posted on January 24, 2001 08:49:16 AM
I have had two international winners get upset with us for the rates we are quoting to ship items. Most of our stuff is one or two pages and will go into an 11 by 14 photomailer (adding almost no weight) and the lowest i can get it to is 3.80 surface to UK. Are we figuring wrong or are bidders just reluctant to accept the rate increase ?
posted on January 24, 2001 03:26:57 PM
You are not figuring wrong. That is the cheapest rate (beleive it or not).
In the future you may want to consider adding a link to the usps and add a blurb to your TOS saying something like " due to the recent postal rate hikes please check postal rates before bidding..."
posted on January 24, 2001 04:53:02 PM
Right now we only ship to the continental 48 states. I am thinking about trying to implement international shipping. I am concerned though that I would be dealing with a lot of complaints after having read your post. I'm sure international shipping would add a few dollars, but is it worth the hassle? Are there lots of complaints? Does it make a big difference in the bottom line?
posted on January 24, 2001 05:56:44 PM
I'm always curious when I see people ship only to the '48 continental' states. For priority mail up to a certain weight (used to be 7 lbs) it is the same no matter which of the 50 states item is going to.
Am I missing something?
Edited to add: My two biggest sales were to Japan! Smooth transactions! I think it's like anything else .. depends on who the buyer is. Luck of the draw. Perhaps you could sell internationally only to users with a minimum of (10?) positive feedbacks and no negs? Just a thought!
____________
I have a memory like a steel trap .. unfortunately it's rusted shut!
[ edited by tuition44years on Jan 24, 2001 05:59 PM ]
posted on January 24, 2001 07:32:28 PM
tuition,
I changed it to 48 states only after I it cost me almost double to mail a package to Hawaii. But, I had a bidder email me saying the same thing you said today. I'm heading to the post office and UPS tomorrow to get all of my shipping straightened out. So many options, rates, zones, websites, etc. have me very confused. I would like to get it all figured out so that I can ship internationally, but right now, I am very confused and don't want to be charging or quoting the wrong shipping costs. I do like the idea of 10+ feedback for international orders.
posted on January 24, 2001 07:56:18 PM
UPS can only do second day air to AK and Hawaii, which is a much higher cost then groundtrack. But Priority Mail is the same cost to all states...
posted on January 24, 2001 08:50:58 PM
If you use USPS, as stated earlier, it is the same rate to ALL 50 states (does USPS include PR?) UPS charges by "zone".
As far as intn'l buyers, I have had NO problem with UK, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan and even (gasp!) Canada. Just make sure you use a caveat in your TOS that shipping will be recalulated for "foreign" bids...
Keith
I assume full responsibility for my actions, except
the ones that are someone else's fault.
posted on January 24, 2001 09:37:49 PM
Thanks ubiedaman! I'm hoping a trip to UPS tomorrow can help me establish some shipping terms for international buyers. Have you ever tried to navigate the UPS website? Very confusing!
posted on January 24, 2001 09:50:02 PM
Guam, PR and the Virgin Islands (a place I want to visit someday) are all normal priority rate.
ebay: [email protected]
posted on January 25, 2001 05:23:26 AM
I live in the UK and these rates do not surprise me!! American friends who used to send 1oz letters for just 60c or US buyers sending payments must now pay 80c. That's an increase of 33.33%!!
International sales ARE worth it, I know this from the fact that most of my sales are to the US. If you don't have scales and can't quote guideline shipping rates in your auction, then put at the top of your auction terms: OVERSEAS BUYERS MUST EMAIL ME FOR A SHIPPING QUOTE BEFORE BIDDING. If this is in your TOS and they bid and then complain later about shipping costs you are perfectly within your rights to cancel the sale and file for a FVF refund.
I don't personally consider anything under $4.00 excessive for shipping. I've just paid $4.00 to get a dress pattern shipped from the US (although I grant you, that is airmail, not surface). Was this quote based on the USPS site (confusing for some) or on an actual trip to the Post Office?
As a UK resident, whenever I am buying I ALWAYS email the seller first as a matter of courtesy. And most of them are very grateful. It sorts out potential problems before they happen. Particularly for bidders who state no shipping costs at all.
[ edited by fallen_madonna on Jan 25, 2001 05:29 AM ]
posted on January 25, 2001 07:05:06 AM
With the recent changes the International "Small Packet" category has been renamed to "Global Priority Letter Post". This now covers ALL packages (including books) up to 4 lbs in weight. You should acquaint yourself with the International Rate Calculator at http://ircalc.usps.gov/. Click on Package, then select the requisite country from the dropdown list and enter the weight. All your available postage options will show up. These rates are the CORRECT rates, although more often than not the USPS clerks will come up with something different. That is why YOU, the seller, have to know what's what! Once you have the table listing the applicable rates you can print it out and take it with you to the post office.
If you are selling items like books, it is very easy to weigh them up front and include the weight in your auction description. That way, a bidder can check out the postage for themselves.
are all normal priority rate.