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 [6]
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 [1]
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 [1]
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 [2] [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
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