Reducing shipping cost

[michellebartley]

I have asked a lot of sellers for a reduced shipping cost but always get the same answer "that is the set cost and I cannot lower it".

[2106greencat]

and sadly Michelle, most buyers only come to notice the real shipping costs when they are required to return an item - then, suddenly, low and behold "the cost of post is outrageous"  (join the sellers club - they live with it)

[elisabethau-2013]

If you think postage costs are high now, wait for May 6th when Ebay introduces 10% charge on postage costs (to be paid by sellers). I suspect that most Australian sellers will have no option but to add extra 10% on top of postage cost (and then some 3% on top of that to cover PayPal fees), calculate it into either postage cost or the price of the item and  pass it onto the buyer.

Yes, it very well may reduce the number of listings with very low price and very high postage but at the end of the day it is really the final price (including delivery), that matters. When I buy stuff I'm not worried at all about the ratio of price/postage or "free postage" or whatever other gimmicks sellers are using, what I look at is the final price of the item landed on my doorsteps.

[*crikey*mate*]

for accounting purposes it has to go into the cost of your item as it is a business expense, niot a postage expense

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@michellebartley wrote:
I have asked a lot of sellers for a reduced shipping cost but always get the same answer "that is the set cost and I cannot lower it".

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michelle, exactly how do you ask?

Your problem may be with the way you ask e.g. if you ask "I bought an item just like yours yesterday and paid much less for postage, any chance of a reduction in postage?"

     OR

"I think your postage price is high, can you post for less"

     OR

"Hi, my name is Michelle, I buy a lot of things on eBay without any problems, any chance of a reduction in postage 🙂 ?  remember, buyers are your bread and butter so I want a reply as many sellers do not reply to my messages and end up without a sale to me, I expect a reply within two hours!" 

. . . . . . then I would not be surprised that you are getting the same answer every time, or no answer.

[chezzy]

We don't know the 'manner' in which she has asked, but I tend to think a courteous message rather than a 'demanding' one would go over better eg

"Hi.

I have been admiring/am interested in buying your 'such and such'. Are there any options for

reducing postage costs? Thankyou for your time/consideration. "

[springyzone]

If you don't like the cost then don't buy. You seem to have a awful lot of problems buying on ebay and with sellers. Are you just very hard to please?

Soon you won't be able to see shipping cost as it will be built into the price

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I agree with most of your post but was just wondering about the bit I have shown in red.

Out of curiosity i had a look at the feedback for the poster and also feedback given and it all seemed to be positive.

But.. I would never ask a seller about lower postage unless I was making a query about combined postage and whether that was available. It seems a bit cheeky to me, a bit like buyers I have heard of who messaged a friend of mine and offered to buy things she had listed-but at substantially lower prices than she had listed them for.

I sometimes watch items and see if the prices do get lowered but if I don't like the prices, I usually just move on. Plenty of other places to buy from these days.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@springyzone wrote:

If you don't like the cost then don't buy. You seem to have a awful lot of problems buying on ebay and with sellers. Are you just very hard to please?

Soon you won't be able to see shipping cost as it will be built into the price

--------------------------------------

I agree with most of your post but was just wondering about the bit I have shown in red.

Out of curiosity i had a look at the feedback for the poster and also feedback given and it all seemed to be positive.

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Try this, click on the poster's ID to the left of any of their posts.  This will bring up their "board" activity.  Have a read of the posts posted  by the Opening Poster (OP) and you will understand the bit you highlighted in red.  Pay particular attention to threads started by the OP and you will understand the "awful lot of problems" comment.  It has nothing to do with feedback.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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springyzone wrote:

If you don't like the cost then don't buy. You seem to have a awful lot of problems buying on ebay and with sellers. Are you just very hard to please?

Soon you won't be able to see shipping cost as it will be built into the price

--------------------------------------

I agree with most of your post but was just wondering about the bit I have shown in red.

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here . . . . . . .

http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying/Seller-wont-provide-shipping-cost-Says-look-it-up-on-website/...

http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying/New-buyers-to-ebay/m-p/1093579

http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Selling/Blocking-buyer-from-sellers-ebay-site/m-p/1085339

http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying/Sellers-blocking-buyers/m-p/1000457

http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying/returning-items-by-post/m-p/903013

http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying/Seller-posting-problem/m-p/887231

http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Selling-on-eBay/two-sellers-havent-posted-items/qaq-p/883045

http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying/ebay/m-p/877205

http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying/Getting-refund-long-after-45-day-period/m-p/877107

http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying-on-eBay/Seller-wont-post-item/qaq-p/850715

http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying/Very-high-postage-cost/m-p/805185

http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying/Late-arrival-of-items/m-p/788949

http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying/postage-prices-too-high/m-p/657903

 . . . . . . and this is just in the last 6 to 7 months!