Seller would not combine postage but sent one package

[catru-8228]

I purchased several items from one seller and each item sold for 99p but she charged £4.95 for postage. These were dance clothes and although each item sold for 99p, I purchased 7 items (for £6.93)  but this came to nearly £35 postage. The seller told me should could not work out how to send an invoice or combine postage. She offered to let me withdraw (I think she felt her items sold too cheaply). But I paid for them including the postage. Then it turns out the she has packaged them altogether and paid less than £6 postage for everything. Is there anything I can do?

[powell-memorabilia]

no. The time to ask about shipping discounts is before you make a purchase. I get it – it is really annoying when a supplier won’t combine shipping. But, we should look at those things before we bid, and not assume the seller will combine. think about it from the seller’s perspective – you really want him to make just $.99 on each listing? And that is before the cost of his goods in time. 

[iamalwaysright]

No. It's likely the seller paid less than 99p for each item too and you shouldn't ask for the price difference on that neither.

[12345jamesstamps]

I refund buyers all the time for International Shipping combined. Very easy to do. Seller just goes into item(s) purchased and do "combine shipping refund discount". 7 items with no combined shipping discount....wouldn't that mean 7 feedback ratings or one?

[albertabrightalberta]

Even if you had asked the seller ahead of time, the seller isn't obligated to discount the shipping cost. (Many sellers do so, but they aren't required.) 

Had you asked the seller (prior to purchase) for a reduced shipping charge for combined shipping and she said she wouldn't do it, you could have hit the back button.

[iamalwaysright]

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@12345jamesstamps wrote:

I refund buyers all the time for International Shipping combined. Very easy to do. Seller just goes into item(s) purchased and do "combine shipping refund discount". 7 items with no combined shipping discount....wouldn't that mean 7 feedback ratings or one?

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Not a requirement of ebay sellers. Many sellers do so by choice, not obligation. It's also very easy to give away items for free.

[simba6]

Since the shipping was shown to you before you purchased, you should not have if it was too high.  You should have asked the seller before buying if they could ship all in one package for less.    Always consider the shipping along with the item price when choosing to purchase.  

[kenneth686321]

Seller probably felt $0.99 per item is not enough profit before ebay fees. 

You agreed to the total item price + shipping when you purchased so the total price must be reasonable to you if you went ahead paid. If you felt the $35 shipping cost was too expensive you should have gone elsewhere.

What is a better deal

$6.93 for 6 Items + $35 shipping cost ? OR $35 for 6 items + $6.93 shipping cost?

If you are really unhappy leave a review stating seller did not combine shipping cost. OR Return the items for a full refund if possible. 

[ms.rodriguez*]

If the seller lied to you , return ALL of the items. They could have refunded some of the postage.  By the way, you have reached the US boards and you are in the UK.  Over here, Ebay "suggests" a starting price of 99 cents for auctions.  Some newer sellers will follow that advice. I wonder if your buyer is new and did the same thing posting the items at 99 p.   Doing that is very risky for sellers because there are just not enough bidders nowadays.     Like the others stated, the seller was not obligated but if they said that they would, they should have.  Perhaps you can ask them to send back some of the shipping or just simply return all of the items.

[toomuchstuffagain35]

Forget that you won the items for .99 each. Were the 6 items worth what you actually paid including shipping? Then let it go.

[wastingtime101]

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@catru-8228 wrote:

I purchased several items from one seller and each item sold for 99p but she charged £4.95 for postage. These were dance clothes and although each item sold for 99p, I purchased 7 items (for £6.93)  but this came to nearly £35 postage. The seller told me should could not work out how to send an invoice or combine postage. She offered to let me withdraw (I think she felt her items sold too cheaply). But I paid for them including the postage. Then it turns out the she has packaged them altogether and paid less than £6 postage for everything. Is there anything I can do?

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Seller gave you an out. You didn't take it.

Seller did nothing wrong per eBay policy so the thing to do is move on.

[catru-8228]

I was bidding on several items. These were all worn second hand clothes from a private seller. I did not know whether I would win anything as the prices could have increased as the starting price was low due to everything needing repair. 

it was unfortunate that she did not get the prices she wanted but it reflected the fact that it is an auction and no one else wanted the items. 

not combining postage is profiteering and it is not a means of making additional money but to pay for postage with a little extra for handling and packing. £35 for postage when it actually cost £6 is profiteering. 

[pcobra93]

So if the seller bought the items for 50 cents at a tag sale and sold them for $50 each....is that "profiteering"? I think you are looking at this the wrong way. Look at the total cost to you (per auction win as the worst case). Was it worth it? I am guessing you are in the UK and purchased items from a US seller? If this was done through Ebay International Shipping, then the seller has no way to discount the overseas portion of the transaction after the sale. Maybe the seller is new and does not even realize that they can issue a small refund for shipping discounts. I myself send partial refunds but as others mentioned here, it is not required. I also have buyers contact me about combined shipping discounts all the time before they buy or bid.

[powell-memorabilia]

Well, my English dialect is somewhat different - I wouldn't consider it to be profiteering.  BUT, let's assume that it is!  Lord know that if that we can all have our own truth, we can certainly use words however we like.  

Have you ever been to work in an office?  I go b/w 3-5 days a week to my office.  It costs me a few dollars in gas and wear and tear on my car.  AND, I suppose that I have a coffee to buy in the morning, and lunch more at the cafe more often than not.  So, let's put the average cost of a day in the office at $10.  Should I give back the vast majority of my salary because I'm making WAY MORE than my costs?  Should I walk away with $50, as anything more would be profiteering?  Of course not - that's silly, right?  But, per your view, I can call that profiteering, which must be bad, right?

Thing is that you signed up for a deal.  You don't like that deal.  If you don't want to pay that much in shipping, you shouldn't have bid.  Heck, even an after-the-fact request to cancel the sale would have been better than living with the heartache and regret of providing the seller with enough funds to go to the movies and bring a date.  

[iamalwaysright]

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@catru-8228 wrote:

not combining postage is profiteering and it is not a means of making additional money but to pay for postage with a little extra for handling and packing. £35 for postage when it actually cost £6 is profiteering. 

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What about buying from sellers that have free shipping in their listings? The postage itself will cost the seller alot more than they advertised to you. You the buyer would then be profiteering right? As the price you pay for the free shipping is excessively lower than the postage. You should be obligated to pay these sellers more money according to your logic.

Let's not forget as some already mentioned. The seller GAVE you the option to cancel. So you are upset at this issue, but apparently not upset enough to cancel the order. You won't get any sympathy from many here because of that fact. I would have just cancelled the orders and blocked you if I was your seller once you still complained to me after the refusal to partial refund. I can bet your seller blocked you already.