I agree with you that free shipping on a minimum order size makes sense but offering free shipping on every item just doesn’t work.
JOHN REID VINTAGE MOVIE MEMORABILIA <http://www.moviemem.com> www.moviemem.com PO Box 92 Elanora Qld 4221 Australia From: MoPo List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of David Sent: Wednesday, 6 August 2014 3:30 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [MOPO] Free Shipping? Some of those $5 items are a steal, I'd be embarrassed to ask for free freight too... I did say "...offering freight free (on say minimum order size)..." Alan, depend on the shipping plugin you use you can likely set it to offer free freight on minimum order (value) purchase. JOHN REID Vintage Movie Memorabilia wrote on 6/08/2014 3:25 PM: As far as Alan is concerned, he said that he was considering offering free shipping on all sales on his website. Does that include international transactions? The fact is that it costs a lot to ship something internationally with even basic tracking. There is no getting around that. The only way you could offer free domestic and international shipping on everything is if you have only high value items for sale. I have many items on my website and on ebay at under 5.00. It would be absolutely ridiculous for me to offer free shipping on those items. Regards John JOHN REID VINTAGE MOVIE MEMORABILIA www.moviemem.com PO Box 92 Elanora Qld 4221 Australia -----Original Message----- From: MoPo List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of David Sent: Wednesday, 6 August 2014 3:05 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [MOPO] Free Shipping? I think using eBay as the benchmark for doing business is not good analogy. When you choose to do business inside someone else's business then of course they will charge you for that privilege and yes that is going to have to be passed on; it is no different to shopping mall owners charging the shop owners rent, and taking a percentage of your take and another fee for promotional activity and so on - they bring the customers to you, they want you to pay for that and frankly that seems fair to me. Let me ask this (general) question: How much money do you (the eBay seller) spend on advertising and other promotional activity? I'd venture to suggest almost all who exclusively run their business on eBay spend NOTHING on advertising and marketing. If you built your own online shop (not a home made one) and then spent roughly each month what you used to give up in fees to eBay on a proper advertising and marketing campaign there is a high probability you would generate sales and get to keep that customer as a permanent client to do future marketing to (for free). Of course there is no free ride, yes someone has to pay - but the consumer doesn't really care if it's you who pays, he just knows if feels he has saved a dollar or two on the way to spending a dollar or two with you then it's a good shopping experience and he is happy. The quote you use and variations of it: "Sales is vanity, profit is sanity, cash is reality” comes from 1989, before the internet changed the way business is done. Indeed profit is the key but ask yourself: was the bricks and mortar shop keeper from the 80s who had to do his own marketing, his own advertising, pay his rent, his staff, his utilities, packaging, deposit the takings at the bank, pay clearance fees etc more or less profitable than the eBay seller of today who has little or no overheads in comparison but may have to take less margin in order to compete with every other seller? Remember being a poster seller on eBay is like being a fast food outlet on a 50m street of 100 fast food outlets - all with the same store front, remind me what your point of difference is again? So, for Alan he may not have the advertising might of eBay, but by offering freight free (on say minimum order size) perhaps free insurance or whatever that might give him the edge he needs, I certainly don't think it deceives the customer at all, it gives the customer what they need - a positive shopping experience. David Rew Tom Martin wrote on 6/08/2014 2:13 PM: free shiooing?? there is NO free shipping as some has to pay... eitherYOU or the buyer all ebay has done is deceive sellers and buyers as either the seller gets less... or the shipping is Rolled into ( amortized) into the sale.. what a JOKE... ebay make out as they take a fee for the shipping charges... which to me should be illlegal.. so when You sell your poster... If you want 10 and it costs 30% with paypal, listing and endof sale fees thats 3.00 if its 8.00 to ship you are a a give away the poster... you needto pay your costs to put tape on a TUBE and time to wrap and foam and padding costs,,, so you need to make the sale either higher so the shipping can be part of the sale as a cost,,, and if is a 300 poster you can figure you giving away 10% or 30.00 in profit and netting 270 - cost of poster say 100 so you have a net profit of 70.00 on a 300 gross sale after costs.. now consider this a grocerystore make 3% after costs but they do 20 million gross a month whats 3% of 20 million More then I can think of at moment but heft profit margin..." Volume is vanity , Profit is sanity" On 2014-08-05 19:17, Alan Adler wrote: I always have charged insurance in the past. but the shipping costs, rules and country limits are all over the place these days and changing. Makes me just want to give free shipping and insurance and sort it out without bothering the buyer. I know it will cost me something - but on my new website, the toughest thing to get programmed is a shopping cart plug in that actually and correctly handles all the options. Alan On Aug 5, 2014, at 2:57 PM, Susan <mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected]> wrote: For you dealers out there shipping posters, do you require a customers to take insurance on the poster they have bought from you? Sue www.hollywoodposterframes.com [1] Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2014 07:32:30 +1000 From: [email protected] Subject: Re: [MOPO] Free Shipping? To: [email protected] Why not offer free shipping? Postage is often a consideration when a buying is contemplating a purchase. Remember it is entirely possible/likely the buyer is pricing similar/same products elsewhere, free shipping can make the decision very easy. I offer free shipping as standard on all purchases over $399, as standard. David Alan Adler wrote on 6/08/2014 6:51 AM: Howdy all. Am considering Free Shipping and Insurance for all sales on my upcoming website. US and Intl. I will also be selling objects. Art. Toys in boxes. Props. Wardrobe. So not all flats and tubes. Much of the business is also foreign. Any of you ecommerce mavins who use or have tried the free option care to log in on your thoughts about it? Or buyers who have ideas on the matter. Love to hear what you have to say. Thanks in advance for your time. Alan Adler Museum of Mom and Pop Culture Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com [2] ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. 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