Maybe I'm being as thick as a brick here but...

[lorraineash2012]

...how the hell are you supposed to work out correct postage?

Example. I've been selling items on eBay for over a year and have never had this problem. For the past few months I have been using Yodel as they worked out cheaper than Royal Mail, and have proven, so far, to be reliable. 

I have just sold an item on auction for £7.50 plus £2.69 (quoted by Yodel for 'Shoe Box Size, up to 1kg 45 x 35 x 16). The customer paid the postage. When I went to print the label, Yodel are trying to sting me £6.19. The customer is based in Scotland, so I can only assume that this is because it's classed as an 'outlying area' by Yodel. 

Maybe I am missing something here, but how can you set the postage correctly? You have to set the postage when you advertise the item, but obviously you have no idea where the customer is located until you sell it. So if that customer is in an 'outlying area' then your postage cost is very likely to go through the roof. Naturally, you cannot charge the customer more to cover it as they paid what you advertised.

I have sold between 150 and 200 items in that time, and I have never had this issue before. It's ridiculous.

[davrman]

You need to set up rate tables:

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/shipping-items/using-shipping-rate-tables?id=5459

This allows you to charge extra for more expensive areas.

[**peaseblossom**]

It would be the outlying area issue by the sound of it.   You can exclude specific areas here:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/ship/prf/excludeRegions

Or decide that as it is a rarity you just absorb the extra cost.    Or you could use Royal Mail that don't charge extra for any part of the UK.

[lorraineash2012]

Thank you very much for that. Looks like that would be an idea and I'll look into it. Much appreciated.

[sml192]

As you have discovered couriers charge extra for delivering to remote areas   Royal Mail, however, charge the same for all areas of the UK. 

You can set up 'Postage rate tables' for each area as has been suggested or exclude buyers in those areas from buying from you.

The simplest solution is to just use Royal Mail when you get a buyer in a remote area.  Make sure you let the buyer know that the item will be sent Royal Mail and not Yodel before doing so.  You should find that most buyers in remote areas will be more than happy for you to use Royal Mail as they will be well aware of the additional costs involved when sending to remote areas by couriers. 

[lorraineash2012]

Sounds very much like it yes, as the customer is in Scotland. A bit annoying nevertheless, but you live and learn. I have contacted the customer to ask if they'd be happy with RM. Am awaiting a reply, and if not, I'll go with Yodel and put it down to experience.

I may have to switch back to RM in this case then, but I stopped using then as they were more expensive, I have had greater (sales) success with Yodel as customers seem to prefer their costs, and RM also lost one of my items, although they did find it three weeks later(!)

Thank you to you and hcl_b (above) for your help on this. 

[lorraineash2012 · Accepted solution]

Yes, something I have just discovered, although I did know that it would be the case, I didn't really consider it. My own stupid fault. I've got a few items running on auction, that I'll let expire or in two cases at the moment, sell. Then I'll do a revamp.

It's odd, because I had a customer out in Northern Ireland, and the postage never increased from the mainland. Yet up to Scotland, and it's doubled.

I have contacted the customer as I mentioned previously, so I'll see what he says regarding RM. If he still insists on Yodel, then my bad, and I'll bear the extra cost and chalk it up to experience.

Much thanks for everybody's help and assistance.

Mark