Charged Again for Rural Address
Summary: atlasesattic expressed frustration over shipping costs for a low-priced item, resulting in them blocking rural buyers to avoid losses. shire123 suggested the issue lies in selling small items and offered the idea of changing the business strategy. kensgiftshop questioned blocking buyers instead of adjusting prices, while tobaccocardyahoo shared success with fixed shipping costs benefiting rural buyers. Several participants, including adamcartwright and fm2000, recommended using calculated shipping to cover costs fairly.
Ridiculous...sold a 10.00 mask and ended up in the hole again, another buyer blocked, sorry to the rural residents but I can't afford almost 9.00 for an ounce, so i just block them so they can't buy from me again
This has to end, maybe if every seller did the same, ebay will wake up and do what Mercari does 4.91 to ship up to 3 oz.
fm2000
·1 month ago · EditedYou don't need to block anyone. Just switch to calculated shipping so you don't get stung by those zip codes that are punitive. The poor folks who live in those zips will still have to pay the increased rates, but you won't get stung and ship things at a loss. There is really no other option for the zips we are punished for mailing to, barring selling more expensive items that can absorb a small potential loss (which is far easier said than done.)
mkaczorsee
·1 month agoCalculated shipping is the only way.
adamcartwright
·1 month agoDo calculated shipping, so every buyer pays what it costs.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 month agoOffer fixed price shipping to all US locations for items of the same weight.
I set my shipping cost to a level in which I break even on shipping each month. It is still working even with rural rates and rural buyers in California, Washington and Oregon. I am located in NH.
I like my rural buyers, a lot. They buy items that other people do not.
I am quite willing to let the city slickers subsidize their shipping.
kensgiftshop
·1 month agoWhy would you block the buyer when they did nothing wrong?
Adjust your prices and allow for the difference in shipping prices.
shire123
·1 month agoHow can you hope to block EVERY rural buyer? I don't worry if they are rural or not. I have my shipping prices set to cover those eventualities
atlasesattic
OP1 month agoI sell small inexpensive items, its killing me
shire123
·1 month agoShipping costs are not going to go down. You need to change how you are,doing things or what you are selling.
It has been stated on these boards that in this environment small, inexpensive items are not profitable