Simple Delivery - Combined Postage Confusion - Update Required Please

[bitternloco4464]

Help requested please regarding the current state of play on combing postage. A couple of days ago I had 2 of my records bought at the same time by the same buyer and to my delight ebay combined the postage. Naturally I thought that the problem must have been resolved but apparently not because this afternoon a different buyer has bought 5 of my records and has paid 5 lots of postage and naturally he is not happy. Will ebay automatically alter his order to combine the postage or do I have to do something about this and if so what? 

I find this whole business of combined postage very confusing I would be grateful for some help please.

Cheers.

[sml192]

Did today's buyer purchase the 5 records in the same transaction (single payment)? 

[edwardian-dreams]

Ask your buyer if he’s happy to cancel and re buy , then list them all in one listing with one set of postage and say ebays system is problematic at the moment with combining postage

as to your question, it’s anyone’s guess what’s going on 

[bitternloco4464]

He told me that he had to pay for the 5 records in 5 separate transactions, he was not given any other payment choice by ebay.

[sml192]

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@bitternloco4464 wrote:

He told me that he had to pay for the 5 records in 5 separate transactions, he was not given any other payment choice by ebay.

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That would explain why the postage wasn't combined.  They do need to be purchased together but he should have been able to do that by going to his shopping basket. 

[selective_distribution · Accepted solution]

All you have to do is send the items in one package, and then refund him the difference in postage costs. Yes you will lose a few pennies, but you will have made a good sale and have a happy customer. I have a paragraph in my terms and conditions asking that customers buy at full price and that I will refund the difference in postage, and that if they have any doubts, then to check my feedback, it`s not ideal but I have had no problems so far.

[bitternloco4464]

Does the buyer get any information from eBay about the need to put items into his shopping basket if he wants to get combined postage? If he doesn’t how is he going to know what to do about this? I would like to be able to advise / warn buyers about this but it is confusing. If only we could go back to the seller being able to prepare a combined invoice to fit the exact circumstances.

[tommystrezures]

The  buyer should realise yes, whether ebay say I don't know, but in this instance @selective_distribution  has given you the correct answer to deal with the matter.

[bitternloco4464]

Unfortunately it’s a bit more complicated because of the very brittle nature of these old 78rpm records which I am selling and I would be very hesitant to put 5 of them in one package for fear of them getting smashed. For these 5 I would be looking at 3 parcels, 2 with 2 inside and 1 on its own. I would probably have to do 3 separate listings and then hope that eBay get the postage right which I am very dubious about. I have already seen eBay come up with at least 5 different postage amounts for individual single record listings of mine and I am left with the impression that they don’t know what they are doing.

Any further thoughts on this problem would be much appreciated.

[edwardian-dreams]

I would put several layers of bubble preferably double bubble, around each one , then separate them further with v strong cardboard squares 

you can pick up strong boxes at supermarkets recycling trolleys or those vegetable boxes that lie around at the end of the tills 

just my 2 cents 

if you do three listings just go with the recommended weight that eBay suggest for each listing which will be 2kg small parcel (3.38)  and if package turns out bigger or heavier you or buyer wont be charged

if you want to chose medium parcel yourself up to 2kg is 5.15

anymore and it’s 6.65

(I’m guessing you send with RM)

[sml192]

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@selective_distribution wrote:

All you have to do is send the items in one package, and then refund him the difference in postage costs. Yes you will lose a few pennies, but you will have made a good sale and have a happy customer. I have a paragraph in my terms and conditions asking that customers buy at full price and that I will refund the difference in postage, and that if they have any doubts, then to check my feedback, it`s not ideal but I have had no problems so far.

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In the OP's case there is no need for them to refund any postage costs.  As the buyer is paying eBay for the postage labels, not the seller, then any unused Simple Delivery labels will be automatically refunded to the buyer within 30 days. 

[akemp1]

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@sml192 wrote:

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In the OP's case there is no need for them to refund any postage costs.  As the buyer is paying eBay for the postage labels, not the seller, then any unused Simple Delivery labels will be automatically refunded to the buyer within 30 days. 

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Exactly the right answer is not for the seller to refund the difference from their item proceeds. The seller should tell the buyer how many labels they will need to use and then give the buyer the option of continuing and hopefully ebay will eventually give them the refund on unused labels or if they don't want to wait that long (or take the risk ebay don't refund automatically) then they could offer to cancel and relist as combined listing(s).

I'm unsure if you can update the tracking reference on the orders with unused labels to show the correct package each item it was sent in but if you can that might be worth doing.

£bay should call it PITA Delivery

[xyz307xyz]

"If your buyer has purchased items from you in different transactions, you’ll receive separate postage labels to post each of the items. "

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sellercentre/postage/simple-delivery

[selective_distribution]

Ah! you did`nt say that they were 78s. As a record dealer myself I would be be very reluctant to send a shellac 78 through the post as you are almost guaranteed that they will not make it to the customer intact. The only adequate way to ship would be with hardboard backing between , and around the records, and then strong corrugated cardboard posting sleeves. However the time and cost involved would far outweigh the sale price.