Combine Postage

dawnydee73

I've been selling on Ebay for about 4 weeks and sell about 10 items a week. I say on my listings I will combine postage, however when I have had someone buy 2 items it dosen't work out cheaper to combine it works out more expensive. :eek: I have to still post in two parcels and take off what I can afford to combine.

I know alot of sellers will offer a discount but how do they do it?? Or is it better not to offer it at all.

Moglex

Sellers normally offer a discount when they can send more than one item in a parcel.

A postage discount is supposed to reflect the fact that it usually costs less to send more than one item to the same address at the same time. It's not a method of giving a general discount.

If you need to send two parcels, then there's no reason to offer a discount - I doubt many other sellers would.

Of course, it's rather hard to see why you actually do need to send two parcels.

mrsb_5

If the items are heavy then don't offer it as like you say it works out more expensive - unless you downgrade postage from 1st class to standard parcels. I do offer it because if people bought say 5 of my items which are quite light, if i sent them all in one parcel but charged the original postage they would be paying a horrendous amount more than i actually spend on it....if you see what i mean lol

soolin

I've had to change my discount policy due to the new pricing in proportion rates. It is very often cheaper for me to send two parcels than it is to send one, as a small parcel might go as a large letter, whereas a big one will go as a package which costs more than twice as much.

What I do is I will make a small refund, equal to the saving I make when someone makes two paypal payments instead of one. However, I will quite often then still send two different parcels.

Sooler

2 items may be cheaper to post but may take more packaging.

Costs are for post and packing.

kriss_boy

The trouble is EVERYONE expects reduced postage for multiple items. If you invoice customers the full postage they complain that they have won more than 1 item.

Combining postage is unfair to the other bidders as they may only want one item thus they are not bidding more to get less postage.

soolin

Sooler wrote:

2 items may be cheaper to post but may take more packaging.

Costs are for post and packing.

My envelopes cost approx 10p each, so in most cases it is still cheaper to send two items than it is to send one. Most of my items if 'doubled up' would need the next size envelope which cost me 21p each, so a further loss. It really does depend what you sell though, for heavy books sending a few together can often reduce costs as they can be sent as a huge parcel via parcel post. I once sent 40 videos that way in the old days when videos used to sell.

I also lost money once as I had quoted 2nd class post for some magazines. I gave a decent discount sent them all together and of course had to upgrade to 1st class due to their weight, and lost money. Actually, me and magazines really don't seem to do well at all, I've had some disasters selling them in the past

Moglex

kriss_boy wrote:

The trouble is EVERYONE expects reduced postage for multiple items. If you invoice customers the full postage they complain that they have won more than 1 item.

Not everyone behaves like that.

Combining postage is unfair to the other bidders as they may only want one item thus they are not bidding more to get less postage.

???

The can bid or not bid as they like. No one is forcing them to bid for more than they need.

kriss_boy

Moglex wrote:

Not everyone behaves like that.

???

The can bid or not bid as they like. No one is forcing them to bid for more than they need.

Ive sold 3 massive lots of around 15 items of lego.. every single winner of more than 1 item complained that I didnt reduce postage costs. Ive never had anyone not ask and not moan if Ive said no.

Your correct, no one forces anyone to bid on anything, did you think that was the case? The point is the bidders should be on a level playing field and i dont see why those who have already won an item should be able to outbid others based purely on the reduction they expect to get on the postage.

Moglex

kriss_boy wrote:

Ive sold 3 massive lots of around 15 items of lego.. every single winner of more than 1 item complained that I didnt reduce postage costs. Ive never had anyone not ask and not moan if Ive said no.

Hmm, 3 bidders.

Hardly a good statistical sample, is it?

Your correct

My correct what?

no one forces anyone to bid on anything, did you think that was the case?

No, but you seemed to

The point is the bidders should be on a level playing field and i dont see why those who have already won an item should be able to outbid others based purely on the reduction they expect to get on the postage.

It's called a free market.

Do you object to any other quantity discounts where a supplier reflects the reduction in his or her actual costs by lowering the cost the the purchaser?


It's a free and fair reflection of actual costs, not some uinderhand way to distort the market. What on earth is your problem ?

kriss_boy

Moglex wrote:

Hardly a good statistical sample, is it?

45 items isnt good sample? With about 6 or 7 people winning more than one item.. and 100% complaining... if thats not a trend then I was simply extremely unlucky huh!

Moglex wrote:

No, but you seemed to

Classic! That comeback reminds me of the playground classic response of "I know you are but what am I" to an insult!

Moglex wrote:

Do you object to any other quantity discounts where a supplier reflects the reduction in his or her actual costs by lowering the cost the the purchaser?

No because in the case of my lego I only had one of each item.....