Pricing your item: To discount or not to discount, that is the question.

[gregthree]

I have been selling on eBay for 14 years.  I have a local business that sells to accounts that have government set pricing so as long as I can sell myself and the service it is an easy sell.  The part I am having issues with is the retail customer.  My brain sees a price and I see the lowest figure.  I understand what an item costs.  In the real world, a 12 pack of Coke is $6.99.  I can do the math when the stores start offering discounts.  I know that I can buy a 24 pack of Coke for $12 is cheaper than buying a 12 pack of Coke on sale of 2 at $13.  Same amount of Coke but the case is still cheaper. 

My discussion topic is this.  I see way too often the same item being sold for 40% more with a 35% discount making the item the exact same price.  I know people love sales.  I know people love coupons.  Myself, just give the lowest price to begin with and stop making me look stupid with your over priced to begin with sales. 

So what are your preferences?  How do you like to price your items?  ANy other ideas can be given as well.

Look forward to a spirited discussion.  I wonder how much age has to do with it and how age plays into how we think about price.

[lookng2015]

Some sellers have a business model where when they run a sale they FIRST increase the price before offering the discount. Perhaps this is what you're seeing.

[chrysylys]

I prefer honest, competitive pricing without any silly markup/markdown games.  I usually know what to expect in prices before I even begin to shop here.

[emerald40]

As a buyer I hate playing games.

Supermarkets are the worst.

One week something is $1.50.

Next week it is on sale  2 for $3.00

Really?

When I see a seller  decrease the price and increase the shipping cost and pretend  it is a sale, I hit the back button.

 I have seen a few sellers list high then a few hours later do a 20% discount and now pricing it where it should be.  But they are pretending it is a great deal.

As an ebay buyer for 19 years, all I want is your lowest total price.  Period.

Of course with one of a kind or hard to find items the seller has a bit more leeway.  But I have seen where they have priced items way too high and then all of a sudden a hord is found and now they cannot get even half of that.

[southern*sweet*tea]

I don't do sales anymore.

Now, I will sometimes play with the price a bit on a particular item, raise it or lower it, but I no longer use mark down manager to do sales.  They didn't seem to make any difference. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[gregthree]

That's how I am and prefer it that way too. Just give me the price you want to sell it at without playing games. If you have been on ebay for 19 years, I would have to guess your in your late 40's like me or early 50's. I wonder how much age demographics plays into this pricing structure.

[sharingtheland]

When I see a seller  decrease the price and increase the shipping cost and pretend  it is a sale, I hit the back button.

I do that and I'm not "pretending" it is a sale.  I'm simply relisting something and changing the numbers to see what works best to attract a buyer.  Usually when I increase the shipping it's because I've lowered the widget price by more than the increase in shipping, or lowered the widget price and removed free shipping.  If that makes sense.

I know what we're all saying here; don't play games.  But people love a sale.  Otherwise they wouldn't pass by that $1.50 item and then buy out the store when it was 2 for $3.00 the next week.

I've run two weekend MM's this year and one was amazingly successful.   

Told this story before but I knew a seller, always with 1000-2000 items listed, and he would list and then immediately do a MM.  I know several buyers who communicated unhappiness about that to the seller but unless you were watching his everyday common nothing special items and seeing the relists, how would you know?  Count the minutes before the sale started?

In summation, people love a sale.  Do I run them very often?  More so than ever lately but I'm trying to dispose of all inventory and never do this again.

I also never do 4% sales or something like that.  Has to be higher to pique my interest as a buyer.

[emerald40]

---

wrote:
That's how I am and prefer it that way too. Just give me the price you want to sell it at without playing games. If you have been on ebay for 19 years, I would have to guess your in your late 40's like me or early 50's. I wonder how much age demographics plays into this pricing structure.

_________________________________________

Bless you for thinking that.

Been here for 19 years.  Emerald40 - the 40 is for how old I was when I started here. 

---

[emerald40]

Usually when I increase the shipping it's because I've lowered the widget price by more than the increase in shipping, or lowered the widget price and removed free shipping. If that makes sense.

______________________________________________

But shouldn't the shipping price be the actual cost it takes for that particular widget to be delivered.

Not some arbitrary cost you make up.

[emerald40]

What I have seen lately in my categories have really turned me off.

I buy a lot.

I know what is costs to ship a 6 ounce doll or dime store package domestically.

And it is not the $7+, $11+, $18+ I am seeing to ship it domestically from PA, NY, IL, IN to RI.

[thallidguy]

As a seller, I really do think it's a matter of figuring out what your buyers respond to. Nothing more than that.

People are not always rational (one might even say, they're not particularly rational). They may respond to formulations that don't make much sense when you sit down and think about it. But if they're going to reward sellers for using them, well, as a seller, who is to judge? It works, buyers respond, you make money, you get to pay your bills for another month.