Media mail vs. Ground Advantage
I took some advice given here and started taking a look at how the new Media Mail rates compare to Ground Advantage. At the closest distance GA beats MM at lower weights now, not so much with distance.
If I convert from fixed rate to calculated then my customers will have the option to chose GA if the cost is better. But if I input the actual weight of the package I will end up with exact postage and what I normally do is charge a bit more to help offset fees and supplies.
So I could bump up the claimed weight by 1 lb.
Or maybe I could keep using MM but be alert to the GA option when I ship and if relevant kick back a small discount to the buyer.
When I've done that with heavier packages nobody ever says thanks which I have to admit annoys me after a while. There has been a debate many times on this board about whether to refund or keep the extra.
What are you booksellers doing now with the new MM rates?
deserdog
·2 years agoI sale all sorts of stuff. i have sold many craft books, magzines, cookbooks and other type of books. Any book thicker than say 1/4" gets shipped in a box. 1/4' or less, get sleeved in cardboard and shipped in a shipping envelope. I know magazines cannot be shipped media mail, but they are usually less than 1 lb. when packaged so Ga is not too bad. Books thicker than 1/4" I sleeve in cardboards. Say the book is 11"LX8.5"WX 3/8"T, it will ship in a 12.5X10X1.25 box at 1 lbs. Book like this would ship media mail for $5.38 media mail, $5.68 GA(cubic price) zone 1 to $8.00 GA(cubic price) to zone 8.
I treat each book as it is a valued item, securely pack so ther is no movement in box or envelope. I bought 3 hardcovers from a big book seller, they arrived loose in a large shipping envelope, that has one tear in it. the books were not protected at all.
slippinjimmy
·2 years agoI will continue to do what I have always done, packages under 8oz go via First Class Package (now Ground Advantage). In the past that meant paying more for a distant destination but I have enough wiggle room in my handling charge that I still come out ahead just not as much.
With the recent increase in MM the difference is even smaller so I will continue as always, over 8oz goes MM, under 8oz goes GA.
I'm 100% using flat-rate with a generic service (Standard). I'm not sure I've ever had a buyer ask about which specific service I will be using.
I don't concern myself with individual shipping cost vs what buyer paid. I look at it on an annual basis, how much did I spend on shipping vs what buyers paid me for shipping. As long as what I paid isn't more than 80% of what I collected I am satisfied. I never refund buyers for a "shipping overcharge" except for Combined Shipping discounts.
robbie31415
·2 years agoSo packages over 8 oz you advertise generic standard shipping but send via an economy service?
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/default/shipping-policy?id=5035
"
Sellers must not:
"
Even though your buyers probably don't notice but you make yourself more competitive to other honest sellers who use the correctly advertised service. It's also a form of search manipulation.
Ebay has classified MM as Economy.
mam98031
·2 years ago@keziak
That was information I shared with you on another thread. For me, it did not cause me to change my rates. It is nice every now and again to save a little money and give my buyer an upgraded shipping method. But beyond that, I've changed nothing.
I personally don't see this as a big problem. I'm not getting into the pennies with my buyers and it has been a very long time since I've had a buyer that was concerned about the pennies.
winterpalace25
·2 years agoI sell books and dishes. I will now check GA costs for my smaller books in case they can go cubic. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
For my dishes sales, I usually have a shipping policy of GA with a second option of PM. Most people automatically use the first option.
But I always check the PM cost and if it is less than, or up to $1.50 more than GA, I use PM because my strong new boxes can cost at least $1.50, and the large PM box is pretty strong and free. Then, there is less time spent in the dangerous mail stream and my customers are happy with the upgrade.
1786davycrockett
·2 years ago@keziak
Many of my book buyers are probably under the impression that USPS Ground Advantage is a faster and more expensive service; so, when they discover that their books have been shipped out at GA, I would suspect that they are very surprised (and grateful) at what they perceive as an upgrade in shipping.
And most book buyers are probably not keeping track of the changes in Media rates, since they are mostly buyers, and not sellers.
Yesterday, I saved twenty cents, switching from Media to Ground Advantage -- not enough to refund the buyer; but that twenty cents will add up over time.
Until the next USPS postal increase.
jg.mason
·2 years agoJust saved 76 cents buy switching from MM to Advantage, that will definitely add up over time.
deserdog
·2 years agoPlus, in case the package is lost GA has insurance.
jg.mason
·2 years agoNot a bookseller but I do use MM a good bit cd's and cassettes. I always check the ground advantage price since it is discounted some times it is a little cheaper, though not enough to issue a refund to the buyer.
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoI took some advice given here and started taking a look at how the new Media Mail rates compare to Ground Advantage. At the closest distance GA beats MM at lower weights now, not so much with distance.
If I convert from fixed rate to calculated then my customers will have the option to chose GA if the cost is better. But if I input the actual weight of the package I will end up with exact postage and what I normally do is charge a bit more to help offset fees and supplies.
So I could bump up the claimed weight by 1 lb.
Or maybe I could keep using MM but be alert to the GA option when I ship and if relevant kick back a small discount to the buyer.
When I've done that with heavier packages nobody ever says thanks which I have to admit annoys me after a while. There has been a debate many times on this board about whether to refund or keep the extra.
What are you booksellers doing now with the new MM rates?
While I do not sell a lot of books the shipping cost dilemma often pops up a lot of times with things that I ship. I am on the east coast and while GA is almost always the cheaper method to ship, and my default for everything, I will generally check the shipping cost options once the buyer has paid. I don't purchase my labels off of eBay but use Pirate Ship which has about the same, and sometimes better, discounted rates as eBay.
If I find a significantly cheaper shipping option I will generally reach out to the buyer and let them know I can ship the item xxx class for $xx less and issue them a refund for the difference if they would prefer I do that. This generally happens with west coast shipments that are heavy but compact as books would be. With a couple of west coast shipments I have actually been able to go from GA to a priority mail flat rate envelope that cost less than the GA or GA cubic.
keziak
OP2 years agoI sell some things, not a ton, that can't go Media Mail. I actually have a note on my monitor that Priority can be less than GA at lower weights, closer distance. I can't say I remember to check that when I ship though.
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoI sell some things, not a ton, that can't go Media Mail. I actually have a note on my monitor that Priority can be less than GA at lower weights, closer distance. I can't say I remember to check that when I ship though.
That's one of the nice things about using Pirate Ship to purchase the labels. I really don't have to check anything since when I am filling out the shipping information and hit the rates button it will give me the various options. I have not used eBay to purchase shipping labels in so long that I really can't remember what it shows you when you go to get the label but I believe sorting through options was a bit more of a hassle with eBay.
keziak
OP2 years agoDoes Pirate Ship s how the cubic rate?
lesegouts
·2 years agoExtra money I keep unless it's some ridiculous amount in which case I make a partial refund, though I've never been thanked. The customer bought based on ship cost shown in listing so no guilt there. Remember that ebay takes around 15% in fees on shipping as well, so that it often offsets the extra you've received.
Just be sure not to show actual cost on shipping label.
nobody*s_perfect
·2 years agoMM rates did go up a bit, but the main advantage of Ground Advantage is the Cubic rates, which had been available through eBay shipping for only a few months. And the price difference between the Cubic rate and weight-based MM rate only grows as the weight increases. A box that's 12 x 9 x 3 inches would ship at the Cubic rate for just .2 cubic feet for any weight up to 20 pounds.
So just keep on what you're doing: Calculated shipping based on actual package weight and dimensions, plus a handling fee. It's no different whether you're shipping cubic or MM, IF your listings are set up to charge the online rate (there is no cubic rate for retail). Bumping up the package weight will affect the MM postage cost but not the GA cubic price.
keziak
OP2 years agoI need to educate myself on the Cubic rates. I don't see it offered on my postage program, Endicia. I ship a lot of bigger boxes. Guess next time I need to check what Ebay offers.
nobody*s_perfect
·2 years agoI don't know about Endicia, but eBay doesn't show when they're charging cubic rates; they just automatically charge sellers the postage cost for whichever is cheaper, cubic or regular. Cubic rates are available for packages up to 1 cubic for for Ground Advantage and up to .5 cubic foot for Priority Mail.
keziak
OP2 years agoDoes the label say cubic rate?
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoDoes the label say cubic rate?
mam98031
·2 years agoMedia Mail went up a lot. About 10%. To me that is a lot and to buyers it is likely a lot. For items under a pound the price went up by 50 cents. That is a big jump.
keziak
OP2 years agoI am concerned about it. I do think lots of listings will keep the old rates if sellers don't change their listings. I see a lot with free shipping of course and now I have to lower my prices to stay competitive.
mam98031
·2 years agoWell if other sellers don't update their rates, that really isn't your problem. They will figure it out rather quickly when they start shipping and find they are now paying more.
Don't get involved in the race to the bottom. I price my items how I see fit to price them. They sell. I have lots of repeat buyers. If you overthink this, you will just be wasting your valuable time IMHO.
The pennies just aren't going to matter overall. Don't chase them. You are more valuable than that.
keziak
OP2 years agoI've always found pricing on ebay to be tricky if not downright arduous. But with commodity books I figure most people probably sort by lowest price and may not spend a lot of time drilling down into listings to compare condition. Wheeling and dealing is big here, I get so many of my sales from repeat buyers going for combined shipping and offers.
mam98031
·2 years agoYou do whatever you feel is right for you. I've sold craft books for decades. I don't worry so much about what other's price their for. Combined shipping is a must for me too. I'm very fair with my customers which keeps them coming back.
keziak
OP2 years agoMe, too. You can tell that they appreciate getting a fair deal. Money is tight all over and books are not a necessity for most people. So it's really kind of an honor to get their business. I tell people when I have more of the same kind of books in the pipeline and many seem to check back.