Cost of shipping for items bought on Trade Me

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CrashAndBurn

669 posts

Ultimate Geek

#240754 24-Sep-2018 12:31

Just thought I'd post this topic to see if fellow Geekzoners have experienced something similar and how they feel about it. I bought something on TM and was charged $15 for shipping but then the parcel arrived and clearly shows that it only cost $5. Would you ask for the seller to refund the difference? Or just charge to experience? When I paid for the item, I didn't question the cost at the time as it mentioned track and traced so gave me this thinking that it will be a premium service. But then the parcel arrived without me even receiving the tracking details from the seller. Normally when I send something out that is tracked, the first thing I send to the buyer is the tracking number.

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675 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2095437 24-Sep-2018 12:38

He could be also charging for packaging and time to post it.

CrashAndBurn

669 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2095443 24-Sep-2018 12:45

throbb: He could be also charging for packaging and time to post it.

That is one way of looking at it I guess.

Item

1717 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2095451 24-Sep-2018 12:56

IME packaging and sending stuff can be a pain the butt and you look to put a value in there that will cover all eventualities so you are not out of pocket when done.

When you make a bid you know what the shipping cost is, so you are factoring that into your bidding and the overall price you are willing to pay for the item.

That said - if the shipping service that has been agreed to & paid for doesn't materialise (i.e missing tracking/insurance/signature) and they have pocketed the difference, I would consider at least dropping them an email to challenge and see where you get to.

CrashAndBurn

669 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2095462 24-Sep-2018 13:03

Item:

IME packaging and sending stuff can be a pain the butt and you look to put a value in there that will cover all eventualities so you are not out of pocket when done.

When you make a bid you know what the shipping cost is, so you are factoring that into your bidding and the overall price you are willing to pay for the item.

That said - if the shipping service that has been agreed to & paid for doesn't materialise (i.e missing tracking/insurance/signature) and they have pocketed the difference, I would consider at least dropping them an email to challenge and see where you get to.

I did email the seller and the above is pretty much what I got. I guess I will have to start charging extra for shipping in the future to cover packing and time spent as I have always been charging what I pay at the courier service or rounding it off to the nearest dollar.

tripp

3848 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2095475 24-Sep-2018 13:23

I tend to charge a flat fee of $15 but that is courier, tracking and signature required. Most of the time it comes to 13 or 14 dollars (by time you buy the bag etc) sometimes a bit more. Never had anyone have an issue with it.

Also 99% of the time the amount is shown on the auction / buy-now and my answer would be "you saw it when you bid/purchased if you did not like it then don't bid or buy"

frankv

5680 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2095522 24-Sep-2018 14:06

I agree that packing stuff up is a PITA.

However, I suspect that many people on TM now use the shipping cost as a way of padding out the price. So a $1 auction is actually an $11 auction, assuming that shipping actually costs $5 and the seller charges $15.

Item

1717 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2095571 24-Sep-2018 14:52

CrashAndBurn:

I did email the seller and the above is pretty much what I got. I guess I will have to start charging extra for shipping in the future to cover packing and time spent as I have always been charging what I pay at the courier service or rounding it off to the nearest dollar.

So again, if they genuinely did not provide what they had agreed to and you had paid for, then you should push it and potentially look to leave feedback accordingly if they refuse to make good.

If they had "$15" for tracked shipping and they provided tracked shipping and it seems like it only cost $5, then I don't see it as much of an issue.

Sharesies

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amiga500

1484 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#2095600 24-Sep-2018 15:32

Maybe he over charged but packing something can get quite pricey.

Next time you are near a Warehouse Stationery have a look at the prices of bubble wrap etc. If a person is sending a delicate item such as a camera it pays to use lots and lots of bubble wrap or packing chips. By the time you buy a box, bubble wrap, and maybe tape it all adds up. In the case of a camera it is better to buy a larger box and use almost too much packing stuff - that way it has a good chance of surviving even the most careless handling.

eph

187 posts

Master Geek

#2095601 24-Sep-2018 15:33

Also sometimes they might be using higher shipping to offset lower sell price - to get advantage against other sellers. Lower price would attract more buyers (and stupidly TM doesn't show you total cost with the shipping unlike eBay, etc.) so you have to go into detail to see the total price. People would more likely view same product with lower price -> more chance to sell.

nitro

658 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2095606 24-Sep-2018 15:52

frankv:

However, I suspect that many people on TM now use the shipping cost as a way of padding out the price. So a $1 auction is actually an $11 auction, assuming that shipping actually costs $5 and the seller charges $15.

I have the same impression, as well. However, I have no issue with it as long as the amount is agreed upon beforehand. If not specified, I ask for shipping cost and factor that into the amount. I stick to what I'm happy to pay for the item (shipping cost included).

Hammerer

2476 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2095608 24-Sep-2018 15:59

Item:

If they had "$15" for tracked shipping and they provided tracked shipping and it seems like it only cost $5, then I don't see it as much of an issue.

The issue is that it is almost certainly against the only condition set by Trade Me related to shipping charges:

Trade Me Code of Conduct

Sellers agree to:

...

Shipping charges should not be inflated for profit, and must be a fair and reasonable reflection of the actual packaging and postage costs.

So if the total of the postage cost and the actual packaging (not including any labour costs) is much less than $15 then I would probably take further action beyond providing relevant feedback.

What to do depends upon a check of the trader's dealings with other traders. Has another buyer posted feedback on this issue? How has the trader responded to criticism?

Always clarify the situation with the seller before posting feedback. If I plan to leave neutral or negative feedback then I will ask the seller to explain or, in this case, provide a refund. The seller has to be given a chance to make things right - if you remain calm and resonable then many otherwise untrustworthy traders will do the right thing.

Keeping to the facts will help other buyers to assess the trader, e.g. "$15 shipping charge for tracked courier became $5 non-tracked and packed in old shopping bag. Seller would not refund any of excessive shipping charge!" It's easier with issues like long shipping delays: "Very slow shipping - 1 month: seller received payment 15/3, shipped item 12/4, delivered 15/4"

I would report any overly negative responses to Trade Me. This is partial protection against retaliatory feedback, which has been removed from my account at least once.

mattwnz

20164 posts

Uber Geek

#2095665 24-Sep-2018 17:29

I sold something on trademe recently, and due to not wanting it damaged, I packed it in quite a large box with lots of padding. The shipping came to about $15 cost price, which I thought was fair, and I told the buyer the price. However the buyer wasn't happy and said that they could get stuff shipped from china cheaper than that for the same sized item. I always wondered though how stuff shipped from china is so cheap, although I had heard that the incoming countries post system wears much of that cost. IMO sellers shouldn't probably be charging for their time to pack, unless they are a businesses. Otherwise IMO they should be paying tax on that extra amount they are making.

amiga500

1484 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#2095751 24-Sep-2018 19:37

mattwnz:

I sold something on trademe recently, and due to not wanting it damaged, I packed it in quite a large box with lots of padding. The shipping came to about $15 cost price, which I thought was fair, and I told the buyer the price. However the buyer wasn't happy and said that they could get stuff shipped from china cheaper than that for the same sized item. I always wondered though how stuff shipped from china is so cheap, although I had heard that the incoming countries post system wears much of that cost. IMO sellers shouldn't probably be charging for their time to pack, unless they are a businesses. Otherwise IMO they should be paying tax on that extra amount they are making.

When I was selling a DSLR on TradeMe I'd put free tracked courier plus free packaging etc. in the listing. I got a lot of favourable comments about the effort I'd made to pack it safely even if it took them a few minutes to un-wrap everything.

sleemanj

1490 posts

Uber Geek

#2095800 24-Sep-2018 20:41

$15 for a $5 cost, if that was the actual, is a bit on the nose. Although you do need to be careful to read the labelling, NZ Post's
"upgrades" system can appear misleading if you see like "$5" on the bag but the seller added some upgrades like tracking, rural, courier, saturday that all costs more.

And some sellers, like myself, charge shipping on a more amortised basis, sometimes we win, sometimes we lose.

As a small-time trademe seller, of small things I charge a flat $3.95 for trademe sales (and combine free), this is about a dollar more than it costs me to send most parcels using trademe book-a-courier, but also a load less than it costs me to send some parcels if they are larger, or rural. Realistically I should charge more like $4.95 flat by the time packaging materials are accounted for too, but market pressures you know, at least I imagine that I'm not the only one who takes shipping into account before buying.

---
James Sleeman
I sell lots of stuff for electronic enthusiasts...

BTR

1527 posts

Uber Geek

#2095988 25-Sep-2018 09:35

If I have packaging material i.e. bubble wrap and a suit box then I only charge the potsage cost But if I have to buy packaging material then I will charge for it however I make this clear at the time and its only happened 2-3 times.

I also live close to my post office so am not worried about petrol costs, although I could imagine if its a low income family they need to allow for this.

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