FREE POSTAGE done nothing to improve sales

[waddingtonfirstaid]

So I've gone back to low prices with calculated real postage costs according to the buyers destination.

I guess eBay work away hard in the dark background to discriminate against listings not offering free postage. I've heard other experienced sellers state here that eBay give preferential treatment to listings in search results that offer free postage against similar listings that do not. It's fairly easy to know why, they make more money out of listings that have bloated sell prices that have to account for worse case freight scenarios.

So now I am reverting back to rock bottom sell prices and postage which is calculated according to the buyer's location. I'll wait 2 months and see the result. It couldn't get much worse. Maybe eBay will show my listings in a true and equitable search result regardless of how the postage is offered, but pigs might learn to fly too.

[phorum_junkie*]

I sell on 3 ids, one with free postage and the other two without. I have sold this way for many years and never saw any difference that could be ascribed to the different postage policies.  I have been steadily raising my prices by a small percentage over the last three years as it was obvious to me that eventually the Aus site would be hit with fees on postage to bring it into line with the UK and US sites so I am not expecting it to impact on my sales to any great extent when (and if) I restart selling in November.

[essel_emporium]

I wonder what the reaction of buyers would be to an incentive to using bank transfer in preference to paypal; saving on paypal fees. Invite buyers to take advantage of a discounted sell price if they use bank transfer to pay you.  I wonder also if you set up the sale as local pickup only, and then highlight in your description that you will post to them if requested.  Thus saving the loss you might otherwise have made by ebay taking a cut for the postage costs.

[i-love-my-sheep]

Paying by bank deposit veto's you from seller protection. If someone goes wrong, you have no comeback.

As for listing as pick up only, if someone does want it posted, you would need to add the postage cost to the invoice so they know how much to pay. Once the postage has been added and the invoice sent, the fees are calculated. So it would be pointless listing as pick up only, because the postage costs of posting would still incur fees. 

[digital*ghost]

---

@essel_emporium wrote:

I wonder what the reaction of buyers would be to an incentive to using bank transfer in preference to paypal; saving on paypal fees. Invite buyers to take advantage of a discounted sell price if they use bank transfer to pay you.  

---

You would have to be very careful with that - it's against policy to discourage buyers from using any offered payment methods, and/or offer a discount for preferred payment methods, so any incentives a seller offers for bank deposit payments could well end up as being seen as discouraging PayPal (or whichever safe payment method is offered) - eBay have been known to make far less logical policy violation decisions, anyway.

[essel_emporium]

I was talking to a friend who does a lot of buying on ebay.  Some very large parcels get delivered.  Recently, from more than one seller, large boxes of ebay items get delivered with postage lables on them of around $30 or more.  The invoice does not include postage.  So, how are they covering their postage costs, I asked.  Well, they email later and ask for the postage to be paid separately.  So, how do you do that?  Straight into their bank account. Do you feel inclined to not bother paying them?  Oh no, I want to keep buying from them and don't mind paying the postage separately. 

It was following that conversation that I made my post about advertising local pickup only etc...  But I didn't realise it was the invoice that governed the final value fee.  The above arrangement would only work with sellers and buyers who had a very trusting relationship.  Perhaps one that develops after a long period of time.

[spottymeg53]

I am not sure if this the right time post this topic here............I live in Adelaide Allow local pick up in my listings. Most of my irems are calculated postage as a lot are reasonably over weight for 500 gram pastage. By the time they are packed they end up 550 grams or slightly more. Now I offer Payment on Pick Up But Ebay will not allow me to change the postage to Zero. What I have to do is Resend the invoice and add the extra option...........Surely this can be done on the original invoice. Can anyone explain.

Thanks

[cherry*135]

I would be very wary of a seller who promotes bank deposit over paypal. Even though they are most likely honest and trying to save themselves some fees. It is  a common tactic for dodgy sellers to request bank deposit over paypal... because the buyer has no protection if their item is never sent, or arrives damaged etc.

I go scammed  once fo r$20, I bought an item and paid for  it by bank deposit (when it was quite common to pay by bank deposit, but paypal was also offered). Not a lot  for me to lose, but the seller had $2000-$3000 worth of items sold before they got NARU'ed. so a nice haul for them.

Paypal only for me.

[cherry*135]

So I've gone back to low prices with calculated real postage costs according to the buyers destination.

What size/weight items do you sell?  Do the flat rate Australia wide satchels and some Bx boxes (discounted postage through ebay postage labels online) not suit the items you sell?

[englishrosegardens]

It's not against policy to offer a discount for using your preferred payment method.  If you go through one of their selling tutorials it's in there that it's allowed.  I was quite surprised to read it but it was there in black & white.