Free shipping question

[jewelgirl22000]

Is offering free shipping still the best way to go?  I can’t keep up with the postage changes and am having difficulty pricing my items. Plus, sometimes it makes the item seem too expensive. I thought the eBay fees would be more expensive if I did not offer free shipping. 

[brightlightbookseller]

We use calculated shipping plus a handling charge for almost all of our listings and never get a complaint, but book buyers seem used to paying shipping.  In other categories they might expect free shipping.  As said, look at your competitors and see how you can be better than them.  If that means building your shipping into your price, go for it, if that means having a shipping cost, but having your total+shipping be lower, that's good too.

[sextons-sweet-deals]

There really is no such thing as free shipping. The cost has to be captured somehow. Buyer pays or seller eats it and hopes the profit they made covers it.

With USPS raising prices at least twice a year, it is just getting bad. Merging first class into the ground advantage really made first class increase another $2 (give or take). 

I weigh the majority of my items and now a 12 oz. package can run $6.15+. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@sextons-sweet-deals wrote: .... Merging first class into the ground advantage really made first class increase another $2 (give or take). 

I weigh the majority of my items and now a 12 oz. package can run $6.15+. 

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Postage prices for Ground Advantage are identical to the prices for First Class  packages before the July 9 merger. Retail postage for 12 ounces started at $6.15 even before July 9. Why are you shipping retail?  Online postage  for 12 ounces starts at $4.62.

[coolections]

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@jewelgirl22000 wrote:

Is offering free shipping still the best way to go?  I can’t keep up with the postage changes and am having difficulty pricing my items. Plus, sometimes it makes the item seem too expensive. I thought the eBay fees would be more expensive if I did not offer free shipping. 

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I have never offered free shipping and do just fine. Buyers know how to add the asking price plus the ship so I do not think it makes much a difference. There is no need to keep up with postage changes if you use calculated shipping.

[mozartbach1971]

I think some people who do auctions offer free shipping on items that they want to give some extra attention to.

[reallynicestamps]

a buyer who complains: "How can you charge $6.95 for shipping

Don't explain.
They don't understand anyway and don't want to.

If they paid, they agreed to your shipping fee.

If they did not pay, or are questioning before purchasing, they are neither customers nor buyers.

They might be candidates for your Blocked Buyer List.

I believe the buyer is shown the counter rate for shipping , not the discounted rate you pay. This may be an option on dotCOM, but look into it.

You may be able to print your shipping labels without a value on them.

I have a particularly sneaky one, I use mint older postage stamps purchased as part of estates over the years. I may be putting $5 in stamps on the envelope but they cost me much much less. Enough less that I can sell counted packages of valid postage stamps here on eBay and make a small profit.

How much you pay for shipping is no more the customer's business than how much you paid for the widgadoo you sold him.