Postage and packing costs, private seller. If it Ain't broke, DON'T fix it!!

[claywoodrover]

I am a private seller on ebay in the UK.

In all my time on ebay I have NEVER, EVER used any pre - paid labels for sending items.

I ALWAYS post the items in a letter or a Parcel, most usually via Royal Mail.

Recently ebay have Imposed this pre-paid lark on to my seller account, so I am now totally out of pocket for items that I have sent.

I Do NOT have acess to pre-paid envelopes nor QR codes. I do NOT have a smart phone, nor do I want to have one.

I have been on the phone to ebay and told them their latest policy is Insane.

A recent book I sent, via Royal Mail, cost me £3.70 to send  and I DIDN'T receive any postage costs from ebay. 

Instead, and here is the INSANE part....ebay have refunded the buyer, the postage costs of £2.70 or so, for some INSANE reason.

The Buyer has the Book. I have a photograph of the tracking...showing the item delivered to the Buyers letter box....and not only has ebay NOT sent me ANY postage cost for the item....but have Refunded the Buyer!!

I have been a long time ebay private seller...but I told them on the phone just now, that Tens and Hundreds of thousands of customers, sellers and buyers are going to LEAVE them...unless they change and re-set their INSANE policies immediately.

[61stephenuk]

Simple delivery is compulsory for private sellers unless the item is in eBays exclusions.

Any refunds are issued to whoever paid for the postage,free postage (seller pays) you can claim the refund with tracking,buyer pays postage then buyer is refunded if the label isn't used.

If you don't have a smartphone you can print a label,if you don't have a printer you can arrange a collection by Royal Mail https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Postage/Make-your-mind-up-on-delivery-options-ebay/m-p/7930418#M6470... or you can get a numerical code to enter at an Evri shop to get the label

[style_wise]

You are not alone in feeling like this about Simple Delivery. There's a lot to unpack in your post, and these topics are covered extensively on these boards, so here are the brief highlights:

£2.70 SD cost is for Tracked 48 Royal Mail Large Letter 100g. Almost all SD label prices are cheaper than equivalent over the counter cost to you.

Unused SD labels - When a Buyer pays for an SD label that is not used, the Buyer receives a refund automatically within 30 days. If you change your listings to Seller Pays for the SD label, then you will receive any refund for unused labels. To do this use your own tracked service instead, update the tracking, and apply to eBay for a refund within 14-days.

Many of your items are under £20. Do you know these are now eligible for Custom Postage and don't need to be sent via SD? To do this: Set the price, make sure your Simple Delivery is set to Large Letter size, and CP option should activate. Using CP you can set any size or weight (not just LL).

No smartphone - Many Sellers are using SD without a smartphone, usually by printing the SD label. No printer either? You may substitute your own courier (see above), or writing down the EVRI code and taking it in to a branch printer, or book a Royal Mail collection where RM prints the label for you upon collection.

I used to feel the way you do, but now I appreciate SD because it protects Sellers better. Also it's attractive for Buyers because the SD tracked service is cheaper compared to a lot of what you are offering now. More importantly, if an SD parcel is late / damaged in transit / lost then eBay refunds the Buyer and you keep the money. eBay also protects you from Negative or Neutral feedback in these instances. And SD parcels are automatically insured for up to £750.

Good luck finding the courier method that's right for you!