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?

[a45heaven]

when are ebay sending out the scales , phone, and a printer so sellers can jump to ebays new tune?

[myriad*seller]

How did you calculate postage costs when you listed items before? 

You're an established seller, you know how to weigh and measure things for posting

You don't need a printer, the postman brings me my labels when he collects the parcels 

[613lesw]

Not sure what is meant by is is based on - YOUR dimensions and weight that you enter - as cannot see when you get the chance to enter your own dimensions and weight on the sellers page if sending via Royal Mail.   I just can see you have to choose a preset given by ebay  for Royal mail, or choose a different courier and input your own postage charge, which is not ideal, when you are in fact sending it by Royal mail.   I took an item to the post office this  week, which weighed well under 1 kg, around 30 cm on longest side, and was just a little too wide to fit through the letterbox (as checked by the person at post office counter) -so small package -  charge £3.95  -Tracked 48 (tracked of course needed to proved delivery). How on earth ebay comes up with a postage price with Royal Mail that is around a quid less, for items p to 61 cm length and up to 1 kg, is beyond me.

[a45heaven]

How did you calculate postage costs when you listed items before? 

You're an established seller, you know how to weigh and measure things for posting

i know what a package holds - and as such know the weight band's  cost value.

You don't need a printer, the postman brings me my labels when he collects the parcels 

Im old fashioned in that im doing what i can to preserve my local Post Office, i need it for other platforms increasing sales that require mailing, and for banking needs since local banks closed due to low usage.

As the OP suggests, errors are rife on this ailing platform - what makes anyone think its fit for purpose ?

Glitches will just result in delays in releasing payments to the sellers, do you really think ebay care about that?

When was the last time ebay appologised for their errors or failures, let alone offer compensation.

.

[fargvs]

Check out >  Seajay's Home  <  for an excellent Royal Mail  postage calculator giving maximum sizes/weights/costs permitted for Domestic and International Postages.

[porte2425]

Royal Mail have 2 sets of prices - Online and Stamps. eBay use the Online prices.

(Both have their own guides with the correct prices, and can be downloaded in PDF form from Royal Mail’s website. Just make sure to check announcements for price increases periodically, and download the latest copy.)

Online prices are cheaper, as it is a more automated system, so saves Royal Mail time and money. They are, unsurprisingly, only available to buy online.

eBay use these Online prices because they are showing you correct prices for purchasing an online postage label from them. And, in my experience, eBay’s postage costs have always matched up to Royal Mail’s Online prices.

eBay’s postage costs will not match up if you use stamps or purchase a postage label from a Post Office (except for the 3 cheapest services, as they are the same price either Online or Stamps).

[porte2425]

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@613lesw wrote:

I took an item to the post office this  week, which weighed well under 1 kg, around 30 cm on longest side, and was just a little too wide to fit through the letterbox (as checked by the person at post office counter) -so small package -  charge £3.95  -Tracked 48 (tracked of course needed to proved delivery). 

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I have no idea where that £3.95 figure would come from. It should be £3.39 in eBay. If you are saying that's what you paid at your Post Office, then I don't see how. You cannot buy Tracked 48 from a Post Office. The Tracked services are for online purchase only. It should have cost £3.75 for an untracked Small Parcel service to be purchased from a Post Office. It would have been £5.15 for a tracked service – i.e. signed for - purchased from a Post Office.

[a45heaven]

The Tracked services are for online purchase only. 

Sorry no - i use Tracked 24 thru Drop & Go at my Local Post Office - the only online bit for me is topping up my D&G account.

I dont compare what ebay offer on postage , they aint a delivery company so why would I?

[porte2425]

Drop & Go is a prepay service from the Post Office. It has nothing to do with this topic. By your own admission, “I dont compare what ebay offer on postage”, so I do not understand why are you commenting on this topic, when it is about eBay’s prices for postage appearing different to Royal Mail’s.

[wyntersemporium]

Don’t use eBay’s postage go straight to Royal Mail instead 

[brainuk]

What's wrong with them? Seems all fine to me.

[esoxblades]

I agree also that I don't want EBay involved in postage costs.  They are getting it so wrong and do not account for the cost of shipping materials nor the actual value of an item.

I have been with EBay for close to 25 years.  If they want people to sell more (free listings etc) they need to stop interfering with postage costs.  When you are a private individual (not an EBay business) such fine margins on posting creates issues with buyers, costs and ultimately margins.  The other aspect is EBay telling "I must post today" (this was on a Sunday - so good luck with that).  Fortunately, most Buyers are quite relaxed and am able to let them know that when I write in the description "Only post at weekends"  that I really do "Only post at weekends".

My recommendation is for EBay to invite my company in to do a little Red Teaming and Pre-Mortem on their postal aspects.

[wyntersemporium]

As soon as you print out it marks it as sent the same day. I prefer using click and collect post office come to the house to pick up. And get mine from Royal Mail 

[clearingmyshelves2025]

Seajay's are a year out of date as of 10 March 2025. Still showing prices for 2023 when they went up last year.

[angierobin]

Me too - I was out of pocket by nearly £2!