posted on July 16, 2001 09:53:41 AM
Couldn't think of an appropriate title to this.
I have a bidder who on the 12th had won 5 auctions, all fairly heavy, and all fragile (porcelain & glass)
I sent and EOA to her, with combined shipping, which was reasonable.
Didn't hear back until today, she wrote:
[i]Please hold shipping items since I am bidding on a few other of your items
which will end in the next couple of days. When final bidding is done and
total costs are calculated,items that I have won the bid on including the following may be shipped together to save postage to:[/i]
Well for me, I don't mind waiting for bidders for like 3 or 4 days..... but she just put another bid in, that ends the 23rd.
Now that is 10 days.
what do any of you do, if you have a bidder bidding like this. I don't mind the bidding but she is now totaling close to 12 items or more, all fairly heavy and porcelain or glass items. I don't charge handling fee's, just exact Priority charges. I put items up for 10 days. (which may be part of this problem) but I've had bidders pay if they have multilple items, and have more bids in that end 10 days later and then if they win, pay for those then.
So, I guess I have nothing to say, if they keep bidding into next month? Where does anyone, if you do, draw the line on this?
posted on July 16, 2001 10:01:51 AM
I would kindly ask her to pay for the items (sans shipping) to hold them for her. After the other auctions end, then she can pay for the remainder as well as an updated shipping cost.
If you don't want to go through this hassle, you could put in your auctions that you do NOT combine orders.
While this is nice for customers, it can be a pain for sellers if they have many auctions running. We're not AMAZON or anything where they are ordering by a customer number of something.
I've seen it both ways -- and I've only ever combined once (was only asked to once). My auctions are a little varied. If you stick to one category, you might want to consider combining, because you will have repeat business in that category.
So, bottom line, I would ask her to pay for the original items to hold them.
posted on July 16, 2001 10:09:11 AM
I tell my bidders that the items need to be paid for within 10 of the close of the auction. When they says they are still bidding I tell them that item XXX that closed on say the 1st needs to be paid by the 11th but I will be pay to hold it as long as the payment is received.
Heck, you have bills to pay....fees to ebay etc....that you can not say ...hey, I'm still racking up more money to owe you put it on my tab! This could go on forever.
posted on July 16, 2001 10:11:46 AM
I would write her and explain that too many fragile items shipped together increase the risk of damage, and give her a total for what she has already bid on. I don't mind combining, but not at the risk of damaging stuff.
posted on July 16, 2001 10:12:33 AM
Just as long as they want to keep spending. I had a lady who requested the same thing. I ended up combining about 15 wins for a total of $1500 in sales. She 'could' have gone elsewhere (read my competition) for the products.
posted on July 16, 2001 10:17:42 AM
Thank you..... I have combined shipping, many times, but this one is a little new to me.
I feel I may piss her off if I tell her to pay now for items won last Thurs. (I know, I am a whimp )
My partner says the same thing you guys are saying, and said that from what she is bidding on, it would take a U Haul box, and plenty of packing material, or several of the largest Priority Boxes.
I guess, I don't know a 'polite' way to write this to her. All great feedback, but dang! thats a lot of heavy fragile items..
posted on July 16, 2001 11:09:50 AM
I have three returning customers that always bid on at least 3 or more items (usually 6+) with different ending dates. After each auction closes I send them a note on what they won and the price. Then when the last auction is finished, I pack appropriately and send them the final tally for shipping and the cost of each item. (I sell mostly glass & porcelain) Now if I had cut them off or insisted they pay within a period of time on the items that had already closed, they would not be returning customers. And I did this before they became 'returning' customers. Sometimes "a bird in the hand is worth much more than two in the bush". finally I understand what this means.
posted on July 16, 2001 11:10:18 AM
Here is a nice way, Dear Buyer I have combined items A B C and prepard them for shipping, due to the fragle nature no other items can be added to that box. You total is xxx. Ed
edhdsn
posted on July 16, 2001 11:48:55 AM
You need to set limits now and in the future. Auctions within a one week period is about the norm for combination shipment/payment. I used to worry about getting paid up front on multiple auctions, but with FeePal and BillOften, a one-time payment is fine.
posted on July 16, 2001 12:04:00 PM
I'd be very thankful for having this buyer and would bend over backwards to accomdate their request.
You have an opportunity to capture a great customer, so it would be in your best interest to comply with their wishes, even if it means waiting a bit for payment. This individual has the potential to purchase a great deal more product from you now and in the future.
i'm worried about packing too many of your new, fragile things together, so how about if we wind up auctions a, b, & c, and deal with d, e, & f when they've ended. this has the added bonus of your getting them faster!
posted on July 16, 2001 01:28:14 PM
Thanks for the replys.. I think I will write and tell her that (like others mentioned) that its fine (oh boy) but that 3 items to a box, and each box will have to be $x. amount.
I love repeat customers too.
The problem is the 10 day auctions, I was planning on putting more things up, but now I'm afraid she'll be bidding on those too, (don't get me wrong, I love bidders! )but her pattern is no pattern, she is bidding on matching pieces, but also things that are totally different. Her feedback is good, but the last feedbacks were from Nov. '00 and I looked at her current bidding history, and its ALL my things.
Ok edited to say: I looked, and she's only bid on 21 of my items, she has bid on some other sellers auctions..
posted on July 16, 2001 01:49:51 PM
Buyers need to be reminded that there is a definite point-of-no-additional-savings to this combining. Plus the well stated points about packing breakables. There is also a chance that this buyer thinks her boat is coming in next month, and this is a delaying tactic. It's great to save up stuff, I guess, for a good customer, but I'd have to know her pretty well to save up for very long. jmho
posted on July 16, 2001 04:58:18 PM
I'll hold a shipment that I have been paid for waiting on other auctions to close, so we can combine shipping, but I want paid on things in a timely manner. If they spotted things they wanted to add to the shipment 10 days latter, what about the next round of auctions (and the next....)
Who Need's a stink'n Sig. File?
posted on July 16, 2001 05:13:23 PM
For the sake of practicality, I totally agree with Ed. You certainly don't want to combine too many breakable items as that would put them at peril for arriving safely.
Or, waiting until the end of the 10 day period you could just quote ship cost for all the items in as many parcels as they would travel safely.
(Usually when I see a blurb in the auction for savings on combined shipments it mentions a perameter such as 7 days.)
posted on July 16, 2001 11:30:02 PM
Gosh, I have buyers who ask me to hold off shipping while they "build a box" over time. It is a very normal thing for me to do. I sell antique porcelain by a specific maker.
The buyer sends payment as auctions are won. When the buyer is finished, I am notified and I calculate shipping and insurance.
I never heard of this three piece per limit idea before. I think it is ludicrous. I double box all of the items, using a 16x16x16 box placed into an 18x18x18 box, and I go as high as a 22x22x22 box. If there are a lot of items then two box sets or more will be shipped out.
All of these buyers have turned into well-paying fabulous repeat customers. One customer spent over $5,000 with me in a three-month time span. Even if they don't win, building a box for them encourages them to bid on other auctions and drives up the final prices, giving higher profits.
posted on July 17, 2001 12:18:36 AM
Gosh, I have buyers who ask me to hold off shipping while they "build a box" over time. It is a very normal thing for me to do. I sell antique porcelain by a specific maker.
The buyer sends payment as auctions are won. When the buyer is finished, I am notified and I calculate shipping and insurance.
I never heard of this three piece per limit idea before. I think it is ludicrous. I double box all of the items, using a 16x16x16 box placed into an 18x18x18 box, and I go as high as a 22x22x22 box. If there are a lot of items then two box sets or more will be shipped out.
All of these buyers have turned into well-paying fabulous repeat customers. One customer spent over $5,000 with me in a three-month time span. Even if they don't win, building a box for them encourages them to bid on other auctions and drives up the final prices, giving higher profits.
posted on July 17, 2001 08:43:27 AM
Hi all........
I have had bidders who build up an order, too. 99 times out of 100 I have had no problem......
.........then I had this screw-ball. Kept sending me the sweetest emails, loved my stuff, loved my prices, how long have I been in business, how many kids do I have? And buying, BUYING, BUYING!
I ended up giving her 54 negs. she never paid. She managed to get 3 or 4 negs on me, too.
Now I request items being held be paid for while they sit on my shelves and it doesn't seem a problem. I have made two other sales with that many items and I'm delighted to help the keep as much moola as possible from the post office. Fragility is not an issue as my junque is books and magazines.
I ALWAYS charge only EXACT POSTAGE to purchasers or five or more items. Domestic or international. It's stated in my auctions.
posted on July 17, 2001 09:09:54 AM
Don't you think 54 negatives is overkill? I would think that a couple would work just fine to give other sellers the general idea.
posted on July 17, 2001 02:22:42 PM
naaaaaaahhhhhhh, once I got into it........
I needed a really firm statement that she was a flake.
I wasn't the only one, of course. She has thousands of good feedback but pages of negs. "never paid" "won 4 items, never paid" "doesn't respond OR pay" etc.
posted on July 17, 2001 03:49:05 PM
I have seen auctions where the seller states they will gladly combine shipping on additional items won within 7days of the first win.
I also like the idea that only so many breakable/fragil pieces will be packed together.
I guess you could combine the two for something like:
I will gladly combine shipping on multiply items won within 7days of the first win. In the case of breakables, I will combine up to 3 items within a 7day period to save on shipping yet keep the items safe.
posted on July 17, 2001 04:34:11 PM
I had a buyer ask me to do the same thing...I agreed. But, in the interim, he found another auction for the same items for less...Result? I was out over $750! My advice? Have your customers pay for what they've won within the 10 day limit.
posted on July 22, 2001 11:51:08 AM
I had a collection of 400 or so CEDs that I lisited. Once I offered to combine shipping on these heavy movies, the bids really started jumping. (The first CED was 4.95, then 99 cents for each additional one). I ended up only with 4 sets not yet paid for, but the bidding more than doubled.
Of course, my man from Chile is one of them - but he does send me the funniest emails
but she is now totaling close to 12 items or more, all fairly heavy and porcelain or glass items. I don't charge handling fee's, just exact Priority charges. I put items up for 10 days. (which may be part of this problem) but I've had bidders pay if they have multilple items, and have more bids in that end 10 days later and then if they win, pay for those then.
