Buyers don't appreciate excessive postage charges - and will walk

[FirstGreenIsGold]

As a buyer, I just look at the total cost and decide if I want to purchase. But, I do avoid auctions where the seller has a dirt cheap purchase price with the whole fee padded into the shipping charge.

I generally add about 50 cents to the postage on the small and lower priced items that I've been listing.

Postage is one of the areas that frustrates me. Unless a person is sending a letter, it seems that each postal clerk at our local post office has a different interpretation of the postal guide.

I can't discount the sale price of items or postage any lower than I have been. If I'm going to lose money, I might as well throw my items in the dump. At the rate I'm NOT selling items on eBid, I think that's where they will likely end up anyway. But, I guess that's the way it is.

[pawtasticpet]

Disagree with the "Ship the best and the fastest way"

I should have said "Ship the best and the fastest way possible based on the amount of shipping paid".
I didn't mean to spend more to ship it faster...

For instance a customer paid $4.99 for the shipping but the item could go First Class and only cost $2.50. It's tempting to ship that item and pocket the difference. The best thing would be to contact the customer and tell them, hey, we can ship this for $2.50 if you would like but it'll take a few more days to get there. If the customer likes the idea, they are happy. If not, they are still happy because you took the time to offer them a better deal.

[raindropsies]

I should have said "Ship the best and the fastest way possible based on the amount of shipping paid".
I didn't mean to spend more to ship it faster...

For instance a customer paid $4.99 for the shipping but the item could go First Class and only cost $2.50. It's tempting to ship that item and pocket the difference. The best thing would be to contact the customer and tell them, hey, we can ship this for $2.50 if you would like but it'll take a few more days to get there. If the customer likes the idea, they are happy. If not, they are still happy because you took the time to offer them a better deal.

Things in US must be a lot different to UK regards number of services, I find P&P calculation very easy and we dont have a program to do it like the US

[deltadelta48]

Bravo deltadelta48!!!!

You took the words right out of my mouth!

The goal on shipping is to break even, not make a profit... Ship the best and the fastest way, and get the cost as close to the actual shipping charges as you can. Your customers will notice this and appreciate it! Don't charge $5 and then ship it for $2.00. Or if you do, pass the savings to the customer, either with a refund or a coupon for $3.00.

Figure out what your mark-up on your items needs to be to cover your operating costs and make a honest profit. Understand in this economy your profit will be lower than in the past. Don't try to be the lowest price out there, mid-price is better (smart consumers are leery of low pricing). When the economy picks up (and I sure hope it does!!), raise your mark-up as needed.

Keep it real, and your customers will keep coming back. No get rich quick, but slow and steady sales will build your business and your bank account will grow slow and steady along with it.

Just my 2 cents

Exactly. I would rather lose a $1 or $2 on postage, yet sell them another item and make money off the extra items. That is why putting postage into the price of the item does not go over well here. Google buyers love bargains, they buy in multiples if given a deal or a sale price, and it is no incentive to them to buy 12 items that include shipping and handling in each one. They just will not do it. Lots of sellers try it, I don't know many that it works well for on ebid.

[TiasTreasures]

Things in US must be a lot different to UK regards number of services, I find P&P calculation very easy and we dont have a program to do it like the US

I think I mentioned this on another thread. In the US, postage calculation is a nightmare.

There are several different shipping methods (First Class, Media Mail, Parcel Post, Priority Mail, Express Mail) and some items are not eligible for all of them. A letter or envelope may get charged the higher package rate if it's too thick, or a surcharge if it's too stiff. There are letters, envelopes, large envelopes, regular packages, large packages, tubes, etc, with different rate schedules for most of them. There are eight zones for domestic shipping and ten zones for international shipping, each with different rates.

I wouldn't even consider selling overseas if we didn't have calculated shipping. I would need ten different options (one for each zone) on every item to get the correct postage amount. Since USPS raises rates about once a year, we would then have to go through every listing to change the amount. Yikes.

[baconsdozen]

As I sell stuff for a living and not as a hobby I think I'm justified in taking into account my time packing parcels,arranging collections and the costs of paper,tape and insurance etc.So,I add on a percentage to the actual cost of sending.
The bottom line is if you sell cheap and hope to make profit out of postage,your buyers aren't as silly as you thought and will vote with their feet.

[Serendipitydee]

I recently contacted a seller, said that I was interested in buying three of her items so would there be a discount on the p&p. for sending them all in one package?
She replied that she would give me an amended invoice at the end of the sales.
I duly bought the three items, with which I am quite satisfied. She charged me £7.00 for p&p.. I did not know if that was an OK price until I received the items and gauged the weights etc.
However the actual postal charge was £3.68 so even allowing for packaging and other incidental costs I feel 'ripped off'.
I emailed her twice saying that perhaps she had miscalculated the postage when issuing the invoice, but 15 & 8 days later I have received no reply.
My dilemma is that I do not want to leave a positive as I am not happy about the transaction, however she has not yet left me feedback so I could well get three negatives in retaliation.
What would YOU do please?

[meebo1]

If you do receive negative feedback you can contact support who is able to remove it if they think it is uncalled for. But maybe a neutral on your behalf would be more appropriate as you are happy with the items received

[TiasTreasures]

I recently contacted a seller, said that I was interested in buying three of her items so would there be a discount on the p&p. for sending them all in one package?
She replied that she would give me an amended invoice at the end of the sales.
I duly bought the three items, with which I am quite satisfied. She charged me£ 7.00 for p&p.. I did not know if that was an OK price until I received the items and gauged the weights etc.
However the actual postal charge was £3.68 so even allowing for packaging and other incidental costs I feel 'ripped off'.
I emailed her twice saying that perhaps she had miscalculated the postage when issuing the invoice, but 15 & 8 days later I have received no reply.
My dilemma is that I do not want to leave a positive as I am not happy about the transaction, however she has not yet left me feedback so I could well get three negatives in retaliation.
What would YOU do please?

The difference between actual postage and the total charge was £3.32? Is that right? I think that comes out to between $3.50 and $4.00 in U.S. currency for packaging and handling.

It partly depends on the box the seller used. Was it recycled box or a new one? Medium sized boxes here start at about $2.00 in stores like Staples, more at the Post Office, unless we buy them in quantities of 25 or more. That isn't feasible for a small seller. Unless prices are a lot lower in the U.K.?

A lot of sellers charge $1.00 for handling, again not unusual or unreasonable. Most of us have to make a special trip to the Post Office to mail them.

Did she have to use bubble wrap to protect the items? That costs money too.

Without knowing more, it's possible the charge was reasonable.

[florida33549]

I recently contacted a seller, said that I was interested in buying three of her items so would there be a discount on the p&p. for sending them all in one package?
She replied that she would give me an amended invoice at the end of the sales.
I duly bought the three items, with which I am quite satisfied. She charged me £7.00 for p&p.. I did not know if that was an OK price until I received the items and gauged the weights etc.
However the actual postal charge was £3.68 so even allowing for packaging and other incidental costs I feel 'ripped off'.
I emailed her twice saying that perhaps she had miscalculated the postage when issuing the invoice, but 15 & 8 days later I have received no reply.
My dilemma is that I do not want to leave a positive as I am not happy about the transaction, however she has not yet left me feedback so I could well get three negatives in retaliation.
What would YOU do please?

I would leave the seller a positive since you are happy with the items. Packing materials, time to prepare package, etc. have to be considered by seller. You did not ask seller prior to the sale what the exact postage would be. You just asked if a discount would be given and apparently the seller did give a discount.