Boosting Ebay sales / beating fees

custardy

what does a buyer get from RD on ebay?

geordie_joe

custardy wrote: »

what does a buyer get from RD on ebay?

Many things, some just feel safer if an item is send RD. Some think it will be less hassle if the item gets lost in the post, if they haven't signed for it then they don't have to prove it has not been delivered.

Some people believe sellers when they say "We cannot be held responsible for items lost in the post" and think if it is recorded then the PO will be held responsible.

Others live in areas where the postie will just leave an ordinary package on the door step, where it may be stolen, but have to take a RD package back to the sorting office.

Some people believe RD packages are delivered quicker, others just like getting the best so pay for the best postage option offered.

The main point is, if you don't offer it as an option then nobody will choose it. Even if you do offer it nobody may choose it, but it hasn't cost you anything to offer it.

And it makes sense to offer it as an option for an extra £2.50 when it is only going to cost you 75p, that's an extra £1.75 profit in your pocket for very little work.

custardy

geordie_joe wrote: »

Many things, some just feel safer if an item is send RD. Some think it will be less hassle if the item gets lost in the post, if they haven't signed for it then they don't have to prove it has not been delivered.

Some people believe sellers when they say "We cannot be held responsible for items lost in the post" and think if it is recorded then the PO will be held responsible.

Others live in areas where the postie will just leave an ordinary package on the door step, where it may be stolen, but have to take a RD package back to the sorting office.

Some people believe RD packages are delivered quicker, others just like getting the best so pay for the best postage option offered.

The main point is, if you don't offer it as an option then nobody will choose it. Even if you do offer it nobody may choose it, but it hasn't cost you anything to offer it.

And it makes sense to offer it as an option for an extra £2.50 when it is only going to cost you 75p, that's an extra £1.75 profit in your pocket for very little work.

minus ebay fee's and a drop in your stars for P&P,possibly even a neg
just look on the eBay board for evidence of this

your other points are what ifs,many buyers dont like RD's because the get returned to the delivery offices and get returned after 7 days as opposed to three weeks for others postal methods

geordie_joe

custardy wrote: »

your other points are what ifs,many buyers dont like RD's because the get returned to the delivery offices and get returned after 7 days as opposed to three weeks for others postal methods

I said some like RD, not all, if it is offered as an option those that like it can take it, those that don't can leave it.

originalmissy

It's probably me, I'm known for confusing people!

Assuming you are a seller (and that's my daft question for the day!) try going into summary and then scroll down and near the bottom of that page there is another link to your seller dashboard

Hi,

Got it now, showing because I've just rec'd some more feedback so the detailed listings are viewable.

This is what it's showing:

Item as described 4.80 0.00% (0)
Communication 4.80 0.00% (0)
Dispatch time 4.83 0.00% (0)
Postage and packing charges 4.36 7.69% (1)

The 7.69 (1) is in red.

Re p/p what I've done up to now is when I'm researching what an item has prev sold for I use the same p/p as that seller, making the assumption that they've worked out the true cost.

My performance is standard
Powerseller level is none
Policy compliance is high
Account status is current.

What do you think ?

soolin

I think you need to get some more sales quickly, the red on the final figure means you are in the danger zone and risk a suspension.

Get some sales done with cheap post and packing, it might even be worth charging a litttle under the actual postage stamp as everyone likes to think they are getting a bargain. Get that percentage of stars up for p and p and you should be fine. The rest of it though is good.

Unfortunately Just one set of poor stars can really hurt a private seller and you need to get the percentage in red down ASAP by getting a lot of high stars in the category/

custardy

also look at why you are getting hit on P&P
how much are you adding to true postage prices for packaging?
using other sellers prices are you looking at the difference?

originalmissy

custardy wrote: »

also look at why you are getting hit on P&P
how much are you adding to true postage prices for packaging?
using other sellers prices are you looking at the difference?

Hi,

No, I've literally been using the same prices as other sellers for the same items. I've just got a set of digitals scales from my sister so will make sure I work out exact p/p prices from now on.

Out of interest, how much is fair to add on for the packing side of things, i.e. bubblewrap etc. Up until now I've managed to use old boxes and wrap from around the house but I'm running low so will have to buy some which is obviosuly something I need to cover.

Also is it possible to see which item/s contributed to that low p/p rating ?


Thx again

originalmissy

Also I've only sold about 12 items, can they really suspend you that quickly without giving you a chance ?

If it wasn't for this thread I wouldn't have even known about the dashboard and this negative figure, in fact up until this morning I didn't have enough ratings to even view it.

I've only ever viewed the feedback score which is all positive.

soolin

originalmissy wrote: »

Also I've only sold about 12 items, can they really suspend you that quickly without giving you a chance ?

If it wasn't for this thread I wouldn't have even known about the dashboard and this negative figure, in fact up until this morning I didn't have enough ratings to even view it.

I've only ever viewed the feedback score which is all positive.

Unfortunately new sellers that sell only a little are at risk from the new rules.

You need to jiggle around your postage to work out an optimum amount to charge, my business account is fairly easy as I have a stock of plastic mailing bags and jiffy bags which I use as appropriate but I rarely charge more than 5-10p extra over stamp cost and put the rest on the start price. I can go a little higher, and sometimes if I sell something that needs a lot of packing I will add 50-75p or so but I watch my stars closely and if they start going downward I reduce the prices again.