Simple Delivery Incorrect Postage Generated by eBay..... What Happens?

[knit-in-styles]

I know there are a million threads on the dreadful SD and sorry to start a new one but this is a bit different. Just sold an item on my private account for which I had the delivery as Royal Mail parcel. This has been converted to Simple Delivery and the buyer has paid the postage dictated by eBay and all I have to do is print the label.

Done this, and it is a Large Letter Label for weight up to 750g. This is an item of clothing which is too thick for a Large Letter so it should be a parcel. Also, it only weighs 205g. 

Anybody have any idea what happens here. The last thing I want is a buyer being having to pay excess postage. I did have the weight in the listing too.

marco@ebay

kat@ebay

[department28]

I think we will all be interested to know what we are supposed to do in these circumstances.

If Simple Delivery has 'chosen' the postage for you, but the weight is wrong, you are supposed to use the label anyway, & the post office is supposed to accept it... but many are finding this is not the case when they go to the post office with an underweight parcel label...

[knit-in-styles]

Thanks. I don't go to a Post Office though. We have a parcel/letter box drop off point near where we live so I now drop my parcels in there.

I am not too worried about the weight, I am more worried this should be a parcel as it is too thick for a large letter.

[brookheather]

You should be fine to just put it in the parcel drop off (as you aren't getting a PO receipt) - do post back with the result.

[knit-in-styles]

Well I sincerely hope the buyer does not get charged. 

I am just going through my listings now for all the items that I currently have Royal Mail parcel (mainly clothing) and changing them very reluctantly to SD so I can make sure the correct size/weight is selected. I am finding some that it is "recommending" a Large Letter which they most certainly are not.

This is an absolute nightmare.

[warmyn-81]

I posted this a few days ago. I spoke with the post master at my local post office.

"Hi mate … yeh it’s a weird one … we have been told any marketplace sellers that regardless of size weight etc post office can accept them ! However the label will say ‘marketplace seller’ so to make it clear the ones we can accept … had one the other day 3kg package, label said 500g small parcel but also on the label bottom right said ‘marketplace selller’ so we accepted it then RM sort it out with eBay! It’s a change just recently come in about couple weeks ago to help customers avoid delays in getting stuff sent out...."

So it appears that as long as your postage label says 'market place seller' the post office will accept them and RM will be dealing with feebay for any discrepancies. 

If this is true then it would appear ebay have sorted an agreement with ebay. Maybe when Marco stated earlier that the PO's must accept. he may well have been correct but not party to all the information, i.e. 'market place seller' on the label.

If ebay could for once actually launch something with all the details required by the service users there would not be so  many worried sellers etc...

Once again I got this info from a post office manager so hopefully this info is correct.

[knit-in-styles]

Thanks for that, this gives me some hope. Yes the label does say Marketplace Seller so hopefully all will be well and ALL the sorting staff have also been briefed too!

[moldosgifts]

Read this weeks chat the mods (ill not name them as it may upset them) state the post office should take it,

But other posts on here state otherwise the post office are refusing mislabelled items , your is being dropped in a drop box so you cut out the post office, so this is a method your are testing for the rest of s unfortunately.

The contract ebay have is with royal mail not the post office. so you are going direct to royal mail by using a drop box.

[a_line_up]

I'm just a private seller/buyer........looking at what you are selling you are registered as a Business......thought that meant you weren't doing Simple Delivery !!

[warmyn-81]

Evidently all Post Offices get updates/messages on their system each week and the above info regarding 'marketplace seller' labels came to them about 2 weeks ago.

[knit-in-styles]

No, as I said in my original post, I sold an item on my private account which is separate from this business account I used on these boards. My business account is NOT using SD

[a_line_up]

Sorrryyyy....I did read that just didn't click in my brain 🤐 🤐

[department28]

'Done this, and it is a Large Letter Label for weight up to 750g. This is an item of clothing which is too thick for a Large Letter so it should be a parcel. Also, it only weighs 205g.'

So the AI guesstimated the size & weight wrongly, even though you put the correct weight in the listing? Doesn't give you a lot of confidence, does it?! The AI must have just 'taken over', ignored your weight, and assumed it knew better!

Some smaller items of clothing can go through a Large Letter slot, but they would be unlikely to weigh 750g, unless it was a very heavy sock...

I really don't like this estimating size & weight system, and I doubt the post office like it, either...

Will be interesting to know if your 'test case' Marketplace Seller parcel arrives ok...

[judydoodles]

Thanks for this thread as it does offer a little more insight than being told "the PO must accept it". 

It begs the question, why bother with a label showing a made-up weight and size (Large letter, small parcel etc) that's the bit that as a seller who is experienced in estimating the postage for their items, find confusing.  Why not just create a label with "Market Place Seller" and the bar code, buyer's address on it.  If the weight and size is likely incorrect?  Maybe that's a future refinement and just that the new labels are built on the existing labels?

Flip side; if a seller edits their home-bought, direct-from-Royal Mail postage label to include the phrase "Market Place Seller" that exactly mimics how it looks on s SD label, would it be weeded out and Royal Mail issue an underpayment surcharge to the recipient?  Technically fraud but would it be picked up? (I'm not a bad person honest!).

[emw-designs]

"Why not just create a label with "Market Place Seller" and the bar code, buyer's address on it." 

That's what I've been thinking. Why have a weight and size included in the QR code at all? The only weight and size that needs to be included are the maximum which are eligible for SD.