Too good not to share

[fbusoni]

Just sold some champagne glasses to a buyer.  No great shakes, a $24 sale; I sent him an offer.

He writes me and tells me that he lives on the west coast and that shipping is $24... is there a less expensive way to ship?

I write back and tell him no, that rates have gone up.   I offer instead to refund him $5 once the transaction processes (I've done well on eBay this year and its not a problem for me). 

He buys the glasses, I pack them up and go to print out his label.

His city suggests to me an expensive area.

I Google his address; sure enough, he lives in a $6,745,000 mansion that Redfin shows he bought just a few months ago.

(This is the second millionaire this week who has asked me for a shipping discount.)   😆  

[hollysfinds]

Yes @fbusoni  That's what I do.

I'm in PA & I seem to sell a lot to the west coast.

[fbusoni]

Yes, it’s a good business practice, but I was struck by the incongruity between this individuals’ living conditions and his request for a discount.

It’s a cheapskate mentality, and it seems to affect those with the greatest means.

Never mind the fact that someone who is obviously quite wealthy is purchasing used champagne glasses. 

I’ll report back and let you know if I get feedback, I’m almost certain that I will not.

[isaiah53-57]

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@hollysfinds wrote:

Yes @fbusoni  That's what I do.

I'm in PA & I seem to sell a lot to the west coast.

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@hollysfinds

You ever wonder why that is? We live on the east coast and had the same impossible/improbable statistic the entire time we sold here over 20 years - All the while selling an improbable/impossible lower amount to buyers in our surrounding region(most populous region in the nation) - We think it comes down to what everything comes down to here - MORE FEES

[eburtonlab]

>I'm in PA & I seem to sell a lot to the west coast.

You ever wonder why that is? We live on the east coast and had the same impossible/improbable statistic the entire time we sold here over 20 years - All the while selling an improbable/impossible lower amount to buyers in our surrounding region(most populous region in the nation)

If you are using free or fixed price shipping and calculating an "average" shipping cost when setting your prices, you are overcharging your nearest customers and undercharging those farther away compared to other sellers using calculated shipping.

That will make your items a much better deal for customers the farther away from you they are located.

In any case, I prefer to imagine the OP's purchase was actually made by a clumsy valet operating on a limited budget, eager to quickly replace a broken champagne glass set before his employer notices.

[hollysfinds]

Oh yes @isaiah53-57 I think that it is no coincidence that a lot of sales are long distance.

Ebay seems to have a hand in that. 

But maybe I'm just a conspiracy theory person, LOL

[hollysfinds]

Well @eburtonlab  I had many more sales to the west coast way before I switched to free shipping so.....