Hi folks - thanks for the great posts! It means a great deal to hear the thoughts of my friends in the trenches.
To answer some of your questions - I figured I would sell the less than $25 items on Ebay - continuing to draw new customers from the web. Then offer only the cream of the crop on my site and perhaps for free ship and insurance. Perhaps buying third party insurance to cover it all so I don’t have to individually insure. The post office doesn’t want to pay even when you make a claim. So what’s the point! Posters aren’t really even the issue in my shipping game plan. I sell about 3 dozen different types of collectibles - some big and heavy. Sold 2 vintage masks last week to Netherlands and Spain that went for between 4 and 5 grand each. Shipping was a few hundred dollars each. My problem is - if I had an accurate plug-in I would charge for ship and insurance - But I can’t even depend on the USPS website to properly quote me shipping costs on oversized parcels even when weight and dimensions are put into their system. Much less a USPS plug in. That’s just plain stupid - and am even calling in to consumer affairs to complain. And they keep changing things - one example is the bump in shipping costs to the UK for expensive items. And then there are the limits to various countries - If an item passes the limit - I have to send it Fed-Ex - and pay for a 3rd party insurer. That kills quick click and ship. Maybe I should just send an invoice after the sale. Slows down the works, but it is accurate. Accuracy is very important to me. Seems like the only way to accomplish that is to wait until after the sale and create a mosaic of ship and insure to meet the needs of that specific sale! Ebay’s forced inaccuracy is really unhealthy for business and community spirit. Since they do not let you charge for insurance trying to force you into the easy sale mold. For instance a rare book worth 3 grand has a $4 limit on shipping. You have to send it by wait to circumnavigate that issue, then guess, make the thing a lot heavier to cover insurance, etc. Am happy to break away from them and their foolishness. I am just having difficulty in the design of my site at the shopping cart stage. I want a click to buy experience that is fast and accurate - But the plug in support offered me via woo commerce is not doing it and the varying Intl. ship rules out there are frustrating. That’s the main reason I am considering just making it all Free - since my intent will be dealing only in top end items for the most part. But I do have a lot of little goodies that would be wasted on Ebay - so it would be great if I could figure this one out. The flat rate angle that was suggested is a good one. Free just for items over a certain price is also a good plan. Am thinking at the moment a click to buy - then send properly calculated invoice - is at least an accurate way to go - but not so immediate. That’s just where I am now. Got this great site ready to go. For me - it's the ship and insure issues are what’s holding up the launch. Alan P.S. Tom - you give one hell of a post. I’ll have some of what you’re having! On Aug 5, 2014, at 10:46 PM, JOHN REID Vintage Movie Memorabilia <[email protected]> wrote: > 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 > 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 <[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. > > 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. > > ------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: > > https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A > =1 > [3] > > ------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: > > https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A > =1 > [4] > > Links: > ------ > [1] http://www.hollywoodposterframes.com/ > [2] http://www.filmfan.com/ > [3] > https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&a > mp;A=1 > [4] > https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A > =1 > > ---- > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ > 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. > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ > 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. > > > > To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: > https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1 > > > To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: > https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1 > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ 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.
