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 www.filmfan.com
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