Do buyers prefer free post, or post cost listed separately?

[extra-keen]

For those buyers who don't know, ebay soon will require sellers to offer "free post" or in real terms, post cost included in the price of the item being sold/listed.

Sellers who choose not to offer "free post" on all their listings will loose their "Top Rated Seller Status" and be lower in searches.

So what I would like to know - do sellers prefer listings with "free post" or would you rather see the cost of postage and handling listed separately.

Love to know what sellers and buyers think!:-)

[peternt2001]

Sellers may be in for a rude shock though, if they have claims against them. Because they will have to refund the whole purchase price " including the free post " so they will be out of pocket a whole lot more in claims against them. 

Especially people who make claims for items that can not be sent back like fakes or things containing batteries. They will need to refund full price, and not get their item back. I see this could actually see a whole new breed of ebay scammer out there, deliberately looking for items that cant be sent back.

[***super_nova***]

Sellers may be in for a rude shock though, if they have claims against them. Because they will have to refund the whole purchase price " including the free post " so they will be out of pocket a whole lot more in claims against them. 

If seller gets a claim against them for SNAD or not received, they already have to refund the whole original payment including the postage.

I like FREE post for small cheap items sent/received as letters.  But for my normal items that I sell, which are 2-3 kg the difference between one sent locally and one going to WA or NT can be in excess of $30.  I would hate to have to list without the postage calculated by distance.  In one stage all my sales were within my state, and I decided to list one item with FREE post; of-course it sold to WA, postage about $45, and I actually lost money on that transaction.

[extra-keen]

Wow, Thanks everyone for your views. Don't be shy in saying what you think - love to hear from everyone who has a view on this. I hope ebay are listening.

The comments on Express post are very valid too.

My own humble view is that the choice of offering "free post" which is really post included in cost of item - should be left to the seller, not dictated by ebay -

As for cassini, that is very very scarry especially if they are going to restrict search views. As a seller and a buyer I don't like that idea at all. Ebay probably think we buyers and sellers are freaking out about something we shouldn't be worrying about, but this time I think they may have it wrong.

Anyway, keep the opinions and ideas coming, love it!

[cq_tech]

The comments on Express post are very valid too.

Contrary to what many people would have you believe, Express Post fully satisfies Paypal's requirements for seller protection, EXCEPT for the 500g & 3kg Express Post satchels (the 5kg satchel is already covered by Paypal).

Express Post parcels, boxes, and even padded postpaks fulfil Paypal's requirements because unlike the satchels, you need to fill out the paperwork in triplicate, a copy of which is then stamped by the PO and returned to you as proof of postage.

As this stamped paperwork carries the receiver's full name and address, it is every bit as valid as any other acceptable form of proof of delivery.

The point being that as long as both you and your client live in an express post zone, you can safely offer express postage without running the risk of being scammed.

[*mrgrizz*]

free post is a way for ebay to increase there fees by stealth

[fred_fred_2004]

They can have my TRS I'm not playing that game

[digital*ghost]

The bottom line is that free post is not only a misnomer, but ultimately (and on average) means buyers pay more than necessary from anyone who takes a remotely business-like approach to their sales.

I honestly don't understand the attraction it has for some buyers, and I would say that I wish more buyers would understand that anything that increases the cost of selling, as does the whole free post thing, then increases the cost of buying, but I have heard of people paying more for the same item because it has 'free post'. It's madness! 😮 

All I can say is that as a frequent buyer of small items with generally inexpensive, initial post, the sellers that get the most business and more items per order from me are those that have a slightly higher than average P&H cost, with a negligible cost per additional item. I'm always looking for a lot of different things in the same category though - beads, findings etc. 

One seller I buy from (non-eBay) has a flat $5 charge. The more I buy, the more insignificant that $5 gets. Same thing with a minimal additional charge, as in my mind I share the total P&H charge across all items purchased, so the larger the order, the better value we both get, and I will always prefer to purchase that way, though many of the sellers who stock the items I need have gone the free-post route, so in that case I just look for the best value overall (usually I look for higher quantity listings - I'd rather pay $10 for 5 than $5 for 2). 

[thesoulyearns]

I honestly don't understand the attraction it has for some buyers...

They simply don't know any better and just get hooked on the idea that they've "saving" the postage fee. Alot of online sellers are using it nowadays, presumably very effectively.

In the end, it's just a way to get people looking. What matters the most will still be the item, the photos, the description, the seller, etc.

[thesoulyearns]

Time to get off here... stuffing up quotes is sooo annoying. (all my own fault)

Anyway, I was quoting D*G when she said she doesn't understand why buyers like free post.

[jensmanchester-australia]

Plus the arguement with CS about Express is ongoing bcause unless both buyer & seller live within the Express Zones we cannot offer Express Post which means many sellers would be discriminated against because they live outside the Express Zone. We are not allowed to offer Express unless it is 24 hour overnight delivery.

There is no requirement on eBay that says a seller and buyer both have to be in the express post zone to offer express post.

Any seller can choose to offer express post if they wish.

The point being that as long as both you and your client live in an express post zone, you can safely offer express postage without running the risk of being scammed.

A seller can safely offer express post whether or not both the buyer and seller live in an express zone or not. There is no higher risk to being scammed just because one or both of the buyer and seller don't live in an express post zone.

Just for the record - the majority of my parcels are sent express post and I am not in an overnight express post zone.

Over the years I would have sent around 80,000 parcels using express post. Austalia post have lost around 10 parcels which I sent express so it is an extremely reliable service. At this stage Australia Post still pay out compensation up to $50.00 for the standard express post services so even if a parcel goes astray there is compensation available.

For the new TSR requirements where they are saying the seller has to offer an express post option to receive a boost in rankings a seller can offer free regular post and then offer the option of express post for an additional fee and still meet the requirements.