Hi Alan, a bit late in the discussion, but I'm still busy getting the little details in my new website arranged.
During the relaunch of my site, I obviously gave this issue some serious thought: Eventually, I decided against free shipping, so everybody has be pay something, regardless of purchase price. To keep things simple, I decided to offer flat rate shipping to various destinations, pretty much divided in domestic, Europe and World. Also, I can ship pretty much any folded poster with letter mail, which is quite affordable, while regular sized rolled posters need to go by Parcel Post, which is a lot more expensive. I charge €5 in Germany (€8 rolled), a flat €8 for folded posters worldwide, €15 for rolled posters to Europe, €20 worldwide. As a courtesy to my buyers, all these rates include full insurance. For any folded items, my actual expenses are covered in most cases. With on the rolled posters I will lose a good amount of money, but so be it. Regardless of how much you buy from me, if everything's folded you'll never pay more than €8, if any rolled posters are included, you still pay only €20 for shipping. If you want to keep things simply, why not offer a reasonable worldwide flat rate, say $10 or so? Best, Helmut www.filmposter.net > 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 >> > > > 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.
