One of the most discouraging issues for both buyers and sellers on line are Shipping and Handling charges. Since each dealer has a personal system for dealing with these charges, I am only going to tell you about my system.
I deal in relatively inexpensive items that I have priced low in hopes of selling them before the next millennium arrives. This means that many of my items cost more to ship than to buy. This is a turnoff to many buyers and I can understand it. I ask you to make your buy - no buy decisions by looking at the total price (bid amount + shipping & handling charges). This is really the price of the item to you. Unit shipping cost are integrated into your order by the Atomic Mall software, but if you are ordering either multiple units of the same listing or more than one listing at the same time please email me before paying and I will quote you a combined shipping cost that will probably save you a great deal of money. (For example, one dinner plate in most cases will cost a maximum of $8.70 to ship, but 3-4 can be shipped in a flat rate box for one low price ($10.35).)
Shipping costs depend on three factors - weight, dimensions and distance between buyer & seller. There is no way to know cost until you know these three facts. So what does the shipping cost you see in a listing really represent? It is usually the distance to the farthest shipping zone from the seller + the maximum estimated packaged weight + some percentage for a fudge factor. If you live in Maine and I live in California this works out pretty well, but if you live in Los Angeles and I live in San Diego ..... well I think you get the point. Another factor here is combined shipping. Less than 20% of my sales are single item shipments and when you bid on multiple quantities or more than one listing, no one can determine the cost until everything is packaged.
Those charges are Priority Mail postage and handling. I self insure and pay for delivery confirmation and packaging materials. In order to help you with shipping issues I have included a link to USPS here and in my links in the sidebar.
Please bear in mind that I am here to make friends not enemies. If there is a problem I will make every attempt to resolve it to your satisfaction. Any questions please comment here or drop me an e-mail. Thanks for listening.
2 comments:
I know how easily shipping charges can exceed the cost of a good-priced item. I collect pottery, which is both heavy and breakable. Although the shipping charges can add up quickly, I think it's worth it to receive the item in good condition.
I don't have to ship the items I sell (yet), but I do ship packages as gifts. Where I live, the UPS Store is the closest shipper with the longest hours. Their standard for packaging states that an item must be able to withstand a 6-foot drop onto a hard surface. They have specific guidelines for the size of the box and the amount of foam "peanuts", measured in inches, that have to be used, and none of that comes for free! My husband is often surprised when I receive a huge box full of foam with a small piece of pottery, in bubble wrap, down in the center of it all.
Thanks a lot for this technical info. I was unaware of it, but I am painfully aware of the need for super packing efforts if you are going to use USPS (which I do). I had merchandise that I felt would have survived almost any handling smashed to pieces. Now I package everything for maximum survival. When I was in the storefront business I shipped everything by commercial carriers and almost never had breakage. However I had to pay for it in increased costs. I guess life is full of tradeoffs. Again thanks for your input.
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