Free shipping or charge

[Sunspot144]

Ah, way ahead of me then!

[agent006140]

pros and cons of free shipping-
top rated seller gets 10% discount on FVF of item,not FVF of shipping,so what some do is roll shipping into item price and offer free shipping to avoid paying FVF on shipping and get a bigger 10% discount on the item price.
but if the buyer wants to return the item ,and pays for the return shipping,seller will have to refund in full,which means he lost money on shipping the item to the buyer.
of course if the buyer files item not as described,then seller will have to pick up return shipping,plus refund original payment in full.

[agent006140]

not anymore on Ebay and Etsy.
On ETSY,you can even charge a restocking fee as long as it is stated in your return policy

[rsot]

Originally Posted by tinsoldier

I dont know about other regions but if a buyer wants to return goods - even change of mind, then we have to refund any initial outgoing shipping charge too.

Where - in the UK? Not North Am

[agent006140]

Originally Posted by sunspot144

that's just it though... Assuming your buyers are as tech-savy as you is your biggest mistake.

$10 item with $3 shipping looks 'less' to a buyer in search than the same item listed at $13

you don't really see the shipping price until you click the listing and/or get to check out..

Free shipping is just an old marketing gimmick when ecommerce took off. It was all the rage. Now who really cares lol

not so,when you view the listing on ebay,you see the shipping fee .

[agent006140]

i HAVE never offered free shipping and I have been selling for many years on various venues.
But I notice lately many sellers are charging USPS priority mail plus a few dollars morel,like 12 dollars for a small item and ship USPS FIRST CLASS in a padded envelope,buyers resent that,the least they can do is to use a box.

[Play]

Previously people would separate shipping charges to save on fees, as sellers wouldn't get charged fees on shipping.

That changed in the last few years when eBay clamped down on sellers charges excessive shipping prices and lowering the item price to save on fees.

Some even went to extremes of listing an item for £0.99 and putting shipping prices at £50+ , so they just get charged listing fees + FVF on the 99p.

Now things have changed though, you can't do that anymore.

[agent006140]

Ebay charging FVF on shipping has been around for more than 10 years,likely 15 plus years.
but the end result is the same,it just split the FVF to item and shipping.
You pay FVF on total payment(item and shipping,but intl shipping,you pay the domestic shipping FVF)

[Sunspot144]

Originally Posted by agent006140

not so,when you view the listing on ebay,you see the shipping fee .

It's harder to see in addition to 'cheaper' asking price, and results in listings ranking higher without free shipping in medium competition niches.

[SaiJin]

Eh?! It hasnt been 10 years that they started charging on shipping cost FVF.
A few years maybe, but anyways, I still think using free shipping to bump up the exposure is best.

[Sunspot144]

Which is totes unethical. Shipping and handling is a business expense, not a gross profit of the sold item.

People abused it though. Ebay encouraged free shipping to get FVF on shipping costs. Even tho sales velocity outweighs it in their search algo, slightly contradicting.

[ebaystealth1974]

Originally Posted by SaiJin

Eh?! It hasnt been 10 years that they started charging on shipping cost FVF.
A few years maybe

A lot closer to 10 years than just a few...