How can I repay partial postage on an item that I sold?

[angeliarringto_0]

I sold a watch here on ebay and the buyer was charged $27.00 for postage.

I paid for priority flat rate two day delivery which was a lot cheaper. How can I give this person back the remainder of the unused postage?

[coolections]

Did the buyer agree when they hit "buy" to the listing that said the postage was $27.00 ? Or was the listing inaccurate and it said another amount on the listing that was less than $27.00 ?

[7794heather]

What a nice and honest seller. All you have to do is go to your seller page and find your buyer. There is a pull down menu to the left of their user name. Select SEND REFUND. Next page pull down the menu and select "SHIPPING DISCOUNT"

You can leave a note, or not, your choice. I usually put "Refunding overpayment on postage"

Then you can fill in the refund amount below, submit then submit again. 

[buyselljack2016]

@angeliarringto_0 

sellers hub>

Manage orders>

Locate the item sold>

On the left use the drop down arrow>

select "refund">

choose a reason>

enter the amount you wish to refund>

 confirm>

refund>

[jayjaspersgarage · Accepted solution]

It's great to refund partial postage but don't forget to cover packaging and the gas to drive to and back from the post office for every sale.  It is incremental yet key to preserving your margins to add in some small amount to cover the little costs that add up.  

Another situation that can happen is when a buyer rushes through a multi item purchase without taking the time to ask for combined shipping.  Or maybe they buy a couple items and pay for them and return an hour later to buy more without considering the extra time and effort it takes to combine separate orders after the sales are complete.  I have watched people buy as much as twenty items over the course of an hour and close them out in small groups only to e-mail after they have paid for three or four invoices expecting combines shipping. 

How you handle these instances is a delicate balance between holding the line and extraordinary customer service.  I love my repeat customers and tend to take the time to get things combined and to issue partial potage overage refunds after I have received positive feedback.  The refunds are processed within two days after positive feedback is received. 

Sometimes when someone buys two items and pays for them separately I will look into my stock room and add a bonus item rather than point out that they need to ask for combined shipping prior to paying because it really is time consuming to readjust orders when you have already sealed the first order and realize ninety minutes later the same customer returned and bought another item.   They receive everything in one envelope and get a surprise bonus.   That's a win-win.

Hint:  Always mark the highest weight in a range for the under 16 ounce first class sales because if it weighs under three ounces and they buy something else you already have the weight covered when you add the extra item.  That works when you sell a lot of small paper items as I do.  So I set up 4, 8 and 12 ounce labels regardless of the actual weight.  If it weighs two or perhaps six ounces I am covered up to the next max.   I also select 2" thick just in case something is added that pushes the envelope (literally the envelope) beyond one inch thick.  Sometimes this doesn't work out so I just mail the additional item separately and let it go.  Since the U.S.P.S. rates are in four ounce brackets it is convenient to cover yourself.

[angeliarringto_0]

Yes they did.