Free Shipping?

[found-in-australia]

Would it be false advertising to advertise "Free Shipping" if shipping charges are actually being paid by anybody involved in the transaction?

[natures_organics]

If your the seller..no

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

I see where you are coming from with this question. 

As we sellers know, there is no such thing as 'Free Shipping' and it should be labelled 'Shipping included' instead.  With Buy-It-Now listings the shipping is built in to the Buy-Now price.  The notion of 'Free Shipping' in this case means 'No Added Shipping' to the Buy-Now price.

I would be interested to see the result if there was a test case on this question.  Doubt that it would ever get to a ruling though, as eBay would simply change the phrase to appease the authorities.

[lyndal1838]

There is no such thing as free shipping....somebody has to pay for it.

To be completely honest the listings should read "Shipping included in item price so the buyer pays for it" but I can not see that happening any time soon.

[calsof]

There is no such thing as free shipping....somebody has to pay for it.

To be completely honest the listings should read "Shipping included in item price so the buyer pays for it" but I can not see that happening any time soon.

It should actually be:

"Shipping included in item price so the buyer pays for it and the seller pays eBay fees on it" but lets not be sticklers for accuracy, shall we?

😛

[bsal6160]

A listing on ebay as all aimed at the BUYER. The information contained in your listing should be what the needs to know. The free shipping thing is all aimed at the buyer. Whether its actually free or not is another question and as we all know someone IS going to pay and guess what ??? it is the buyer anyway as your selling price (with free shipping) should cover the postage cost. If it doesn't then you will not be listing on ebay for too long as you will go broke in smart time. So in real terms all that Free Shipping means to a buyer is that at the end of an auction all they need to pay is the amount they won the item for, no extra postage cost added at check-out.

I also think ebay will make this mandatory as how many times do you see a listing with a start price of $0.99 and postage costs of $100 or more. It is to stop these bad sellers from cheating ebay out of their fees, so blame those bad sellers if (no I mean WHEN) this happens.

[lane-ends]

I list items for same price regardless of what postage is. So I dont add it in. In effect buyer decides whats a fair price to pay compared to the alternative to buying from someone who adds it as an extra...In short buyer adds it in.

Whether an item can be flattened into letter rate or needs 3kg satchel I will list for same price and buyer will pay same price as they dont care how much it costs to post. Less postage cost  better profit, higher post cost less profit. Incentive for me to select items that will ship for less. So it has taught me to pick my stock more effectively as I can't trick myself into thinking its not my problem

I do not weigh items before listing, so final postage cost would be a guess, so I cant "add it in". Simply list for best price I can get that buyers will pay. It will be what it will be and its just another overhead much the same as initial stock in buying price is.

It means costs and method is my business, so no disputes arise over it with buyer.

So yes free post means all costs inclusive, 

[lane-ends]

NO ADDITIONAL SHIPPING COSTS would sum it up fairly

But selling is all about marketing and perception and FREE something sounds better

[gregh0209]

Yes I see what you are saying in your example. However when a realistic shipping price is charged why should EBAY get a "rake off" of the shipping component as well. This is why they want to introduce the free shipping option so they can charge a final value fee on a higher amount.

[found-in-australia]

I asked the question looking broader than just Ebay.

While one of Ebay's motivations to encourage so called "Free Shipping" is almost certainly to gain a commission on the shipping charge, they could also do so by following the lead of their American site, and just include a final value fee on the total transaction including shipping price (allegedly done to stop some sellers gouging on their shipping charges).

The other motivation, though, also concerns me.

Ebay as an entity seems to believe that they are a retailer without actually carrying any stock themselves, and are increasingly controlling and manipulating how the businesses that use their site operate. Part of their motivation in "rewarding" sellers who offer so called "Free Shipping" is that they see other internet retail sites who offer "Free Shipping" as competition, and instead of deconstructing the myth that free shipping actually exists, Ebay has chosen to pander to the unrealistic expectations of some consumers who have been bluffed by such marketing practices.

This brings us to whether a vendor using the term "Free Shipping" offers an advantage over a vendor who uses a more honest term such as "No Additional Shipping Charges", or an even greater commercial advantage over those who have clear valid shipping charges visible.

To me, the term "free shipping" on commercial purchases is a lie, except when applied to a purchase that is delivered electronically or by email (such as say software applications or files). If the term "Free Shipping" for sales of tangible goods offers any commercial advantage over the term "No Additional Shipping Charges" or equivalent, then a term that is false by it's very nature would be creating false perceptions and expectations in consumers to the disadvantage of those who use a more honest term in their marketing. IF that is the case, and it may need to be proved, would the ACCC or Consumer Departments consider the term problematic in terms of a misleading term offering commercial advantage in the Australian internet and/or retail marketplace?

Regards,   Kevin