it only applies to the bid price not the shipping ...it would only make 0.06 difference in this case (3 bucks) but for a person who buys a lot it could make a difference.
"Women should be obscene and not heard. " Groucho Marx
Many of them do NOT fit in a flat rate box, and the shipping costs vary by distance, size, and address.
For example, if a business buys my part, and it goes FedEx, I get a commerical rate, which is much less than Home Delivery (residential).
Then some zip codes are remote, so FedEx charge more for remote zip codes.
So the same part going from Texas to Los Angeles can easily cost less than going from Texas to Oklahoma.
I base my shipping cost on what I expect to pay. I have a note in my auctions that if the shipping charge comes in more than $2 than what I charge, I refund the excess. Anything less than the $2 is just shipping materials, etc.
When I ship international, shipping costs are all over the map based on size and country. Today, I packed a box for Italy, with $75 of parts, and a $160 shipping charge. No way I can do free shipping on this stuff.
What I did do was set up a separate ebay account for low dollar stuff, and part of it is where the shipping is often higher than the item. A $15 brake drum will cost more than $15 to ship it. If I get hammered on the shipping DSR, then it is just too bad for me, as I doubt that ebay ID will ever be big enough for the 20% rebate, and the shipping fees are low anyway.
I am amazed though, as to how many "freebies" ebay sends to that account (less than 6 months old) versus my 13 year old account, with a +2500 rating.
The freebies add up to more than 20% of the final value, in many cases.
<< <i>Stman said exactly how I fell. Its the way it is, people expect free shipping thats why i do it.
Plain and simple" its Just the cost of doing business" >>
I know the OP said it wouldn't work for him, but "free shipping" has meant more money for me, not less. Once it became clear that eBay didn't really want me running auctions and buyers agreed with them by not bidding until my listings were ending, I quit running auctions. Everything is fixed price now. And once it became clear that eBay wanted me to offer "free" shipping and buyers agreed by means of DSR ratings, I removed my shipping charge and raised the listing price to cover the difference + a little bit more to make up for the stuff I was covering before in an attempt to keep my shipping charges down. Now, I never sell anything for less than I want to and I get my shipping costs covered, too- something that didn't used to be the case when auctions were involved. So... I'm happy- I'm getting what I want on a sale without having to pick up the shipping tab. And buyers are happy- they're getting "free" shipping. How can you beat that?
<< <i>Offer free shipping. That will avoid all your shipping hassles. Been doing it for a while and not one shipping complaint. For the most part, higher bids are obtained & eBay's 20% kick back will more that offset the s&h fees. It's only $1.64 for up to 3 oz via first class package rate with the Delivery Conf. included. It's a waste of money to insure bullion related coins or items..the PO will not pay for a loss. On items sold over $250, for an additional $2.10, purchase Signature confirmation. >>
Why? Of course you've had no complaints over free shipping. For people who sell on tight margins, free shipping is not an option. I sold several hundred common date morgan dollars. You don't get higher bids, and that's my experience. I'll say it now for the 3rd time. eBay CAUSED this problem, not the seller.
<< <i>Offer free shipping. That will avoid all your shipping hassles. Been doing it for a while and not one shipping complaint. For the most part, higher bids are obtained & eBay's 20% kick back will more that offset the s&h fees. It's only $1.64 for up to 3 oz via first class package rate with the Delivery Conf. included. It's a waste of money to insure bullion related coins or items..the PO will not pay for a loss. On items sold over $250, for an additional $2.10, purchase Signature confirmation. >>
Why? Of course you've had no complaints over free shipping. For people who sell on tight margins, free shipping is not an option. I sold several hundred common date morgan dollars. You don't get higher bids, and that's my experience. I'll say it now for the 3rd time. eBay CAUSED this problem, not the seller. >>
It's easy to blame eBay, especially if you are on the short end of the stick. However, it's not eBay that caused this so called "problem" ... but competition. To be successful, you have to beat the "other guy." If your business depends on low margin items, find an angle to be competitive or get pushed aside. That's true with any business.
"Bongo drive 1984 Lincoln that looks like old coin dug from ground."
<< <i>It's easy to blame eBay, especially if you are on the short end of the stick. However, it's not eBay that caused this so called "problem" ... but competition. To be successful, you have to beat the "other guy." If your business depends on low margin items, find an angle to be competitive or get pushed aside. That's true with any business. >>
This doesn't logically follow. Ebay created the problem by allowing buyers to rate a seller on a contract term to which the buyer agreed in advance, the shipping cost.
I presume this was originally done to discourage sellers from charging high shipping in an attempt to avoid final value fees. In other words, it was done to increase eBay's take and not to protect buyers. Now that eBay charges a final value fee on shipping, and thereby eliminated any motivation for a seller to charge an excessive amount for shipping, the shipping DSR is merely a mechanism to cheat sellers out of the 20% discount and let Paypal hold their money.
In my coin selling account I have given up and provide what ebay calls "Free Shipping" even though the post office keeps charging me. I tell the clerk, "no, ebay says it is "free". What part of "free" don't you understand?" but alas. Coin buyers are some of the most difficult people to deal with and since ebay will ding you for just a very very small number of low DSRs, the safe way to keep the TRS badge is the give the "free shipping".
On my personal account where I sell kids clothes, golf clubs, etc. I charge actual shipping or more and so far haven't had a complaint. but I don't have the TSR badge there.
I had one guy say, "I'd like to pay your $40 including shipping for your golf club." I said "OK". He said, "Why don't you change it to $10 plus $30 shipping so save yourself fees?" I flopped the numbers.
Some of you know me and know I,m a coin carver, the money I make is part of what we live on so it,s not a hobby ..I,ve been selling on ebay [ only carved coins ] for about 13 years and knew to make it work I had to have happy and repeat buyers, so 11 years ago I started free shipping,which consists of double boxed priority mail, insurance and del. com.. My buyers love it and my profit margin is great..Some may think this is a bad business practice, but my profits say it,s a good business practice..I sell more on commission then I do Ebay and give them free shipping to.
<< <i>I,ve been selling on ebay [ only carved coins ]... >>
I don't think comparing the sale of handcrafted items with collector coins will provide any more useful information than comparing the sale of flat screen tvs and baby clothing. But then, that's just me...
They are listed in the coin category on Ebay, coin collectors expect to find them in the coin category, not handmake craft category..My profit is high, my coin collector buyers are happy and I keep a 5 star on everything...But I fully understand that if sellers are selling low dollar coins, my way wouldn,t work for them.
You're never going to beat the cost of "free." A lot of sellers add the cost in their selling price and are over it. As was mentioned, people buy things they want or need even if it irritates them to pay say, taxes, buyer's premium, shipping cost, delivery costs etc and have an opinion on it if asked, which ebay does.
"May the silver waves that bear you heavenward be filled with love’s whisperings"
"A dog breaks your heart only one time and that is when they pass on". Unknown
Comments
Plain and simple" its Just the cost of doing business"
it only applies to the bid price not the shipping ...it would only make 0.06 difference in this case (3 bucks) but for a person who buys a lot it could make a difference.
Groucho Marx
Many of them do NOT fit in a flat rate box, and the shipping costs vary by distance, size, and address.
For example, if a business buys my part, and it goes FedEx, I get a commerical rate, which is much less than Home Delivery (residential).
Then some zip codes are remote, so FedEx charge more for remote zip codes.
So the same part going from Texas to Los Angeles can easily cost less than going from Texas to Oklahoma.
I base my shipping cost on what I expect to pay. I have a note in my auctions that if the shipping charge comes in more than $2 than what I charge, I refund the excess. Anything less than the $2 is just shipping materials, etc.
When I ship international, shipping costs are all over the map based on size and country. Today, I packed a box for Italy, with $75 of parts, and a $160 shipping charge. No way I can do free shipping on this stuff.
What I did do was set up a separate ebay account for low dollar stuff, and part of it is where the shipping is often higher than the item. A $15 brake drum will cost more than $15 to ship it. If I get hammered on the shipping DSR, then it is just too bad for me, as I doubt that ebay ID will ever be big enough for the 20% rebate, and the shipping fees are low anyway.
I am amazed though, as to how many "freebies" ebay sends to that account (less than 6 months old) versus my 13 year old account, with a +2500 rating.
The freebies add up to more than 20% of the final value, in many cases.
<< <i>Stman said exactly how I fell. Its the way it is, people expect free shipping thats why i do it.
Plain and simple" its Just the cost of doing business" >>
I know the OP said it wouldn't work for him, but "free shipping" has meant more money for me, not less. Once it became clear that eBay didn't really want me running auctions and buyers agreed with them by not bidding until my listings were ending, I quit running auctions. Everything is fixed price now. And once it became clear that eBay wanted me to offer "free" shipping and buyers agreed by means of DSR ratings, I removed my shipping charge and raised the listing price to cover the difference + a little bit more to make up for the stuff I was covering before in an attempt to keep my shipping charges down. Now, I never sell anything for less than I want to and I get my shipping costs covered, too- something that didn't used to be the case when auctions were involved. So... I'm happy- I'm getting what I want on a sale without having to pick up the shipping tab. And buyers are happy- they're getting "free" shipping. How can you beat that?
<< <i>Offer free shipping. That will avoid all your shipping hassles. Been doing it for a while and not one shipping complaint. For the most part, higher bids are obtained & eBay's 20% kick back will more that offset the s&h fees. It's only $1.64 for up to 3 oz via first class package rate with the Delivery Conf. included. It's a waste of money to insure bullion related coins or items..the PO will not pay for a loss. On items sold over $250, for an additional $2.10, purchase Signature confirmation. >>
Why? Of course you've had no complaints over free shipping. For people who sell on tight margins, free shipping is not an option. I sold several hundred common date morgan dollars. You don't get higher bids, and that's my
experience. I'll say it now for the 3rd time. eBay CAUSED this problem, not the seller.
Free Trial
<< <i>
<< <i>I'm curious for your thoughts. >>
Wanting stuff, and expecting that others will pay for it is an affliction a great many people are suffering with. >>
The entitlement mindset is the new norm for the domestic culture of this generation. Its gonna get worse before it gets any better.
"Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
http://www.american-legacy-coins.com
<< <i>
<< <i>Offer free shipping. That will avoid all your shipping hassles. Been doing it for a while and not one shipping complaint. For the most part, higher bids are obtained & eBay's 20% kick back will more that offset the s&h fees. It's only $1.64 for up to 3 oz via first class package rate with the Delivery Conf. included. It's a waste of money to insure bullion related coins or items..the PO will not pay for a loss. On items sold over $250, for an additional $2.10, purchase Signature confirmation. >>
Why? Of course you've had no complaints over free shipping. For people who sell on tight margins, free shipping is not an option. I sold several hundred common date morgan dollars. You don't get higher bids, and that's my
experience. I'll say it now for the 3rd time. eBay CAUSED this problem, not the seller. >>
It's easy to blame eBay, especially if you are on the short end of the stick. However, it's not eBay that caused this so called "problem" ... but competition. To be successful, you have to beat the "other guy." If your business depends on low margin items, find an angle to be competitive or get pushed aside. That's true with any business.
<< <i>It's easy to blame eBay, especially if you are on the short end of the stick. However, it's not eBay that caused this so called "problem" ... but competition. To be successful, you have to beat the "other guy." If your business depends on low margin items, find an angle to be competitive or get pushed aside. That's true with any business. >>
This doesn't logically follow. Ebay created the problem by allowing buyers to rate a seller on a contract term to which the buyer agreed in advance, the shipping cost.
I presume this was originally done to discourage sellers from charging high shipping in an attempt to avoid final value fees. In other words, it was done to increase eBay's take and not to protect buyers. Now that eBay charges a final value fee on shipping, and thereby eliminated any motivation for a seller to charge an excessive amount for shipping, the shipping DSR is merely a mechanism to cheat sellers out of the 20% discount and let Paypal hold their money.
On my personal account where I sell kids clothes, golf clubs, etc. I charge actual shipping or more and so far haven't had a complaint. but I don't have the TSR badge there.
I had one guy say, "I'd like to pay your $40 including shipping for your golf club." I said "OK". He said, "Why don't you change it to $10 plus $30 shipping so save yourself fees?" I flopped the numbers.
--Jerry
<< <i>I,ve been selling on ebay [ only carved coins ]... >>
I don't think comparing the sale of handcrafted items with collector coins will provide any more useful information than comparing the sale of flat screen tvs and baby clothing. But then, that's just me...
"A dog breaks your heart only one time and that is when they pass on". Unknown