Free Shipping or Shipping Charges?

[judydu2]

I'm considering adding items other than media to my listings. I offer free shipping on media, but after researching sold items of some of the other things I want to list, it appears most buyers do not mind paying for shipping and in fact, make purchases more often than those with free shipping. My question is this, am I able to offer free shipping on some items and charge shipping on others and still retain my TRS status on one account? 

[judydu2]

Have I been under a mistaken impression that I must offer free shipping in order to maintain a TRS status? 

[judydu2]

I just reread the qualifications for TRS and TRS+. I have the answer to my own question, so if a mod could lock this posting, that would okay with me.

[moo*cow*corner]

TRS is a status that is attached to a seller's account. TRS+ (or TRSP) is a designation only for listings that meet the criteria for the 10% FVF discount, namely, one day handling, free shipping, and free returns.

I am a TRS on this account, but I don't do any TRS+ listings. The 10% discount just isn't worth it to me. I'd have to hire an employee to do one day handling, and that's not happening.

It really depends on the category for free shipping. Small lightweight items (under 1 lb.) fit that model much better than heavier items. Although, with USPS 1st class pkg now being zone-priced, there's differences to take into consideration there as well.

There can be a large difference between postage costs for near zones and far zones for heavier packages. I used to do free shipping, but quit. My prices looked too high for buyers in close zones, and buyers in far zones were getting a bargain on shipping and knew it. Guess which zones most of my buyers resided in? Yup. Far zones-- and I took a bath on postage for most transactions to far zones.

[inhawaii]

Great!  You found your own answer!

Now let's open up a can of worms.  LOL

What's better?  A $10 item with $5 shipping or a $15 with free shipping?

[mam98031]

First, you do NOT have to offer Free Shipping to be maintain TRS.

I sell books too, but mostly craft books.  I have separately stated shipping and it works fine for me.  I also offer combined shipping discounts which is important if you are going to do separately stated shipping.  I don't have any rules set up for that in my preferences because I only recently started loading weights into my listings.  But in my description of the items I have instructions in my TOS [terms of sale].

I do believe that many buyers like free shipping a lot.  Its easier, they don't have to add numbers together to know what their total cost is.  And I've noticed that more and more craft book sellers are moving towards having free shipping.  I actually may start moving that direction after the new year.  Too much to deal with right now since the Holiday season is upon us. 

Keep in mind that if you offer free shipping and you get a good amount of buyers that purchase multiple books from you, you are making more money by offering Free Shipping than you would doing separately stated shipping because your pricing on items with Free Shipping already contain the amount for shipping one item.

You can offer upgraded shipping even on listings that have free shipping.  But I don't know that this would really gain you anything.

[kh-gary]

This topic is now closed at the request of the OP. Thanks for understanding.