lifesablur
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posted on June 10, 2001 03:06:40 PM
With all the discussion about increased fees at PayPal, Billpoint, eBay, USPS, etc., I've decided to increase my shipping/handling charge. I mostly sell hard-to-find and collectible CDs, and my shipping charge has been $2 for the last year or so.
Soon I'll increase it to $2.50.
I'd like any opinions on this.... Does a $2.50 shipping/handling charge for a CD turn you off, causing you to not want to bid? Would it affect your maximum bid?
Looking at many other CD sellers on eBay, $2.50 doesn't really seem too high for a s/h charge.
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ashlandtrader
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posted on June 10, 2001 03:11:07 PM
$2.50 would not scare me away. That is a reasonable charge. :0)
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patscouch
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posted on June 10, 2001 03:14:35 PM
being po'd would depend on how you pack it. does that come in a bubble mailer or just an envelope. i purchased a cd, paid 3 bucks shipping and it came in a manila envelope, large one at that, no wrapping or padding, just loose. postage cost of under 50 cents on the envelope.....total cost to ship with envelope well under a buck.......i was pissed in that case...if it would be packaged nicely then it would have been ok.......
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gohogs
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posted on June 10, 2001 03:15:49 PM
I've paid $5.00 shipping on CD's before...the important thing is to factor the shipping into your bid price. If you sell me a CD for $1.00 and charge me $9.00 to ship it, I'm still sending you a check for $10, same as an $8 CD with $2 shipping.
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snipekiller
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posted on June 10, 2001 03:24:15 PM
A shipping charge of $2.50 is pretty reasonable for almost anything except perhaps really small collectibles like postcards for example. I just had someone try to soak me for $6 shipping on a paper item (a map) and as a seller of maps myself I have never charged more than $4 to ship even my largest maps. I just emailed the seller with the high charges to remind him of someone else's point here that it is better to recover costs by setting the correct ask price for the item in the first place instead of trying to recover ancillary costs in shipping charges - the quickest way to upset buyers (or even lose regular customers) is to ask outrageous shipping charges, but $2.50 should not upset anyone.
sk
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lifesablur
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posted on June 10, 2001 03:53:26 PM
I should have noted that I do send my CDs out in 6x9 bubble envelopes. And I never send out cracked jewel cases.
I'm always amazed at how many sellers send cracked and broken CDs, yet never mention the damage in the auction description.
Seriously, do bidders have to ask *everything*????
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marcn
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posted on June 10, 2001 04:11:34 PM
$2.50 is what I charge for shipping a single CD in a 6 x 10 bubble mailer and I sell hundreds a month and have not had any complaints regarding the charge.
marcs-garage
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cardmall
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posted on June 10, 2001 04:18:42 PM
I am raising my fees as well. I've resisted as long as possible, but now it is no longer possible. Right now, for a 2 ounce package, I charge $1 - That is 55 cents in postage (Soon to be 57) and if it is a bubble envelope, that is another 25 cents. That leaves only 20 cents to cover my fees.
Since an auction that ends at $10 now will cost me $1.32 to $1.42 just with paypal and ebay alone, I will start charging a flat $2 fee for these auctions. Priority mail auctions that cost $3.50 to $3.95 to ship I will have to start charging $5 on these. I hope it does not affect business too much, but I can't go on without trying to get some of those fees back. As others have said, you can't really make up the money by raising the minimum bid, since the items I sell work well if you start low, and let the bidders take over (I have one item that ends soon that I started at $9.99 with no reserve, and it is going over $100 now)
If someone tells me that it should only cost less than 60 cents to ship, I will have a good answer for them.
Alan
[ edited by cardmall on Jun 10, 2001 04:19 PM ]
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sadie999
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posted on June 10, 2001 04:25:53 PM
I agree with most of the posters here. $2.50 wouldn't turn me off at all.
If you're worried that your repeat customers will feel negative about the increase, maybe in parentheses, you could state something like: (Priority is also available for $3.90) - this way they'll see you're still less expensive than people who only ship Priority in your category.
[ edited by sadie999 on Jun 10, 2001 04:26 PM ]
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cassiescloset
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posted on June 10, 2001 05:55:51 PM
I have a flat rate $2.50 shipping avaliable for lightweight items. This covers the cost of the mailer. I have only had one person complain about it. I explained that priority would be $3.50 minimum--she saved $1.00.
Ebay now has the block bidder feature you can use to block complainers.
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tiggressoflove
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posted on June 10, 2001 06:10:31 PM
I charge $3 s/h on mine. I send them out in special cd mailers. Have had only 1 get smashed from the post office.
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wbbell
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posted on June 10, 2001 08:20:25 PM
I think that $2.50 is fair, but I sell them too and know where you are coming from. As a buyer, though, it's going to be hard to stomach seeing a $1.18 mark on the package but paid $2.50 to ship it. I don't think you will be able to go much higher than $2.50.
As for my personal plan to deal with the PayPay Simplification, I'm going to start the "cash discount" scheme and offer 65 cents off the S&H price for those who pay with check/mo.
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celebrityskin
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posted on June 10, 2001 10:07:40 PM
I charge $3 for shipping a CD. Never once, with over 1000 sent have I had a complaint.
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caravaggio
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posted on June 10, 2001 10:40:31 PM
$2.50 is reasonable, I wouldn't mind to pay it.
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wbmodrrsupaolcom
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posted on June 11, 2001 07:09:35 AM
2.50 sounds good to me, it still beats the mailorder & C.D clubs.
Thanks,
James
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eSeller004
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posted on June 11, 2001 07:33:24 AM
$2.50 sounds good to me too as long as it's nicely packaged and referred to as shipping and packaging fees! What other choice do we have with eBay and PayPal and Billpoint always sticking their hands in our pockets for more and more $$$? 
I think I'll follow your lead! Thanks for the idea.
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mballai
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posted on June 11, 2001 10:22:28 AM
I don't know if a higher shipping charge is the right sort of thing or not. We all will need to charge more in July so you might want to factor that in too. Perhaps charge $2.60 than you can crow that you aren't raising your price even if the post office is... 
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