Shipping

[hockeycardz66]

Is it me or do people expect free shipping. They give you low ratings on your shipping do they not now the bubble envelop $1.00, top loader $.25 to $.50 ,stamps $1.35 to Canada $ 2.20 to the US do the math.  We in Canada pay $11.00 to $15.00 for tracking the US $.75 to $2.00 and eBay wants us to track all mail.  Is it me or a card that I sell for $0.99 should I give free shipping? What's the point I am now paying somebody to take my cards off my hands.  And we as sellers should be able to give negative feedback as well.  Just asking.

[recped]

It's not you!

"Free" shipping is such a common marketing technique these days that consumers have come to expect it.

[007steveb16]

Free shipping is the new norm, it's beginning to be all customers understand. The funny thing is some of them really think they're getting "free" shipping when the reality is the seller has just buried the cost in the item amount.

While I admit I wish there were more ways that sellers could utilize to point out a shady buyer, leaving negative feedback is not the way. It was taken away because the system was being abused, too many sellers were using it for "revenge"

I understand where your coming from with everything though. The small/medium seller has their backs up against the wall and eBay essentially has bigger fish to care "more" about

[mr.elmwood]

Bubble mailer for a dollar? No. When I can, I get used mailers from a computer store and re-purpose them. Free. Other than that, U-line or WalMart.

I charge for shipping, separately, and my stars are 4.8 and 4.9.

 Postage? Buy un-used Cdn stamps as they sell for less than face value and use those. Tracking is a waste of money. I only use it when I have to use Expedited.

You will learn efficiencies.

[mr.elmwood]

Follow-up. Why are you charging an extra $3, for shipping, on a $929 hockey card? That looks cheap and will annoy customers. Get the card graded. Saying what it will do is not the same as what it actually is.

[femmefan1946]

 Is it me or a card that I sell for $0.99 should I give free shipping?

In my opinion there is no good reason to sell a single item in a single transaction for 99 cents. Some sellers can do it because they normally get multiple sales from a single buyer. Scrapbookers are one example.

Perhaps it is time to stop thinking like a collector and start thinking like a business. Group your cards into lots - maybe several cards of one player, or all players from a single team in a particular year- and sell those lots for $9.99-or more- with free shipping.

Yes your buyers will end up with duplicates--or as collectors call them "traders".

Your first thought must be how much will this sale cost me when I have paid for the item plus fees plus shipping? And that is the lowest price you can afford to sell for.

Your second thought must be how can I make this lot attractive? Which is where Free Shipping , really 'shipping included in asking price', comes in. It makes the lot more attractive.

I've been buying OOP comics recently, and have several duplicates already in the series I am collecting. And I have an SF con to go to next weekend where the dupes will be easy to dispose of, profitably.

As a Fixed Price seller, negative feedback for buyers would be useless to me. I don't see anything about my customers until they have bought. More helpful is the Unpaid Items Blocks and other Blocks I have set up in my seller preferences.

[keysersoze77]

walmart in vancouver $2.99 for 3 

[keysersoze77]

just trying to save the buyer $$$ from when i do get it graded then the $ will be higher

[femmefan1946]

I think that is penny wise and pound foolish.

The buyer who wants his cards graded is willing to spend the money for it (though the lower that cost is the better). After all, when the time comes to sell, the grading will mean that he(or his widow) can sell faster and for a better price.

The buyer who only buys on price is harder to deal with than the one who understands that a Fair Deal is good for both buyer and seller. Bottom feeders are not nice people.

I don't know much about card grading, but can you get a better deal on having several cards, or several dozen cards, graded at the same time? Does belonging to a hobby group help, the way the American Philatelic Society will expertise for members at a lower cost than they will for non-members?

In my opinion, grading of a collectible, if done by an accepted source, raises not only the price of the item, but also its value.