posted on March 15, 2011 04:12:12 PM new
Yahoo shopping commish is based on total $$ of the order(item plus shipping and handling),but its commish is much less than Ebay.
Same with AMZN,its cut is 15% plus 99 cents transaction fee.
Bill,
You dont have to ship USPS priority to Australia (13.95 ) it does not give you tracking,I ship first class mail and insure with U-PIC,it works fine for me.
In most cases,I dont even take out insurance,I use the green customs form for partial tracking.
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on March 15, 2011 04:30:28 PM new
Sellers of big items actually have it made,bigger items,bigger shipping charge and it is easier to tag on an extra 5 -7 dollars ,whether you are shipping USPS or UPS,you dont have to show actual shipping cost on your package!
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on March 15, 2011 07:36:32 PM new
Higher prices to the buyer can easily create a downturn in sales...who says buyers will accept higher prices..lower ticket items I sell operate on a thin profit margin
posted on March 16, 2011 03:54:31 AM new
It's easy to hide $5 but not $25.
This weekend I'm packing a love seat and 2 chairs to ship to California (it's always California, Texas or New York). I'm shipping it Greyhound with home delivery. I quoted $245 but it's really going to cost me more like $300. With the new policy it would cost me more $325.
Most of what I ship (on my main ID)is between $150 to $175 - add that on 4 or 5 times a month and my fees just got increased by $75 or more. I have a store so I don't even get the 50 free listings!!
posted on March 16, 2011 06:32:08 AM new
I am sure we are all savvy enough to weather the latest "price decrease," but why should we have to? Ebay has nothing to do with our shipping. Is there going to be a surcharge for in person delivery next?
And the post about selling a 99 cent item and charging $65...hasn't Ebay stopped that already with red alerts about excessive shipping when you attempt to list an item and their program says no, no, no that's too much!!
Some people think they are trying to do away with auctions and go to FP exclusively, if that were so, why are they offering free listings to any one who is not paying them a monthly fee for the privilidge of selling items on their "venue?"
posted on March 16, 2011 06:55:47 AM new
Merrie,
Ebay throws up a warning message saying your shipping charge seems high?
But it does not disallow sellers from asking 65 dollars to ship a 99 cents item from China or domestic.
I have seen Chinese sellers selling metal incense burner for 99 cents with 65 dollars shipping.
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on March 18, 2011 01:56:39 PM new
I sell items on consignment and, other than establishing the opening bid price, have no control over what the final sale price might me. Most of what I sell is not "high price"...less than $100. I simply cannot afford to offer free shipping as that would come directly from my commission fees...and I would end up losing money on practically all transactions! I think I know what the answer will be but is it possible to offer free shipping BUT state in the description that a $7.00 (or some figure) handling fee will be added?
posted on March 18, 2011 02:18:24 PM new
I think they took the ability to have a 'handling fee' away a long time ago, when we tried to charge handling for PayPal.
posted on March 18, 2011 03:21:01 PM new
Thanks merrie...For the past 8 years, I've been using flat-rate shipping...easier for me and buyers know up-front what the shipping fee will be. Like others, sometimes I come out ahead and sometimes I lose a little. This newest policy seems like still another ploy to drive us small-time sellers away from eBay. I've been selling for almost 10 years now and it's getting less fun and exciting. Case in point...how on earth can someone list an item for $.99 and offer free shipping and make a profit? Certainly not me!
posted on March 18, 2011 03:39:56 PM new
I don't think you can add handling fees to free shipping. When I choose free shipping, my handling fee disappears.
posted on March 18, 2011 03:44:44 PM new
I have seen overseas sellers asking 99 cents and offer free shipping,hoping it will be bidded up so it would cover shipping.
But then sometimes it ends at 99 cents.
I have also seen Chinese sellers offering free shipping but you must buy insurance and it is 35 dollars!!!!!!
BTW,if you sell an item for 99 cents and free shipping,you dont have to ship the item,if the buyer asks 'Where is my item?"
Just say sorry,I dont know and refund their 99 cents and get your FVF fee back from Ebay.
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on March 18, 2011 03:49:52 PM new
Ebay also would not allow sellers to make buyers pay for insurance,so we have to pay for insurance .
So when we sell an item,make sure it is profitable enough to cover the cost of item,shipping,insurance,supply and paypal fee and FVF fee which does not leave much on the table.
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on March 18, 2011 04:56:08 PM new
I'm think of saying local pick up only on furniture but if you want shipping contact me for details. Let the buyer pay the shipping directly to the shipper.
The trouble is the ebay has now hidden the email unless you have a transaction and even then it's not easy to find.
I was trying to invoice someone thur paypal the other day and asked her for her email - when she sent it - it was taken out "per our policy" or something like that.
posted on March 18, 2011 05:01:35 PM new
hwahwa - "BTW,if you sell an item for 99 cents and free shipping,you dont have to ship the item,if the buyer asks 'Where is my item?"
Just say sorry,I dont know and refund their 99 cents and get your FVF fee back from Ebay."
I love it!! I am going to try that!! It might hurt FB though. Seriously, I have experimented with 99 cent auctions hoping to get some activity and for the most part it was a failure. Several ended at 99 cents a few went to $1.50 and I did not offer free shipping so at least I did not have to pay for that!! I did ship the items.
I have seen other sellers succeed with the strategy, but it did not work for me. I have even seen other sellers with the same type products, I do not know whether they have a lot of behind the scenes "help" with the bidding, but my efforts fell flat.
I also agree I do not know how those sellers that offer 99 cents FP listings with free shipping survive.If you are not making any money, what is the point. My husband who is also in sales (not Ebay!!) says if you lose a few cents on each item, you can make it up in quantity (joke, people, joke!!).
posted on March 18, 2011 05:09:26 PM new
Me thinks Ebay has tinkered its search engine ,one seller who sells masks dropped out of Ebay,he said he has perfect feedback,he is a top rated seller but his items are found on PAGE 11!!!!
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on March 18, 2011 09:44:03 PM new
HWAHWA...I didn't think we were allowed to charge for insurance anymore. For all its claims to be "just a venue", I'm having a really hard time keeping track of all the things eBay won't let us do anymore!
posted on March 20, 2011 11:28:39 AM new
I just heard a blurb on HLN, that Ebay is reducing it's fees for the second time in a year. And rewarding sellers who offer free shipping.
(Rewarding might not have been the exact word that was used - but that was the gist of the story).
posted on March 20, 2011 12:34:32 PM new
Going to be hard to convince buyers we are paying more fees when eBay spins it like this. Hasn't Donahoe about run his course and be ready to move on to 'help' another company???
posted on March 20, 2011 02:17:01 PM new
Part of the problem is that we as sellers, are our own worst enemy. Many sellers list their items for such low prices, either hoping it will be bid up or just to move items that buyers get to expect to pay ridiculously low prices.
I know that is how I feel when I shop at Macy's or The Children's Place, Gap, Kohls, Gymboree, Nordstrom's, you name it, I want it on sale and I want a coupon or some additional discount / incentive because that is what I am used to now.
In some of the categories that I sell in, I can find the other sellers in my area that use the same supplier. Some sellers seem to be happy with a few dollars profit! Items that retail for $200 at Macy's or Lord & Taylor we can sometimes get at our supplier for $15 or $20, so instead of listing the item for $50 or $60 which is a great deal for the buyer on these items, they list them for $20 or $25.I am not always talking suction, but FP, also. How can I compete with that?? Before everyone got into the act, I could sell those same items for close to retail and make a tidy profit, now... well you know the rest.
posted on March 20, 2011 06:12:12 PM new
I find things few sellers sell on Ebay.
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on March 20, 2011 06:19:15 PM new
hwahwa "I find things few sellers sell on Ebay." That is hard to do today. Good for you. The items I am referring to, not a lot sellers have access to them, but it only takes a few to spoil it.
posted on March 21, 2011 05:27:22 AM new
My biggest problem is going to be combined shipping rates. I asked the question on the canadian board about what would happen if someone pays the full shipping amount before I get a chance to send a combined shipping invoice, and it's "too bad". Once the buyer has paid, there is no refund.
I sell yarn by the skein, and I have the rates for the various amounts in my listings, but often someone pays, and then asks me to adjust the shipping. A bit of work, but no problem, in the future it will be a REAL problem. If I have to mail one skein for $6.10, which is what I have as postage, and someone bids on 10, the postage comes up as $61, but it is actually less than $9, so if they pay that amount, I am stuck with the fees on it, it's not going to work.
posted on March 21, 2011 07:21:44 AM new
I remember on Yahoo Shopping,you can calculate shipping charge beased on dollar amount of the order ,say $1-25 is $4.95 and $25.01-49.99 is $ 5.95 .
It is a table you set up when you open your shop.
With overseas order ,you can specify adding extra say 5-10 dollars.
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on March 21, 2011 11:28:39 AM new
I tell my buyers that they need to wait for a combined invoice in order to receive discounted shipping. Of course, many times they do not. Since you do not get a full refund even now from PayPal, I just refund a portion of the shipping. I will refund even less once the shipping fees from Ebay are imposed if they do not wait for an invoice from me.
