Are fruitcakes running rampant on eBay lately? Selling, buying, listing, feedback, etc...

[oneknightr]

Good information in the last several posts. I've been doing either free shipping or low shipping cost and cross my fingers that my sale stays on the west coast. Ironically, I get more east coast buyers so I eat more in shipping costs. I may try this actual shipping thing when I list my next items. 

[$20 on joe vs dan]

1 hour ago, oneknightr said:

Good information in the last several posts. I've been doing either free shipping or low shipping cost and cross my fingers that my sale stays on the west coast. Ironically, I get more east coast buyers so I eat more in shipping costs. I may try this actual shipping thing when I list my next items. 

When I have my "buyer" hat on, I'm always going to focus on the westcoast seller because I naturally assume I'm saving on shipping (despite free ship or whatever).

I think a lot of it is psychological...some folks hate wasting money on shipping an others just tack it on like they do for tax. so depends...on large sets, I was amazed how some don't bat an eye at $35+ shipping...kinda reminds me that large sets are "Luxury goods" and folks just expect to pay a lot.

[Phil B]

3 minutes ago, $20 on joe vs dan said:

When I have my "buyer" hat on, I'm always going to focus on the westcoast seller because I naturally assume I'm saving on shipping (despite free ship or whatever).

I think a lot of it is psychological...some folks hate wasting money on shipping an others just tack it on like they do for tax. so depends...on large sets, I was amazed how some don't bat an eye at $35+ shipping...kinda reminds me that large sets are "Luxury goods" and folks just expect to pay a lot.

I never look at seller location, always just order on "Lowest price + shipping". There is really no difference between charging shipping or free shipping towards the buyer, apart from the fact that they miss out on EBay Bucks for listings that charge for shipping. I don't know for how many buyers EBay Bucks are a thing though. As a seller, yes, with actual shipping you might save a few bucks sometimes (when EBay misquotes the shipping costs to the buyer), whereas with free shipping you might sometimes need to pay more (and this is more of an issue for those on the coasts than for us midwesterners). Benefit of free shipping is that it qualifies you for Fast & Free (if you have 1-2 day handling times and allow for returns) which bumps up your listing's visibility to buyers who use "Best Match".

[Shortbus311]

I never look at seller location, always just order on "Lowest price + shipping". There is really no difference between charging shipping or free shipping towards the buyer, apart from the fact that they miss out on EBay Bucks for listings that charge for shipping. I don't know for how many buyers EBay Bucks are a thing though. As a seller, yes, with actual shipping you might save a few bucks sometimes (when EBay misquotes the shipping costs to the buyer), whereas with free shipping you might sometimes need to pay more (and this is more of an issue for those on the coasts than for us midwesterners). Benefit of free shipping is that it qualifies you for Fast & Free (if you have 1-2 day handling times and allow for returns) which bumps up your listing's visibility to buyers who use "Best Match".

I would never qualify for fast and free anyway as I put a 4 day handling time on all of my listings. I don't care for daily drives to the post office. All larger boxes I have also been listing as actual price shipping with ground shipping. If the buyer is close I go ahead and pay the difference for priority because the cost difference is negligible.

Honestly, I haven't noticed any difference in the amount of sales before I started selling/shipping this way a year ago and after.

[$20 on joe vs dan]

12 minutes ago, Phil B said:

I never look at seller location, always just order on "Lowest price + shipping". There is really no difference between charging shipping or free shipping towards the buyer, apart from the fact that they miss out on EBay Bucks for listings that charge for shipping. I don't know for how many buyers EBay Bucks are a thing though. As a seller, yes, with actual shipping you might save a few bucks sometimes (when EBay misquotes the shipping costs to the buyer), whereas with free shipping you might sometimes need to pay more (and this is more of an issue for those on the coasts than for us midwesterners). Benefit of free shipping is that it qualifies you for Fast & Free (if you have 1-2 day handling times and allow for returns) which bumps up your listing's visibility to buyers who use "Best Match".

I'm an avid buyer (unfortunately) and the "fast & free" moniker isn't even a blip on my radar...I didn't even realize it was a thing until I just read your post

[KvHulk]

As a buyer... Sort by price + shipping, always, and purchase the lowest price from the most reputable seller I am comfortable with. Fast and free means nothing to me.

As a seller... This is my price + actual shipping + 2 day handling time.

[oneknightr]

17 minutes ago, KvHulk said:

As a buyer... Sort by price + shipping, always, and purchase the lowest price from the most reputable seller I am comfortable with. Fast and free means nothing to me.

As a seller... This is my price + actual shipping + 2 day handling time.

I do the same as a buyer. The important part of the process is finding, what I hope is, the most reputable seller. 

[exracer327]

Is anyone else experiencing weird issues with ebay?

Twice in the past week I tried logging in (yes, I know my own password and I even changed it recently) but for some reason ebay was rejecting what I know is my correct password. 

Now today I tried replying to a message within ebay and it gives me "server down" error message.  Ebay is still up and running, I can see my sales and watch other auctions, but I'm unable to access messages at all.  

Am I just the lucky one or anyone else seeing this as well?  

I also noticed a spike on downdectector for ebay this afternoon starting around 2:30 PM est.

[KShine]

On 5/10/2020 at 10:08 AM, stackables said:

Everyone who charges free shipping do you live in the middle of the US?  I have extreme price differences if I have to ship to the west coast.

I offer free shipping (even if its priced in, people still like free shipping). I price things higher, with the best offer option. Offers from the west coast will usually stand a good chance at getting declined. You also save (if you offer free shipping) on would be fees charged on shipping costs for international sales. Also, the "fast & free" (while debatable as to being worthwhile for some) is still a plus.

As far as fearing that things won't sell because of higher prices - eventually, everything sells.

Edited May 11, 2020 by KShine

[$20 on joe vs dan]

51 minutes ago, KShine said:

Offers from the west coast will usually stand a good chance at getting declined.

how can you see where the buyer submitting the offer lives?

[iahawks550]

1 minute ago, $20 on joe vs dan said:

how can you see where the buyer submitting the offer lives?

I think it shows zip code, or at least some other descriptor so you know where it ships to.

[BillyBricks]

1 minute ago, $20 on joe vs dan said:

how can you see where the buyer submitting the offer lives?

I'm pretty sure their city/zip code information pops up when you click on the offer amount. If I'm on the fence, I'll throw the zip code into the USPS calculator.

[KShine]

8 minutes ago, $20 on joe vs dan said:

how can you see where the buyer submitting the offer lives?

When you review the offer, it shows you where it will be shipped to.

[redghostx]

Good information in the last several posts. I've been doing either free shipping or low shipping cost and cross my fingers that my sale stays on the west coast. Ironically, I get more east coast buyers so I eat more in shipping costs. I may try this actual shipping thing when I list my next items. 

As I live on a coast, I like to determine what shipping is across the country then build that into my free shipping offers.

Allows you to stay competitive with other sellers and make a little extra on closer sales.

[azalon]

On 5/10/2020 at 7:08 AM, stackables said:

Everyone who charges free shipping do you live in the middle of the US?  I have extreme price differences if I have to ship to the west coast.

I'm on the west coast (CA) and offer free shipping for my Ebay listings. My suggestion for coast to coast shipping would be to find the max shipping cost and factor that cost into the total price. For example, I can use my CA zip code and enter 10007 as a destination zip code on USPS.com to get the cost. Say it's $12 for a 2lb Priority package. That $12 gets factored into the Free Shipping price in the listing. If you want to get more exact, do a reverse search for a legit address (Zillow, Google earth, etc) for John Doe at Paypal/shipnow for an exact shipping cost.

Likely, the average across the country it pretty even for the states west vs east. If a Death Star ships 1 state away, there's more cash in my pocket. But if it goes to Maine, I know I'm covered. Remember, the buyer pays the shipping, not the seller if you offer free shipping and do it right. Set it up when you list the set and you won't have to worry about it when it sells.

[Shortbus311]

I'm on the west coast (CA) and offer free shipping for my Ebay listings. My suggestion for coast to coast shipping would be to find the max shipping cost and factor that cost into the total price. For example, I can use my CA zip code and enter 10007 as a destination zip code on USPS.com to get the cost. Say it's $12 for a 2lb Priority package. That $12 gets factored into the Free Shipping price in the listing. If you want to get more exact, do a reverse search for a legit address (Zillow, Google earth, etc) for John Doe at Paypal/shipnow for an exact shipping cost.
Likely, the average across the country it pretty even for the states west vs east. If a Death Star ships 1 state away, there's more cash in my pocket. But if it goes to Maine, I know I'm covered. Remember, the buyer pays the shipping, not the seller if you offer free shipping and do it right. Set it up when you list the set and you won't have to worry about it when it sells.

You are losing money doing it that way though. It may not be a ton, but you are still losing some.

If you are working on Legosteve scales of product then yes, you need the entire country as a customer base to move your merchandise (I would think, I am nowhere near that). And the loss of a few dollars shipping across country wouldn't matter as much as moving all 1000 of your 21030's.

But, if you are a small scale seller, those extra dollars from shipping are going to add up fast. When there are more than enough buyers on your coast to move your smaller supply, then why risk the possibility of spending $30 on shipping from your free shipping sale to an east coast buyer? You can just price your product at a higher price point and charge calculated shipping, sell to a west coast buyer who is only paying $10 for shipping.

Just made up numbers but let's say you list a $100 set, free shipping. If a east coast buyer buys it you pay $30 to ship it, leaving you with a total of $57 after fees and shipping. If you list it at $90 with calculated shipping of $10 to west coast buyers, it may take a day or two longer to sell, but it will sell. And then you end up with $77 after fees and shipping.

The only people that free shipping works out well for are people who live in the middle of the country and large scale sellers.

[azalon]

15 minutes ago, Shortbus311 said:

You are losing money doing it that way though. It may not be a ton, but you are still losing some.

If you are working on Legosteve scales of product then yes, you need the entire country as a customer base to move your merchandise (I would think, I am nowhere near that). And the loss of a few dollars shipping across country wouldn't matter as much as moving all 1000 of your 21030's.

But, if you are a small scale seller, those extra dollars from shipping are going to add up fast. When there are more than enough buyers on your coast to move your smaller supply, then why risk the possibility of spending $30 on shipping from your free shipping sale to an east coast buyer? You can just price your product at a higher price point and charge calculated shipping, sell to a west coast buyer who is only paying $10 for shipping.

Just made up numbers but let's say you list a $100 set, free shipping. If a east coast buyer buys it you pay $30 to ship it, leaving you with a total of $57 after fees and shipping. If you list it at $90 with calculated shipping of $10 to west coast buyers, it may take a day or two longer to sell, but it will sell. And then you end up with $77 after fees and shipping.

The only people that free shipping works out well for are people who live in the middle of the country and large scale sellers.

Using your example of a $100 set, if the cost to ship across the country is $30, then it would be listed at $130, or slightly higher to accomodate for Ebay's cut out of the $30, so perhaps $135 with free shipping. As I said before, buyer pays the shipping and I'm covered for shipping to any part of the country and Ebay's cut.

Not sure where I'm losing anything. If the buyer is midwest or west coast, I actually gain.

 

 

[lodibricks]

I imagine you'd end up with more east coast sales and the west coast buyers would think you're overpriced. At least that was my concern.
It's a little more work in listing to calculate, but at least then the CA buyers can get the same set for <$10 shipping.

Edited May 11, 2020 by lodibricks

[$20 on joe vs dan]

Totally depends on the package size.  A large set will be $30 from coast to coast and possibly $15 on same coast.  $15 difference in price will be a deal breaker for most buyers.

For me, I'm a tiny reseller, so $15 is too much to "absorb" unless my profit margin is over $150 which is super rare.

I think we all have our ways to deal w/ shipping...still my original point is the listing with exorbitant shipping costs are really annoying.

[Shortbus311]

Totally depends on the package size.  A large set will be $30 from coast to coast and possibly $15 on same coast.  $15 difference in price will be a deal breaker for most buyers.
For me, I'm a tiny reseller, so $15 is too much to "absorb" unless my profit margin is over $150 which is super rare.
I think we all have our ways to deal w/ shipping...still my original point is the listing with exorbitant shipping costs are really annoying.

Even a $5 difference in shipping costs will affect a small time reseller. I made about 250 separate sales last year on Ebay. If my shipping costs average out to $5 more per shipment that is $1500 over a year that I could have put towards buying more inventory. I would rather keep that $1500 and reinvest by pricing my items so that they are only appealing to east coast shoppers than offer free shipping to a larger market. Sure, my items may take a little longer to sell, but like I said before, they still sell.

[enotoga]

I ran it all three ways for an extended test period - free shipping vs. flat rate for all vs. actual shipping.  "Free Shipping" turned out to be the best option for me.  So many buyers expect it these days - Amazon makes the rules.  And Ebay has hidden way of pushing you in that direction.  Like the "shipping end-of-value fee" - this is where Ebay charges your buyer $14 and you only calculate $12.50 shipping.   Talk about fees that add up quickly - that one's a killer.   At some point it makes sense to stopping fighting the Fed.

Edited May 12, 2020 by enotoga

[azalon]

I would imagine that many people just do a search with Free Shipping as their option. One price, no back and forth. They want it now with just a click or two and be done.

Edited May 12, 2020 by azalon
Deleting the quoted box.

[zaphoid]

4 hours ago, Shortbus311 said:

The only people that free shipping works out well for are people who live in the middle of the country and large scale sellers.

I am middle of the county and the most I've paid for shipping this year is a Stephanie's House to VT for $16

[Shortbus311]

I would imagine that many people just do a search with Free Shipping as their option. One price, no back and forth. They want it now with just a click or two and be done.

There are no extra clicks when buying from someone who has calculated shipping. Matter of fact, if you are searching for only free shipping then you are clicking more... Anyway, I was just trying to help people who live on the coast save a few bucks in shipping... do with it what you want.

[$20 on joe vs dan]

Kinda OT; anyone have some good options for shipping large sets from Alberta Province Canada to California?

When a seller shipped UCS MF (35 lbs) thru regular post it cost ~$90 CAD

would really like some better options given he has a lot more sets I want.