topic Re: How do people offer free shipping in Selling

How do people offer free shipping

lizmcdo78 — Sun, 11 May 2025 09:29:18 GMT

How do people on eBay offer free shipping on low cost items say under $3 for an item when tracked shipping in Australia is a lot more than the item.

Re: How do people offer free shipping

twyngwyn — Sun, 11 May 2025 10:00:40 GMT

Can you give an example - what is the item number?

Re: How do people offer free shipping

lizmcdo78 — Sun, 11 May 2025 10:58:48 GMT

What do you mean I look up things like Pokemon cards and they go for under $3 but shipping is free. How can they make any profit if they want to send with tracked postage

Re: How do people offer free shipping

imastawka — Sun, 11 May 2025 11:11:48 GMT

A lot of sellers will use them as 'loss leaders'

Loss leaders are products sold below their cost or profit margin to attract customers and encourage them to buy other, more profitable items. The strategy relies on the assumption that the initial loss on the loss leader will be offset by increased sales of complementary or higher-margin products.

People who buy such items rarely buy just one.

Sellers will make a profit when they purchase more.

Re: How do people offer free shipping

lizmcdo78 — Sun, 11 May 2025 11:19:11 GMT

If I put postage on an item will people still buy my item.

Re: How do people offer free shipping

davewil1964 — Sun, 11 May 2025 11:26:14 GMT

If I put postage on an item will people still buy my item.

That depends on the people. Not if they can get the same item cheaper from other sellers.

Not all items are sent tracked.

Small items like cards can go in a standard untracked envelope @ $1.50

Re: How do people offer free shipping

sandypebbles — Sun, 11 May 2025 22:28:29 GMT

As asked, what is the item number?

Is the seller registered in China?

Are they brand new sellers who may wrongly think eBay pay for postage?

Or the reasons already mentioned

Re: How do people offer free shipping

springyzone — Sun, 11 May 2025 22:32:02 GMT

For things like cards, maybe they are not sending with tracked postage, maybe they are just in an envelope, as dave said.

All the same, I get your point, there wouldn't be a huge amount of profit in it for them if the item itself, with postage, was only $3.

You'd be wanting to make a lot of bulk sales to make it worth your while and maybe with things like cards, they do get a lot of people buying 2 or 3 at a time.