P&P Ratings

[Crosland]

I have 5.0/5.0 rating for description and communication, 4.9 (I know why that is) for dispatch time but only 4.7 for P&P charges yet I KNOW I charge fairly according to what it actually costs for P&P. I have even made a loss on some items where my packing was too good and the item ended up heavier or larger than anticipated.

 

Under what circumstances would you rate someone down for P&P costs?

 

I am now playing hardball, so a charge of £7 for something that actually cost £3.90 for a 2nd class signed for small parcel plus a grey plastic mailer got 2/5. I feel much better for that even though it doesn't seem to have affected their own 5.0 rating for P&P charges.

 

[davefrk]

What many people forget is that EBAY now take a cut of the P&P so many people (including myself) have taken that into consideration and are charging up to a fiver for postage which would be £3.90. That's £5.00  minus 14% combined charges for Ebay and PayPal leaving  £4.30 so that leaves only 40p for a decent box and or packaging and nothing at all for taking the trip to the Post office to get '2nd class Signed For' as required by EBAY.... So I would say up to a fiver for posting is about right for the average small parcel, eg.- coaches, boxed wagons or locos under 2 kilo.

The box shifters get a better rate than individuals due to the bulk posting so one can't compete with that.

And yes I have been marked down for it too.

 

Dave Franks.

[mjkerr]

Are you using new packing material or recycled?
Is there a delay between payment and postage?

Last week I paid for a Printer Cartridge which had FREE P&P
All I received was an envelope with the PayPal label loosely applied
Clearly the seller had not sellotaped and secured both ends of the envelope

All my auctions run Thursday to Sunday (3 or 10 days)
I then post the items no later than the following Friday, clearly stated in the terms, so some buyers think there is an excessive delay as the package does not arrive until the middle of the following week (Royal Mail Second Class Signed For)

[hayfield]

Some folk just forget about the costs involved in posting goods. I always quote postage and packing (eBay do not like anyone stating their fees push up postal costs) and you could add associated costs. As for posting, I do try and post it as quickly as possible and first class. Quite often I get messages thanking me for the speed of posting. And all my packing is second hand except for the brown paper and tape. I have a 4.9 postage rating. I do apologise for the postage and state it will be sent small package.

 

I do as a buyer get a little irritated if the seller drags their feet, I never read their feedback or postage terms. I am a little more lenient on my feedback now, but the other day I received a broken item due to poor packing. I insisted on a full refund and asked for the cost of returning the item, he will take more care in the future with his packing

 

I used to be quite concerned about having a poor feedback, not that bothered now to be quite honest. I just work on the basis would I be happy receiving an item packed the way I have done it 

[Roddy Angus]

I always post the next day, everything is wrapped in bubble wrap, in a cardboard box covered by an outer wrapping, I only charge what I pay to Royal Mail/courier and I still don't have a 5 rating for P&P.  What you have to do to get a 5 star rating I don't know! (Apart from giving free P&P that is)

 

Roddy

[hayfield]

Roddy

 

Free P&P is excluded from the rating system, just charge an amount which includes all your costs

[Crosland]

Are you using new packing material or recycled?

A mixture, but I certainly don't charge anything for recycled materials.

 

Is there a delay between payment and postage?

Not really relevant to charges, as there is a separate rating for despatch time.

[Andrew F]

Some people are used to free postage(albeit at the expense of an inflated BIN for the item) so this may influence their rating of your charge.

    I still don't know how ebay justify taking a cut of the postage costs. What have they contributed to the parcel? A charge for revealing the winners address?

[mjkerr]

I still don't know how ebay justify taking a cut of the postage costs

This was an early problem with eBay UK, when there was no fee on the P&P element, and we had several discussions on how to resolve this

 

Basically some sellers would put a BIN of £1.00 and P&P charge that was higher than the actual P&P cost (example £15.00)

Thus the seller was avoiding the seller fee

Buyers complained about this and it was seen as unfair by other sellers

 

One proposal was to reduce the seller fee and increase the P&P fee

However, Royal Mail shortly afterwards introduced their tiered postage rates and so that proposal was binned

[hayfield]

A mixture, but I certainly don't charge anything for recycled materials.

 

Not really relevant to charges, as there is a separate rating for despatch time.

 

I really think it does not matter, as I don't think many look at a sellers feedback until they have a problem with the sale. I don't think Ebay worries either judging by some of the reported experiences with poor sellers

[Colin_McLeod]

If you factor in postage cost into your starting price and then do "free P&P", you can't get a poor postage rating, yet your costs are covered.

[Oldddudders]

In most cases the postage cost is quoted before you bid, although that may not always be the case for us overseas buyers. But if you know what it's gonna cost, you have no right IMHO to complain afterwards. In that respect, the question is illogical and should not be included in feedback. 

[Nimbus]

If you factor in postage cost into your starting price and then do "free P&P", you can't get a poor postage rating, yet your costs are covered.

Except higher starting prices can dissuade some bidders, and the final bids may not be much more than if postage was charged separately.

 

The Nim.

[jonny777]

To be brutally honest, I have never really thought much about the star ratings when providing feedback. I certainly have not considered them in the sense of massaging the seller's ego. 

 

Therefore, 4 stars to me is exactly what it says on the page, i.e. p&p charges = reasonable.

 

I have no idea what 'very reasonable' might mean, because unless I know the seller's circumstances (whether a trip to the post office involves a 10 mile return journey for instance) I have nothing on which to make a judgement. Similarly, with 'neither reasonable or unreasonable' which is 3 stars; what actually does that mean?

 

I did not realise that sellers would be taking this kind of thing so seriously. I rarely bother with negative feedback if it is only 1 or 2% because, from reading comments in the past, the odd negative is usually life's constant whingers who feel it is their right to criticise everything just to make themselves feel better.

[hayfield]

In most cases the postage cost is quoted before you bid, although that may not always be the case for us overseas buyers. But if you know what it's gonna cost, you have no right IMHO to complain afterwards. In that respect, the question is illogical and should not be included in feedback. 

 

 

I always think of the maximum total price I am happy with, then deduct the postage. I would guess most do the same thing

 

At onr time I would rate the postage judged on price, speed and quality of packing. Now if it arrives in one piece then I give 5 stars

[Jonboy]

 

I did not realise that sellers would be taking this kind of thing so seriously. I rarely bother with negative feedback if it is only 1 or 2% because, from reading comments in the past, the odd negative is usually life's constant whingers who feel it is their right to criticise everything just to make themselves feel better.

 

If the seller is any sort of volume seller they get discounts on eBay fee's depending on their "power seller" status. This is dependant on them consistently receiving high star ratings across all the feedback category's....

[jonny777]

Thanks for that Jonboy. I didn't realise.

 

Ebay ought to make these things clearer to the low volume buyer/seller.

[DIW]

In most cases the postage cost is quoted before you bid, although that may not always be the case for us overseas buyers. But if you know what it's gonna cost, you have no right IMHO to complain afterwards. In that respect, the question is illogical and should not be included in feedback. 

 

If I see the P&P is £9 on an expensive (continental) loco, then I'm expecting it to be well packed and sent recorded delivery for the appropriate insurance level - that is a reasonable P&P price  for such a delivery service on such an item. When, however, it arrives second class normal large letter in a jiffy bag, the seller gets a suitably robust feedback comment, and much of the seller's subsequent stock offered for sale stay unsold. There is still a high P&P on the seller's remaining items!

 

Another seller from whom I have bought several similar items applies the appropriate level of packaging and postage service for the asking P&P.

 

With the pound still high against the euro, I find that dealers in Germany still offer me suitable bargains compared against some of the chancers who have featured in this thread, including P&P across the border.

 

Dave

[hayfield]

If I see the P&P is £9 on an expensive (continental) loco, then I'm expecting it to be well packed and sent recorded delivery for the appropriate insurance level - that is a reasonable P&P price  for such a delivery service on such an item.

 

That's up to the seller, if it gets lost its his loss too

 

When, however, it arrives second class normal large letter in a jiffy bag, the seller gets a suitably robust feedback comment,

 

If it arrives undamaged I cannot see the problem, if the total price was good value what's the problem?

 

and much of the seller's subsequent stock offered for sale stay unsold. There is still a high P&P on the seller's remaining items!

 

Another seller from whom I have bought several similar items applies the appropriate level of packaging and postage service for the asking P&P.

 

If I feel the value of an item to me is under the recorded delivery price I charge appropriately, if it go's over I am quite happy to absorb the additional cost. Many other sellers do the same

 

With the pound still high against the euro, I find that dealers in Germany still offer me suitable bargains compared against some of the chancers who have featured in this thread, including P&P across the border.

 

I cannot see what the problem over P&P charges is, I set the maximum value the item is worth to me then deduct the sellers postage. If others are selling for less I go to the cheaper ones first. But in the end if they both end up selling for the same total price, what's the difference?

 

Dave

[Barry O]

I am having a problem with two buyers who want everything posted to them in an envelope second class. This despite the items in question having a value of more than £80.

 

So far my response has been if that's what you want I want an email from you saying that they are accepting the responsibility for items lost in transit...

 

Why should I get hassled for their own penny pinching mentality?

Baz

[hayfield]

Baz

 

I think it will still be your responsibility if it gets lost, I would pay the extra myself for at least recorded delivery.

[Barry O]

Baz

 

I think it will still be your responsibility if it gets lost, I would pay the extra myself for at least recorded delivery.

Its simpler..I can refund it and report them to eBay. But then eBay don't like that.. So if the p&p is clearly stated why do they bid if they don't like the cost of recorded delivery?

 

Baz

[Thane of Fife]

I occasionally sell unwanted items on Ebay. The cost I quote for P&P is what I pay for 2nd class recorded, plus 50p for padded envelope. I am usually a few pence out of pocket overall.

Yet I have been marked down on P&P charges.

 

Thane of fife

[Guest]

I sincerely hope no-one loses any sleep over getting (for example) a 4.7 rating on ebay when you might reasonably have expected a 5.0? Yes, getting a "negative" or a "neutral" feedback from some muppet through no fault of the seller would be annoying, but the rating system? In the grand scheme of things... surely there are more important things to get annoyed by?

[hayfield]

I occasionally sell unwanted items on Ebay. The cost I quote for P&P is what I pay for 2nd class recorded, plus 50p for padded envelope. I am usually a few pence out of pocket overall.

Yet I have been marked down on P&P charges.

 

Thane of fife

 

Strange, as I do try and cover postage and fees brown paper etc, and re-use packing materials. I just get the odd one (I have 4.9 as a mark). I do try and post quickly and pack the items very well, it may be more like the quality of packing than the cost

 

I must admit that 50% of what I relieve packing can be deemed average, I only mark down the very worst packing though