Unreasonable ebay postage costs
 

I'm watching an item on ebay that I intend bidding on and hopefully winning but the seller has quoted postage costs at £35 :eek:

The item weighs just over 20kg and according to parcelforce website it should be around £14.00 ish on 48 hour parcel delivery.

I messaged the seller to tell him this and he has changed the postage cost to £25 but its still nearly double what it should be :mad:

I know that if I really want the item then I should just bite the bullet but would you let yourself be extorted in this way?

I don't mind the seller making a couple of quid to compensate for packaging materials and trip to post office but surely the costs I mentioned above are way ott?

I would say if you dont want to pay that then buy a different one. Just build it into the overall cost.

They have to go out and buy packing materials, pack it and then trundle off to the post office or get a courier to pick it up. Its the time and effort you are paying for aswell.

Just my thoughts

Vicki :D

You do realise that you have the option of paying PFarce for a remote pick up. I.E. you pay for the postage, and they will pick it up from the sellers address and deliver it to you. There is no surcharge, but you must make sure the seller has packed it well. Best ebay remote pick up I had was a garden trolley, got there the seller said wait a minute and wheeled it out from round the back full of water!!. No packing at all. Obviously nicked it from the local garden centre!!!.

Ive just bought some bits of the ol fleabay..

parts were a fiver, x2 so i estimated £3 postage tops...


£4.00 postage and then vat on top so my ten pound bits cost me near on £16

not a happy bunny


Mart

tell them you will have the item collected by your own courier.
then look at parcel2go.com £10 for 2-4 day delivery :)

No one forces you to buy these goods, the postage charges are usually displayed so I don't see what the problem is.

Completely agree :thumb:

If the postage cost is displayed, you simply build it into the complete price of the item. Remember the seller does not pay fees on the postage cost though they will on the sale price. Even if the postage is completely over the top, if you know it beforehand I cant the problem!

If you disagree with the postage price dont go trying to ''correct'' the seller, simply do not bid on the item ;)

What a load of tosh. If the seller is clearly taking you for a ride then tell him he/she's a thieving toss pot. Obviously that'd work better if you don't intend buying the item. :)

A fair amount for post, packing and time is fine. Anything above that is avoiding eBay fees.

Of course if you want the item and there's no-way around it then you are stuffed.

A typica delivery cost for over 20kgs with parcelforce actually is £35, i know as i tried to send one of my peugeot heads away, i believe something like parcel2go or postalvan might do it cheaper

I`d want it wrapped in gold leaf and delivered by a team of highly trained swallows for that price :norty:

African swallows ?

Go and collect it.

If you don't like it, don't bid. Perhaps he puts a value on his time to wrap / post it

Just won the bid on a new phone :luxhello:

Postage £10, not too bad :)

In order to maintain air-speed velocity a swallow needs to beat its wings 43 times every second :norty:

:wonder: I don't see the problem.

See the item, read the description... what's you top bid? You then deduct the postage from your top bid and that's what you actually bid.

Simple really

Excessive Postage & Packaging Charges Policy


Sellers may charge reasonable postage & packaging charges to cover the costs of posting, packaging, and handling the items they are selling. While eBay will not prescribe exactly what a seller may or may not charge, eBay will consider member reports when determining whether or not a seller’s postage, handling, packaging, and/or insurance charges are excessive. Postage & packaging and handling charges may not be listed as a percentage of the final sale price.

In addition to the final listing price, sellers are permitted to charge:

Actual Postage cost: This is the actual cost of delivering the item.

Handling Fee: Actual packaging materials costs may be charged. A handling fee in addition to actual postage cost may be charged if it is not excessive. Sellers who want to be sure they are in compliance with this policy may charge actual postage costs plus actual packaging materials cost.

Insurance: Sellers offering insurance may only charge the actual fee for insurance. No additional amount may be added, such as “self-insurance”. Sellers who do not use a licensed third-party insurance company may not require buyers to purchase insurance.

Tax: Only actual applicable taxes, eg: VAT, and equivalent taxes may be charged.


For cross-border transactions, sellers may not collect tariffs and duties. However, buyers may be responsible for actual, applicable tariffs, and duties as requested by respective country laws.

Breaches of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:

Listing cancellation

Limits on account privileges

Account suspension

Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings

Loss of PowerSeller status


Some Examples

Examples of offending listings:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (2001, DVD)

BIN: £1

P&P:UK £10 Royal Mail First Class

Explanation: The actual cost to post this DVD would be less than £2 using Royal Mail First Class Mail stated in the listing. This seller is charging all costs for this item in the postage price thus hiding the “true” cost for this item from buyers.



New Pink Motorola L6 L 6 Unlocked Slvr GSM World Phone

BIN: £70.00

International Postage: £25.00

Explanation: The seller has clearly stated that Airmail will be used to post this item, thus overall postage charges are inflated as actual price will be around £6.00.

iPod 4th Generation Battery

BIN: £14.00

Domestic Postage: £25 Recorded Signed For

Explanation: The seller states that the item will be posted via Recorded Signed for which is a premium service but the price is inflated at £25 given the small size/weight of this item.

Examples of Listings that comply:

NEW SONY ERICSSON K800i *

BIN: £300

Domestic Postage: UK Special Delivery Next Day £6.00

Explanation: The seller is posting this item via Royal Mail Special Delivery and states the actual postage cost in the listing.

The Matrix Reloaded DVD

BIN: £3.99

Domestic Postage UK £2.00 Royal Mail Second Class

Explanation: The seller is sending the item via Royal Mail First Class parcels and is charging actual postage prices plus a reasonable fee for packaging and handling.

SOLID STATE Abstract Art Painting Taylor HUGE

Painting measures 36” x 24” / canvas supported by panel

Starting bid: £20

Shipping: UK £30 ParcelForce 48

Explanation: The postage charge is greater due to the size/bulk of the item being delivered and special crating.

Why does eBay have this policy?

This policy reduces the potential for confusion among bidders about the full cost of an item. Listings that include excessive P&P fees lead to a poor buying experience and unlevel the playing field by putting sellers who charge reasonable P&P charges at a disadvantage. These listings undermine the trust and legitimacy of eBay’s marketplace.





Excessive Postage & Packaging Charges Policy


hth

Claire

V1CK1,

Like I said in my post, I don't mind paying a bit over the odds for packaging materials and time spent taking to post office but not to the extent that this seller is charging. No way :nono:


SVXNUT,

I never realised you could arrange a remote pickup.... worth bearing in mind for future :thumb:


KiwiGTI and RB5 314,

I completely agree with Spoon on this one.... If you can't see the problem in extorting money from folk with mega overpriced postage costs then there is no point in me trying to convince you otherwise.
Its all good and well saying factor the postage into the price of the item but if you end up paying market value for the auction goods then the postage costs end up putting th eprice way over. EBay's postage costs policy should be better policed IMO.


hux309,

If you were charged £35 for 20kgs then you were robbed.

I sent 4 x 18" alloy wheels with tyres (sold on here) with parcelforce for £38 and they weighed a combined 80kg ;)


girl-in-a-scoob,

cheers for the link, that kinda draws a line under everything everyone has said ;)

I wasn't robbed as i never sent it ;) but fair comment, most cheap couriers you have to sit and wait for them to pickup hence why i use royal mail/parcelforce

Its hardly extortion...

... you dont have to buy the item, if you do not agree with the price dont bid!

If someone ends up paying market value for ebay goods then its their own fault for getting carried away or not researching a suitable price. Likewise if they dont read the postage costs and take that into account when bidding!

My 2 pence worth :)

completely agree mate :thumb:

these people want to buy things for penny's, but if there selling something THEY won't give it away !!!!!!

and with an auction there is no set price, if it goes over market value thats down to the people bidding, thats how valuable paintings etc get there insurance prices, from the last auction price, !!!
its all on the day, what its worth to the person bidding!!!

stop sodding moaning, if you don't like it DON'T sodding buy it
:hjtwofing

No Probs :)

I have to say, if I find the postage too high, I wont bid or buy the item

Now if its Hong Kong the BIN is usually very cheap but the 'actual' cost of the item is built into the price, if in this instance it is still a good deal, then I will buy the goods as either way I am getting goods at a good price

Last time I used Parcel Farce, they told me anything under 10kg is 14 quid 48 hour delivery

Also depends on size etc too

A few years ago I sold some wheels on fleabay and I got the shipped from Liverpool to deepest Essex for 19 quid, 4 17" alloys with tyres too

At the end of the day, its common sense and whether its a good deal or not with postage, regardless of what is being charged

If I use the post office it isnt too bad as I pass 3 or 4 of them every day with work, if I have to use Parcel Farce I have to go quite a bit out of my way, so I build in a small amount to cover petrol costs etc etc

None of my postal charges have been excessive or unreasonable, but you do have to buy packing material, spend time wrapping and securing the goods, and then going round to the post office and spending time there

An example we sold a lot of Xbox/PS2 games mostly for a couple of quid each (all brand new sealed) and I think IIRC I charged about 4 or 5 quid postage, the sheer amount of time and energy and hassle posting them all, resulted in us barely covering all the fees

We made about 50 quid on about 50 or so games, out of that 50 quid ebay & paypal fees had to be paid, plus all the petrol, hourly rate worked out at around 20p an hour, no it wasnt worth it really overall, but we cleared some space :)

Ever noticed though that lately if you don't send things guaranteed delivery they have a habit of going 'missing'

It might help if you read the original question. The postage charge in the UK alledgedly is taking the piss, no more. Talizman is happy to pay the product price but rightly so doesn't like being taken for a ride by somebody obviously trying it on by over charging for delivery.

I assume the seller knows this as he's already dropped the postage cost after being told he's a wideboy.

As Spoon says, you obviously never read my post correctly....

I do NOT want to buy the item for "penny's", in fact I am more than happy to pay what the item is "worth" to secure the auction, however I am not happy to pay 3x postage costs to line the seller's pocket further. The postage costs have been demonstrated as unreasonable already and he has already knocked them down once so he is obviously aware that he is "at it"

If you dont agree with the cost, dont buy or bid. It really is that simple.

Stop being a moaning git.

I don't agree with the cost and for that reason I am not going to bid, however the problem remains, fuelled by "gits" who condone/encourage the practise. ;)










































Like you :thumb:

There's postage, then insurance, then if you work 9-5 getting to the post office in your dinner hour,then the queue of old grannies. It all adds up. If the item is £14 basic delivery, then a few quid for the above, £25 isn't too bad.

European swallows ;)