How does someone make a profit on ...

Joe_Horner

RFW wrote: »

Are you still stuck on 90p for a stamp?

Apart from anything they could send them as a letter. A lot of the bulk batteries are loose so they can stick them on a piece of paper. If they sell big volume that 90p is nearer to 40p even with VAT. Ebay fees are possibly 8% (less discount) plus 5% Paypal, so below 20p.

Except that lithium batteries are on Royal Mail's prohibited list. Even the carriers that will take them require them to be in original retail packaging or installed in equipment.

Loose or stuck to paper simply isn't acceptable on safety grounds and would result in very quick loss of courier accounts.

RFW

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Except that lithium batteries are on Royal Mail's prohibited list. Even the carriers that will take them require them to be in original retail packaging or installed in equipment.

Loose or stuck to paper simply isn't acceptable on safety grounds and would result in very quick loss of courier accounts.

I wss talking about sending them as letters, these sellers aren't going to be that bothered about regulations. If it's a UK based Chinese seller it won't be in their priority list.

Joe_Horner

RFW wrote: »

I wss talking about sending them as letters, these sellers aren't going to be that bothered about regulations. If it's a UK based Chinese seller it won't be in their priority list.

It may not be a priority to them but it is to RM. If they identify a package containing prohibited items they simply destroy it - regardless of what else it contains - and deliver a note telling you it was destroyed in lieu of the package / letter. If it's sent using a business account (which it has to be to get discounts) they're also liable to close the account, especially if it's repeated.

The policy is a badly conceived mis-application of CAA freight rules and it causes all sorts of headaches & expense for people like me who need to order lithiums regularly, but it's their train set, their policy, and they do apply it.

LittleOne

I once won some phone screen protectors for 3p on Ebay with no postage fee.


I don't know why it was no postage as a 2nd class stamp hardly costs a lot, but I thought perhaps people do this to build up a big feedback score and then start selling things with more profit once they've gained a good score so people will trust them.

PasturesNew

If Mr S built an extra bit at the back of their bigger stores and shoved all the Argos stuff in there, then knocked out a wall in a small corner of their store to provide an "Argos counter", then strategically placed sandwiches/crisps etc beside that counter they'd probably find that most people collecting things from Mr S, having been forced to walk to the back of the store, will have a look around and pick something up with each visit.

There's nothing extra to tempt you in an Argos shop ... it's just expensive/empty space.

RFW

PasturesNew wrote: »

There's nothing extra to tempt you in an Argos shop ... it's just expensive/empty space.

I'd argue that that really isn't what Argos is like these days, that said, it's not just about buying stuff whilst in store. They can give a voucher to buy online or in store and it's also brand awareness. On a large proportion of Ebay pages they offer Argos click and collect, so effectively every time you look at an Ebay page you see Argos, it's almost subliminal advertising.

stockton_2

RFW wrote: »

I'd argue that that really isn't what Argos is like these days, that said, it's not just about buying stuff whilst in store. They can give a voucher to buy online or in store and it's also brand awareness. On a large proportion of Ebay pages they offer Argos click and collect, so effectively every time you look at an Ebay page you see Argos, it's almost subliminal advertising.

I collected an item from Argos this week for the first time. They had a big notice saying "Ebay collections at this counter."

I have been trying to figure out what is in it for Argos? Obviously they will get "footfall" into their shop and maybe some people will purchase something they would not otherwise have done. I think there is something in what you say about creating brand awareness and subliminal advertising. When I shop Ebay now I also think Argos. They are making themselves a "Player" on Ebay. Not so daft!

RFW

stockton wrote: »

I collected an item from Argos this week for the first time. They had a big notice saying "Ebay collections at this counter."

I have been trying to figure out what is in it for Argos? Obviously they will get "footfall" into their shop and maybe some people will purchase something they would not otherwise have done. I think there is something in what you say about creating brand awareness and subliminal advertising. When I shop Ebay now I also think Argos. They are making themselves a "Player" on Ebay. Not so daft!

It's one of the things Sainsbury's wanted out of Argos, it wasn't the stores, as such, that appealed to them. It was their delivery network and other connections, such as Ebay, that appealed. They're soon going to be able to deliver pretty much anything within 4 hours of anyone in the country ordering it. That puts them right up there with Amazon and with continuous connections with Ebay, that's a pretty powerful business.