Combine postage, simple delivery

[michaelcarp]

I just sold 2 items to the same person, using simple delivery, postage has not been combined.

I have checked my settings and there is no option to combine postage, not is there a way to combine postage on postage page either.

Is there a way to combine postage as a private seller?

[akemp1]

Sadly the wretched SD doesn't support combined postage yet so your options are to either post two packages, combine into one and whoever paid for the postage (depending on if you offered free shipping on your listing) might get a refund (there seems to be a new SD claim form where you can put the tracking reference in of the label that it was sent with) or agree with the buyer that you will cancel the orders and relist as a combined listing if they wanted to save the postage. If you cancel the orders then I'd suggest cancel with 'problem with buyer's address' reason to avoid a defect on your seller account.

[tressygirl]

At the present time, combining postage is not possible with Simple Delivery. eBay say they are aware of this technical issue and are working on it,  though the fix does seem a long time coming !  

If postage was purchased though Simple Delivery and you now post all the items together the buyer will receive a refund for the unused labels they paid for, might be worth sending them a message explaining this,  and that it may take up to / over 30 days for the refund to appear.

If ' Free Postage' was offered,  then it's up to you how much you wish to refund as I'm presuming you added the postal charge to the item price.

Some sellers are leaving a message on their listing,  for example.....   ' If you wish to buy multiple items,  please let me know before buying,  I will relist them as one listing so only one postage cost is charged, combining postage is not currently possible. '

@michaelcarp 

[johnwash1]

Don't call it a "technical issue".  It's a DESIGN FAULT.

One of MANY in Simple Delivery.  And if the design had been properly reviewed before implementation this utter mess wouldn't have seen the light of day.

[vinylscot]

Is it a design fault, if it's doing exactly what eBay intended it to?

It may be that it is only the uproar around this which is forcing them to re-examine the issue.

[akemp1]

---

@vinylscot wrote:

Is it a design fault, if it's doing exactly what eBay intended it to?

---

I agree, it's a management fault

[department28]

Can only assume eBay did this on purpose - rolled out Simple Delivery without enabling combined postage, knowing full well the problems this would create. What an absolute shower...

[danjerwoman]

As an ex-software tester I can confidently say that the the new system was not tested robustly at all stages from idea inception through to release. There is a potential loss of customers with this system.

[danjerwoman]

Makes me wonder what happens to the excess money that is charged.

[inpoughkeepsie]

Buyer purchased 3x Hot Wheels die cast bikes, weight less than 2kg, which I would charge £3.90 for (RM combined into 1 small parcel). But due to the implementation of SD, the poor soul has ended being mugged to the tune of  £5.54. How is this right or fair ebay? I would add that the items were listed individually with SD, RM postage, small parcel. I do not offer evri.

[gjalp]

Never mind robustly, Id go as far as saying not tested at all! My husband and I have just launched a website. Built entirely from scratch. The debugging took just as long as coding the website and is an ongoing task. From combining to discounts, guest accounts to user accounts we have batted everything back and forth, caught the snags and applied fixes before launch and everything is checked daily and if issues occur, they are fixed asap. We would never introduce anything in the way ebay has with SD. UNLESS this is how ebay intended it to work. As a cash cow.  

[department28]

So, the £5.54 is the combined postage price, as 'decided' by Simple Delivery?

At least Simple Delivery is combining postage now, after a fashion - but it is a poor substitute for being able to sort out your own combined postage prices, for what can be an odd mixture of items of various sizes, weights, prices & packaging requirements. 

And if a buyer didn't checkout all in one go - sometimes they spot another item they want after checking out - the seller could easily adjust/refund some postage. There is no quick refunding now... you're obliged to send 'uncombined' items separately. What a rigmarole... 🙄

'If you're a private seller, items listed with Simple Delivery will automatically be combined at checkout. If a buyer completes checkout in separate transactions, the postage won’t be combined. To ensure you're protected, you should send items that aren’t combined using the Simple Delivery label provided.'

[jefftopman]

I sold 2 items to same buyer using SD. Buyer added both items to his basket and when he checked out eBay combined postage and i was able to send in one parcel. If bought separately then i don't think there is much you can do. I believe to fully cover yourself you will have to post separately.

[inpoughkeepsie]

The 3 transactions appeared as one combined order and not as 3 separate transactions, so I do not know exactly how SD has calculated the postage.

[jehow_2633]

Its just a guess on the part of eBay. There is no logic in it.