Postage costs quoting???

[ivgotallthegoodbits]

Hi iv been selling on here for just over a year and am having issues with buyers not being happy with postage costs for their items...

all of the items i send registered post with tracking minimum, and in all my auctions i request they prospective buyer to contact me before bidding with postcode so i can get costs from the autralia post online website, some of my buyers choose to do this some dont... Now my issues arise im struggling with good feedback for my postage costs as the australia post website seems to be over quoting prices and if i lower the prices i charge to less than shown on their website i will loose out...

When iv been quoted 1 price on australia post website, then when i post item off am being undercut on postage costs.. And evn its only a $1.00 under this seems to displease buyers even though i charge nothing for expensive packaging... 

Has anyone else been encountering these issues and can anyone please help with advise as i really like doing sales on ebay and using it to support our family .. Any help would be great thanks Kathleen

[lane-ends]

I generally stick to items that can go in flat rate satchels, I also use free post (=P&Pincl) to completely cut out all the squabbles over postage costs, also dont have to bother weighing and working out postage  costs before listing. It will be what it will be and no one can complain about what it costs as its not their problem

[coconutty89]

HI,

Sorry lane-ends I don't know what you mean, how do you offer free postage?

In regards to your question ivgotallthegoodbits- I sell clothing items mostly and have found sending light pieces of clothing items (eg tshirts, light dresses, thin pants, gym clothes) that I can flatted to an A4 size can be sent as letters - I buy airtight plastic sleeves (like the glad bags but a4 sized) then put the garment in that, squeeze all the air out then put it in an A4 evelope which usually means I only pay the cost of a large letter- with registered mail this is usually $5 which buyers are more than happy to pay considering the cost of prepaid satchels. Of course if you post bulky items then unfortunately it's sometimes almost not worth selling items- especially when they sell for less than $10. After ebay and paypal take their fees and you factor the time to list and package then send off- I cant see the point.

I've been questioning whether to stay with click and send or go back to aust post satchels:

If I chose Click and Send as my postage method and dont select signature on delivery to avoid extra costs for the buyer then should the parcel go missing/get stolen then I have to refund the buyer and lose the cost of the item and postage - from what I understand in this scenario i may be able to claim a refund from austpost on postage but as signature on delivery was not selected they arent obliged to pay.

In the old days (ok not that long ago, but before click and send) if an item that was sent as regular mail (without insurance or registered mail) went missing in the mail aust post used to refund the postage (as long as proof was provided) and the item cost of up to $100. I was wondering, does anyone know if this still applies? If it does then surely sending items that sell for less that $100 are worth sending via regular mail (the red austpost satchels) than a click and send satchel should it go missing. This is presuming aust post still offers this.

Anyway I think the postage costs are putting pressure on ebay.. I've stopped selling as much as I used to purely because buyers dont want to pay high postage costs.... 

If anyone has some great tips on lowering postage costs etc please share!! =D

[kustomizer99]

Sorry lane-ends I don't know what you mean, how do you offer free postage?

If anyone has some great tips on lowering postage costs etc please share!! =D

We're pretty much at the mercy of Australia Post on that one..... costs are just so absurdly high now that people have stopped buying online as much as they used to.

I almost feel like putting an apology to prospective buyers for AustPost's astronomical prices in all my listings!

[lane-ends]

HI,

Sorry lane-ends I don't know what you mean, how do you offer free postage?

Simple take an example Dresses, I list them all at same BIN regardless of brand, style or what it will cost to post. Dont even research value or postage cost per each item. Each relist cycle i drop the price, sooner or later someone decides say I will pay $25 to get that item. That is what they pay, they chose that sell price, I did not set it. I did not say I want $x for the item, postage is $y hence "free post" price is $z. I did not build it in, 

At no stage do I add in or separate out item and postage price. Buyer selected how much to pay, and I sent them the item for that price. Whether it goes letter rate, 500gm satchel 3KG satchel, sale "postage free" price will still be same. True I dont like the term free post and would prefer "delivery included' term. That terminology is Ebays choice not sellers.Regardless of what AP charges me to send to buyer, that is irrelevent to buyer. 

Of course buyer may be willing to pay more because they are not being hit with a delivery surcharge.

To take it to extremes you could say that quoting postage separately is a marketing perception to make it sound like buyer is paying less than they are. There are two sides to every approach

If I dont offer pick up listing an item for say $30 is pointless if buyer cant receive it for that price. I use best offer so if combining can make a worthwhile saving I take into account. Most of the time it doesn't as it pushes most things into bigger satchel; plus insurance.

If item goes to INR dispute it means buyer gets total price paid back not postage exclusive price. Buyer is better protected.

Postage cost is my overhead, not buyers, just like any other business cost

Different methods work differently for different products, but this common belief that somehow providing a total price only method is somehow a scam, and offering items at a price that cant be provided is more honest, alludes me.

[lane-ends]

As far as reducing post cost go, all I can say is we are stuck with the rates, so we have to alter our business plan and sell stuff that is cheaper to post, or at least if they cant be posted cheaply make sure they have enough value to make it worth it.

In short re evaluate what we are selling. I know offering "free post" has caused me to buy stock smarter as i cant kid myself that the cost of posting heavier items cant be passed on to buyers. The amount of over 500gm stock I now carry is way less than when I used to quote postage seperately

[digital*ghost]

I guess it all depends on the way you approach it - buyers and sellers alike will find different methods more appealing, but we all factor postage costs into stock purchase decisions,  (in other words, everyone has to ask themselves can I get enough money from a buyer for this that will cover all the required expenses and make a profit - same maths, different way of writing the equation between 'free' post and charging for it separately). 

Oddly 'free post' just does not work for the majority of my items. I tried it more than once, for several weeks at a time, and my 'free post' prices were on average 10% cheaper than my price + postage separately; and we're talking a nominal postage charge here ($2.00), yet for some reason no one would buy a necklace for $9.95 free post, but I sold around 50 when they were $8.95 + $2 P&H. Go figure. o_O

Also, the buyer receives the total of their original payment back if an INR dispute is found in their favour, so in terms of PayPal disputes, they are no better or worse off if a seller offers free post.