12-05-2025 11:15 PM - edited 12-05-2025 11:18 PM
With custom postage being rolled out and eventually the only option, I am a little confused and trying to clarify something please.
If I am posting something of large letter size, less than 100 grams and low value - a DVD in it's case for example, I can post this 2nd class large letter with Royal Mail. With the current Royal Mail prices, this'll cost me £1.55. When I'm listing an item and look at simple delivery prices, the same classification of large letter shows a minimum cost of £2.74.
What if I happen to posting something that may fit in a standard letter size? This currently costs just under £0.90, but when settings this up on the item listing page it still comes up as £2.74? Why is that?
I can either take up this difference in cost myself or pass it onto the buyer. It feels like that I'm likely to lose money either way as the latter might discourage buyers from buying - due to a higher price point?
I just wanted to make sure that I am understanding this correctly and not missing any steps in the simple delivery set up. Is it really the case that it'll now cost more money to send smaller items? Thanks.
Solved! Go to Solution.
12-05-2025 11:34 PM
Large letter - my understanding is the same as yours.
In theory, letter sized (including thickness), under £10 and in listed categories mentioned here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/setting-postage-options/simple-delivery?id=5575#Op... you should be able to Opt out of Simple Delivery and use your own postage method. If you choose Simple Delivery for such items, it'll cost you £2.74 or whatever.
I'm no expert - just a small time buyer and occasional seller. SD isn't yet mandatory for me, so I can't put the above to the test.
12-05-2025 11:34 PM
Large letter - my understanding is the same as yours.
In theory, letter sized (including thickness), under £10 and in listed categories mentioned here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/setting-postage-options/simple-delivery?id=5575#Op... you should be able to Opt out of Simple Delivery and use your own postage method. If you choose Simple Delivery for such items, it'll cost you £2.74 or whatever.
I'm no expert - just a small time buyer and occasional seller. SD isn't yet mandatory for me, so I can't put the above to the test.
12-05-2025 11:45 PM
I haven't seen a single post yet from anyone who has been able to actually test the large letter under 100g SD rules. Everyone still seems to be able to opt out and send stuff £1.55.
13-05-2025 12:01 AM
I don't think there is a large letter 100g SD option.
When SD is mandatory for everyone - then according to what ebay have said, only (some) letters, not large letters can be opted out.
But we will see when we get there - and they are already planning some tweaks...
13-05-2025 3:42 AM
eBay is certainly not going to to extend the exemption for items to ALL large letters. The most they could possibly do would be to extend the low cost / low weight exemption, although they would first need to work out a way to counter the enormous number of people who would dishonestly declare their weights/dimensions to take advantage of this exemption.
Although it's a factor, price is not the only reason for this. As part of its contract with RM/PO, eBay will have agreed to a maximum average weight of parcel. This won't be as simple as the Royal Mail bands, so it won't be 2kg, or 5kg, or something like that.
It's more likely to be something like 1.177kg, a figure which will have been arrived at with large letters included in SD in the calculations. eBay needs large letters to be subject to SD in order to keep the average weight down.
They are making enormous profits through SD, so they have headroom to do something. It may make more sense for them to cut prices across the board to bring them slightly under RM prices. A cut of, say 30p, across the board, would still leave them with huge profits, and would give them a little much-needed good publicity.
13-05-2025 11:17 AM
Thanks for that link. I'm disappointed it doesn't extend to large letter, that would have been really nice!
13-05-2025 7:47 PM
What’s to stop any seller putting second class letter and amending the price charged to buyer to 1.55 from 87p
13-05-2025 8:46 PM
I'm not 100% up on what actually happens in practice with SD. Almost all listings on my private account are still on "custom postage", so I haven't had to deal with any real-life situations.
However, that is so obvious that I'm sure eBay has it covered. Their AI may be very inaccurate, but it is going to be able to sniff out a lot of things which will always be too large and/or heavy to be sent as anything smaller/lighter than a +100g LL.
There are whole categories where your workaround just shouldn't be doable. In the music category, for example, 7" singles are too large to fit into a "letter" so must go by large letter at least. Dozens of other categories will be subject to similar blanket assumptions. Even a pretty primitive AI system will be able to detect many more.
I suspect there will be opportunities for the devious to "get around" SD at first, but I'm sure eBay will be looking to close any such loopholes.
13-05-2025 9:21 PM - edited 13-05-2025 9:23 PM
Personally I doubt it very much indeed
Ai is not as intelligent as many think
couple that with eBay general system , well….say no more
IMHO
as you say proof will be in the pudding
im sure there’s people who have worked it but I aren’t seen any posts
13-05-2025 9:32 PM
Large letter details expected next Tuesday (20th).
13-05-2025 10:49 PM
I just listed a small low cost item and Simple Delivery wanted to inflate to cost to £2.74. Thankfully it still allowed me to override the stupidity and enter a custom (correct) postage cost. How is this still not fixed?
13-05-2025 11:13 PM - edited 13-05-2025 11:14 PM
Simple delivery for a small low cost item is 2.74.
If your item is valid for opt out of SD, then you opt out and send/price it how you like.
There is nothing to "fix" i.e. that's how it is designed.
13-05-2025 11:25 PM
Headline benefit, save 20% off postage costs.
Reality, designed to overcharge by 77% by default.
14-05-2025 8:10 AM - edited 14-05-2025 8:15 AM
Ebay just need to make it simple and exclude all large letters from SD.
What's happening here is monstrously complicated, wasteful and delivering ongoing consumer harm.
People buying large letter items shouldn't be expected to cross subsidise those buying parcel items especially when the parcel buyers have already paid plenty. It's a nonsense - the postage should be what it costs to post.
Ebay are killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
25-06-2025 3:12 PM
Hi, I am having issues with parcels being more expensive too. A medium parcel that is usually £5.15 is now £6.16. This is also happening to a large parcel I had listed as going via Parcelforce and now cannot override.
This is the biggest load of **** I have experienced on eBay in 20 years on eBay. My son also had this issue, a £3.45 small parcel that he could not override after buyer bought and it cost him £5.15 to send. Could, eBay be making profit on SD?
Please bring back option for custom option.
01-08-2025 9:41 AM
Yes, I’m horrified to see that £2.74 for what was £1.55 letter has been quoted. Does eBay hate all of their sellers?Who will buy from me for 30 seeds of which the postage is £2.74. They want to take £2.74, forgetting that those buyers from eBay are hunting for BARGAINS. It defies inflation and shows lack of respect or consideration for sellers. How about my envelopes, time and ink?
You can’t make this up and I hate myself for moaning, BUT THE SHOCK IS PURE HORROR AND PRICE IRRATIONAL, GRABBY, GRUBBY, PUSHY.
01-08-2025 11:37 AM
@seedbankers wrote:Does eBay hate all of their sellers?
To be fair they seem to hate buyers in equal measure.
Ebay need to stop making SD exceptions by category and just let people buy and sell at 2nd class LL rate where appropriate. . It's the best option for small low value items and if bought online then it includes delivery confirmation anyway.
01-08-2025 12:19 PM
Yep. Just had my first experience of SD. Load of old tosh IMO.
Buyer bought something for £4.37, not including the 'Buyer Protection' Racket, that I would usually post 2nd Class Large Letter for £1.55 (and is actually tracked, despite what they say).
Automatically selects the postal option and charges me £2.72, reducing the money I make (as a Private Seller just trying to pay some bills) on the item from £2.82 to £1.65. Hardly worth the time and effort. I'm sure ebay will be on a percentage of that charge too.
Thanks for stiffing the little guy AGAIN ebay, give yourself an uppercut you con merchants.
01-08-2025 7:52 PM
Just had the Large letter postage gouging...remember how ebay criticised sellers for inflating postage? Most of our listings now changed to Simple Delivery. Some havent. Our large letters have a sticky custom postage but the odd one hasnt and yes charged at £2.72 when Royal Mail is £1.55. The weight displayed is up to 1kg yet the item is a mere couple of grams. There is no way to state the weight or change down from 1 kg. Revising doesnt work. Thought 'ok sell a similar on a listing still with custom postage' Start doing this and have the custom large letter postage visible, whoopee. Half way through without touching postage ebay change it to £2.72!! How about our feedback for postage value? huh?
01-08-2025 7:54 PM
OK. Ebay just hates us and now I think I have cracked it. First click Postage only and then click Custom Postage. With this click, you can see Royal Mail and you can enter your price.
Nobody wants to tell us and they just want to shock us and extract £2.74 out of us. Try to look for little signs after postage only and practise 3 times to make sure you can find Custom Postage and there you can enter the postage you want.
Hope it helps.