can i offer two buy 2 item & get free postage &/or buy 2 items for a special price?

[thecatspjs]

As you are unable to discount item price after sale any more than listing post price - it is easier to offer a free post special.

You can combine and adjust the post cost to $0 on the invoice after purchases.

I would suggest that you include in the listing that buyers wanting to take up the offer should not pay for purchases until after they receive an adjusted invoice with free post. This avoids having to refund payments etc to give the discount.

[digital*ghost]

Yes, to the postage discount, no to the price discount. 

If you want to give free postage when a buyer purchases two items, the best thing to do is set up a promotional discount - once you've done that, you'll need to revise the items you want it to apply to. 

It's not possible to discount the purchase price of two separate items after they've been purchased, so postage discounts are the easiest way to go, especially as they are automatically applied at checkout (if the buyer pays for them with one payment).

Go to Account > Site Preferences and edit Combined Payments and Postage Discounts to create postage discounts (or click on the Create Postage Discounts link that appears in the edit options at the top of any of your listings).

[thecatspjs]

If sellers are keen on offering discounts on price of products, there are a couple of ways that I am aware of:

I note too - it can be bit of extra work in explaining clearly to the buyer the process of giving discount (as most buyers don't realise invoices can not be discounted more than post price) and it can create more paperwork.  

A couple of examples ....

On this trading ID I offer buy any four items and get one free.   How I do this within the system is:  to send a combined invoice for three of the items purchased noted invoice requiring payment.    I then send a seperate invoice for free item, noted invoice not requiring payment and I then mark that item as paid in ebay. I send a message explaining the process to the buyer. Haven't had many hiccups at all with this process.

I have also purchased goods from some sellers that have provided discounts on products by refunding a partial payment for the discount via paypal. .

I do wish ebay would allow sellers more discounting flexibility -  whilst I get the FVF are reduced if sellers discount goods - I think there would be overall increased consumer spending to offset this.  It would help to bring the ebay trading arena onto a more level playing field with other on-line retailers.  

[digital*ghost]

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@thecatspjs wrote:

I do wish ebay would allow sellers more discounting flexibility -  whilst I get the FVF are reduced if sellers discount goods - I think there would be overall increased consumer spending to offset this.  It would help to bring the ebay trading arena onto a more level playing field with other on-line retailers.  

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Ditto - there are many reasons why a seller would not be able to discount postage but could discount prices (where free post is used is a prime example, but there would be a few other circumstances). Not being able to discount the total to be paid by the buyer in a simple (preferably automatic) way is thwarting progression in a pretty major way, IMO. 

[bsal6160]

According to this rule I think you would be breaking eBay policy.

Report Category

Listing practices

Reason for Report

Avoiding eBay fees

Detailed Reason

Offering or requiring additional purchases

The listing offers or requires buyers to make an additional purchase, pay an amount more than the final price and reasonable postage costs, sign up for a service, or take any unrelated action as a condition for receiving the item.

[bigbrickshop]

eBay has been trialling seller discounts for multiple purchases with some US sellers. It would be great to see it implemented here.

http://pages.ebay.com/specialoffers/tutorial.html

[thecatspjs]

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@bsal6160 wrote:

According to this rule I think you would be breaking eBay policy.

Report Category

Listing practices

Reason for Report

Avoiding eBay fees

Detailed Reason

Offering or requiring additional purchases

The listing offers or requires buyers to make an additional purchase, pay an amount more than the final price and reasonable postage costs, sign up for a service, or take any unrelated action as a condition for receiving the item.

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I am breaking no ebay rule for avoiding ebay fees by the special I offer. 

I pay the listing cost and final value ebay fee on all items I sell on ebay - including the item that the buyer gets for free. 

[digital*ghost]

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@bsal6160 wrote:

According to this rule I think you would be breaking eBay policy.

Report Category

Listing practices

Reason for Report

Avoiding eBay fees

Detailed Reason

Offering or requiring additional purchases

The listing offers or requires buyers to make an additional purchase, pay an amount more than the final price and reasonable postage costs, sign up for a service, or take any unrelated action as a condition for receiving the item.

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No, they wouldn't. That applies to a listing for an item which the seller states can not be purchased at all unless it's in conjunction with another item. 

For example, offering a knife block for $1 and the matching knives separately for say $20, then saying in the listing for the block that only customers who purchase the knives can buy the block for $1.

In the case of buy 3 get an item free, it's a gift with purchase, and the buyer is unrestricted in terms of which items they choose to purchase and pay for.

[digital*ghost]

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@sportandplay wrote:

eBay has been trialling seller discounts for multiple purchases with some US sellers. It would be great to see it implemented here.

http://pages.ebay.com/specialoffers/tutorial.html

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Awesome - I hope so, and faster than we got the cart!