Ebay rip offs

Just a quick RANT about ebay, have you ever been ripped off with postage costs after the auction :?  I have just bought a ashtray and found out after the auction that the seller wants ?6.95 to post it 8O I bought a pair of strut braces the other week and they turned up in a four foot box and only cost me ?9.50 in postage  just a bit bigger than a ashtray :roll:  sorry rant over  Its annoying because the seller has a few things that I want but i wont use them again

Bit late now, but best trying here first for bits like that. I'm sure Crazyquiff or others can help.
Cheers,
Mark

I have bought and sold allot on ebay and postage always seem a stickler… I always check and count it into the cost, I even go and ask questions about high postage some sellers just arn't aware how little some things are to post. ebay excellent but open to abuse  

Just got a reply off the seller and it was a genuine mistake on postage  he has restored my faith in ebay for the time being :wink:

It happened in the days before ebay too. Many mail order houses, sold items at knock-down prices, only to ramp up the cost of post & packing. Its very much a case of buyer beware, although in fairness to ebay themselves, they do make sellers put in the postage cost, if its a delivery option.

Jus addin my bit o rant aswell just posted some rear mk2 lights and put postage at ?5 thought they not heavy but by time ide finished with all packing 2kg (make sure they dont brake) cost me ?8  lol well at least they shouldnt break. But someone got cheap postage on ebay.
I allways find STAPLES (the stationery shop) good any parcel upto 15kg anywhere in uk for ?8 nextday.
But been put of some things just through postage costs and wont bid on em      bloody ell  ive moaned enough now for at least week  

There is another factor in all this…

I buy and sell a lot too. Sometimes items are a pain in the bum to package - taking hours of my time (finding enough card, internal packaging to stop damage, tape and then actually getting to a post office when they are open, for me that's difficult enough). I charge for that aggro. I know that goes down like a sack of sick with some people, but if the buyer wants to collect, then he/she is welcome otherwise I will charge for the time plus the materials.

I also do make a point of being up front on my postage charges - if folks don't want to pay it, then don't bid.

Unless you live around the corner from the buyer, it always works out cheaper than collecting it yourself (then factor in the buyer's time to go collect).

vick_b said

if the buyer wants to collect, then he/she is welcome otherwise I will charge for the time plus the materials.

Too right…

Sometimes people don't think of this bit… I remember trying to wrap up a stainless exhaust box well enough to protect it from damage etc. Took ages and loads of cardboard and tape.

In the end a local guy bought it and picked it up - Typical!

adding a little to postage post is fair enough….
the thing that gets me all   is when you win an item, pay.. then the seller takes your money and never sends the goods! Paypal do they're best to get the money back but if it's not in the account it went into, your pretty well up a certain creek without a paddle!

AL_Mk1 said

vick_b said

if the buyer wants to collect, then he/she is welcome otherwise I will charge for the time plus the materials.

Too right…

Sometimes people don't think of this bit… I remember trying to wrap up a stainless exhaust box well enough to protect it from damage etc. Took ages and loads of cardboard and tape.

In the end a local guy bought it and picked it up - Typical!

Again, I agree.

I had 77 items all end at the same time and I had people whining asking where they're item was 24hrs after the auciton ended, and why hadnt I sent it yet??!!! To which I had to reply to most of the 77 of them, that ebaying isn't my full time job, and the item would be sent out within a week of the auciton ending. From the on it's in the hands on the weak link - The Post Office - so anything could happen!

I usually guess all my postage rates, I don't have time to weigh each one and note it all down - I have a very demanding full time job (not to mention a very demanding full time girlfriend!). Yeah, once or twice I may have made say up to ?1 in postage on each item, but I've also had my fingers burnt on more than one occasion where things have cost over ?5 more than stated to send!

The format of ebay has changed recently, so that the postage cost is shown next to the item cost. This make it easier to calculate how much it will cost to buy and send. Simple rule of thumb - if it looks like it's goin to be too expensive or that you can't afford it, don't buy it!!!

I'm getting sick of people knocking ebay. Yeah they people who start bidding for a gearknob at ?30 are taking the p*ss, but then people buy it and pay ?6.95 postage on top arent on the same planet - but then that's their choice, leave them to it.

If the item had never turned up, or they'd been hidden charges along the way, or the vendor had taken your bank details and retired to a life in the seychelles, then fair enough - ebay is a rip off, but it's the buyers choice to bid the amount that they think is reasonable for the item, and make sure they are comfortable covering the postage cost, otherwise, don't bid!

Rant over  

I agree, i think ebay should change so that you have to declare postage costs when you list a item then people will decide if its a rip-off before they bid.

Check item description and payment instructions or contact seller for details

That option should be binned

Whenever I've bid on anything that doesn't have postage, I've always contacted the seller for a cost first. If they are un-able to supply the information, then I normally won't bid, unless it's something I really want  :mrgreen:

It does sometimes work in your favour.

I just bought a Pioneer Amp, cost ?11.60 + ?10 P+p, when I received it the postage cost the bloke ?19, I was happy…

cabby18t said

It does sometimes work in your favour.

I just bought a Pioneer Amp, cost ?11.60 + ?10 P+p, when I received it the postage cost the bloke ?19, I was happy…

I had a similar thing happen… I won some CBR carbs for ?1.
P&P was listed at ?10.
When the item got to me it was stamped with postage at ?10.70.
Seller only got 30p for his carbs!

Deduct the EBAY % for selling off that too - good god, it wasn't worth him selling them! Feel a little sorry for him, but I got a bargain!

There are certainly hidden costs and time that need to be accounted for…

- packing material
- maybe petrol/mileage to get to the PO (walk - you are jesting?)
- council parking (or shall I risk legging it to the PO and not Pay and Display?!)
- oh bum! huge queue at the PO (pensioners chatting about there nephew at Uni but he doesn't visit me anymore, other bleedin' ebayers!)
- parking fine (damn, didn't make it in time!)

I suppose if you don't like going to the post office, then don't sell things on ebay !?!?!   

I really can't stand the making money from the postage thing, picked up some bits cheap and said i'd collect, seller was rather reticent ( he was only in the next town ). When i turned up his exact words were - " You've stopped me making money on the postage " hang on, don't the ebay guidelines state that shouldn't happen……..  :dontknow:  

I use ebay loads and postage is a big big turn off for me in an auction. Most of my auctions include postage and packaging in the buy it now price, just because I was stung a couple of times and it really did anger me.

Generally ebay is populated with good people, read their feedback and it should tell it all! Some really good guys on ebay are notescorts, for golf bits, and phenoptix for leds and el cable and stuff.
I bought my golf off of notescorts and ok….. phenoptix is me, but I am a good guy i promise!

bengti said

Generally ebay is populated with good people, read their feedback and it should tell it all! Some really good guys on ebay are notescorts, for golf bits, and phenoptix for leds and el cable and stuff.

I got a corrado rear seat from notescorts, picked it up myself, he seems a good friendly person, lots of bits.

bengti said

Generally ebay is populated with good people, read their feedback and it should tell it all! Some really good guys on ebay are notescorts, for golf bits, and phenoptix for leds and el cable and stuff.
I bought my golf off of notescorts and ok….. phenoptix is me, but I am a good guy i promise!

What about me    

Worked in reverse for me, sold some obsolete toner cartridges from work on e-bay, and listed them starting at 99p no reserve, thought I'd weighed them correctly and charged postage accordingly, one of them actually sold for 99p, and i ended up out of pocket by 40p as it ended up being slightly heavier than i weighed it at according to the post office scales!