courier charges.......the good the bad and the fugly

[KERMIT THE UBOAT]

Hey all

apologies for the dramatic heading

what is accepted protocol with regards couriers and freight of goods

in other words.....does seller pay freight and or the buyer?

[Mojoman]

Buyer

[Smartie]

Hey all

apologies for the dramatic heading

what is accepted protocol with regards couriers and freight of goods

in other words.....does seller pay freight and or the buyer?

 

Usually the seller, but some couriers do have a COD option where the buyer can pay when he receives the goods.

 

[Edit: The seller pays the courier on behalf of the buyer. Ultimately, the buyer still pays the cost, just depends when - before or after delivery]

Edited November 14, 2012 by Smartie

[Bianchi]

Usually it's like this:

 

For sale: blah blah

Price: blah blah

Shipping: at buyers expense

 

Then what happens, is the seller organizes it and the buyer pays the price plus the shipping amount.

[Guest The Bushpig]

As a general rule: Most often the buyer pays for the freight in one way or another, but scenarios differ. If you are talking about a personal sale between two individuals, I'd say buyer pays freight.

 

My company does not charge freight for most goods shipped to a buyer, and the charges are genuinely not built in or hidden anywhere. We charge for shipping on smaller spares orders and at our discretion when warranty issues are involved.

 

What scenario do you have in mind?

[KERMIT THE UBOAT]

I have sold an item on the hub....item has been paid for ....proof of payment provided, cash in bank...I am thus happy to let goods go.... now buyer is asking me for the waybill number?? Assuming I would have sent it at my expense. Were the freight not R650 and the sale only R1850 I would be a little more agreeable on the issue. I have yet to contact him as I first wanted to get facts straight.

will keep yall posted

[ricochet_rabbit]

send it with Time Freight, they have a COD facility.

[Witkop]

if buying from a retailer, the retailer normally has a agreement with a courier and the buyer picks up the tab. The courier will also handle the import duties and taxes and then charge the buyer COD for this.

 

It is easier for the retailer to organise delivery on behalf of the buyer. But the buyer should still have to cover the cost of the delivery.

[Cippo]

Overnight counter to counter is about 60 Nelsons depending on weight. Did you agree upon responsibilty of charges for freight before hand. If you did not discuss it generally buyer pays for appropriate courier depending how urgent he needs parcel.

Edited November 14, 2012 by MCipollini

[KERMIT THE UBOAT]

Crisis averted. told the guy his funds have cleared, and asked which courier he will be sending. he replied to say that he was under the impression it was for my account, and then suggested i send it with snail mail aka post office. i am going to suggest over night with post office at a shared expense ........... lesson learnt always cover all your bases..... postage for buyer.

almost as bad as guy who misread my ad for rims tyres and spokes......sends me a message demanding the hubs too ...... only mention of hubs in the post was that the spokes were cut for that hubs wheel build......ended up having to send him the original ad and pics off the hub, then he wants a refund as the deal is suddenly not such good value ...... go figure

[Guest The Bushpig]

I have sold an item on the hub....item has been paid for ....proof of payment provided, cash in bank...I am thus happy to let goods go.... now buyer is asking me for the waybill number?? Assuming I would have sent it at my expense. Were the freight not R650 and the sale only R1850 I would be a little more agreeable on the issue. I have yet to contact him as I first wanted to get facts straight.

will keep yall posted

 

Eish, Eina. Ja, understand the problem now. These details often get missed; assumptions are made, resulting in an awkward situation and bad feelings.

 

Since there is no hard and fast rule, I'd suggest:

1) See if there's a way you can send for less( charges vary hugely between couriers. If it is a small(ish) item, then send by Post; R25 - R70 vs many hundreds for Courier typically). How big and heavy is the item and where is it going?

2) Send it COD as suggested. Perhaps the buyer is expecting this without actually saying so.

 

My 2c; hope it gets sorted out amicably.

[Guest The Bushpig]

Crisis averted. told the guy his funds have cleared, and asked which courier he will be sending. he replied to say that he was under the impression it was for my account, and then suggested i send it with snail mail aka post office. i am going to suggest over night with post office at a shared expense ........... lesson learnt always cover all your bases..... postage for buyer.

almost as bad as guy who misread my ad for rims tyres and spokes......sends me a message demanding the hubs too ...... only mention of hubs in the post was that the spokes were cut for that hubs wheel build......ended up having to send him the original ad and pics off the hub, then he wants a refund as the deal is suddenly not such good value ...... go figure

 

Ah, ok. Posted just as you did

[Cippo]

Counter to counter cheapest option as long as its under 1.5 kg and not in a box. I put a helmet once in its box and post office wanted over R200 based on size of box and not weight. Took out of box into Speed services bag and cost went down to 60 Rondt. Just use bubble wrap for delicate stuff.

[Guest The Bushpig]

Counter to counter cheapest option as long as its under 1.5 kg and not in a box. I put a helmet once in its box and post office wanted over R200 based on size of box and not weight. Took out of box into Speed services bag and cost went down to 60 Rondt. Just use bubble wrap for delicate stuff.

 

Good to know.

[deanbean]

I've never sold anything, but always assume that I will be covering the courier costs when I buy on the hub, unless the seller says otherwise.

[HeyYou]

I have sold an item on the hub....item has been paid for ....proof of payment provided, cash in bank...I am thus happy to let goods go.... now buyer is asking me for the waybill number?? Assuming I would have sent it at my expense. Were the freight not R650 and the sale only R1850 I would be a little more agreeable on the issue. I have yet to contact him as I first wanted to get facts straight.

will keep yall posted

 

Couriers are quite expensive. Snail mail, in a box, even a full bike, is substantially cheaper, even if it does take a week!!!! My preferred method now, otherwise couriers just too expensive for repeat buying.

 

PS. Never known shipping to be for sellers account, eBay, Amazon, CRC, everyone has shipping for buyer's account.

Edited November 14, 2012 by heyyou