Postage: what can be included ?

justjohn

poet123 wrote: »

so I have to play the "game" now.

Yes a "GAME" unfortunately due to illogical views not the cheapest for the buyer or the best for the seller. lol

poet123

justjohn wrote: »

Yes a "GAME" unfortunately due to illogical views not the cheapest for the buyer or the best for the seller. lol

I take your point, but it is what it is because of the star system. If you buy and sell which I do you feel aggrieved if someone else seems to be "getting away" with charging inflated postal costs when you are not even over charging but still being marked down. So, when you buy you are mindful of that and score others accordingly. This is wholly due to the effects stars can have on a seller.

justjohn

We charge price of stamp(but use PPI) then approx 35p packaging.

Either way the buyer is going to have views on the costs.

PPI can automatically get you a crap rating.

we just keep the majority happy and ban the thick o's

ban the ones that ask for stupid discounts on postage or moan, ban the ones that ask daft questions. Ban them if they leave crap ratings, Ban them even if we think they are going to cause trouble lol

porto_bello

My view is excessive shipping charges are a small short-term gain and a larger long-term loss, in terms of risking DSR 'suicide'.

Others may disagree, arguing they currently 'get away with it'.

From the perspective of those who profiteer from excess shipping costs, what I don't understand is why they didn't invest heavily in postage stamps before the price increase?

They could have bought up 2nd class stamps at 36p and charged 50p for each at the true market price - making an immediate almost 40% tax free profit on each one - and the buyer would have been happy!

RFW

With the current Ebay algorithms for best search we've been moving over gradually to free post.

Depending on the items I've nearly always charged at or below cost on postage. There's nothing better for repeat custom than charging £1 for postage and the buyer seeing a value above that.

Anyone who thinks they can charge what they want for postage and the buyer will lump it hasn't caught up with the selling world as it is. 10 years ago you could maybe have done that, not any more.

Buyers may indeed have different perceptions as to what is fair compared to a seller. When I do buy I will weigh up the cost of price and postage but if the seller has inflated the postage to save a few pence on fees I'm inclined to wonder where else they will be trying to save money and move on.

The buying public, in general, aren't a rational bunch.

Have a look around supermarkets (and I probably do this myself) a bottle of wine for £4 in one supermarket I won't buy, the same bottle in another at 20% off £5, down to £4, I may buy because it has a shiny sale sticker on.

alykatz

justjohn wrote: »

We charge price of stamp(but use PPI) then approx 35p packaging.

Either way the buyer is going to have views on the costs.

PPI can automatically get you a crap rating.

we just keep the majority happy and ban the thick o's

ban the ones that ask for stupid discounts on postage or moan, ban the ones that ask daft questions. Ban them if they leave crap ratings, Ban them even if we think they are going to cause trouble lol

Better still ban everyone, open a shop an get rid of postage costs altogether , job done...
In no other shopping forum ie: town center ect do you get to pick and choose who is allowed to walk through the doors and actually give you money for your stock.
This whole ban shopper ect attitude it really non productive and is in no way conducive to having a succesful business.

techspec

~~Diane~~ wrote: »

I don't care what Argos etc charge I didn't ask about them. I asked about a private seller on ebay who is obviously avoiding paying ebay fees.

.

Thats why they were the cheapest. Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face. Ebay buyers are getting dafter.

Its only sellers that should be bothered about other sellers avoiding fees.

Some people have a new TV at 99p with £99 postage. Clearly avoiding fees - but its why they are £9 cheaper. Only a fool would expect the seller to then refund the excess postage.

Buyers have been brainwashed by Ebay (and some on here) into driving prices UP - and driving Ebays profits up too.

porto_bello

On this subject, last month, I bought an item from a business seller, who was 'upping' the shipping costs. I gave positive feedback, 5 stars for everything - but 3 stars for shipping costs.

I noticed a few weeks later and after another page of feedback, the DSR for shipping costs had fallen from 4.8 to 4.6.

I've just had another look and another month later, whilst everything else looks fine, their shipping costs DSR is down to 4.5

This isn't a huge business seller. They have a feedback score of around 400.

Am I correct in thinking their account is probably in terminal decline? Presumably eBay would have sent warnings when they fell below 4.6 and they have left it too late to claw their way back up?

[Looking at their current items, the shipping costs, even now, are about twice what they should be].

soolin

porto_bello wrote: »

On this subject, last month, I bought an item from a business seller, who was 'upping' the shipping costs. I gave positive feedback, 5 stars for everything - but 3 stars for shipping costs.

I noticed a few weeks later and after another page of feedback, the DSR for shipping costs had fallen from 4.8 to 4.6.

I've just had another look and another month later, whilst everything else looks fine, their shipping costs DSR is down to 4.5

This isn't a huge business seller. They have a feedback score of around 400.

Am I correct in thinking their account is probably in terminal decline? Presumably eBay would have sent warnings when they fell below 4.6 and they have left it too late to claw their way back up?

[Looking at their current items, the shipping costs, even now, are about twice what they should be].

With the headline figure that bad it is likely their dashboard has a few low stars on it as well. Unfortunately as we saw from the expanded dashboard thread it can get to the stage where it becomes impossible to recover

I sell across a lot of markets, in one market I tend to compete against 'private' sellers with 99p starts and daft postage, some who freely admit that they have put the item cost on the postage to avoid paying ebay listing fees. I can still outsell them as I beat them hands down in Best Match, I have a good history of selling and good feedback and I don't think sellers like that inspire confidence in buyers. They rarely last longer than a few months anyway.

Looking at my business sales last week - I have routinely outsold other sellers, I can get a much better price for my goods- whether that is just Best Match or not I don't know. It does seem therefore that buyers don't only buy on price. I do not do Free postage at all except on very rare occasions where a particular market tends to expect it.

pinkshoes

It doesn't matter how far someone lives from a post office, or whether they wrapped the item in gold leaf; if a seller charges £5.50 and the postage only cost £2.20, a buyer will naturally feel p*ssed off! You can't change that!

Although you agree to pay a postage amount, if the postage cost way less, you naturally feel ripped off, as the item is then seen as less of a bargain.

Psychological stuff that you can't change!

Personally I add the cost of P&P to the start price, and offer free postage, that way I can only get 5* for postage costs, and the buyer is happy!