Why don't buyers use the 'Add to cart' feature?

[byrd69er]

I've had several buyers lately purchase a number of items but not use the Add to cart feature so they can receive one package with a combined shipping discount.

1)  Why don't more buyers use the 'Add to cart' feature?

2) How does one get them to use the 'Add to cart feature'.

Should I just encourage them with a default text in my listings encouraging them to place multiple items in a cart?

Packing four items that could go into one package is...

[*smedley*]

if they buy four items separately, there's nothing stopping you from putting them in one package... you can manually add the tracking number, and you can refund the difference in cash in the package...

[loveyourimagination49]

 The buy it now button overpowers the add to cart.Add to cart just seems to blend in with the rest of the screen. My .02.

[ittybitnot]

Why don't more buyers use the 'Add to cart' feature?

A buyer can "add the items to the cart",  but that does not assure any sort of combined shipping rate for them, even if you have selected to combine in your preferences.   They can make "one payment" in the cart at checkout, but they will be forced to pay the shipping listed on each item as well.  The "request total" for a revised invoice will NOT be a choice for the buyer, and as a seller you will have no idea what is sitting in their cart.  

For example, I buy antique jewelry.  

When I find an item I want to buy, I indeed look at what else the seller has for sale.  These items are basically one-offs, and weigh about an ounce.   

So,  if  I find ten items that have $3.00 shipping, and put them in my cart.  The only option is to to pay $30 in shipping for the 10 ounce parcel, and HOPE the seller will refund the difference (they don't have to).    There is no "request invoice" option presented to me.  

Basically, ebay decided a while back to impose an invisible "immediate payment required" scenario, even when the seller does not require it.  Used to be you could "commit to buy and continue shopping with this seller",  put those ten items in the cart and request a total.  That option is apparently gone for fixed price listings. 

I suppose this has some monetary value for eBay, since they say it is "working as intended".  For the rest of us, it makes sellers think buyers are stupid and don't know how to use the cart, and makes buyers think the sellers are lying when they say they will combine items for a revised shipping price.  

@byrd69er 

[byrd69er]

But I do, sometimes, get a request for a total from someone who has placed several items in a cart....which then gives me the opportunity to reduce their shipping cost, and invoice them accordingly.

[byrd69er]

Doing that would result in three items not having tracking uploaded...ding ding ding.

eBay doesn't go for that.

[ittybitnot]

But I do, sometimes, get a request for a total ....

I can do that sometimes, too.  For me, it is only for multiple AUCTION wins not BINS.  

It is a mystery. 

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@byrd69er wrote:

Doing that would result in three items not having tracking uploaded...ding ding ding.

eBay doesn't go for that.

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You can manually add the tracking number to the other items ... or ... you can use the "Combine" feature in shipping labels and it will update all 4 items.

[ittybitnot]

You can manually add the tracking number to the other items ...

That has been another "sometimes it works feature" as well.  Often you get the message "this tracking number has already been used....yada yada"  and the bots  won't allow it. 

I guess ebay 'just doesn't like me'...LOL. 

@penguins_dont_fly 

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@ittybitnot wrote:

Why don't more buyers use the 'Add to cart' feature?

A buyer can "add the items to the cart",  but that does not assure any sort of combined shipping rate for them, even if you have selected to combine in your preferences.   They can make "one payment" in the cart at checkout, but they will be forced to pay the shipping listed on each item as well.  The "request total" for a revised invoice will NOT be a choice for the buyer, and as a seller you will have no idea what is sitting in their cart. 

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Combined shipping works if the seller has it set up correctly.

The thing to remember is ... all of the seller's listings must have the exact same shipping options. If one listing is First class and the other is Priority, it does NOT work.

It also does not work for listings that are calculated First Class when the combined items weigh more than 13 oz (seller using retail rates) or 15.999 ounces (seller using commercial rates)

I have heard a lot of sellers say that the cart doesn't work or that they can't use combined rules because all of their items are different weights.

Your items don't all have to be the same weight ... the adjustment is done on the packing material weight.

It works perfectly for my buyers. This is how I have it set up:

Note: I sell glass and china, I use a lot of packing materials and heavier boxes/double boxing ... you have to figure out what your average packaging weight is.

My listings are all Calculated Priority

I list all of my items as Item weight plus one pound ... if it is something that needs extra packaging, I adjust that to Item Weight plus 1 lb plus that extra packaging weight.

My Calculated combine rule is "Add all weights and subtract 10 oz" (My average empty box weight is about 10 oz ... I am subtracting the weight of the box only)

When a buyer adds more than one item to their cart, the calculator takes the heaviest item at full weight and then subtracts 10 oz from each additional item.

This works perfectly 99.99% of the time. 

[*smedley*]

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@ittybitnot wrote:

You can manually add the tracking number to the other items ...

That has been another "sometimes it works feature" as well. 

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ah... i wasn't aware... i've only used it a few times and then it worked...

[azh-71]

Because when they do eBay starts spamming them almost immediately.

[simba6]

I suspect many don't have a clue as to what that cart is or how it's used.

[vintage-car-magazines]

Answer....Poor design, IMO. 

• Unlike most if not every other website, eBay has two workflows set up and running simultaneously. Buy It Now and Add To Cart. I don't understand the purpose of Buy It Now because it only saves one mouse click and sacrifices any attempt to upsell.
• Once items are added to the cart, there is no clear way to go back to that seller to continue shopping. The workflow drives buyers toward payment rather than to continue shopping which is the purpose of a shopping cart. Also as the expense of upselling.

I really dislike eBays checkout.

[laurie0534]

ebay probably doesn't want people to use the cart because they charge the seller a fee for each transaction so they make it easy to quickly Buy it Now.  So 3 items bought individually gets them 3 fees as apposed to 1 fee if the 3 items are added to the cart and purchased as one transaction.  It just baffles me how people do not know how to use a cart.   Do they got to Walmart or Amazon site and do what they do here?   Let's say you want to buy 3 different shirts at Walmart.  Do you buy one shirt and go through the whole checkout process and then do it again and then do it again?  People do that on other sites?  Really?  I very much doubt that.  So why do they do it here?  They act like they don't know what a cart is or how to use it.  Maybe I am wrong.  Maybe they

just don't know what a cart is.