How do you answer buyers asking whether you can reduce shipping costs?

[patternsaver]

Occasionally I get a message from a potential buyer asking me if I can reduce the shipping cost on a single item.  My listings have a set shipping price for light weight items or a calculated price for heavier ones unless the price includes shipping.

Buyers sometimes have no idea what it costs to ship something, to say nothing of the expense incurred for packing materials, gas to get the box to the post office or depot, and the time it takes to pack right.

Many times the cost they pay to ship something does not or barely covers the actual cost.

How do you answer these buyers?  They almost never buy after asking anyway so sometimes I do not even want to respond.

I generally tell them they can choose between carriers on the listing to see what is the best for them.  What I really want to say to them would be different.  How do you handle this?

[fbusoni]

@patternsaver 

I am quite unforgiving about these sorts of buyers.

When I get such messages from them, I almost always block them immediately.

The reason is that, in my personal life experience over many years, people who ask for special dispensations are more likely than not to never be satisfied, no matter how much you bend over backwards to accommodate them.

First it's a reduced shipping fee.   Then there will be some sort of complaint about how long its taking for the item to arrive.   Then there is likely to be some sort of complaint about the item they receive.

You run the risk of a buyer request for a partial refund.  If you decline, you are then faced with the prospect of an INAD or negative feedback.   

And if you DO answer them and tell them "no, sorry, I cannot offer a reduced shipping fee," then the buyer may purchase the item ... and seek to punish you after the purchase for having had the gall to have set a boundary to protect your own interests.  

In sum, these sorts of individuals are not unlike a can of worms.    

And engaging them is a risk that I personally choose to not take.   

I have found that, as surely as the day follows the night, another buyer will come along and simply make the purchase.

You have 5,000 buyer IDs you can add to your blocked buyer list.   I suggest you add names liberally; doing so has made my selling experience on eBay quite pleasant.

PS: Regarding this:

Many times the cost they pay to ship something does not or barely covers the actual cost.

My humble advice to you is to fix that STAT.  Buyers pay every penny of my selling costs, and in my opinion they should be paying every penny of yours.

[ebooksdiva]

I currently offer free shipping to buyers with shipping costs baked into the price of the item. 
When I did charge shipping I charged the actual cost to ship plus a minimal handling fee that was just pennies added to the cost.

I would occasionally get buyers trying to get me to knock down the cost to ship I would simply tell them... I am sorry you're not happy with shipping cost in the listing, they are in line with what USPS charges and are not negotiable. 
What I actually wanted to say...Sure I can shave a dollar or two off shipping, but I will also add that dollar or two into the price of the item. 

[fab_finds4u]

Try free shipping.

In case you did not know

"eBay's policy for used colognes and  other cosmetics is as follows:

Used cosmerics: eBay does not allow listings  for used cosmetics, including colognes, perfumes, lotions, and more."

[jg.mason]

The first thing I do is see if I can. I get buyers on the west coast asking and sometimes I can use a flat rate box and save them some money. If I can't find an alternative cheaper shipping method I'll just let them know I can't do any better.

Either way sometimes they buy and sometimes they don't. I don't have a problem with spending a couple minutes checking into it for them.

[fbusoni]

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@ebooksdiva wrote:

I currently offer free shipping to buyers with shipping costs baked into the price of the item. 

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@ebooksdiva 

How has this approach worked for you?

I've thought about it but cannot for the life of me figure out how price an item that could just as likely be shipped to a neighboring zip code as it could to an address all the way across the USA.

I guess it would average out over the long term... is that how you figure it?

Thanks!

[johnrj1226]

Always replied  "Our shipping cost also includes my handling costs (packaging, packing materials, etc.)".  Seemed to  satisfy the inquirer and they ordered the item.  Only had a hand full of those postage cost inquires.

See I believe the when one inquires about my listing the are interested in it and a professional reply will turn into cash in my bank.  A tart or no reply will turn into  zippO $ in you bank with a zippO chance of future sales(s).    A prospect and his $$ is King or Queen in my book every day.  Yeah there are folks that want to run a game on you but know   when they start their game is key to cutting them off at their knees - experience and growing up in Motown area taught me a bunch early on plus selling as a career for 41+ years is valuable too.

In a nutshell - playing hardball as a seller gets you nowhere.

Ciao & Pura Vida

[patternsaver]

I offer free shipping only on items that weigh less than 4 ounces packed and I can send USPS ground saver.  But I only sell in the USA so you  can pretty much predict the cost to ship and build that into the price.  If something is over 4 ounces it gets tricky since the cost to ship varies so widely with the distance.

[bonanza125]

I offer free shipping and avoid those types of buyers cause the shipping is built into the price. I would politely tell the buyer that the shipping cost is already determined. If you personally want to give them say a discount on your item so you can see it go right ahead and do that but if you are asking how to say decline the offer. Say you can't sorry it's a separate charge you have no control over.

[pickapaper]

We all know shipping costs are very expensive but I sometimes think buyers don't know and don't keep up with rising costs of shipping.   Oversized boxes really throw a kink into costs and sometimes stun even me.

The last potential buyer that asked about my shipping costs for the item she was interested in, said they "seemed awfully high", did not buy (I declined reducing the shipping costs) but someone else did.  It actually cost about $1.00 more to ship than I charged in the listing. 

[dhbookds]

Most buyers don't have a clue as to what postage costs are.....Several friends always gripe at Christmas at how much it costs to mail presents.  My standard answer to a buyer is:

Thanks for your interest!  NO ONE hates high shipping costs more than I....... I did double check the weight/dimensions to be sure I didn't make an error, but what is shown is correct.......what USPS charges... I am sorry there is nothing I can do about it. 

[dbfolks166mt]

     Shipping is such a widely variable cost due to all the options but it is becoming a bigger concern for both buyers and sellers. I utilize calculated shipping on all my items unless I know for certain that no matter where the buyer is located there is only one cheapest method to ship. This usually involves heavier items. 

     I use USPS ground advantage as my default shipping method and I am on the east coast so shipping costs can vary widely depending on the buyers location. I seldom get these questions but when I do I will ask the buyer for the zip code where the item is being shipped and will see if there are alternatives to reduce the shipping cost. This often happens with west coast buyers where a flat rate envelope or box is potentially cheaper than USPS ground advantage.

     On occasion UPS can be a cheaper option for the west coast as well. I will look at the alternatives and let the individual know that I can reduce the shipping cost by $xx by shipping it ................... instead of USPS  ground advantage and that I have added that option to the  listing. I have also done this on occasion after an item has sold if  I notice a significant difference in the shipping costs and that I can save the buyer $  by switching delivery type or service. 

[theteamsetguy]

@patternsaver ,

I tell them to go take a hike or pound sand.

[pastimpressions]

Agree with all previous posters, would only add that our buyers generally already receive a healthy shipping discount as compared with postal rates at the local USPS counter.

When Ebay tells the seller upon printing a shipping label: " You saved x dollars & x % on your shipping label today"

what they are really saying is: " Because you purchased your label on Ebay your buyer is saving money on shipping today"

Whether I pay x, y, or z for a shipping label as I seller I save nothing. As sellers we are saving our valued customers some money by printing shipping labels on a platform that has brokered a discount with the major carriers. Let us also not forget our Final Value Fees. Whatever the label cost the buyer we pay a percentage of that as well. Plus, packing materials and the time for careful & deliberate packing.

I know all the sellers already know this, but not 100% of the buyers know it.

I think most all sellers on this venue would do just about anything in right reason to make a valued customer 100% happy. Where a seller can combine and/or reduce we do, when we can't we just can't.

Surely the OP can politely & kindly express the facts as they may be without ever feeling bad about having to decline.

[chevymontecarlo88]

If you are not interested in dealing with the questions, I would agree to change your shipping to FREE.  Free is a means of concluding those negotiations. If you opt for free shipping, the question you're trying to avoid will change to, "Can you lower the price?" 😂