free shipping and combining orders

[keziak]

I've never done much with free shipping but am thinking of trying it with some auctions. I often hear from buyers wanting to buy multiple items and get combined shipping. How does this work for you? Do people just order multiples with no expectation of a discount or do you issue any sort of partial refund? If so, do you advertise that in your listings?

[hartungcards]

If someone buys multiple items with free shipping, the total combined shipping amount should come to $0.00.

[golfingaddict]

One of the reasons that I went to free shipping was to eliminate the questions/requests/problems with combined shipping.

They buy, they pay, I ship.  

The total shipping they pay is zero.  There is no refund, no discussions, no combined shipping issues.

What is amazing to me is the amount of sellers that are all about being a business and professional and then do all sorts of crazy gyrations when it comes to shipping, partial refunds and overpayments etc.

On what other ecommerce site would you email the site to tell them you bought more than one item and want a discount on the free shipping?  Or you want a $1.33 refund because the shipping was less than the seller paid.

Free shipping, no muss, no fuss, no refunds.

[12345jamesstamps]

I do free shipping with domestic buyers. I charge International buyers. 

Most of my buyers are domestic.

And I cut International Shipping by other sellers doing $1.30 instead of $1.50.

I have a lot of International Shipping combined refunds.

It saves me time not to do combined shipping on USA orders.

[iwillbuyllc]

Ebay free shipping policy is said it cover up to $20, but if they buyer didn't received the item you ended paying to the buyer, eBay will not cover as it said. so is better to included shipping in your price if you put free shipping and use a tracking system that works. and you can coverage your items in case it get lost. 

[gamersbaystore]

That's great if you can afford to eat the shipping costs, because the reality is there's no such thing as free shipping. Somebody has to pay for it.

[richard1rst]

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@keziak wrote:

I've never done much with free shipping but am thinking of trying it with some auctions. I often hear from buyers wanting to buy multiple items and get combined shipping. How does this work for you? Do people just order multiples with no expectation of a discount or do you issue any sort of partial refund? If so, do you advertise that in your listings?

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Actually yours is a slightly different problem than BIN sellers. If someone wins an auction and then asks you to hold the shipment a few days until another auction ends (hoping of course they win that one too) then shipping on your first sale is delayed to the point you get a late shipment ding. I say that because I have seen posts on these boards with exactly that scenario.

If all your auctions are free shipping then you tell the buyer that shipping is free so there is nothing to be saved by delaying the first shipment on the HOPE that they win the second.

I believe it will make your life Oh So Much simpler.

In the mean time the other posters have answered your other questions and I agree with them Everything I sell is free shipping.

[Anonymous]

If you set your auctions to require autopay, you'll need to process a partial refund.
If you allow them to pay later, you can invoice them. 

The easisest answer is what everyone above has advised. Free Shipping eliminates most issues that come up and you're going to spend a lot less time messaging back and forth with your buyer. I factor shipping into my listing prices or reserve prices. 

[ebeths_eclectic_collectibles]

Sometimes it can be a good idea to offer a volume discount with free shipping instead of combined shipping. If you are selling small light weight items like cds or fashion jewelry buyers may be discouraged by your prices that include shipping 

[kensgiftshop]

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@Anonymous wrote:

If you set your auctions to require autopay, you'll need to process a partial refund.
If you allow them to pay later, you can invoice them. 

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If it's free shipping, it wouldn't matter if it was auto paid or they paid later.

Why would you give a partial refund?

[keziak]

This is what I mean: let's say I list 2 books. For each book I want $10 and  I charge $4 for shipping. Someone buys both and pays $20, I weigh the package and give them a combined invoice with $6 shipping not $8 = $26.

But if the $4 is part of the price and it's free shipping they pay $28. So that is a worse deal for them than the first way and is the sale less competitive with other sellers? Does the lure of combined shipping provide a competitive edge? Based on the messages I get I think maybe. Or is free shipping a greater lure overall?

Maybe I'm overthinking it.

[richard1rst]

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@gamersbaystore wrote:

That's great if you can afford to eat the shipping costs, because the reality is there's no such thing as free shipping. Somebody has to pay for it.

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Frankly, based on how long you have been here I am surprised at your answer. Sellers NEVER eat the shipping costs, even on free shipping. The "somebody" who has to pay for it is ALWAYS the buyer.

[12345jamesstamps]

Autopay has its fault.

Refund shipping combined discount...that refund comes out of "available funds' of previous buyers and not the current buyers.

Easy to get into the negative of "available funds".

[gamersbaystore]

You can easily setup shipping discounts, at least for BIN items anyway. Just use the promotional or flat shipping rule within the shipping preferences page. I have multiple flat shipping rules for different types of products.

For instance, I have a flat shipping rule of $1 for each additional DVD, CD, Book, etc. You just click on create profile, give it a name, input the amount you want to charge.

Then you reference that rule in your shipping policies where it states "Apply my flat shipping rule with profile name." There will be a check box, just click it and you can select the rule you want to apply.

Or you can use the promotional rule. Here you can set a minimum dollar amount to trigger free shipping, or by minimum number of items purchased.

You can also add a note in your listings citing the multi-quantity discounts. Here's one I often use for DVDs: "Shipping for each additional media mail eligible item is $1, please use add to cart so that shipping discounts will be properly applied."

[richard1rst]

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@keziak wrote:

This is what I mean: let's say I list 2 books. For each book I want $10 and  I charge $4 for shipping. Someone buys both and pays $20, I weigh the package and give them a combined invoice with $6 shipping not $8 = $26.

But if the $4 is part of the price and it's free shipping they pay $28. So that is a worse deal for them than the first way and is the sale less competitive with other sellers? Does the lure of combined shipping provide a competitive edge? Based on the messages I get I think maybe. Or is free shipping a greater lure overall?

Maybe I'm overthinking it.

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Understand that your (potential) buyers are not a homogenized group. Some buyers love free shipping and will specify that in their searches. Some buyers are leery of it because they understand that on multiple orders they may pay a bit more.

No matter which one you pick you will lose some of your audience. Take the even, take the odd.

I used to do calculated shipping. Now everything I offer (even the large heavy stuff) goes out as free shipping. PRESTO I was no longer inundated with irrelevant messages:

Why do "you" charge more for shipping than the cost of the item. (Except of course it is the post office charging that)

"Your" shipping prices are outrageous. (See previous note)

If I buy multiple items do I get a discount (Except since I use cubic shipping sometimes it actually costs MORE to ship 2 items together than to ship them individually - good luck explaining that one)

and oh so many more.

Maybe I lose some sales, there is no way to know for sure. BUT fortunately my sales are healthy enough that the "cost" of those lost sales is more than offset by the time not wasted repeatedly answering the above and more.

Others will point out that with free shipping you do not get to deduct the cost of shipping from a remorse return. In my case that is irrelevant. My return rate is consistently well under 1% so for me at least that is not an issue.

Whether you pick free shipping or not you are going to lose one of the groups.

Bet red, bet black.