I have taken a different approach. To me, free shipping is a
"gimmick", just as "buyers premiums" are. I eliminate the gimmicks,
and just focus on *treating my buyers EXACTLY as I want to be treated
when I am the customer (accurate descriptions, gorilla-proof
packaging, actual cost of shipping or under, etc).*. I also do almost
zero paid advertising or printing of any kind, and I use all those
savings to treat my customers even better.
My goal is to keep my existing customers (and have them provide great
"word of mouth" that finds me lots of new customers at zero
advertising cost), so that I don't have to endlessly find new
customers to replace the old ones I lost.
It might not work for others, but it works for me.
On Wed, Aug 6, 2014 at 2:14 AM, Tom Martin
<[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
i am not sure what you just where speaking about.... Ive had a
memorabilia business , both bick and morter , mail order ,
wholessale, retail and manufacturing since 1977 when I started
there was no internet we advertied
in collector magazine like ffilm collectosr world, stalog. classic
Image sthe Big Reel..and many more My ad budget was sometimes 100K
a year but then I had larger costs likeoverhead, employees and we
also adverstised n Local papers Radio and TV a spot on local NBC
Carson was 200.00 for a 30 sec spot... we also printed catalogs
and mailed them my largest mailing was 10,000 but we charged
1-2.00 for them // then the internet and ebay came.. I think we
1st went on in 1999 well I also manufactured items and I did Huge
tradeshows,at the javitts center in NYC and at the Mcormic place
in chicago average cost was 4,000 and hotel tavel etc.. after a
series of things like defending a rademark close to 40K and paying
off a 100k in chap13 reorganiazation , paying off my house and
then a divorce I found the indutsry had collapsed esp Comics as
there was just to much gred and False collectable... those made
with percieved scarsity but where just cranked out crap... then I
saw a shaleout as several of my huge customers went down.. I
supplyed suncoat picture, media lay and a few others that stopped
paying vendors ..Musicland sam Goody owned them...Luckily they
paid me 30,000.00 they owed me before folding as most BIg companys
pay on 30 days net terms.. Universal paid me by letter of credit
as that compant eats small vendors for appiizers and I refused to
givethem terms a average order was 80,000.00 so letter of credit
means you present the docs to bank when the truck picks up and
they release the funds,, its the only way I felt they would honor
the deals... Bi companys have BIG turnover and its hard to fnd
peopel inside that honor deals... Berie swartz aka Frank Ludlow
who made commercail stills asked me once wht do you del with these
big guy as they can take you down witha few bad invoices.. it was
true I saw lots of guys go down... why?? greed... he said stay
with MOM and pops they pay prompt and you spread the risk
around..so true I tell nebies this as everyone wantsthe big deal
,expansion and all but when things get slow the big cost are still
there... Better to sya effcient and small you can always expand,,
the idea is how to survive thru evevry kind of blow... all these
get rich quicl schemes that bilk investors are because very few
like the long haul... and building a company.. they all want to
cash in and get out... I like the old school way... lke Mary see
pies in san farn.. they uses good materials and have integrity in
service and ingreiaents,, I think free shipping is fine If I am
paying he shiping it is Free shipping But its a ploy ebay uses as
it makes peopel buy more impulse..fact is your paying for it its
just included with the cost of the item.. sounds better then 500
item and 500 shipping..10,00 postpaid free shipping...its still
500 shipping now if someoen can sell a 5000 item with shipping
for 500 then Ill be impressed.. But it a person sells a 5.00
poster and it costs 5.00 to ship there is no way he can sell it
at all unless he gives it away free and supplies all the materials
to ship and no cost.. society has played with peopel minds with
decption tricks on home loans , car loand and all they think its
marjeting ,,ITd not its swindling and while peopel get bait and
switch.. I try to deleiever more then they ask for as a way to
build customers sure some peope you will never please as they get
a idea in there mind what they want..thats not realistic..but I
know whay I was able to be here this long was because Of my
customers that I look at like family and frieds and they have
returned so much love, help and understanding whenIve fallen and
had nothing and was disorganized and sick..so what i would tell
eveyone is just ne yourself and the ones that understand will also
be fair and treat you right..Mel blanc told me ... there are some
good guys and some not so good guys,,try to network with the good
guys and all will be well... and he was dead on...Godnite Kids..
Ill be 58 next week I cant believe im still here thank You God !
On 2014-08-06 01:05, David wrote:
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]
<mailto:[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
<http://www.hollywoodposterframes.com> [1]
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2014 07:32:30 +1000
From: [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Free Shipping?
To: [email protected]
<mailto:[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
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