Combined shipping with Simple Delivery - confusion!

[discodalek]

My buyer bought 10 separate items from me, which I'd listed using the Simple Delivery option, and I want to combine them into one package so he only pays once for postage. He already paid, so I can't raise an invoice for total sales. The advice I've seen here is to combine everything into one package, buy new postage based on that combined package size/weight, then refund the difference. But it's not clear if I can use this method for Simple Delivery.

With the traditional eBay delivery option I set the packing+shipping fee. I get paid that in the final sale and it's up to me to purchase labels with funds from the sale etc. But looking at my dashboard, the orders with Simple Delivery are showing postage as £0.00 - with the usual shipping system it showed the postage amount (e.g. £5 sale, £2 shipping, total to seller = £7). It seems as if the shipping cost is solely handled between eBay and the buyer and as the seller I just receive the shipping label.

There's no way for me to combine postage through eBay's interface. So the only way I can see to do it is to buy a new postal label separately from Royal Mail/Evri for the combined order. But I don't receive money for postage on orders with simple delivery, so I'll be paying for the postage myself. If I also refund my buyer, that refund is coming out of my sale funds, not the postal fees. Is that correct?

How do I combine the orders, and refund the simple delivery postage, so that both myself and my buyer aren't out of pocket? p.s. I'm a private seller, not a business seller.

[lucy_farmer]

'It seems as if the shipping cost is solely handled between eBay and the buyer and as the seller I just receive the shipping label.'

You're absolutely right .

If you've listed through 'simple delivery' , you shouldn't have to be dealing with postage at all.

The buyer, at his end, should be offered a choice of methods of postage (though maybe only 2 options so far ; 'standard' and 'express' ) . The buyer then picks the one he wants and pays it *to ebay* (not to you). Ebay then send you the relevant postage label/labels and you post it off......

I would contact the buyer and ask what he has actually paid for, postage-wise. Does it look to him like he's paid for 10 separate parcels? Or was there a sort of 'summing up' of postages at his end?

And what have you recieved, postage label wise?

[twfan11]

I have been wondering about this for simple delivery.  If you only use one simple delivery label you would only be covered for loss of that one item and the buyer could even get a refund for INR on all the others. 

It seemed to me that the only way to do combined postage would be to cancel all ten purchases, make one listing with them all in and relist for the buyer to purchase again.  And they might not. 

I'm hoping someone will tell us that ebay have thought about this and that is not necessary to do that. 

[parsley2003]

That is the way i see it. If someone buys 10 postcards from me they will add £7.50 on plus 4% value of the postcards and i'm thinking cancel the order then do a special listing for the person with combined postage and then only the 1 -75p will be added. I'm not even even thinking SD it says we can opt out of it using Custom Package when listing and i always combine postage but someone buying multiple items is a problem. The new system will not allow for low value items to have the buyer protection combined. They have thought this through and if we use SD they "might" do offers of combined or discounted postage. I don't want bad feedback because i can no longer be a fair seller 

[davrman]

Has eBay provided you with 10 postage labels, or just one?

[discodalek]

10x postage labels. In the end I sent everything individually. The buyer was very understanding this time, but the next one may not be so cool about it!

[moldosgifts]

That is because buyer can't seem to add all purchases to basket the pay for them, That would give you one postage label.

If they do the scatter gun purchases then realise its all from one seller then ask you to send in one parcel giving you the nightmare of trying to combine them all.

And you having to explain i cant as the new system isn't set up like that.

Or ebay could leave well alone as the old system works! I vote for that option rather then the uncommunicated shambles that is simple delivery 

[livehappy2015]

I hope that eBay read these messages as something needs to be done quickly to resolve this issue.  Most customers will not take kindly to a seller saying they can no longer combine postage the way we used to be able to and only patient customers will allow you to do a whole new listing with the items on it, waiting for their refund of the original 10 desperate items and paying again in the mean time for the single listing.  Why oh why haven't eBay thought this all through before instigating a new system????

[mcdonalaldsman2001]

Totally agree this is madness. I e just sold 2 car parts that’s easily would have gone in the same box but have had to pack 2 separate boxes and put the two provided labels on, customer having paid 2 lots of shipping (even though I clicked to combine postage with a discount). EBay really don’t seem to have thought this through, I understand the logic for them but the reality of different sized and weighted items that are listed only the seller really has the knowledge to control shipping in the best way for themselves and buyers. They must be losing out too as I’ve listed items with a given wight of 15kg and it’s ‘recommended’ shipping is for a 2kg item - their loss, made my postage look great!!

[moldosgifts]

I combine at label level i can only do because i am a because i am a business and purchase my own label direct from royal mail, then add the same tracking number to all the contents in the package.

Lovely little pieces  of triene you sell are they hand made, who makes them must take ages.

[livehappy2015]

Hi, yes skilled people make them, most are hand made in China or Japan. I
had to put a paragraph in my description to explain to customers that only
if they buy multiple items in one go from their shopping cart will those
items be combined postage. Most people don't read the full description
though and if they buy another item to add separately it will cost them
another eBay label. I also put down that eBay now control the postage cost
and I cannot refund it, this is to both try and help the customer and cover
myself too. I am pleased that once the item is received at the parcel shop
eBay takes responsibility from there though.

[goodheavens7]

Hi

The best 'work around' I've found is to ask customers to add all items to cart, calculate the difference in postage, as 'simple postage' is limited to size and weight. 

They pay in full and you refund the difference in postage. 

[*vyolla*]

If you change to a business account then both buyer protection fees and simple delivery won't apply to any of your listings, you can still organise your own postage prices and methods and offer combined postage.

A private seller is one who is just selling off their own personal items such as clothes from their wardrobe, bits from their loft/garage etc.

A Business seller is someone who buys or makes items to sell on.  They need to be registered as a business to meet the requirements of UK law. They need to declare income to HMRC once they reach £1,000 worth of sales (eBay will be providing HMRC with your details anyway so it's vital to keep correct accounts for your tax return). You can obviously offset more expenses as a business seller, but can't offset any at all as a private one.  

To correctly register as a business seller simply go to your Personal Information in your account and to the right of Account Type, which will be showing as 'Individual'  you'll see an Edit option.

https://accountsettings.ebay.co.uk/profile

This doesn't affect your feedback profile or any current listings, it merely upgrades your account so that you're compliant with current consumer and eBay policy.

@livehappy2015

[xenavsbuffy1]

Little bit confused by your post are you saying that Ebay have implemented SD and Buyers Protection just to remove the Private Seller? I can think of less expensive and devisive way of removing the Private Seller and making it for the elite - ban everyone who doesn't have a business account for instant, and if you don't like then apply for a business account....seems to me that SD and Buyers protection will either branch out to every aspect of Ebay or be removed entirely (and the later never happens) it's a way of getting the bugs out of the system so to speak, before it goes to business accounts else it doesn't make sense to champion a system but only introduce it to an area they don't like and not to an area they want everyone to conform to

[parsley2003]

It was said in community chat that there are no plans to extend SD to business accounts, but we've heard that before about so many things. Business accounts won't have buyer protection as they still pay fees, lots of fees. Also business accounts will have very good deals with carriers and rather than give those up they would probably leave. 

It's true though if they want rid of us why not just say business accounts only because this is not working if the plan was to get everyone to change to it by doing these changes

[livehappy2015]

I have noticed over the years that most people don't know how to use eBay correctly, just buy loads of stuff in the hope sellers will sort it out.  I even put a message in every single description saying ' important please read' then telling them how to do multiple items but they hardly ever read it 🤷🤷.

[xenavsbuffy1]

Well if that is true I'm a bit confused cause SD and Buyers protection are suppose to be part of a new line of changes for Ebay which they championing so you would think that it will eventually cover all aspects of Ebay else what is the point, if its as good as they say and want you would think it would be intended and designed for the Business section where they really want members to be....other than getting rid of the bugs in the system and who better to test it on than the Private sellers.....it sounds like a lot of business members hoping it doesn't make its presence in their area rather than knowing it won't....the changes are here to stay and will not just stay as they are, then moved to the business section