebay involved?

The local Post Office works well, and you are guaranteed to pay the correct price, and have a delivery schedule provided by the company delivering the item. If required the P.O. staff will check weights and dimensions.

I use Drop & Go which takes out the queueing in the P.O. but those deserving of the postage payment receive it for doing their function.

[nylonsinc]

I agree, I dont want ebay involved, but there is no option to select that I will post it.

[nylonsinc]

Thats a great idea. Yes, I am very familiar with Royal Mail and sending parcels, and using their calculator. Thats how I know EBay are under charging postage. Where can you select 'Free Postage' ?  I have just looked at putting up an item and I cant see anywhere to select that? 

[nylonsinc]

They scan the label from ebay and then refuse the package saying it is underpaid. Its usually because of the dimensions for the price, even though ebay said it was the right price for the those dimmensions. Thats why I said ebay have got it wrong.

[kempseykate]

I always measure the parcel and put the exact measurements in - I have never had a problem.
Is it Large Letter or Parcel sizes that are the problem?

[nylonsinc]

I just put up another item to try out your suggestion. There is nowhere to select 'Free Postage'.  If I dont select any form of postage but just change the postage to £0.00, when posted it says Free 'collection by Evri'. It seesm there is no way you can take items to the post office and pay what they want yourself anymore.

[m25jet]

Unfortunately from what you say it would appear that things have changed quite a bit since I last sold anything on eBay.  When I last sold anything on the site there was the option to select Free Postage and choose which company you would be sending the item with.  However, what you could do in order to get around the problem would be to forget about listing with free postage for now, put something like 50p as the postage cost, then include the remainder of the balance of the postage costs in the asking price for the item, or the starting price should you decide to set the listing up using the Auction format.  At least that way your buyers would think they were getting a bargain on the postage costs, especially if the Royal Mail didn't send them a notification that the item had been sent out with underpaid postage, which they wouldn't do if all of the postage costs had been absorbed into the listing and you posted the item out having paid the full amount required in order to post the item to the buyer.

[carl-uk]

I don’t understand this at all.

Looking at your sold items, you have overcharged the buyers postage on most of your items.

Why would it cost £3.50 to post a “Sample card”? £5.25 to post a blouse??

So how on earth do you end up underpaying the postage?

[nylonsinc]

Buyers are not overcharged, the 'postage' covers posting price AND packaging (envelopes, boxes, bubble wrap, etc., and not free) AND handling (the petrol to get to a post office is not free) AND time (or do you work for free?), all of which some buyers think is free. In addition, some items prices have been reduced and the postage increased slightly intentionally to try and sell it, depending on what it is. Also some of those sold items are the ones that the post office claimed were underpaid. You need to ask Ebay and Royal Mail how I 'underpaid' postage, as I am paying (to ebay) what ebay says and then at the post office they reject it and you cant contact ebay any way to ask them why?

[carl-uk]

In my opinion, as both a buyer and seller, yes they are being overcharged for postage.
You may technically be right that you can incorporate those costs into your postage charge. (Except for time. As a private seller you cannot charge for your time, as that would make you a business seller.) It doesn’t mean you should. Many buyers will be put off because of it. I even hate it when I have to pay an extra 50p for postage because the seller won’t buy online postage, and has to pay more at the post office. But I understand that at least. Try charging me £5.50 for a piece of clothing that I know I could post for £1.90 (+ about 10p for packaging), and I won’t buy from you.

“You need to ask Ebay and Royal Mail how I 'underpaid' postage”
No, you need to figure it out. I don’t know what system in eBay you are using that you claim is making you underpay, but at the end of the day making sure you use the correct postage is your responsibility. eBay will not rush to take the blame and defend you, even if it is genuinely their fault. (And you certainly shouldn’t expect it to get fixed any time soon.) Your seller rating will be the only thing to lose out.

I just work out what service it will be based on the dimensions and weight (it isn’t difficult – there are lots of guides and even tools to help, like PIP measuring devices), and then I charge accordingly. I’ve not had a single problem this way.

I’m not saying any of this to criticise, but to point it all out to you. But you can take in any way you like. As of this post, I’m done with this community, as I’ve quickly realised it’s lots of effort and little reward. So none of this affects me.
Good luck to you.

[nylonsinc]

EIther you havent read what I posted properly, or are trying to imply I am stupid, which believe me I am not. I said a number of times, I am very careful to give the right weight and dimensions. I have been sending parcels domestically and overseas for over 40 years and NEVER had an issue with underpaying postage, until now, with ebay putting themselves in between the sellers and Royal Mail. As soon as I realised this is a mess created by ebay and you cant talk to them to resolve it, I realised I am done with selling on ebay once Ive sold these batch of items. For now Ive already switched nearly everything to courier. 

[steveandhelen]

You are totally correct. The same has happened to me. The ebay page for postage prices are always under the true Royal Mail prices and thus some of my items weren't getting to the buyer.

I'm using Royal Mail prices all the time now and they collect from your door and bring the postage stamp with them each time so happy days.

[uma_yal]

Agreed this has just happened to me. I selected the right weight and size. Not the item has been purchased and when I go to select the label it’s far more expensive. Very annoying. 

[rozasty123]

We are having the same problems. Royal Mail are very wrong. We are having to pay the whole price of postage not even the top up! This is as the seller.

[613lesw]

Not sure abay will let you finalize listing if not completing the postage step, which they make you choose something.

[myriad*seller]

Sounds like you aren't putting in the correct dimensions and weight of the **packaged** item in when you are listing

This is how eBay calculates the postage, based on YOUR dimensions and weight that you enter into the listing 

If they are constantly underweight you need to get new scales or a new tape measure to check your parcel sizes

The dimensions and weight must be those of the item AFTER you have packaged it,  not just the size and weight of the item you have listed

Have you perhaps mistakenly used the item dimensions and weight rather than the weight and dimensions of the item once actually packaged up to send? 

[uma_yal]

Am using exact weight and dimensions of what’s being sent. The auto price for a parcel on eBay is lower than that on RM. So when it comes to purchasing the label there aren’t enough funds and I’m forced to top it up out of pocket.