Are there any advantages to charge shipping on items being sold?

[brads_ann]

I always list my items with free shipping and just factor that in with the price I list it for.  I always do Buy It Now with no returns.

Of course I know any buyer can do a return if item not as described/broken, etc. But in those cases, I'd pay for the return shipping anyway.

When would it be to a seller's advantage to charge shipping?

[michael_atw]

I have always charged shipping just to separate the cost and to keep track of what I'm charging.  Shipping costs are going up 4-15% a year, it's easier for me to keep track of fading margins.  If I roll it in, in two years I may lose the ability to recognize how much margins have dropped.  

[southern*sweet*tea]

Advantages to charging shipping:

More multiple purchases per buyer in a single transaction

If you have a remorse refund you can deduct the shipping cost from the refund

Free shipping really isn't free, and smart buyers know that

Advantages to free shipping:

I really can't think of any for a seller

[brads_ann]

Thanks. You must sell a lot. I just use the Ebay calculator and figure in all the fees to see my profit and charge the item accordingly. For me if shipping goes up, it is calculated in and I may just increase my item a little to compensate for it....but I don't sell THAT much.

[llllady]

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@brads_ann wrote:

I always list my items with free shipping and just factor that in with the price I list it for.  I always do Buy It Now with no returns.

Of course I know any buyer can do a return if item not as described/broken, etc. But in those cases, I'd pay for the return shipping anyway.

When would it be to a seller's advantage to charge shipping?

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I always charge shipping on items that are more than 1 lb.  Being on the east coast, shipping can vary GREATLY from zone to zone. 

[gracieallen01]

"Are there any advantages to charge shipping on items being sold?"

Yes - One doesn't necessarily have to jack up the cost of the item to cover the shipping.

[grilled]

Stating the obvious, but if you charge for shipping, you can have a lower price point for the item on the listing.

[lex-talon]

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@brads_ann wrote:

I always list my items with free shipping and just factor that in with the price I list it for.  I always do Buy It Now with no returns.

Of course I know any buyer can do a return if item not as described/broken, etc. But in those cases, I'd pay for the return shipping anyway.

When would it be to a seller's advantage to charge shipping?

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There are none that I can think of. If an item has been sitting awhile, I will offer free shipping and usually it will sell within a few days. Buyers tend to love free shipping, sellers know this.

[brads_ann]

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@llllady wrote:

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@brads_ann wrote:

I always list my items with free shipping and just factor that in with the price I list it for.  I always do Buy It Now with no returns.

Of course I know any buyer can do a return if item not as described/broken, etc. But in those cases, I'd pay for the return shipping anyway.

When would it be to a seller's advantage to charge shipping?

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I always charge shipping on items that are more than 1 lb.  Being on the east coast, shipping can vary GREATLY from zone to zone. 

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I'm on the east cost too. I always calculate what the shipping would be to California and factor that in in what I charge for the ite and then if I end up shipping to NC, then great...I make a little more.

I also think buyers would prefer to just see free shipping.

[rshfs]

ebay encourages free shipping.  it simplifies things for the buyer.  I imagine ebay pushes free shipping listings further to the top of search results....i only do this for first class shippable items, though.

for heavier items i used calculated shipping.

[chipper01work]

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@lex-talon wrote:

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@brads_ann wrote:

I always list my items with free shipping and just factor that in with the price I list it for.  I always do Buy It Now with no returns.

Of course I know any buyer can do a return if item not as described/broken, etc. But in those cases, I'd pay for the return shipping anyway.

When would it be to a seller's advantage to charge shipping?

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There are none that I can think of. If an item has been sitting awhile, I will offer free shipping and usually it will sell within a few days. Buyers tend to love free shipping, sellers know this.

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The main advantage to NOT offer free shipping is on large or heavy items the buyer does not have to pay shipping charges that can be greatly inflated. Run the numbers on some packages to see for yourself. See what is costs to ship a 18x18x18 in package that weighs 15 pounds to a destination near you then check to see what it costs to ship the same package to the farthest destination from you in the US. You will quickly see an advantage to charging shipping as a stand alone charge. If you build the shipping cost into the item price you may have no interested buyers at all. If you offer actual shipping charges and deduct the inflated shipping charge from your items price, you may have multiple interested buyers near you.

[michael_atw]

I do $300k in revenue a year averaged over the last six years.  

Another way it helps me, I take offers.. I like to separate shipping from offers or then you lose touch even further.  I believe if I went to free shipping, I would lose money forgetting it is rolled into offers being left for me.  Most offers i get aren't based upon set market values but perceived values (vintage items) and having shipping independent IMHO isn't noticed by most buyers. 

[lemarcheaupuces]

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@brads_ann wrote:

I always list my items with free shipping and just factor that in with the price I list it for.  I always do Buy It Now with no returns.

Of course I know any buyer can do a return if item not as described/broken, etc. But in those cases, I'd pay for the return shipping anyway.

When would it be to a seller's advantage to charge shipping?

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i also offer free shipping (well let's say shipping included).

recently i sold an item for about $15 including shipping.

for various reasons i looked for the same item in ended listings.

another seller sold the same exact item (same period of time) for the same amount of $ plus almost $8 in shipping.

i looked at the description, same condition as mine, imperfections and all.

that seller offered NO returns.

well the listing was conflicting it said; "seller offers NO return" but in the description seller said he would work with anyone if a problem arose.

now this is an item that could easily be shipped for $2.77 in a small box FC mail anywhere in the US.

this seller was charging almost $8 to ship to my state. had to be priority plus handling charges?

i am amazed at this.

i always thought buyers shopped by the total price.

well may be not.

now i am thinking should i charge for shipping?

so to answer your question i am not sure there are any advantages to offer the so called "free" shipping. especially since the final value fee discount for TRS+ has dropped to 10%...

here's a seller that charges twice the accurate shipping charges and manages to sell the item.

oh... another thing...

this seller started his item at the same price than me.

BUT ALSO;

copied MY exact title (word for word, same order).

wasn't a plain generic title. this wasn't a coincidence.

i know "titles" are not copyrighted.

so for now i don't know.

but it gets me thinking...

[lemarcheaupuces]

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

Advantages to charging shipping:

More multiple purchases per buyer in a single transaction

If you have a remorse refund you can deduct the shipping cost from the refund

Free shipping really isn't free, and smart buyers know that

Advantages to free shipping:

I really can't think of any for a seller

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a smart buyer "should" shop by the total price.

well that is what i thought.

i see many sellers with shipping charges charging from 2 to 3 times what it would actually cost to ship the product they advertise.

and yes i said many (lots of sellers)...

actually there are a few advantages by including shipping.

1 seller if TRS+ maximizes the discount on FVF.

well it did drop to 10% so that is a bummer.

and it's made my life easier.

no more switching from FC to priority to whatever and weights etc...

i set it on FC and occasionally on Parcel Economy (usually upgraded to Priority since most times cheaper).

but should i rethink it all?

many sellers get away with overcharging for shipping and doesn't seem to be a problem.

i mean i was convinced that buyers shopped by the total price.

[chipper01work]

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@brads_ann wrote:

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@llllady wrote:

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@brads_ann wrote:

I always list my items with free shipping and just factor that in with the price I list it for.  I always do Buy It Now with no returns.

Of course I know any buyer can do a return if item not as described/broken, etc. But in those cases, I'd pay for the return shipping anyway.

When would it be to a seller's advantage to charge shipping?

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I always charge shipping on items that are more than 1 lb.  Being on the east coast, shipping can vary GREATLY from zone to zone. 

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I'm on the east cost too. I always calculate what the shipping would be to California and factor that in in what I charge for the ite and then if I end up shipping to NC, then great...I make a little more.

I also think buyers would prefer to just see free shipping.

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"Free" shipping is usually a bad deal for the buyer. Your post illustrates that perfectly. I, as a buyer, avoid it and don't prefer to see it. I just bought 2 jewelers loupes last week and purposefully avoided every listing with "free" shipping. Why should I pay shipping twice when buying two items that ship for the same actual cost as one and the seller passes along the savings by not charging shipping on the second? "Free" shipping is attractive to the mentally lazy buyer. That is one of the reasons it often works, some people are just too lazy to add a couple numbers in their head, but there are many who do not like it either.