How come an Australian seller can offer free shipping?

[312217084]

How come an Australian seller can offer free shipping even the item located in Australia??

For example, seller post their phone cases and screen protectors for free.

Anyone can figure it out for me?

Thanks

[2106greencat]

I offer free post on 99% of items. I factor cost in on about 50%, others allow me to not factor in as I have a low buy price. Some I actually lose a small amount of money on. But - in saying that, free post ranks best, and I use a few loss leaders to get my store in that ranking postition.

[thesoulyearns]

"A business cannot make a free offer and at the same time try and fund it from the pockets of consumers."

That's kind of ground-breaking news (seriously.) That means that 99% of online retailers who offer free postage (and yet include the postage price into the item price) are frauding the official rulebook. I suspect the ACC is the official rulebook, unless there is another rule that overrides it.

That includes eBay, who encourage sellers to use free postage. Surely these big retailers know that it's not legal. There could be some kind of legal loophole which we don't know about.

[thesoulyearns]

Ah, I just saw the line about it not being misleading unless they're "explicitly told." Seems that's the loophole. I wonder what classifies as being "explicitly told."

[*crikey*mate*]

shifty little fella's eh? that means FVF are also taken on postage costs - not just the sale price of the item - though I don't think it makes any difference to Pay Pal, does it? They charge their fees for the total amount deposited/charged - so they get their fees on postage too...

was something I never thought about before - I used to just charge exactly what the post office charged me - no packaging materials fees etc either - but never thought to account for paypal fees on postage amount when calculating the price at which i wanted to sell an item.

Learn something new everyday, eh?

[calvin78916]

$2. I've checked on Auspost website, and the cheapest satchels(500g) are $8. How do you find $2 carrier if you're posting things like a plastic mobile phone case?

---

@*sparklz* wrote:

Screen protectors are only 60c to post if there is not a bilk amount being sent and the covers are only about $2 to post so the price is built into the item cost.

That is what I do with mine.

---

[*crikey*mate*]

---

@calvin78916 wrote:

$2. I've checked on Auspost website, and the cheapest satchels(500g) are $8. How do you find $2 carrier if you're posting things like a plastic mobile phone case?

---

@*sparklz* wrote:

Screen protectors are only 60c to post if there is not a bilk amount being sent and the covers are only about $2 to post so the price is built into the item cost.

That is what I do with mine.

---

---

I'm thinking that a screen protector is posted as a letter, not a parcel, and for a phone I can see it fitting into an envelope which costs 60c to post.

Similar for a phone cover, they are generally less than 20mm thick so can be posted as a Large letter, pricing varing between $1.20 and $3.00 depending on the size and weight.

Also keep in mind that this thread IS 9 MONTHS old and as such any specifics may have changed since they were first written. Those letter rates do however remain unchanged but Aus Post had a big overhaul on parcel rates a few months ago.

[bugarlugz]

I agree and no such thing as (free) Paypal insurance either

---

@yilabil wrote:

The cost of shipping is included in the price. There is no such thing as free.

---

[davewil1964]

As crikey said, this thread is NINE months old. Dragging up threads that old, especially ones that contain specific information that may well have been overtaken by events is fraught. And can make the dragger look less than wise.

The cost of posting my 500g satchels has just gone down to $6.95, the same price as posting a 500g parcel using your own packaging.

[*crikey*mate*]

---

@davewil1964 wrote:

1) As crikey said, this thread is NINE months old. Dragging up threads that old, especially ones that contain specific information that may well have been overtaken by events is fraught. And can make the dragger look less than wise.

2) The cost of posting my 500g satchels has just gone down to $6.95, the same price as posting a 500g parcel using your own packaging.

---

1) *proud lookin'*

2) who'd you bribe? did you switch to own packaging in C&S?

[davewil1964]

The price went down this week. Standard eBay C&S 500gs are now $6.95 postage. eBay postage calculator even knows it, so it must be official.