In response to my first ever negative feedback on eBay (since I joined in 2004), in which the buyer said she "saw the post mark and found it incredible that the post charge was so high", I'd like to explain to my followers and collectors the deal with my £2.50 P&P for ACEO art cards - and my postage charges in general.
It would appear this buyer believes that by "postage" a seller means only the cost of a stamp. What it actually means is the cost of a stamp, plus the cost of the packaging materials the item is sent in, plus travel expenses if you need them to get to a place where you can post the item to the buyer.
My P&P rate for my 99p ACEOs is a flat-rate £2.50: 75p for the large letter postage stamp, 60p for the all-board envelope to keep the card flat and protected, 10p for the ACEO-sized cellophane wallet to keep the individual cards clean and protected, 10p for the flexible plastic wallet the cellophane wallet goes into to keep it dry and protected in transit from rain or damp mail boxes, and the rest being travel expenses to my Post Office.
Also, many of my customers buy several ACEOs at a time, and I am always willing to combine postage for them - in fact, the postage will not be more than £2.50 if they order less than 8 cards. If the postage is more than usual for them - I cover it.
I don't post Second Class in the UK - unlike some eBay sellers who claim to post by First but still do it by Second to keep the P&P charges low - I always post First Class so that the item arrives timely. I don't post in flimsy envelopes so the cards get bent in the mail system, they are fully reinforced to keep them flat, and so I use all-board mailers. These cost more than a regular envelope, but it's better than having your card arrive mangled. And on this occasion my round trip to the Post Office cost me £5.50 by bus, so I was actually out of pocket for the postage costs for this lady. More often than not, I underestimate the postage costs and have to make up the difference myself. Even though I am struggling a lot financially at the moment, I would rather have satisfied buyers than skimp on the P&P and have dissatisfied ones because their items arrived slow, or broken.
My P&P charges are clear on my eBay pages, so as a plea to all potential buyers - if you don't think the P&P is fair or if it offends you in some way, please don't bid. It's that simple! :) This lady seems to be complaining only after getting the card because she doesn't realise what P&P means, or she does not think packaging materials are expensive (they are!) - or living in a rural area how far away everything is, including Post Offices. But she did not seem offended by the P&P charge whilst she was bidding for the item!
EBay has been pushing sellers to offer "free" P&P since last year, but in reality there is no such thing as "free P&P". It either comes out of the seller's pocket and profits, it goes on after the final price, or it gets tacked on to the auction price... somebody always has to pay for it. Sadly, I'm not financially comfortable enough to bulk buy my mailers and cellophane wallets so that I get them for the cheapest price, and I don't have the use of a franking machine or any bulk postage discounts. My mailing has to be done at retail prices. ...Sorry, but there it is. :)
I am pretty upset by this feedback; the buyer didn't even try to contact me about her dissatisfaction first, didn't even mention whether she was pleased or not with the item; my reputation as a seller suffers now, and with it my ability to make an income. My art is my only way of making a living these days because the job situation down here in North Cornwall is very poor, and I can't afford a car to commute to one even if there were any, which makes me undesirable as a candidate to most Cornish employers (it's a vicious cycle: can't get a job because I've got no car, and can't get a car because I've got no regular-paying job...) Times are tough. There's nothing to rely on except the hope I can make a sale with my art.
So once again I really want to thank all my other buyers and supporters, because I don't know what I'd do without you lovely people! <3
Thanks for reading!
It would appear this buyer believes that by "postage" a seller means only the cost of a stamp. What it actually means is the cost of a stamp, plus the cost of the packaging materials the item is sent in, plus travel expenses if you need them to get to a place where you can post the item to the buyer.
My P&P rate for my 99p ACEOs is a flat-rate £2.50: 75p for the large letter postage stamp, 60p for the all-board envelope to keep the card flat and protected, 10p for the ACEO-sized cellophane wallet to keep the individual cards clean and protected, 10p for the flexible plastic wallet the cellophane wallet goes into to keep it dry and protected in transit from rain or damp mail boxes, and the rest being travel expenses to my Post Office.
Also, many of my customers buy several ACEOs at a time, and I am always willing to combine postage for them - in fact, the postage will not be more than £2.50 if they order less than 8 cards. If the postage is more than usual for them - I cover it.
I don't post Second Class in the UK - unlike some eBay sellers who claim to post by First but still do it by Second to keep the P&P charges low - I always post First Class so that the item arrives timely. I don't post in flimsy envelopes so the cards get bent in the mail system, they are fully reinforced to keep them flat, and so I use all-board mailers. These cost more than a regular envelope, but it's better than having your card arrive mangled. And on this occasion my round trip to the Post Office cost me £5.50 by bus, so I was actually out of pocket for the postage costs for this lady. More often than not, I underestimate the postage costs and have to make up the difference myself. Even though I am struggling a lot financially at the moment, I would rather have satisfied buyers than skimp on the P&P and have dissatisfied ones because their items arrived slow, or broken.
My P&P charges are clear on my eBay pages, so as a plea to all potential buyers - if you don't think the P&P is fair or if it offends you in some way, please don't bid. It's that simple! :) This lady seems to be complaining only after getting the card because she doesn't realise what P&P means, or she does not think packaging materials are expensive (they are!) - or living in a rural area how far away everything is, including Post Offices. But she did not seem offended by the P&P charge whilst she was bidding for the item!
EBay has been pushing sellers to offer "free" P&P since last year, but in reality there is no such thing as "free P&P". It either comes out of the seller's pocket and profits, it goes on after the final price, or it gets tacked on to the auction price... somebody always has to pay for it. Sadly, I'm not financially comfortable enough to bulk buy my mailers and cellophane wallets so that I get them for the cheapest price, and I don't have the use of a franking machine or any bulk postage discounts. My mailing has to be done at retail prices. ...Sorry, but there it is. :)
I am pretty upset by this feedback; the buyer didn't even try to contact me about her dissatisfaction first, didn't even mention whether she was pleased or not with the item; my reputation as a seller suffers now, and with it my ability to make an income. My art is my only way of making a living these days because the job situation down here in North Cornwall is very poor, and I can't afford a car to commute to one even if there were any, which makes me undesirable as a candidate to most Cornish employers (it's a vicious cycle: can't get a job because I've got no car, and can't get a car because I've got no regular-paying job...) Times are tough. There's nothing to rely on except the hope I can make a sale with my art.
So once again I really want to thank all my other buyers and supporters, because I don't know what I'd do without you lovely people! <3
Thanks for reading!
Dear Alex, I understand completey. I know how disheartening it can be to receive bad, or negitive feedback from one of your buyers. It is hurtful that she didn't discuss this with you before leaving feedback. I seriously doubt it will hurt your sales though. You are such a talented artist, All of your work is so pristine, and perfect. Try not to let it worry you. You have so many fans of your work..they will still come!
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Christel! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Alex, how annoying and I agree with eveything that you say. I think that some people just like to have a moan - it's ignorant to leave negative feedback over anything without contacting the seller anyway. Your other customers will see it for what it is - petty and stupid.
ReplyDelete