Let’s talk about postage

Posted in Consumer Corner Friday, 10 February 2006 at 6:17 am by Kate

As a seller on ebay, I do try to give the best I can on postage rates and the way I post items to my customers.

As a buyer I have seen astronomical postage rates. EG: I bought a bottle of Shiseido Foundation, the foundation was priced right, the product excellent and what a deal compared to purchasing it at Frasiers or any other high street shop that sells quality makeup. I saw the postage was £5.50 but even that to me, was worth the low cost in total of a product I use.

The parcel took almost 2 weeks to arrive and when it did, it was wrapped in a thin cell of bubble wrap in a small jiffy bag. The postage on the stamp label was 1.27!! OK OK..I know there’s handling fees buried in there, and jiffy bags cost money as does bubble wrap. But certainly not £4.33 worth of packaging and handling! I accept I knowingly paid an exorbinant amount for something I really wanted/needed..BUT it just goes to show how some people are greedy and find a way to “take” a buyer.

So..I learned a lesson on how to be a seller, via my purchasing experiences.

I think, no I KNOW I give a fair postal rate considering the type of products I merchandise. I use the proper packaging items to ensure safe travel of each parcel I send. I don’t make any money per se on postage costs. If I charge £3.75, that covers the postage and the singular cost of each item I’ve used to wrap and secure the parcel. I don’t add into the figure of singular postage rates the entire lot it costs to buy 3 rolls of bubble wrap, brown paper, cardboard boxes etc..and no where in there is a fee for petrol! I’d have to charge triple the postage for that! *L* No..I keep my postage as low as I possibly can to ensure the customer knows he or she isn’t being taken on a ride to nowhere.

I try to offer discounts on multiple purchases but find that when I have to ship 6,7 or more items overseas, that’s when it gets sticky. I feel horrible inside when I can’t offer a discount to International customers. The postal service makes it that way with their ridiculous rules on box sizes, small packets, small letters and so on and so forth. If I go .1 over the allowed weight, I’m bumped into using a more expensive postal carrier.

Thankfully, my International customers see that (I’ll show them the Royal Mail site if asked) and they don’t complain about the costs of getting what they want to them. I never make money on International post. So why do I sell International? It’s easy to explain..I love the Faeries I sell, and I know some parts of the world don’t get them and so I love sharing those lovely Poppets with whoever wants them. To be honest, every now and then a bidding frenzy will take place on certain items, and at the end of the day, I’ve gained a little extra to put aside to help with some of the rates.

I had one woman email me once and she called me every name in the book and accused me of being biased against her country because I charged £7.50 rate to post to her country. I tried to explain I follow Royal Mail protocol, and have to pay for packaging out of my own pocket. She wrote back and she just wouldn’t accept my explanation, or that the Royal Mail site was accurate. (True in the latter, Royal Mail usually ends up more than stated on their site)

At the end of the day..My customers are getting from me, on ebay, a beautiful item, for so much less and had they bought their item(s) at a High Street shop it would cost them £20.00 or more if bought in a jewellery shop, not to mention parking fees, petrol and time.

I know I give good product handling. I wrap each and every item so carefully, that’s how I’d want to recieve a precious figurine if it were me on the recieving end!

I highly reccomend that people check the Royal Mail site, see the different weights and charts they use to estimate your cost, then I think once seen, the postal rates some sellers charge will make sense. You have to figure in the additional bubble wrap, outer wrapping paper, the box(es) the tape..it all adds to the weight. And Royal Mail gives no quarter if you’re over an nth of the weight they allow.

A good seller will never gouge their customers.

ALWAYS check your postal rates BEFORE you bid on anyone’s products, because if you don’t, and suddenly realize you’ve committed yourself to purchasing a £5.00 item and a £10.00 postage rate, you’re obligated to pay! Once you hit that confirm bid/purchase button you enter into a contract. Don’t allow yourselves to get bamboozled by a seller who wants to make up a low bidding product on a high postal rate!

That’s my bit for this morning. I hope this has somewhat enlightened you about postage costs.

Have a pleasant day!

Kate