Cheltenham Models...

[The Nth Degree]

Has anyone bought items from Cheltenham Models and been ripped off for postage?

 

I bought some buffer stops from their ebay shop. The price was fair and the postage minimal for one pack so I ordered 3 packs. As they are very light and small I expected the postage price to remain the same - they can go in the same envelope and the weight hardly registers on the scales so they would not up up in weight category. However, I was charged more than double the postage of a single item.

 

I just enquired about another small, low weight item and they wanted to do the same.

 

I wondered if this is normal for this hobby or was just that particular shop. Everything else I have bought elsewhere has been supplied within the same package for no extra cost, unless it increases the package weight or package size.

 

Moderators, I'm not sure if I have posted this in the correct place or what I have posted is inflammatory but it is very annoying how some companies try to claw back cheaper costs with postage on items that you will probably buy more than one of. It seems misleading, at best.

[Karhedron]

When buying on eBay it is best to assume that you will pay full postage for each item unless the listing specifies otherwise. I don't really think it is misleading, they charged exactly what they advertised.

 

If you think items should qualify for a postage discount then contact the seller to ask.

[Bruce Depot]

I am not sure this is down to Cheltenham models, I have not seen many (anyone?) doing a set rate postage on ebay

regardless of how many items you buy. You could have emailed them in advance and asked about postage costs.

Or you could have rung the shop direct and brought the items over the phone.I don't have a Railway Modeller

to hand so no idea what postage rates they charge but I think your being a bit ott saying your ripped off

 

Keith

[frobisher]

If you think items should qualify for a postage discount then contact the seller to ask.

 

Yup, that's what I always do when buying off ebay - if you don't ask, you don't get. More often than not you're dealing with a human being at the other end who's keen to get ongoing custom and postage costs normally come down.

[Allegheny1600]

AFAIK,

They charge the same flat rate for all items?

Like most of these kinds of shops, they deal with many, many items per day so if they had to charge the exact P&P per item, the costs of working out what to charge per customer order, would drive up the P&P fees way beyong the flat rate charge.

Always bear in mind that if you are only ordering small lightweight items, the P&P charges will be commensurately high. There, wait until you can make a larger order!

HTH,

John E.

[Mark 37]

I always check the postage and shipping rate charges before orderring, if it does not have a discount then I don't order for multiple items.

 

 

Bruce Depot,

 

Tunnelmodels used to sell the Bachmann 3 function decoder with £1.50 flat rate. Unfortunately they no longer stock them as they were the cheapest on ebay £9.70

 

 

Regards,

 

mark

[Guest 40-something]

Hi Folks

 

Remember that postage rates can go up with size and not just weight. I was recently stung when sending wedding invites out. Weighed no more than a normal card but because it was slightly too thick to go through the normal letter size slot, I was charged the next rate up.

 

Most ebay sellers I use have flat or graded postage costs for mulitple purchases, if they dont offer a discount, I dont buy!

[The Nth Degree]

Sound advice about asking first. I didn't.

 

I had made several purchases with other suppliers and they had all - without exception - put the items in the same package for the same postage cost. Afterall, if I'm not using a bigger parcel or it had not affected the weight of the parcel, it is no loss to them.

 

I did ask this time (as I was a bit shocked by their initial response) and the same policy applied so I shopped elsewhere.

[Guest dilbert]

Pick up the phone and ask - when you live outside of the UK, P&P costs tend to become second nature to understand as this is a variable that can be significant. Even from mainland Europe, the cost of a phone call to the UK can be €0 (that's case for myself)... dilbert

[PhilH]

It's probably still cheaper than petrol + parking for a visit to your nearest model shop!

[Etched Pixels]

It's worth asking certainly, but it may also be that two packs is enough to push it over the really tight limits the royal snail inflict on letter v large letter these days.

[The Stationmaster]

Very easy to overlook that 'post & packing' also includes the 'packing' and the costs of that increase with need to use bigger Jiffy bags or more wrapping/bubble wrap or whatever. Postal charges are relatively easy to pinpoint but in reality there is no limit on what someone could charge for packing.

[Bernard Lamb]

Has anyone bought items from Cheltenham Models and been ripped off for postage?

 

I bought some buffer stops from their ebay shop. The price was fair and the postage minimal for one pack so I ordered 3 packs. As they are very light and small I expected the postage price to remain the same - they can go in the same envelope and the weight hardly registers on the scales so they would not up up in weight category. However, I was charged more than double the postage of a single item.

 

 

 

 

My maths and my conclusions differ some what from yours.

Postage per pack was minimal. So the cost for three I would expect to be 3 x minimal which is not a lot in my book. You say that you were charged more than double. You could, within their terms and conditions, have been charged three times the stated per item cost. Far from being ripped off you have got a bargain.

Bernard