keziak
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posted on August 2, 2001 04:15:29 PM new
Do any of you routinely offer Priority shipping on books? And if so, do you price your books at more than the rock bottom price listed for other copies?
I am debating this as a possible solution to the problem which nags at me: Marketplace buyers not understanding how long Media Mail takes for delivery. Unfortunately, if they don't understand they are paying their $4 or whatever for Slow Boat, perhaps they won't be enticed to pay somewhat more for the book to get Priority shipping?
I do email and offer it to many of my buyers, but then they have to send me a check or PayPal and that's an extra step for everyone.
I know at least one person here says she has success despite not pricing to beat the next lowest price, so I wondered if this might work. It would also save me from having to keep boxes and mailers in stock to ship Marketplace items.
keziak
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eternallythankful
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posted on August 2, 2001 06:00:43 PM new
Hi Keziak
I only sell via the Marketplace...no, I don't use Priority Mail, nor do I offer it to the customers as an option. I have only had one complaint about slow shipping out of the last 100 books I've sold, and almost all of my feedbacks mention my quick shipping. This might be because the confirmation e-mail that I send to them after I ship the book states the number of days that it can take to receive a shipment via Media Mail (4-12, and possibly up to 20.) I use the words that Amazon itself uses in their Seller's Help section.
As to offering the option of Priority to customers...I have never really given it more than a passing thought. It just seems to involve too much more work to justify it. I wish that Amazon would provide sellers and customers with a way to use Priority, but until that time comes I will not use it, nor will I worry about it. 
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keziak
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posted on August 3, 2001 06:40:08 AM new
eternally - thanks for your reply! I do not have any negative FB on slow shipping...but I see it all the time when I look at other seller's FB. Also, any number of buyers have been surprised when I told them how long it would take. From where I live to the West Coast is particularly bad.
I'll have to think about it so more, or do some test listings to see how it works.
keziak
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eternallythankful
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posted on August 3, 2001 05:24:43 PM new
Keziak -
Yes, it's an individual decision, that's for sure. The one complaint that I did get for slow shipping was indeed one that was going from coast to coast.
One other thought I wanted to add. I have read on other threads concerning this topic that some sellers believe that using one of the internet postage services (like Endicia, which I have just starting using) seems to speed up the delivery process a little. They believe that using the zip+4 verification that these services provide speeds the delivery. I am not sure if this is true...again, I have just started using it. I also cannot speak for any of the other online postage services as to whether they offer it. I will say that I am beginning to love Endicia though...it has certainly begun to make my life easier.
Good luck...I hope this helps.
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hwahwahwahwa
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posted on August 4, 2001 03:58:27 PM new
if you scroll lower on the book detail screen,you will notice some zshop booksellers offer priority shipping,but the prices are higher,for books and shipping .
amzn keeps part of the shipping charge ,giving us 2.23 for domestic ship,with all that competition,how many of us can ship priority after paying for a padded envelope.
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enchanted
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posted on August 4, 2001 08:55:46 PM new
Hi keziak
When listing textbooks I price the book to include priority mail because I figure the buyer needs it right away for a class.
For most books I ship media mail, but I always use Zip+4 which seems to speed delivery up a couple of days.
other books I make a case by case decision, depends on the price realized, and the location of the buyer relative to me.
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keziak
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posted on August 5, 2001 07:14:48 AM new
enchanted: do you put in your description that you will ship Priority on certain items? I am wondering if doing this will entice buyers, or if they mostly just select the lowest price.
keziak
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enchanted
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posted on August 5, 2001 02:02:56 PM new
yes I try to mention it if I have the space in the description line, and I specifically plan to ship that item priority.
IMHO some buyers will choose the quicker shipping over the lower price and some buyers will opt for lower price and slower delivery. There's always a mix of reasons why people decide to buy a particular book.
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nedtrader
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posted on August 7, 2001 04:26:04 AM new
I use express sometimes and pay half. It gets more bidders, I think
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mydogsbestfriend
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posted on August 13, 2001 10:12:13 PM new
I ship 99% of my books by Priority and state it in my Marketplace descriptions. I routinely add $1-2 to my price in order to cover this and find that even if I am the highest price, I get the order much of the time. I have had customers pay up to $15 higher than the cheapest price just to get Priority Mail. I also get lots of good feedback for quick delivery.
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CS1273
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posted on August 30, 2001 09:04:22 PM new
I know for a fact that since using Endicia.com my books are getting there fast.
I live in Florida and most of my sales are mailed to the West Coast. For weeks I checked the delivery confirmation to see when their item arrived and all items arrived in 4-5 days. I have 555 feedbacks with 5 out 5 stars with no bad feedback at all and NO complaints or e-mails "Where's my package?" In my shipping notice I state Amazon shipping policy and shipping times and I give them the delivery confirmation so they can verify the item was shipped and track it themselves. It saves me a lot of time. I sell on Zshops and offer Priority Mail for those items and have have Media Mail reach a customer going to the same state faster then Priority. I will also upgrade to Priority if it is a higher priced item
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westsoundgifts
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posted on August 31, 2001 01:52:21 PM new
I've never offered to upgrade Marketplace items to Priority Mail for fear that the buyer will report it to Amazon.com.
From the page at Amazon:
Amazon.com MARKETPLACE Shipping Times & Rates Policy for Book Purchases:
U.S. Postal Service Media Mail--formerly "book rate"--is the only domestic shipping option. Likewise, international "surface" shipping is the only international shipping option. Sellers are paid on the basis of these rates, and they cannot offer upgrades.
If the buyer asks me to ship the book to them using THEIR FedEx or UPS account, I will do that for them.
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keziak
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posted on August 31, 2001 08:03:23 PM new
Interesting. I don't interpret that statement as meaning "sellers are forbidden to offer upgrades". More like, sellers aren't obligated to offer upgraded shipping because we aren't reimbursed by Amazon. Why would Amazon care if we upgrade at our own expense or the buyer reimburses us?
It's in Amazon's best interest to at least not stand in the way of better customer service. An unhappy customer is not likely to be a repeat customer.
Keziak
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raster
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posted on September 2, 2001 09:56:15 PM new
Working for the USPS as a window clerk and distribution clerk I find it hard to believe that media mail could be faster than Priority Mail. They are handled differently. Priority Mail is flown across the country whereas media is trucked and has many stops along its way. Also, zip + 4 wouldn't expedite media mail as it's handled only by the five digit zip code. Those little glued labels that are attached to the parcel at the bulk mail processing centers are the basis for the sorting and they only have five digit zips. Sometimes, though, media mail (since they are usually small parcels) could get in with the Priority Mail and get expedited which could explain its fast delivery across the country. I would expect media mail to take 7-10 days to normally cross the USA coast to coast.
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