Flat shipping rule and free shipping items

[rocketscollectibles]

I created a flat shipping rule to offer combined shipping and after testing i noticed that the free shipping items are ignored in the process

For exemple i charge $1.50 shipping with a rule that add $0.50 per additionnal item. The thing is that the way i am set, the items over a certain price i want free shipping on them. But when in the cart with another item that have the $1.50 basic cost, instead of free shipping + $0.50, it's free shipping + $1.50, and then the 3rd item is $0.50. The free shipping item is ignored in the count even if it have the rule on it

Any way that a free shipping item combined with an item with shipping cost can respect the rule or it's a glitch?

[femmefan1946]

Are customers complaining?

[recped]

The free shipping item is still free to the buyer!

Your listings with a shipping change show this

Your listings with Free Shipping do not.

I'd say it's working as intended.

[rocketscollectibles]

Your listings with a shipping change show this

Your listings with Free Shipping do not.

I'd say it's working as intended.

You probably checked an item i have non eligible to the rule, my free shipping items eligible are the single cards. I already checked and tested all this with another account. They do show the +$0.50 rule as you shown. And as said when added to the cart it does free shipping + $1.50 + $0.50 on the 3rd item instead of free shipping + $0.50 as the rule is suppose to be. Free shipping item is ignored

The free shipping item is still free to the buyer!

The problem is not the free shipping one not being charged... The problem is the second item being $1.50 instead of $0.50 when added to a free shipping one even if they have the rule

[dinomitesales]

As far as I understand it's going to take the item with the highest shipping cost ($1.50), and then each additional applicable listing WITH a shipping cost specified will add on $0.50. Since there is no shipping cost on the Free Shipping item, it's not going to add anything. So it seems to be working fine. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're asking.

[rocketscollectibles]

Yeah i think we're seeing the thing on two different point of view

For me it should be the free shipping item being the first considered by the rule. This is what makes sense since free shipping already have the main shipping cost included in it. Also even in shipping and handling on a free shipping item with the rule added, eBay include my rule and write: $0.50 shipping for each additional item. Which is not true cause the next additional item added to it is still $1.50. Why are they writting this if it's not how they calculate it

For me the rule should be and is stated to be:

free shipping (already have the $1.50 in it) + $0.50 each additional

while it's:

$1.50 +  $0.50 each additional + free shipping

As i'm trying to say it's like free shipping items just being ignored by a rule, even if the rule is added to the listing and stated by ebay being +$0.50 per additional item on my listing in my shipping cost

I hope i'm more clear i don't know how to explain it better

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@rocketscollectibles 

You could always add a note maybe in red in your listings that you do combine on shipping and explain your procedure. Alternate plan would be advise customers to add to cart and request an invoice prior to payment.  With the current system in place refunding for small amounts really isn't worth the trouble.

-Lotz

[pjcdn2005]

I understand what you're saying but I believe that it is working as it was meant to work.  Whenever there is a 'buy one, pay less for the second one' type of promo, the system always charges for the most expensive item then does the discount on the second item.  I realize this is a shipping promo but it is working the same way. Since the shipping cost for your one item is 0.00, it considers the second item as the first one that qualifies for the discount. The one with free shipping isn't counted as the 'paid full price' shipping item. 

I realize that you do have the .50 shipping rule for the second item marked as applying to the free shipping items but because of the 'always charge for the highest price shipping' rule in the background...your .50 is being ignored on those items.  If I were you, I would take off the .50 rule on the free shipping items.  There might be a way of getting around it by using the 'promotional rule' which is also on the shipping preferences page but I'm not sure if that would work.

[pjcdn2005]

It's not possible to request an invoice if one of the items has free shipping. 

[rocketscollectibles]

So at the end i understand free shipping items really can't follow a shipping rule

System should not let us add one to them then, or at least not state this on the listing like it works:

 

Cause that's a false statement, additional eligible item is not $0.50. And it's legit stated by eBay, while just over it's written: seller assume the responsability of this lol

I'll just remove the rule on free shipping items to avoid any problem with buyers with this statement and state in my description free shipping items are excluded to give a discount to the first shipping cost. But i still think it does not makes sense that a free shipping item with a rule ignore the rule, and even states the rule

Alternate plan would be advise customers to add to cart and request an invoice prior to payment

Talked about it last week on another thread i made but buyers just never request invoice for me, literally never. I added a shipping rule because i started being annoyed to send refunds. I'm done with this it does not work properly

I'm highly thinking about going back to a free shipping model for everything but i hate how prices looks inflated so for now i'm still hesitant and keep my actual model

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Oopsies. Who knew the concept of requesting an invoice was just an impossible difficult task. As for free shipping because of the variety of items I sell I've never used free shipping. So I provide my buyers with visible actual costs and several options so they can use what works best for them.

-Lotz

[pjcdn2005]

I'm highly thinking about going back to a free shipping model for everything but i hate how prices looks inflated so for now i'm still hesitant and keep my actual model

I don't sell what you do and you have to do what works best for you.  But your current shipping prices are inexpensive so I don't think they would be putting anyone off from buying from you.   If you add the shipping cost to each item and have 'free' shipping then multiple purchases would cost a buyer more because they are paying for shipping on each card.  At least that's how I think. 

However, I have a friend who sells single coins with free shipping and they sell quite a few multiples so obviously everyone doesn't see free shipping in the same way.  I am guessing that a lot of people think that it is really free...not realizing that the cost is in the item price.  But the one problem that my friend has with these multiple purchases is that in many cases, the buyer pays for each one separately as there is not incentive to pay for more than one at a time.  That means that each item incurs a .30 transaction fee which is a lot if the item selling is only a couple of dollars.     Would they tend to use the cart more if he had combined shipping rules....I really don't know but just wanted to give you a different opinion. 

I think that you were giving free shipping to both Canadian and US buyers?  Some (most?) sellers who do free shipping will just have it for domestic buyers.  They can still discount shipping for US buyers since part of the shipping cost would be in the item price anyway.

[rocketscollectibles]

I think that you were giving free shipping to both Canadian and US buyers? Some (most?) sellers who do free shipping will just have it for domestic buyers

I used to offer free only domestic and charge for US, on everything. Right now what i'm doing is offering free shipping just on some higher prices cards and offer free for both, i'm taking a +/- $1.00 lost if a US buy compared to Can but my odds to sell are much higher since it makes me competitive with US sellers 

The problem with having a free shipping model on everything is that it's like impossible to sell the cheapest cards. No one gonna buy a $2 card for $4. Cheapest cards ends with totally inflated prices. And i can tell you in my category i lost more than one sale for $0.50, pricing seems to be one of the most important step of selling success. $1 can really change a card from 'will never sell' to 'sell in a few days' sometimes, competition is insane and there's a lot greedy buyers. I feel also that having a shipping cost justify to buyer the total price, what's free shipping does not

In only one month of experimentation of that $1.50 shipping model i really seen a raise in my sales and a raise in multiple items purchases (even if buyer do not ask for a shipping discount btw). Pricing is easier too cause when i think a card is legit $4, it's priced $4. Buyer will pay $5.50 but having that +$1.50 shipping shown really act as justification of the total. As you said not everyone is conscious that free shipping is not free. I personally never thought about that too before i started to sell myself. And just one personal exemple i already had a buyer telling me that a card is overprice and offering $2 while having free shipping on it, shipping plus fees i pay him to take it at this price. Most buyers are just not conscious about cost

Anyway i think that having a free shipping model is good when selling single items and over a certain price. While having a shipping cost is good for multiple items purchase, and cheapest. And i have a mix of both. Free shipping is also better when you have rep and a large inventory, which i don't have, cause some buyers won't care to pay more to someone etablished

Sorry for the long text... Conclusion i would really prefer free shipping, but it's just not the best for me at the moment