eBay

brads_ann · ‎09-03-2017

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?

mistwomandancing · ‎09-03-2017

lemarcheaupuces wrote:
an item that could have been shipped for $2.77.
and this is not an rare instance.
i can say that 50% of sellers could actually ship cheaper.

".....Could have been shipped for $2.77....." - ".....50% of sellers could actually ship cheaper....."

Here's one thought regarding our various weigh-ins on cost of shipping... the HOW it works and the WHAT it needs to cover varies so greatly among us, depending on what we are selling. Some use the word "shipping" to mean postage. Only! ...while the true cost of shipping encompasses the whole ball of related expenses in that action. That $2.77 isn't enough to pay for the packing/filler for many of the items I sell!

There is just such a world of difference between the little item that can be swaddled in a wrap or two of small bubble and slipped into a little padded envelope and the extremely fragile art glass ballet dancer figurine with outstretched arms that's going to require balls of air padding and yards of bubblewrap to encase it before it's ever nestled and centered in a huge carton stuffed with styro to ship safely.

I just don't think we can necessarily state that 50% of sellers could ship cheaper..... And in that regard, it's still a matter of the final cost of the item, whether cheap up front with expensive shipping, or pricy up front, but with free shipping. As always..

lemarcheaupuces · ‎09-03-2017

@chipper01work wrote:
The net cost of shipping is the total expenses of shipping the item. It includes:
postage cost
packing supplies cost (box, tape, filler, label, ink...etc.)
fees charges by eBay/Paypal on the monies collected to cover shipping costs.

It costs more than $2.77 to ship a four ounce package.

I'm not being argumentative, I'm being accurate.

The OP asked if there were any advantages to charging for shipping. That is what this thread is about. Some actually could not see a situation where it was an advantage and there are many of them. I never said "free shipping" is always bad---just most times it is when shipping anything but jewelry.

i never said you did.

the net cost of shipping a package up to 8oz FC, is $2.61 to $2.77.

your other cost to ship this package should be included in the starting price of your item.

i don't think it is a good idea to inflate the shipping cost.

a buyer might say you are overcharging.

by the way you are the one that questioned me.

i replied to your reply.

as for the topic of this thread?

i was merely replying to some that switched the topic that "free" shipping is a rip off.

perhaps you should re-read the chain of events (replies) that led me to talk about this.

and i stand by the example i provided.

even by your thinking...

a $15 item that would cost $2.77 to ship, fit in a 6x4x4 box, does not justify charging a buyer close to $8 in shipping.

the fees don't add up to $5.

the starting price was also no any cheaper than mine.

this is why i might revise my thinking.

it is a pattern i see over and over on ebay.

i am a busy buyer on ebay.

it seems that many buyers ship it all priority, even a single piece of jewelry.

if so that should give me an advantage.

letoulousain

lemarcheaupuces · ‎09-03-2017

@mistwomandancing wrote:
@lemarcheaupuces wrote:
an item that could have been shipped for $2.77.
and this is not an rare instance.
i can say that 50% of sellers could actually ship cheaper.

".....Could have been shipped for $2.77....." - ".....50% of sellers could actually ship cheaper....."

Here's one thought regarding our various weigh-ins on cost of shipping... the HOW it works and the WHAT it needs to cover varies so greatly among us, depending on what we are selling. Some use the word "shipping" to mean postage. Only! ...while the true cost of shipping encompasses the whole ball of related expenses in that action. That $2.77 isn't enough to pay for the packing/filler for many of the items I sell!

There is just such a world of difference between the little item that can be swaddled in a wrap or two of small bubble and slipped into a little padded envelope and the extremely fragile art glass ballet dancer figurine with outstretched arms that's going to require balls of air padding and yards of bubblewrap to encase it before it's ever nestled and centered in a huge carton stuffed with styro to ship safely.

I just don't think we can necessarily state that 50% of sellers could ship cheaper..... And in that regard, it's still a matter of the final cost of the item, whether cheap up front with expensive shipping, or pricy up front, but with free shipping. As always..

the example i referred to was not a fragile figurine.

my statement applies to similar items i sell.

letoulousain

chipper01work · ‎09-03-2017

@lemarcheaupuces wrote:
@chipper01work wrote:
The net cost of shipping is the total expenses of shipping the item. It includes:
postage cost
packing supplies cost (box, tape, filler, label, ink...etc.)
fees charges by eBay/Paypal on the monies collected to cover shipping costs.

It costs more than $2.77 to ship a four ounce package.

I'm not being argumentative, I'm being accurate.

The OP asked if there were any advantages to charging for shipping. That is what this thread is about. Some actually could not see a situation where it was an advantage and there are many of them. I never said "free shipping" is always bad---just most times it is when shipping anything but jewelry.

i never said you did.

the net cost of shipping a package up to 8oz FC, is $2.61 to $2.77.
your other cost to ship this package should be included in the starting price of your item.
i don't think it is a good idea to inflate the shipping cost.
a buyer might say you are overcharging.
by the way you are the one that questioned me.
i replied to your reply.

as for the topic of this thread?
i was merely replying to some that switched the topic that "free" shipping is a rip off.
perhaps you should re-read the chain of events (replies) that led me to talk about this.
and i stand by the example i provided.
even by your thinking...
a $15 item that would cost $2.77 to ship, fit in a 6x4x4 box, does not justify charging a buyer close to $8 in shipping.
the fees don't add up to $5.
the starting price was also no any cheaper than mine.
this is why i might revise my thinking.
it is a pattern i see over and over on ebay.
i am a busy buyer on ebay.
it seems that many buyers ship it all priority, even a single piece of jewelry.
if so that should give me an advantage.

I do agree with some of what you say and I do agree that $8 to ship an item in a 4 ounce FC package is over the top. I do disagree with some also. $2.77 is not the net cost to ship a 4 ounce boxed FC package. It is closer to $4 than it is $3 with all related costs included. If it cost $5 postage to ship an item I will charge $6 and part of that extra dollar pays for ebay/paypal fees on the shipping charges. They added them and I pass them on, that is the way retail works. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that and there is no requirement that those fees be added into the starting price of the item--where you claim they ought to be. When eBay/paypal stops charging them I will reconsider charging them. I urge to to reconsider some of what you think- it would likely benefit your bottom line. You are the one who stated another seller got nearly 50% more than what you got for the exact same item you sold.

newview · ‎09-03-2017

I charge a Calculated Shipping charge on probably 95% of what I sell. The Calculated Shipping charge is based on size & weight of the item with box & packing material and the distance it's traveling. I prepackage every one of my items at the time of the listing in order to input that information in the listing form, so the buyer sees a REAL shipping fee. I usually offer both Parcel Select & Priority Mail on most of my items. Some of my fragile items I only offer Priority Mail, to take advantage of the built-in Insurance.

I can easily pass on those size & weight numbers to a potential buyer who is wondering why shipping is so high. He / She can see for themselves who is gouging them (and it ain't me) for shipping by plugging those numbers in at the USPS site. They'll see that the calculations are dead on ... everytime.

I feel that a fair charge for the item, coupled with a REAL Shipping Fee based on REAL provable numbers is a sustainable plan over time and so far it's working for me. Free Shipping is a myth.

I'm ̶p̶r̶e̶t̶t̶y̶ ̶s̶u̶r̶e̶ certain the lunatics have taken over the asylum.

omgitlightsup · ‎09-03-2017

One of the rarer items I've sold on eBay was a hard drive for an Apple Lisa computer. A very rare, irreplaceable hard disk with a pathetic capacity like 10 megabytes. It sold for a couple hundred bucks, and I didn't have the material on hand to properly pack it, so I went out and bought some bubble wrap and an extra cardboard box to overpack the factory box. The total with postage came to something like $50. I felt bad for the guy so I charged him only what USPS charged me, and paid for the packing material out of my own pocket.

When I sent the invoice, I immediately got back a nasty email from the guy about how it must be the best shipping in the world for the price.

You just can't please some people.

lemarcheaupuces · ‎09-03-2017

@chipper01work wrote:
@lemarcheaupuces wrote:
@chipper01work wrote:
The net cost of shipping is the total expenses of shipping the item. It includes:
postage cost
packing supplies cost (box, tape, filler, label, ink...etc.)
fees charges by eBay/Paypal on the monies collected to cover shipping costs.

It costs more than $2.77 to ship a four ounce package.

I'm not being argumentative, I'm being accurate.

The OP asked if there were any advantages to charging for shipping. That is what this thread is about. Some actually could not see a situation where it was an advantage and there are many of them. I never said "free shipping" is always bad---just most times it is when shipping anything but jewelry.

i never said you did.

the net cost of shipping a package up to 8oz FC, is $2.61 to $2.77.
your other cost to ship this package should be included in the starting price of your item.
i don't think it is a good idea to inflate the shipping cost.
a buyer might say you are overcharging.
by the way you are the one that questioned me.
i replied to your reply.

as for the topic of this thread?
i was merely replying to some that switched the topic that "free" shipping is a rip off.
perhaps you should re-read the chain of events (replies) that led me to talk about this.
and i stand by the example i provided.
even by your thinking...
a $15 item that would cost $2.77 to ship, fit in a 6x4x4 box, does not justify charging a buyer close to $8 in shipping.
the fees don't add up to $5.
the starting price was also no any cheaper than mine.
this is why i might revise my thinking.
it is a pattern i see over and over on ebay.
i am a busy buyer on ebay.
it seems that many buyers ship it all priority, even a single piece of jewelry.
if so that should give me an advantage.

I do agree with some of what you say and I do agree that $8 to ship an item in a 4 ounce FC package is over the top. I do disagree with some also. $2.77 is not the net cost to ship a 4 ounce boxed FC package. It is closer to $4 than it is $3 with all related costs included. If it cost $5 postage to ship an item I will charge $6 and part of that extra dollar pays for ebay/paypal fees on the shipping charges. They added them and I pass them on, that is the way retail works. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that and there is no requirement that those fees be added into the starting price of the item--where you claim they ought to be. When eBay/paypal stops charging them I will reconsider charging them. I urge to to reconsider some of what you think- it would likely benefit your bottom line. You are the one who stated another seller got nearly 50% more what than you for the exact same item as you.

not what i am talking about.

trust me...

i know the cost of everything i use to ship a package.

if i can save a penny i do.

like cutting the Ebay packing slip in half.

didn't use to.

now i am getting 2 packing slips out of 1 page of paper. (i know really cheap).

wrap all my items in tissue paper and bbl wrap.

then if it does not go over 8oz will use newspapers as a fill up (instead of tissue paper. it is free).

will trim the flaps of a box to make it lighter.

i am 1 to think that every penny adds up.

it's a routine.

i never said another buyer got 50% more than me for the same exact item.

i said a buyer sold the same item for the same starting price and charged close to $8 in shipping on top of that.

my starting price included shipping.

now i am not saying this buyer is pocketing some of the shipping money.

he might actually be paying that much if shipped priority with a handling fee, insurance etc...

what he is doing is none of my concern.

what i try to understand is a buyer's point of view.

does a buyer really care about free shipping or not?

when i see some of the shipping charges on ebay, i am not so sure.

1 thing i completely disagree with you.

if it costs me $2.77 to ship a first class package, i want the buyer to see that exact price on the package.

if i go back to charging for shipping, i will include all fees in my starting price.

to each his own.

by the way i am very happy with my profit margin...

letoulousain

lemarcheaupuces · ‎09-03-2017

@omgitlightsup wrote:
One of the rarer items I've sold on eBay was a hard drive for an Apple Lisa computer. A very rare, irreplaceable hard disk with a pathetic capacity like 10 megabytes. It sold for a couple hundred bucks, and I didn't have the material on hand to properly pack it, so I went out and bought some bubble wrap and an extra cardboard box to overpack the factory box. The total with postage came to something like $50. I felt bad for the guy so I charged him only what USPS charged me, and paid for the packing material out of my own pocket.

When I sent the invoice, I immediately got back a nasty email from the guy about how it must be the best shipping in the world for the price.

You just can't please some people.

this is why i am stocked up with shipping supplies.

i also have given up on selling large items.

can't believe that 5 years ago i would ship cookie jars.

i cannot stand that much packing work any longer.

no matter how well i wrap an item, i never feel completely reassured.

and it requires too much supply stocking;

bbl wrap, peanuts, large boxes.

i am done with it.

for me to consider shipping a large item these days, it has to be a potential of hundreds of dollars.

if not that, forget about it.

stocking supplies allows me to get them at the best prices.

i use thousands of bbl mailers yearly and shipping labels, jewelry boxes with cotton, 6x4x4 and some larger boxes up to 10x10x10.

if i waited the last minute to buy all those i would be paying premium prices.

take bbl mailers size zero.

can get them for 8 cents a piece online.

cheapest in ABQ 25 cents a piece at the tree store and the quality is flimsy.

quite a saving on 1000 bbl mailers.

and no you can't please everyone.

but overall 99.99% of buyers on ebay are great.

letoulousain

phanoto · ‎09-03-2017

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

When a buyer wants to return an item, and the seller does not have to refund the S&H Charge.

eBay automatically deducts the S&H charge from the refund, if there is a S&H charge.

goodluckselling · ‎09-03-2017

@brads_ann wrote:
@llllady wrote:
@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?

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.
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.

Buyers do love to see free shipping because it makes it very easy to calculate as they are making a buying decision, however depending on your items it may not be a good marketing tool at all.

Example. I have some items that are very commonly bought in quantity and variations. In fact I average 4 items per sale for these items with literally thousands of transactions per year of these items. Free shipping would make the total purchase price higher than say a marketing tactic like flat rate shipping for your entire order, or a reducing shipping price ( lower than actual shipping cost) but a slightly higher item price ( to cover the lost on shipping).

There are literally dozens of ways to marketing the shipping options and you have to know your buyers of your items and how they buy. This can be done by researching often (weekly) the sold listings for any category of items. You will be able to see a pattern .

example : sock buyers who seem to buy Free Shipping listings , where toy buyers seem to buy with a small shipping charge. The overall price for one item might be the same but buyers of products are all different and it can be learned from research like I suggested. There are other ways as well but the sold listing is a free and easy enough way to assemble some data to make decisions from.

I know it sounds like a lot or work or more than you might be willing to do based on your current sales, but we are talking about ways to increase sales and rarely is there a way to do that without some investment, albeit time or money.

Good Luck Selling!

montanatiki · ‎09-03-2017

This about sums it up for those :EBAY States - the same item sold for......

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

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

I think that newbies are followers and try to do what is suggested to them - so if they have a $20.00 that they included "free shipping" in and ebay tells them that similar products sold for $8.99-$10 - Ebay just FORGETS the SHIPPING COST and since each newbie with FREE SHIPPING thinks the way to go is reduced prices - they might sell their item for $12.99 with FS and then find out it costs them $12.00 just to ship, the fees are $1.30 EBAY and additional ones for paypal - and they are screwed - but now Ebay can keep reporting that the LOWER prices SELL items - I find that sad - and Yes I would tell NEWBIES to SPLIT the cost of shipping with the actual price they want - it can help some of them.

lemarcheaupuces · ‎09-03-2017

the basic reason for my decision to offer free shipping years ago?

it made it all easier for me as a seller.

no more switching from FC mail to Priority to Economy and the weights.

often enough i would mess up in the weight or the method of shipping.

for a very short while i tried to sell to Canada.

of course i wasn't doing Free shipping to Canada.

by accident had switched my FC to Overnight shipping.

glad the item item didn't sell by the time i caught it my mistake.

especially with the old selling form.

you'd click on something and it wouldn't stick.

had to repeat the action over and over again.

but i might rethink it all.

at least try it for a while and see what happens.

reactived an old user name.

i might try.

letoulousain

goodluckselling · ‎09-03-2017

Let me also add that big box, large sellers and any seller who is a registered business can and many do ; uses marketing techniques like free shipping or flat rate shipping as an advertising expense. Sometimes if you have the talent to know how taxes and advantages work free shipping is used as an advertising expense for tax purposes it basically is.

So small sellers who do not have this ability are at a disadvantage to these sellers and many time do not have the experience or knowledge to know anything about something like this.

Many sellers of new items might have a MAP price requirement to meet so free shipping is often used by these sellers to meet the requirement and still be competitive in total price.

Like I said earlier there are many ways and reasons for free shipping or no free shipping, and it all revolves around the buyer base for each category of products.

BTW there really is such a thing as free shipping. I often run a special where I advertise free shipping on select items for a limited time and I do not change the price of the item to offset the total price. I am actually offering free shipping and this is usually used for previous buyers through after sale marketing. Without the special they would be paying the shipping like any other buyer who sees the listings. To learn more about this look at the promotion manager for ideas in this area.

Good Luck Selling!

helpingrescuedogs · ‎09-03-2017

On anything that I can ship first class, fixed rate or higher dollar I list as free shipping. I'm on the West Coast and primarily use USPS where shipping cost differences can swing quite a bit between the cost to ship to someone here in the west vs someone in the east. I charge for shipping on items that have to ship priority or fedex smart post that are low or midrange price. I price my item to where with the buyer paying shipping it's relatively competitive to someone out east, but is a nice bargain to those closer geographically.