Ebay/paypal Overseas Postal Charges Help Please

[slimharpo]

I've been selling on Ebay for years without any real hassle or lost packages. However, since Paypal have allowed buyers to claim thier money back, even though I could prove I sent records I have had 3 claims in a relatively short period. The latest claimant (they are all overseas!) waited 5 weeks before contcating me and asked me to invesigate, I said I would, however, the next day he filed a dispute with paypal who promptly deducted the amount from my account. His excuse was that his time to claim money back was running out! I know I cannot win so I said I would pay (even though I specifically asked this bloke if he wanted insurance when he won the record and he declined). Therefore I will have to charge insurance for overseas packages but I can't work out what is best to use and what is a fair charge. Can anyone help please? Also is it worth complaining to Ebay that the guy opened a dispute without telling me or giving me a chance to investigate with the Post Office? If so how do I do it?

Thanks in advance to any of you who respond after having the patience to read this!

[paultp]

You should always charge for postage with insurance, there are too many people out there who will claim something hasn't turned up when it has and paypal will find in favour of them. Most are honest but a lot are not.

When I sell records off my website, I charge enough postage to send them insured in the UK (recorded = £36, spec delivery = up to 500). If someone orders from overseas, I send them signed for and/or insured depending on the value, even if it cosdts more postage than they paid, just so that at the end of the day I can recover my costs in the worst case.

Have a look on ebay US and see how many sellers wil not post to Italy, Spain or France

Not had any probs myself but better safe than sorry.

edit; In terms of costs; I just sent a record to Australia insured up to 200 and it cost about 8.50, one to the US signed for (insured up to 36) cost 5.60. I've sent stuff to Europe insured to about 200 and again it costs about 8 quid.

Edited December 6, 2008 by paultp

[slimharpo]

You should always charge for postage with insurance, there are too many people out there who will claim something hasn't turned up when it has and paypal will find in favour of them. Most are honest but a lot are not.

When I sell records off my website, I charge enough postage to send them insured in the UK (recorded = £36, spec delivery = up to 500). If someone orders from overseas, I send them signed for and/or insured depending on the value, even if it cosdts more postage than they paid, just so that at the end of the day I can recover my costs in the worst case.

Have a look on ebay US and see how many sellers wil not post to Italy, Spain or France

Not had any probs myself but better safe than sorry.

edit; In terms of costs; I just sent a record to Australia insured up to 200 and it cost about 8.50, one to the US signed for (insured up to 36) cost 5.60. I've sent stuff to Europe insured to about 200 and again it costs about 8 quid.

Thanks this is helpful. Funny but I've not had problems with the countries mentioned, mine have been with buyers from Germany & The Netherlands! I've no reason to believe they were being dishonest as the amounts involved were relatively low but it's funny that it has started happening since the new paypal rules.

Cheers, Slim

[Guest inspirations001]

basically e bay is shite and getting worse. aren't they brining a rule in that stuff can only be paid for using paypal? i wonder who owns paypal!! and something about a set rate for postage no matter how many items you post.guy in states says it's gonna be $4 os something daft. if he sends out 20 records he says he'll be f**ked!

will have to review post rates and make sure EVERYTHING goes out recorded so it can be tarcked.

also can't you put in your ads that a claim must be made say b4 a 25 day period so u are covered.

any claims after that should go to paypal.

can they legally just take money out of ur account,seems like they have us all by the bollocks.

[slimharpo]

basically e bay is shite and getting worse. aren't they brining a rule in that stuff can only be paid for using paypal? i wonder who owns paypal!! and something about a set rate for postage no matter how many items you post.guy in states says it's gonna be $4 os something daft. if he sends out 20 records he says he'll be f**ked!

will have to review post rates and make sure EVERYTHING goes out recorded so it can be tarcked.

also can't you put in your ads that a claim must be made say b4 a 25 day period so u are covered.

any claims after that should go to paypal.

can they legally just take money out of ur account,seems like they have us all by the bollocks.

F***ed and got us by the bollocks just about sums up the current ebay/paypal service for sellers

[Philippe]

i wonder who owns paypal!!

Ebay

[Suzannek]

As a buyer never really had a problem with receiving records apart from one German seller took him 5/6 weeks to send me the record (not a well known seller told me he wasn't a professional seller and that is why he hadn't despatched me record - felt like telling him I'm not a professional buyer but I paid you straightaway). I tend to expect when records are despatched from the US that they are going to take ages to arrive anyway normally, most of the time I think it is them being retained by customs (I have had 4 or 5 recs arrive at the same time).

Suz

x

[Benji]

When I sell records off my website, I charge enough postage to send them insured in the UK (recorded = £36, spec delivery = up to 500).

So are you saying you're not charging the actual postage but "enough" to cover postage, i.e. making a profit on postage?

I've been selling on Ebay for years without any real hassle or lost packages. However, since Paypal have allowed buyers to claim thier money back, even though I could prove I sent records I have had 3 claims in a relatively short period. The latest claimant (they are all overseas!) waited 5 weeks before contcating me and asked me to invesigate, I said I would, however, the next day he filed a dispute with paypal who promptly deducted the amount from my account. His excuse was that his time to claim money back was running out! I know I cannot win so I said I would pay (even though I specifically asked this bloke if he wanted insurance when he won the record and he declined). Therefore I will have to charge insurance for overseas packages but I can't work out what is best to use and what is a fair charge. Can anyone help please? Also is it worth complaining to Ebay that the guy opened a dispute without telling me or giving me a chance to investigate with the Post Office? If so how do I do it?

Thanks in advance to any of you who respond after having the patience to read this!

Don't really get that, you can proove you posted the discs but Paypal isn't interested in your evidence? Sorry, but can't believe that is the case.

If you want to find out how much insurance postage is why not simply check with the PO? They will be more able to tell you the exact postage rates than anyone on here...

...no matter how many items you post.guy in states says it's gonna be $4 os something daft...

That's not true if I understood the Ebay messages right. it's max. postage of $4 per item within USA, too many sellers tried to make profit on postage and charged too much.

[Sebastian]

Don't really get that, you can proove you posted the discs but Paypal isn't interested in your evidence? Sorry, but can't believe that is the case.

Actually that IS the case. Proof of postage isn't enough as evidence, they want proof of delivery (i.e. some kind of signature from the buyer when they have recieved it).

That's not true if I understood the Ebay messages right. it's max. postage of $4 per item within USA, too many sellers tried to make profit on postage and charged too much.

No, you're wrong. It is true. If you list any item in the "Records" section on US eBay, you will have to (regardless where the seller is based!) supply a shipping option to US buyers that is maximum $4. It's outrageous, and I have no idea where they got $4 from - it costs more than that to ship an LP within the US and a lot more if shipping from Europe. One way to get around it is to clearly state in the item description what the actual postage cost is and add that amount when you send out an invoice to the buyer.

Edited December 7, 2008 by Sebastian