Does anyone think I charge to much for S/H?

SemperFI

I haven't sold anything in a while and I just got some coins back from PCGS and need to sell a bunch of them. So I put up some auctions on ebay and charge 5.00 and that is it...bascially to lure people into purchasing from my other auctions with no extra charge. Is that expensive? I do have to pay for the mailers and shipping materials and I always put Delivery Confirmation on it for my protection..so I know it was rcvd. What do you think?

prooflike

Outrageous shipping! $6.30 to ship a $10.00 item 1st class insured? That's nuts.

goose3

I looked at your link.
Your s/Handling charge will probably really hurt your listings. I'd call 5.00 too much even if it included insurance on an item that is less than 50.00.

I charge 1.75 PLUS actual insurance when I sell and I ship in bubble mailer.

prooflike

Oh yeah, Delivery Confirmation is a waste of money, it does guarantee delivery to the correct address.

RGL

Semper Fi: U.S. Postal Service will provide all the free boxes, tape, etc. you could desire for Priority Mail. It should never cost more than $4 to ship a coin, exclusive of insurance, and that is with Priority Mail! Check out the usps.com website and they will ship all the free shipping supplies you desire...

LincolnCentMan

If you're shipping something over a pound, that's not bad. If you're shipping something with priority shipping, it's not bad. If you're shipping something under a pound via first class mail... that's bad. All this assumes that you're not insuring it.

David

stujoe

I think it depends on the value of the coins, whether you are shipping priority mail, and whether it includes Insurance. $5 isn't much on a $500 coin. It is a lot on a $25 coin.

Truthfully, though, shipping doesn't bother me much as long as it is stated. I subtract it from what I am willing to pay before I make my bid anyway.

SemperFI

Well, I did not consider the coin selling at 9.99 either...hoping it will draw more.

Prooflike...insurance is not included.

So, I guess I should change the shipping. What is reasonable then?

mbbiker

yes, it seems a little high. I don't bid on auctions with more that $4.00 shipping unless it is an expensive coin (over 100) or i really need the coin.

danglen

I charge $3.50 to ship slabs. That includes Safe-T-Mailer, bubble envelope and Delivery Confirmation.

goose3

also wanted to add that I will not bid on any item that a seller Requires priority mail. I think it is THE biggest farce that the USPS has going! Total ripoff and no faster than 1st class.

SemperFI

Got it. Thanks for the corrections. I do not want to do bad business. I will make corrections on the auctions.

Should I send in Priority using their free boxes or just use the mailers and send First Class?

I really do not mean to sound do new at shipping items.

Russ

SemperFI,

On all of your auctions but one, my shipping would be $2.95. This includes a Safe-T-Mailer, bubble envelope and insurance.

Goose3,

Stuff that requires a box should be shipped Priority Mail. It gets there much faster than Parcel Post, and is usually only a few pennies more.

Russ, NCNE

prooflike

Goose has a really good point, Priority Mail is a big ripoff by the post office

supercoin

If you're shipping Priority Mail with delivery confirmation, I would include that in the description, and also mention that you're shipping it in a box (if you do). Otherwise people may wonder if they are paying $5.00 for you to stick it in an unpadded business envelope with a couple stamps.

Also it's not clear from your auction description that the $5 will cover additional coins.

So if you want to stick with your basic strategy, I'd change it to something like:

Shipping: Please include a flat $5.00 for shipping. Additional coins shipped same day are free. All coins are carefully packed in a box and shipped by Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation. Insurance optional at bidders request, at my exact cost below:

...etc...


If you want a new strategy... I'd charge barely enough to cover your costs. Keep in mind that your auction only does as well as the second-highest bidder. If you turn off that bidder, you can lose a lot more than a couple bucks.

shirohniichan

Nothing turns a potential buyer off more than a no-return policy, really bad scans (or no scans at all) and high shipping charges. I almost bid on a few coins until I saw the $12 charge for shipping and $3 extra for insurance on all of one seller's lots.

Russ

<< <i>Additional coins shipped same day are free. >>



Might want to add the word "shipping" to the end of that sentence.

Russ, NCNE

supercoin

Russ, shhh... I need a couple of those.

SemperFI

Added the corrections. I hope people see it while checking out pic. Thanks for everyone input on my mistake.

"It has come to my attention that I am charging too much on shipping. Corrections are as follows and apologies for the inconvenience. <p>

CORRECTION ON ALL SHIPPING CHARGES: ALL SHIPPING IS $2.50 WHICH INCLUDES DELIVERY CONFIRMATION. COINS ARE CAREFULLY WRAPPED IN BUBBLE WRAP AND SHIPPED IN A PADDED ENVELOPE. ADDITIONAL COINS PURCHASED ARE SHIPPED THE SAME DAY FOR FREE. INSURANCE IS STILL OPTIONAL AND STILL FOLLOWS THE EXACT COST IN THE MAIN DESCRIPTION.
Thank you for your business.
-matt
<p>
"

stman

This is JMO. If you make insurance optional you are asking for problems. Someone else just had a thread the other day about this. I think he decided from now on he won't make it optional.

I understand they may be low priced items, but the next thing you will be asking what should I do a package didn't make it there.

SemperFI

You learn from your mistakes. Bigtime.

goose3

Just make it a flat 3.00 including insurance or 3.50 at most.
I buy my bubble mailers off of ebay and get 100 of them for around 15.00 delivered.

I just shipped one FE out today with 50.00 insurance on it in one of my bubble mailers. It was JUST under 2 bucks.


Russ, you are correct. IF it is something that requires a box Priority IS just a tad more but for items that can easily be shipped in a bubble mailer......it is a RIP!

LucyBop

GASP! FIVE DOLLARS??????? Take a look at this auction and see what you can buy for some of that heavy bread, and notice, this seller gave me free shipping!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3301141435

Bulldog

Semper,

Perhaps the best one to answer this question is you! Are you charging more than you are paying for S&H? I would probably not purchase a $10 item with a 50% S&H. I know that a $10,000 slabbed coin weighs just as much as a $1.00 slabbed coin (basically). This is a problem when you are selling low priced items. If you are making money on your S&H, you are looseing money on your auctions!

Bulldog

MICHAELDIXON

I charge $3.00 for shipping and insurance regardless of the price. Normally, I will not bid on auctions with shipping more than I charge. And...I will not buy from anybody (again) who charges for shipping and insurance and puts it in a padded envelope and slaps .63 postage and sends it to me. So, yes, $5.00 is excessive.

danglen

If you got to the Post Office website at www.usps.gov you can download their Shipping Assistant 2.2 software feee of charge. That will allow you to print labels for First Class mail, that include a Delivery Confirmation barcode for 13 cents instead of the normal 40 cents you would pay. The only caveat is that the package has to be at least 3/4" thick, which should be no problem for a slab in a Safe-T-mailer in a bubble envelope. Also, if you go to the USPS website, you can print Priority Mail labels with Delivery Confirmation barcode, and the DC is FREE, so you only pay the Priority Mail postage.

Dog97

You're gonna charge me $5 and not even insure it?
I don't think so.
What's wrong with a 30¢ bubble mailer, 75¢ postage and $1.30 for insurance?
Or better yet, 30¢ bubble mailer, 75¢ postage and $2.20 for insurance that I have to sign for?
$3.25 is plenty enough and we are both protected.

FatMan

<< <i> What's wrong with a 30¢ bubble mailer, 75¢ postage and $1.30 for insurance? Or better yet, 30¢ bubble mailer, 75¢ postage and $2.20 for insurance that I have to sign for? $3.25 is plenty enough and we are both protected. >>



That should cover it as long as the buyer comes by with his car, filled with his gas, and stands in line at the Post Office for an hour of his time.

In that these are no reserve auctions and you do not have the luxury of setting a price wihich covers all your costs, clearly you are entitled to cover your costs of handling the order. Just about every internet purchase I have made has a S&H charge which is greater than actual ship cost alone. This is customary for all businesses, internet or not. I just looked through NN and the prevailing charge is $5.00 and these guys are getting full retail in which they can cover all their costs in their list price.

Do as Dog97 says and add a reasonable handling charge of $.75 to it for a $4.00 total. Disclose your S&H policies clearly in your descriptions. Be sure to combine shipping for multiple items adding only for any weight and increase for insurance. Be honest and be fair to both you and the buyer and you will have no problems.

gmarguli

I charge $2. That covers postage, a padded mailer, a Safe-T-Mailer, an invoice, and tape/staples. Insurance is at the actual cost to me. However, I have been considering tacking on 10¢ or so to cover my time to fill out the form and being forced to wait in line with it.

I stopped offering Priority shipping. It gets there no faster than before and few people wanted it.

telecoin

Whether you charge $1.00 or $5.00, most buyers figure it into the deal and bid accordingly. If I'm willing to pay $25.00 for a coin, I will bid $20 if the the shipping is $5.00. If the shipping is free, I will bid $25. As far as insurance goes, I feel it is the responsibility of the seller to deliver the coin, whether or not you opt for PO insurance coverage. I charge $2.00 plus 50 cents for each additional slabbed coin for most auctions under $50. Any extra money goes into a personal fund to cover lost, damaged or stolen items that are not insured by the PO. This is called self-insurance. Delivery confirmation has it's uses. It can help keep a buyer honest. I have had instances where a buyer claimed he didn't receive an item. When I mentioned that the PO had a record of the delivery, they all of a sudden dropped the subject. Although most people are honest, some need that extra protection from fraud. Good luck!

Dog97

FatMan
"That should cover it as long as the buyer comes by with his car, filled with his gas, and stands in line at the Post Office for an hour of his time."
I'm buying the seller's COIN, not his gas or time.

stman

All this over imo the cost of doing business. Every transaction should be insured. I see too many people want to "cut the cost" but they are doing it in the wrong place by not insuring. Just asking for problems.

BigD5

I don't ship anything without insurance. $1-$50...$3 insured shipping in a bubble type mailer/safetmailer and the proper insurance. I go up a $1 for each insurance increment by the post office. $50-$100...$4, $100-$200......$5, etc. Once it gets over $700 or $800, it's registered only. Depends on the buyer.
I get my mailers and Safe T Mailers in bulk (really bulk!!), to keep the costs down. Forget about going to Staples or a similar store for the bubble mailers. Too expensive.
I go here: www.packnwrap.com. Decent stuff at a decent price.

gmarguli

<< <i>FatMan
"That should cover it as long as the buyer comes by with his car, filled with his gas, and stands in line at the Post Office for an hour of his time."

I'm buying the seller's COIN, not his gas or time. >>



Then come to his house and pick it up.

gmarguli

As far as insurance goes, I feel it is the responsibility of the seller to deliver the coin, whether or not you opt for PO insurance coverage.

Shouldn't the buyer take a little of the responsibility? After all, the seller put the coin in the mail. He did his best. If it doesn't arrive, then that is due to the post office, not the seller. The seller did all he could do, so the buyer needs to accept some of the responsibility.

Dog97

>>>>>>Then come to his house and pick it up. >>>>>>>
No way, that's why I'm paying the Post Office to bring it to my house.

FatMan

<< <i>" I'm buying the seller's COIN, not his gas or time. >>



Dog97

Exactly. You are high bidder on the coin and the coin only. You have not bought my services. "Its here - so come and get it."

Or if you like I will put it in my mailbox and I will charge you for the stamps and the packaging required.($1.05)

Oh, you want it insured. I think that is a wise decision.(add $2.20)

But now for me to mail it insured I have to get in my car, use my gas, and stand in line at the post office. You have not bought that service in the auction. I will be happy to do that for you but it will cost you an additonal $.75. There is a courier service in town that will do the same thing for you if you send them the funds in advance. That will cost $25.00.

Dog97, I believe that eBay is used in two distinct ways. Some people use it as a retail outlet and through the use of elevated opening bids and/or reserves the retail price is set. Since these sellers are setting the price, if I bid on one of these listings I believe the seller should have included any handling in his set price. In SemperFi's case, for his listings he is using the true auction format where he is letting the bidders set the price. That being the case the bidders are only buying his coins and nothing else. Upon receipt of the money, ownership of the coin transfers and it becomes the buyer's responsiblity to pay for getting the coin home. If time, gas, auto wear and tear is required then he needs to pay for that the same as he needs to pay the USPS to deliver.

For me it simply boils down to whether I have participated in an auction or I am purchasing from a retail seller. I am drawing a fine line here simply on principle in that to me it really doesn't matter what the seller charges for S&H. I will only bid on an item if the charge is listed and I simply subtract that amount from what I am willing to bid. I would hope that everyone on this board finds no revelation with that concept. SemperFi, clearly it is irrevelant what you charge. As long as it is listed clearly, people will bid accordingly. Just make sure that if your opening bid is $9.99 your coins better still be a deal at that plus your S&H or you will get no bids.

stman

I feel if somebody is selling something, don't think you are always going to get paid for your time, tape, staples, gas, wear and tear.

If so you need to get in another business. It's getting to the point that when some are selling something they act like they are doing the buyer a favor. But if I was going to charge for tape, staples,etc.etc. I wouldn't be telling people.

FatMan

<< <i>I feel if somebody is selling something, don't think you are always going to get paid for your time, tape, staples, gas, wear and tear. If so you need to get in another business. >>



What? That makes no sense. If I don't get paid for my time, tape, staples, gas, wear and tear, I will shortly GO OUT OF BUSINESS.

danglen

If so you need to get in another business. It's getting to the point that when some are selling something they act like they are doing the buyer a favor. But if I was going to charge for tape, staples,etc.etc. I wouldn't be telling people.

I don't care what business you're in, if you don't charge enough to cover your expenses, sooner or later you won't be in business. Selling coins on eBay is just as much a business as selling books through a website. The bottom line is that the buyer has to pay enough for the goods and services to insure the seller's costs are covered and that he makes a reasonable profit.

fantasiize

Wow, this thread on shipping is starting to catch classic versus modern threads in size ... $5 is too much, I generally charge $2 for first slabbed coin ($1 for raw coin) and $.50c to $1 on additional coins. Sometimes, if I want to really move stuff, I provide free shipping. I leave insurance optional but strongly recommend it for anything over $100.

Dog97

Wow FatMan that was a lot of keystrokes!
It doesn't matter to me whether the seller is a retailer or an auctioner. Shipping is shipping. If he is a dealer I don't need to pay for his gas & time. He writes that off on his income taxes, along with his mileage to the Post Office and his bubble mailers, stamps, printer paper etc. etc.
If he isn't a retailer but just a regular ole collector like me he doesn't have much expense in going to the Post Office to mail me and his other buyers our coins because he will simply do it the next time he goes to town. It's not like he's burning a tank of gas and a set of tires up just for ME.
So his shipping is still too high for me
BUT
Since he doesn't charge for additional coins that could be a good deal on shipping and he actually lose money. I just mailed a board member 4 slabs & I'm just a collector, not a dealer, wasn't even an eBay deal, but charged him just like I would my eBay buyers, which is free insured shipping, no charge. I couldn't cram that many slabs in a bubble mailer so I reused (yeah I'm a cheapskate) box & packing I had but it still cost me $7.05 to mail it.
BUT
I rarely make mulitple purchases at 1 time from the same seller so his policy means nothing to me.
He doesn't have to do like I do or like I say but he asked for opinions and that's my opinion as a grumpy old time collector.

gmarguli

This is great. Some people don't want to pay for a sellers expenses. I'd love to see these people try to buy something in the real world. Let's see them walk in Macy's and pick up a $100 item and take it to the counter and tell the sales clerk that they'll only pay $92 because they aren't paying for the sellers gas and tape.

Sellers aren't in this business to give things away. If I don't cover my costs, I go out of business. Same with every business.

Fairlaneman

Bottom line is that a buyer will only pay so much for a item. So what in the heck does a shipping charge have to do with that if the buyer is on the ball and watching what the total cost will be. Obviously here some people are looking for a deal along with also geting it shipped for nothing.

If a seller puts a certain shipping charge on a item and carries through with how he says he will ship the item all should be cool. If he does not carry through with his terms nail his butt to the wall via feedback.

Ken

stman

To those who don't agree with my previous posts....sorry
It's just the way I feel about all this. Yes I agree you need to stay in business and charge for all these things. But I feel it needs to be built into the price somehow and be done with it. Make the buyer feel they are getting a deal. But nit picking every detail of costs doesn't get anywhere.

I own a business, and yes I need to cover costs and I do. But I don't tell clients they have to pay for this and that. I figure it in and end of story. If I told them I need to charge extra for wear and tear, invoices,stables,tape etc. they would laugh and take a walk.

gmarguli

I own a business, and yes I need to cover costs and I do. But I don't tell clients they have to pay for this and that. I figure it in and end of story. If I told them I need to charge extra for wear and tear, invoices,stables,tape etc. they would laugh and take a walk.

I never planned on itemizing it for them.

I just meant that pick a price for S&H that covers all your costs associated with it.

relayer

Remember it's a Shipping and Handling charge. You're not doing charity work for the nice people on eBay. I just lowered my slab shipping to $4.50 plus $1.50 ea additional.

The cost shipping of slabbed coin in a bubble mailer is $1.01.

The time it takes to sell a coin:

5 minutes to photograph and edit
2 minutes to log the auction
4 minutes to write the ad
2 minutes to log the winner
3 minutes to pack and ship

So overall you can do about 4 and hour. So if your Handling charge is $3.99 that's about $16 hr - before expenses

If you can drop it off in a blue box you're OK, but if you make the trip to the PO (at $.33 a mile) then wait in line for 10 minutes a minimum wage job is much more profitable. And just so you can make coins for the nice people on eBay who want to buy them cheap.

Below is a chart showing what it costs to list and ship coins at different price levels. You should try to have your S/H cover all the fees. That way you only lose money on the coin.

Oh yeah, then if you take credit cards and they use PayPal, they have their hand out too.

stman

<< <i>I never planned on itemizing it for them. >>



Yea, I understood that, But I was also trying to state that in business you can't always cover all you put into it. It's not right sometimes and I end up donating some time and labor each month.
But I stay in business that way. And do very well. Do the clients appreciate it.....NO, but I keep getting paid and phone calls.

FatMan

Dog97

We really are not that far off in our beliefs. I used your statement originally because I liked the fact that you broke it down in actual costs. So many of the prior posts just threw out $ amounts without reason. The thread was becoming "a how low can you go contest". SemperFi lowered his S&H to $2.50 and posts were still coming with wanting him to lower it more. I honestly believe that at the point I entered this thread the group may have been doing him harm. I believe that actual cost, as you illustrate in your example, plus a "reasonable" handling charge is not only OK but should be expected. $.75 is reasonable for the hassles involved.

I was one of those occaisonal auction listers that used my profits to help support my addiction to coins. The primary reason I stopped listing was because going to the post office was such a burden.

I know you live in LA (Lower Alabama). You're a not too far neighbor as I live in Metro Atlanta. Our Post Offices are something to be avoided at all costs. I tried 3 different PO's because they are so awful. I do not exagerate when I say the average wait is 30-40 minutes. A trip to our PO round trip is an hour on a good day.

I beleive that all S&H needs to be clearly disclosed and reasonable. I believe as a high bidder you need to expect some reasonable handling fee - not to exceed $1.00. I feel that is fair and customary and should be expected by all high bidders.

stman

So now this thread has hit about 50 posts. What was the thread about anyway? Shipping or something?

LucyBop

My very early response in this thread was made in light of the comical auction that I won from MastaHanky.... My honest response is if a seller has a coin that I must have... Shipping is a moot point to me as I factor it into the price of the coin. I have gotten some KILLER Frankies from Fairtraderz, a 49s ms66fbl in particular, the shipping was $10 if I remember correctly... The total price was in the $730-740 range. (again going on memory)..... I was very happy when I get this georgous GEM! In the end, thats all that matter to me....