FreeShipping & Selling Cheap Items

[the_grand_exchange]

Hello Ebay Forums,

If I am selling an item that is less than $.99-$5.00 what would be the best shipping option to still make a profit? (i.e. selling an item for .99 cents, the cheapest shipping method I found is about $3.50 which would exceed the cost of the item) would it be best to have seller pay shipping at this point?

[18704d]

How big and heavy is the item?

A baseball card?

Something that weighs a pound or more?

?

Lynn

[duggmills]

Well let's see. At $0.99 per item and if the buyer pays the $3.50 shipping then your net loss is $.035 on shipping and $0.09 on the item and ?? 3% for a PayPal and plus the differnce between your cost of the $0.99 item.

If you pay the shipping and add that $3.50 to the item cost your net loss is the same as above.

You have blue tooth ear buds for sale in the shallow end of the sea of same and similar products.  Apply the eBay and PayPal costs to that and determine your profit on those.  If you're pleased with that margin, continue on your current heading.  

Your advantage might be;  quicker than China delivery time and better feed back score.

[newnewnewmann]

It's either .99 + $3.50 shipping charge, or $4.49 and free shipping (China excluded)

Either way it's the same price because there is no such thing as "free shipping" unless you intend to lose money. Any merchant anywhere that offers "free shipping", has already added shipping and handling costs to the item cost.

Ebay's "free shipping" doesn't mean a seller can't add shipping and other costs. It's sort of an illusion to the buyer. Free looks nice. It's a marketing ploy, but always the shipping cost is added in.

Your current listing offers free shipping so I assume that you added shipping costs in. I don't know if there is a best way, just my opinion.

[ted_200]

If I am selling an item that is less than $.99-$5.00 what would be the best shipping option to still make a profit?

Move to China, ship it with an ePacket.

[castlemagicmemories]

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@ted_200wrote:

If I am selling an item that is less than $.99-$5.00 what would be the best shipping option to still make a profit?

Move to China, ship it with an ePacket.

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[bubbleman2010]

I do free shipping and even start the items for a penny,but I make my profit at the time I purchase a item for resale not after the fact....

[newnewnewmann]

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@bubbleman2010wrote:

I do free shipping and even start the items for a penny,but I make my profit at the time I purchase a item for resale not after the fact....

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That's pretty efficient if you can make a profit by buying something and before you resell it! I bow to your wisdom and business acumen.

[nowthatsjustducky]

If you sold the item for a penny with free shipping, then no; you did not make a profit at the time you acquired it; and you did not make a profit at the time it was sold either.

And since prices and demand can vary wildly from the time you buy it until thetime you either sell it or redonate it (since you can't know for certain if it will even sell), then the claim of making your profit at the time of acquisition is a faulty statement, and when you think about it, really makes no sense whatsoever.

The reality is that you make your profit at the time of sale.

[bubbleman2010]

Thats a concept most folks never understand a sellers money is made at the time of purchase. Most folks will dead end a item leaving no meat on the bone and leaving meat on the bone is the lure you use to attract the feeders....

[nowthatsjustducky]

Dang, Bubb.  Are you running for Governor of Texas?  It sounds like you might be good at doing the Sidestep.  😄

And just as a tangent, I've been thinking that would have been a perfect role for Stubby Kaye, considering he was still around at the time and even did Who Framed Roger Rabbit a few years later.  That is probably why for me this song often mutates into Jubilation T. Cornpone.  😄

[ted_200]

The reality is that you make your profit at the time of sale.

I hear what you're saying, but if you buy it for too much money, you can't sell it at a price that will turn a profit.

That's better applied to stock purchases... people say "I made $10,000 in the stock market" based on the current share price, but they haven't sold it yet, so it's all just hypothetical at that point. 

Buy low, sell high.  Don't forget to include the brokerage fees... or the shipping cost. 

[lancelotme]

look into Paypal micro payment,5 cents transaction fee and 5% discount ,for 99 cents item,Paypal fee comes to 10 cents.

why is shipping more than $2.66,if she print her lable on Ebay?

[nowthatsjustducky]

Shipping may only cost $2.66 if the package is 4 ounces or under; but shipping and handling would likely be more than $2.66.

There are other costs involved with shipping other than just the postage.

[ted_200]

why is shipping more than $2.66,if she print her lable on Ebay?

Beats me.  Maybe they're counting the cost of the mailer in that?

But to get enough money to cover the 2.66 label, you've got to charge 3.00 for shipping thanks to the shipping FVF, more than that to cover the PayPal fee on the payment for the shipping cost.