I need help setting up shipping policies that benefit the buyer and cover my costs
Summary: El participante mommabs-attic59 solicitó ayuda para establecer políticas de envío que beneficien tanto al comprador como a él mismo al cubrir sus costos. Varias personas respondieron a la solicitud, pero los detalles de sus respuestas no están disponibles, ya que todo el contenido de las interacciones es "None".
I need help setting up shipping policies that benefit the buyer and cover my costs. I feel like I'm not knowledgeable even though I have watched a lot of videos. I don't want to keep lowering my product costs to accommodate a sale. Can anyone send template ideas? Thank you
8 comments
fm2000
·4 months agoYou should be selling all of your items as "buy it now" and not auctions. Auctions are only appropriate in very limited situations, your items are not the type of items suitable for auctions, and you are guaranteed to lose money on most of your items if you sell them at your opening bids.
The boxes and bubble wrap, unless you get them free, will cost you more than some of the opening bids on your breakables like those porcelain dolls. (Your Cameo Kids dolls have Priority Padded Envelope shipping for 5.99; the PM padded envelope is about $11 now and those dolls would be obliterated in a padded envelope. I'd ship them in a box GA cocooned in bubble wrap for about $9-12.)
You should ship your media items Media Mail. Your Star Trek VHS tapes will cost $6-7 Media Mail, you have UPS Saver for $11. Most of your items that can't go Media Mail can go Ground Advantage for the same or less than the "UPS Saver" rates, and GA is faster AND the USPS will pick them up free (no burning outrageously expensive gas to go drop them off at a UPS location.)
All of your types of items will have to have some degree of promotion or they will just be buried and unseen, further increasing your cost (you have to build that increase in fees into your items.)
Your safest bet is to just charge calculated GA shipping on all your non-media items, and pay online commercial rates for your labels though eBay (the difference will cover your FVF on the shipping paid, plus a little for packing materials). Charge a flat rate for media items that qualify for Media Mail (the MM rate based on weight which is the same, commercial/eBay or at the PO counter) + 18% to cover the FVFs and a little for the packing materials.
It can't be emphasized enough how important it is to remember you pay full FVFs on the shipping you charge, and the cost of any packing materials, they can be a real drain on small margin items like most of your items.
On the bright side, you include measurements for your clothing and that is a GREAT thing (multiple photos is also a plus.) Keep doing that, it helps make for less returns (and less buyer drama).
stainlessenginecovers
·4 months agoLike saying "I want to make LOTS of $$ yet I want to give buyer the BEST deal!!"
Not possible.
You cannot do both.
babyers88
·4 months agoOffer free shipping and adjust the sale price to compensate for the cost of shipping
If that connect be done, then it's probably not worth selling it on ebay
just my 2 cents
kensgiftshop
·4 months agoYou can't do both.
If you want the shipping to benefit the buyer, it won't cover your cost.
If you want to cover your cost, it won't benefit the buyer.
authentic*vintage
·4 months agoGood Evening.
Have you thought about setting these items up as fixed price listings?
Your items are cute but they are not the type of items that people typically bid on unless they are really going for a bargain which is what you're giving them.
I understand if you're trying to build up your store and your reputation and your customer service metrics but you can't be earning anything like this. In fact this is probably taking money out of your pocket. You're paying to be a seller on ebay at this point.
The shipping prices are more than fair to the buyer. Not so much for you.
ryry-jj
·4 months agoSet your policies up to calculated shipping and add a few dollars to handling to cover materials and FVF. The handling portion just gets added to the freight charges
tobaccocardyahoo
·4 months agoAll but one of your items listed meet my minimum price for having a sale and dealing with a customer.
You need to revisit why you are selling on Ebay as well as what you are selling.
You are not going to meet any goals of making a profit you may have. And you are likely to be wasting your time.
eoma689485
·4 months agoI'm a little lost, I took a look at some of your items and I'm having a hard time with the math
For a $2.99 item, eBay keeps roughly $0.75 to $0.85. That leaves the you with just over $2.00 before factoring in what they originally paid for the doll.
Your listing states that you are charging $5.99 for shipping in a USPS Priority Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelope., and those cost $11.99 via Commercial pricing. So how are you making up the $6.00 loss on each sale? - it's better to just toss them out or donate them at that point.
I suggest Poly mailers or generic bubble mailers and shipping ground advantage using calculated shipping.