HELP, My Buyer Requested an Invoice After Buying Five Items To Combine Shipping
Long story short, a buyer came onto my eBay, bought five items, and wants me to combine the shipping. They asked for an invoice and a single shipping cost. I'm confused! Please respond quickly!
13 comments
worldcoinauctions
·3 years agoI do something similar, selling coins for .99 cents with $1 shipping. If my buyer buys 1 coin I make perhaps 65 cents.
I offer the option of first class shipping for $4 (I've only had one person take that option for a single coin. Wish they would not do that, I only clear 20 cents after fees on that and it does not include the cost of the coin.)
I ship 1-2 items in an ebay standard envelope, 3+ get sent first class in a padded envelope. I do combine up to 20 coins at the $4 rate once they have purchased at least 4. I've had a couple people whine that my shipping is too high, but that is not my problem. Several told me "schooled me" since this account is new that I can ship up to $20 worth of coins in a standard envelope. (not true, don't do it).
I do list the policy for shipping on all my listings, and give people up to 7 days to buy multiple items (they best pay for them then, 11 days and they get NPB'd)
"You should not be making money off of shipping. That is not fair to the buyer. " Where on earth did such a ridiculous statement come from? As long as shipping cost is disclosed upfront, fairness is in place. I'm sure my buyers would prefer if I would just send them the coins free, but you know I don't run a charity. Most large retailers see shipping as a "profit center" and charge much more.
I think what you are doing is fine if a bit high, I think I'd raise my selling price a bit and lower the shipping cost a bit to make it look better, but if people want to buy individual cents online, they should expect to pay more for shipping than for the coin. How it goes. I'd also suggest (though I hate those long paragraphs of selling conditions some use) posting your shipping policies in your listings. Consider capping your shipping at some point perhaps so it doesn't get insane.
It's not ebay, it's a business. Ebay is just one method of selling some of the stuff!
spark-chaser1
·3 years agoThanks for your reply.
Hopefully it works out for you with the buyer in the other post who just entered 30 of your auctions. If they didn't receive the message that you don't combine shipping( because it's not mentioned in any of your listings I checked) and they get hit with $83 for shipping for basically .03 cents in face- value coins, it may get messy.
For sure, some advice is hard to hear. You had asked a few days ago, " is it wrong to to make most of your money off of shipping costs"? And, in that first case, you thought the buyer ( who asked to combine shipping) may feel cheated when they received their non- combined multiple orders; and if they did, you asked, should you feel bad for them?
Then in another post yesterday, you posted asking for help- another buyer requested an invoice because they purchased 5 pennies and wanted to combine shipping, and you were confused as to how you should handle it.
And today, you had a " strange situation" with shipping. A buyer bids on 30 of your lots, and hasn't responded to a message you sent stating that you do not combine shipping. If those go through, it looks like the buyer will be paying a huge shipping cost. If you make out and the buyer actually pays the $83 and change for shipping, well, that will be a great profit. But, it may not be the buyer's happiest moment.
I had checked your listings, and none mention that you do not combine shipping. Having to message the buyer in every sale that you don't combine shipping creates more work for you, as well as putting that mistake it onto the buyer who's made a purchase to eat the cost of that decision.
You are going to have this issue recur often with bulk coin buyers. Unless each listing mentions "no combined shipping", your buyers will habitually bid and buy assuming you will, and will be upset afterward that you don't. I would be one of those had I not read these threads.
I'm not sure how many over the three transactions of this kind you've had in the last couple of days, but if your decision to charge individual shipping for each and every unit you sell has created this many problems for you right out of the gate, it may be time to re- strategize.
Thanks for considering my input.
spark-chaser1
·3 years agoYeah. Same seller. Just posted in another thread facing the doomsday possibility I'd been trying to point out may happen.
Coin buyers tend to buy some coins in LOTS. Like pennies, for instance. This pricing/ shipping strategy is a buyer's deterrent to doing business with a particular seller ever again, at the least.
spark-chaser1
·3 years agoYou've posted in a similar vein in this same subject yesterday. You are selling pennies at face value, with $ 2.77 shipping cost EACH. And you are mailing them individually, to make a profit on the shipping cost.
A buyer buying multiple pennies are facing shipping costs hundreds of times over the value of the item being purchased, not many sane buyers will want to make that deal many times after receiving their (10) pennies in 10 seperate envelopes at a total of $ 27.
If you have had many buyers not question that up until today, with THIS buyer, I would say that you've had " phenomenal luck".
You should consider re-pricing your per unit cost of the item more in line with what you think is fair, and accept combined shipping If you want repeat buyers.
Based on your current selling strategy, right out of the gate, I wouldn't buy from you. And I buy a lot of the same coins you sell, by the pound, for more than you'd ship for 5 or more.
spark-chaser1
·3 years agoI wanted to add... I'm not taking a dig at you. I'm trying to do you a favor.
phenomenal_sells
OP3 years agoYeah, I understand. We come here to get feedback, not be told everything we want to hear.
southern*sweet*tea
·3 years agoBless you!
You are the exception, not the rule. Most just want to hear what they want to hear and get mad at everyone when they're told facts and not sugar coated crap said to stroke their ego.
What you need to do is allow for combined shipping, then set up a flat shipping rule. Set to allow for combined payments: https://www.ebay.com/ship/prf After you do that, on that same page set up a flat shipping rule. You could do something like this: Full price for the first item, then 50 cents or $1 (or even free) for each additional, or however you want to set it up. That way buyers aren't overpaying for shipping and you're still making enough to cover the actual shipping costs. Name the rule and save.
Once you make the rule, be sure to choose that rule for each listing you want it to apply to.
spark-chaser1
·3 years agoAgreed.
It is refreshing for a poster to acknowledge that not all advice asked for will be positive. Quite a few come here to ask for advice and then get nasty when it is given and they find that it runs contradictory to what they wanted to hear.
I've probably overstated my advice to the point where the OP would be correct to ignore it, LOL.
Hopefully the OP here finds a happy medium that works for both buyer and seller and their business takes off. ðŸ‘
lesegouts
·3 years agoThis is the penny guy? Oy...
mtgraves7984
·3 years ago@lesegouts
Here's the Penny girl...
phenomenal_sells
OP3 years agoThanks for the feedback! He wasn't the one to question it. I guess I have had "phenomenal luck." I actually sent him a message asking if he wanted to carry through, considering I make money off the shipping.
kraftique
·3 years agoYou should not be making money off of shipping. That is not fair to the buyer.
I can't tell you how to sell but I personally would combine the shipping and just weight the package and charged them what it's actual weight is. You can adjust the shipping weight to be closer to the actual weight before buying a label.
wastingtime101
·3 years agoHas the buyer already paid @phenomenal_sells? If the buyer has not paid yet then you can find information on sending a combined shipping invoice here:
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/selling-getting-paid/issue-invoice-combining-payments?id=4139