ROYAL MAIL FRAUD

[tojac6227]

If I am aware that an Ebay seller is defrauding Ebay and the Royal Mail of revenue what should I do?

[pixiesen2012]

how exactly are they doing that?

[tojac6227]

Simply by paying insufficient postage or ignoring the weight and size parameters of the various postage types. This leaves the buyer possibly having to pay the excess. It is also unfair to those sellers who play by the rules when it is done systematically.

[pixiesen2012]

how do you know what postage the seller is putting on their items?

what they charge on the listing is not the same thing


have you received an item from this seller with underpaid postage?

[tojac6227]

Yes

[tojac6227]

And if he is doing it me he is doing it to all his customers

[pixiesen2012]

and what did he say when you contacted him about it?

[tojac6227]

Not my job. I'm keeping well clear!

[pixiesen2012]

so, you don't know whether it was a genuine mistake,

when you received the underpaid item the first thing you should have done is contact the seller,

if it was a genuine mistake they would have refunded you the extra you had to pay,

I think reporting them for one item is a bit OTT

[tojac6227]

This is a registered business seller. I have been watching his prices for months.

[pixiesen2012]

how much extra postage did you have to pay?

[tojac6227]

Let's go back a step. The item is postage free to the buyer. So, postage is in the price. The postage used and paid for by the seller is, according to the label on the item, not sufficient to cover the item as measured and weighed, leaving the buyer possibly liable for additional fees. He is also undercutting his competitors who are playing by the rules.

[pixiesen2012]

so, you weren't charged any extra to receive the item,

so you have reported a seller for a perceived breaking of the rules


if the postage was insufficient it would have been picked up by the post office


if the seller is a business seller they may well have a business account with Royal Mail so they pay a different rate to joe public

[tojac6227]

OK I will do some more research. Thanks for your comments. I havn't reported anyone to Ebay at this stage.

[pixiesen2012]

there isn't anything to report them to ebay for,


what a seller charges and pays for postage has nothing to do with ebay.

[iitoes]

eBay will be very interested, when they realise the loss of final seller fees, given that when sellers intentionally sends out items as large letter when they should be sent as a parcel.

The difference in posting a PIP larger letter compared to Royal Mail Parcel rates is sometimes double if not treble.

I had this happen to me, when I had a red note left by my postie, saying my local delivery office had an item awaiting my collection, on collection I had to pay the parcel rate plus admin charges, the seller after my communcation simply refunded me, but alas nothing for my time and the fact in my opinion they intentially defrauded RM of the correct postage rate that should have paid.

[1902elder]

I don't think Ebay will be even remotely interested, they are certainly not going to start monitoring postage costs. As the OP has been told, they don't even know if it was a genuine mistake, or if the seller has an account which means they have a reduced rate. Some people just jump to conclusions with no proof.

[pixiesen2012]

the seller is using free post, so ebay aren't losing any fees whatsoever!

the fact the sell;er refunded you straight away points to it being a mistake,


ebay suggest postage prices when sellers are completing the listing form, more often than not this price is wrong, the seller doesn't deliberately use the wrong price, they use the one ebay suggests.