posted on December 13, 2000 06:57:24 PM new
I repeatedly sell the same few items. One of the items that I sell usually sells for around $20.00 and I state in my TOS that I ship this item via Priority Mail for $5.00. Is this out of line? I do take the time to pack carefully using good packing materials. I also use Delivery Confirmation to help insure that my customers get their packages. I just had a customer accuse me of "shipping fudging" and I was wondering what kind of response I would get here on the boards. Is $5.00 fair for a well packed package that uses $3.55 worth of actual postage and $0.50 worth of packing materials? Or am I forever going to be a "shipping fudger"???
posted on December 13, 2000 07:08:58 PM new
Delivery confirmation is for the protection of the seller-the buyer should not have to pay for it. This is one of my pet peeves! It does nothing to 'insure the package gets there'.
Cost of packaging should be included in your minimum bid. Tacking it on as a 'handling charge' is just a form of fee avoidance. BUT! If you intend to charge handling fee, say so in your TOS. Then the buyer can decide whether or not to pay it. If he chooses to bid on your auction, he has no right to complain.
I can sit on the fence just as well as the Supreme Court justices!!!
posted on December 13, 2000 07:10:58 PM new
I dont know what your selling or its weight but I dont think the shipping is to high at all in fact inless then one month you wont be able to offer shipping insurance and DC for close to $5 no more.
$5 is average fixed shipping right now I find on Items 13oz - 32oz .
posted on December 13, 2000 07:15:54 PM new
DC also has the advantage of: the PO seems to be kinder & gentler to DC packages. After 500 shipped since April, 2000, not one has been lost or damaged. It's in my TOS that ALL packages get DC -- bidders are free not to bid if this upsets them. I list ACTUAL postage cost for Priority with DC and I list a small mark-up for book-rate, as the 0.40 boxes are a killer. The fees are listed very clearly so there hould be NO confusion.
posted on December 13, 2000 07:15:57 PM new
You're not doing anything that about a million other sellers aren't doing. The price isn't too excessive. However, you are trying to sqeeze a bit of profit out of you shipping materials, right?
Why not try an experiment? Drop your shipping charges by a buck and see if it makes a difference.
Once I paid a seller his 4.00 shipping fee for a small item. When I got the envelope it had .77 cents postage on it. Yes, I know his stupid envelope cost him a few cents and the 6" piece of PCV pipe (item protected inside) must have set this guy back all of about a nickel and geez, his time he spent packing it and driving it to the Post Office.
I felt like he was a gouger and I'll never buy from him again.
posted on December 13, 2000 07:21:45 PM new
If you frequently sell items of the same type you are in a position to experiment with marketing techniques.
You could try free shipping and handling, a clearly stated fixed shipping cost, an ambiguous "buyer pays all shipping/handling charges" statement, or some other variation on the theme. Adjust your opening bid price (or reserve) to insure you'll end up with the same profit regardless of the terms.
Go with the method that consistently works the best and let us all know how it turns out.
[ edited by xardon on Dec 13, 2000 07:23 PM ]
posted on December 13, 2000 07:22:31 PM new
Cost of packageing should be included in the price of a new Item which is packaged at the factory.
How ever cost OF Custom packageing antiques and vintage collectables Cost money that is not something that can be part of min profits on the sale.
Delivery comfirmation is used as protection for the buyer as well as the seller as the Item is traceable online and is proof and garentee your Item was shiped it is also the price that must be paid in order to offer online credit card payment part of shipping the buyer agrees to pay.
buyer can refuse to take online payments then you wouldnt need DC and buyer can put a stamp on your item or just dump in a free box then no charge for packaging.
By the way My job is cutom pakaging I get paid $15 an hour where I work people pay $6 up to $2000 depending on whats being packaged packing is not cheap and many many times high bids hardly cover costs of this.
posted on December 13, 2000 08:03:03 PM new
It all depends how much parcel weighs and how package is shipped. Are we talking standard up-to 2 lbs package? Is it going Priority Mail?
Standard Priority up to 2 lbs: 3.20 Ins .85. DC: .35..Is the extra .60 for handling? Is package really going Priority?
dman, you brings up some good points (although I still wish you would use punctuation..)
posted on December 14, 2000 12:35:42 AM new
I think $5.00 is too much. $4.00 is fair for shipping plus materials. I don't think you should try to profit on the shipping. I wouldn't bid.
JMHO
-- http://www.valeriet.com
posted on December 14, 2000 01:09:59 AM new
I think it depends on what you're selling, and how you're shipping it.
If it's something non-fragile that you can toss into a Priority box with one piece of bubble wrap or some crumpled paper, then yep, I'd say $5 is a little bit excessive.
If it's a fragile item that requires double-boxing and lots of bubble wrap or other filler materials, then I think $5 is more than fair.
posted on December 14, 2000 04:39:55 AM new
Easy answer. Are you getting the number of bids you want? Are the items closing at a price satisfactory to you?
If so, there's no reason to change your rates, no matter how anybody here moralizes otherwise.
If not, I think you should look at your competition and see how your auctions and theirs differ - not just jump to the conclusion that it's your shipping charges that are the problem.
posted on December 14, 2000 06:37:26 AM new
You can charge a gazillion bucks for shipping if you want, or feel you "need" that much ... as long as you state the EXACT costs up front instead of blindsiding your customer after the auction has closed. If your customer knows these costs before bidding, then bids anyway, there should be no argument later on.
I have no problem paying $5.00 for shipping, even if the 'actual' cost is $3.20 ... I just want to know ahead of time that that's the final cost.
posted on December 14, 2000 06:41:04 AM new
I have never paid for DC and have had one package lost (none damaged) and the woman who said her package did not arrive was lying. This is out of over 1500 parcels.
I pretty much think it is a joke and would resent paying it as a buyer.
posted on December 14, 2000 06:57:07 AM new
You can charge whatever you want for shipping and handling. Retail stores build it in to the price of their product, but you cannot predict what the price you will get is going to be.
Figure it this way: there is at least 15 minutes worth of computer time with e-mails, adressing, etc., even with AuctionWatch. And it does take time to go to the Post Office, and it does take time for the labeling and DC. In addition, it always takes me at least 10 minutes to package up a product correctly for shipping. All in all, you probably have 30 to 45 minutes in a sale by the time you complete it.
As far as I am concerned, my time is well worth the additional fees for handling. And like someone already posted, if you clearly spell out all charges in the auction when you list it, the buyer has NO reason to complain.
Joe Semifero
The PC Upgrader
http://the-pc-upgrader.com
posted on December 14, 2000 07:12:45 AM new
As a buyer and a seller, I see no problem with your $5.00 shipping fees as long as they are stated in the description and I know it ahead of time. Then it is my decision whether to bid or not. I never bid on an item that does not state the shipping costs in the ad. If it is a heavy item they can give me a range. As a seller I figure out a fair price for shipping, it is usually .50 above actual costs. a few times I have lost as much as $7-8 dollars on an item that was oddly shaped and had to go in a large box, etc. Those are the breaks, but it is a lot more convenient than than emailing back and forth to figure out postage for these unusual items. I do not quote overseas shipping, go to the PO and get exact amount. I will not bid on items that do not give shipping fees in their ad, I have been ripped in the past and I do not mean by a few dollars. Meredith
posted on December 14, 2000 09:50:12 AM new
I know it's not logical at all and I'm not proud of it, but I will confess there is, with me, a gut reaction to the shipping cost compared to the item cost! I recently ordered over $180 worth of clothes from a mail order clothing catalog company. I didn't bat an eye at paying close to $20 for shipping (I opted for faster shipping).. I figured what the heck, I'm already spending too much anyway. When I won an auction for a necklace recently (costume type jewelry) for $3.00, I was very very glad that the seller offered Priority or super cheap first class in an envelope.. because while I know it's still a "bargain" and I know the item is worth at least that much to me ($6.20), I just couldn't stomach the thought of paying $3.20 to have a $3.00 item sent to me.
I know it is illogical, but it's the way I feel, so if the shipping cost is okay in proportion to the item cost, I'm not going to be bothered by it.
The $5.00 Priority Mail with DC wouldn't bother me as a bidder if it was something that needed packing materials other than the free stuff. If it was lightweight clothing or something I admit I probably wouldn't bid. If I were buying anything even remotely breakable, then I would expect to pay a bit more for shipping... because I'm a seller myself and have felt the pinch more than once of not charging adequately for shipping, then costing myself a whole lot of money with bubble wrap and such after the auction was overwith. I was surprised, for example, to find out how much extra materials and time were involved in shipping old books until I sold a few! So now I charge accordingly, offering Book Rate but sticking on a materials fee, as books always cause me to spend more time & money on packing than say, wrapping a nightie in tissue paper and tossing it in a Priority mail tyvek bag does.
posted on December 14, 2000 11:17:41 AM new
I simply state the obvious in my terms of sale. Opportunity knocks, if anyone is home! I charge for Pririty mail plus Delivery Confirmation. 2 pounds is $4.50 in the USA which includes handling. I stand in line, drive to the post office and am always marignal on prices. I have the same opportunity to say no when I'm on the buying side, so make the choice. Some merchandise only comes around once or twice ... Simply list it fairly in the TOS. Nothing if free expect bad air and bad advice..
posted on December 14, 2000 11:42:07 AM new
Personally, I probably wouldn't bid but it depends on what the item is. I came across a seller who listed a hardcover book with the postage being $5.00. I thought perhaps he ships by priority which due to weight, it would cost more than $3.20. But he is mailing the books by book rate. I know this because I checked his feedback. He has over 2,000 feedbacks with *53* negatives in the last 6 months! Most were complaints about shipping costs. However, the bidders should have checked his feedback and seen what others have to say. He has the $5.00 stated in his auctions so he wasn't hiding his cost. I would never bid on his items myself but he does have others who are.
posted on December 14, 2000 12:06:49 PM new
As long as you state your shipping and handling charges in your TOS I don't care what you charge! I don't care if you make money off shipping charges! I don't feel like I am being cheated! That argument is just nonsense. You could charge me $10.00 shipping and handling for a DVD and I wouldn't complain. What you charge is your buisiness, my buisiness is what I will bid, and I will just add shipping and handling to my maximum bid. No problem! Why do people whine so much?!
posted on December 14, 2000 12:22:13 PM new
Of course some bidders complain about having to pay for shipping. Given a choice, bidders would prefer not to pay for shipping at all- in fact, they'd probably prefer that you pay them to take the item off their hands.
So... you have a decision to make. You can:
A) charge nothing for shipping.
B) charge actual postage only.
C) charge for postage & materials only.
D) charge for postage & materials, plus handling.
E) All of the above, plus time spent driving to the post office, wear and tear on shoes, etc.
As you move down the list, you will most likely lose some bidders, but you have to weigh the loss of bidders against your need to recover the costs you incur providing the service of shipping the item to the winning bidder.
Not every seller is going to arrive at the same conclusion.
edited... spelling.
[ edited by mrpotatoheadd on Dec 14, 2000 12:24 PM ]
posted on December 14, 2000 12:52:59 PM new
$5 Priority shipping would ok if the package weighed too much to go by first class. What bothers me as a buyer is when the seller sends a 3-ounce item by Priority because "the supplies are free". They're not free you're making the customer pay for them. I'd rather pay $1 for postage and 50c for a mailer than $3.20 for Priority and a free box.
posted on December 14, 2000 01:03:01 PM new
I have sold the same items on ebay for about 6 months, and I have tested to see how much shipping affects the final value. Say I had something worth $50, and if I charged $5 for shipping, The high bid might be $47 or 48. However, if I don't charge any shipping at all, the high bids go up about 6 or 7 dollars, to around $55. So I haven't been charging any shipping because I have been able to squeak a few more dollars out of my bidders.
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