I think $3 is reasonable. When I sold by ebay, I always paid extra for tracking and I used a bubble envelope. Those expenses plus my time easily add to $3. Besides, what business is it of this person to send such an email? If he doesn't like it, then he doesn't need to buy from you. Besides, most buyers always calculate the cost of shipping in their bids.
I bought 1000 bubble envelopes from uline and resold 1/2 of them on e bay bringing my price down to pennies. When I sell slabbed coins I use safe-t-mailers inside the envelope and self insure with delivery confirmation under $25 and po insurance over $25 and my costs are around $3.00 depending on the amount of insurance purchased. I charge $3.00 and probably lose a small amount of money. On high end items I sometimes offer free shipping and when doing "spring cleaning" of low end stuff in lots I might charge $1.50 or $2.00 but the majority of stuff goes out for $3.00 (I combine all auctions won on the same day) and I think it's quite fair.
$3 per coin???? Do you combine shipping if the bidder buys more than one? For example, if I buy three coins, do you charge $3 shipping or $9? Quite frankly, I tend to agree with the person who emailed you, and overcharging for shipping is one of *MANY* reasons I quit using ebay altogether. You mentioned he was not a bidder - I would hazard a guess he was interested in your coin and would have bid had he agreed with your terms. So, essentially, he was talking about himself when he said your shipping costs would discourage bidders.
I once saw an add for some knives selling for $9.99. Great price I thought until I saw the shipping charges at $179.00. I always factor in the shipping charges no matter what they might be. $3.00 for a coin of higher value is a great price. Offer combined shipping. People don't know where you live, how far you have to travel to get the item to the post office or what a pain in the a$$ it is to sit around, watch the add and answer goofy questions. Do as has been mentioned and block those who complain about your add, they're usually trolls anyway.
Didnt read all the post here but here is where I am at with what the OP has asked. I have been active on ebay since 1997. Coins ship in a padded envelope. WHY? because they get there in one piece.. Cost Walmart .44 cents each. Delivery confirmation is a MUST with the new rules on ebay. ship without it and your asking for problems. I USE the shipping feature with Paypal because its actually cheaper than the PO.. a 2 ounce bubble wrap with DC generally runs $1.58 add the cost of the envelope and your there. I print the labels on my laser printer on plain paper and use the wide tape to secure the pkgs. Takes about 18" of tape off the roll so they last a LONG time. My total costs to ship 1 coin is right at $2.02. Now if you get extra coins or the weight goes up slightly just at 20 cents a coin and your golden. Insurance is another cost that you may get.. Generally I self insure (GAMBLE) that the product doesnt get lost if its under $100.00. Goes over and I do insure them. ALWAYS use delivery confirmation when selling on ebay.. Don't and all the person has to do is say I didn't get it.. and you lose! Been down most of the roads with ebay, like I said, I have been on there for a while. Free shipping does get more attention on sales! but be prepared to eat that cost. Most people who purchase coins on ebay take into consideration the cost involved with shipping, however there are a few that dont pay attention! Always bid with the shipping in mind!
As someone who does a lot of internet sales I charge $3 for shipping. There is a lot of other stuff that goes into shipping a package then the actual shipping costs. Personally I incur the cost of the time I have to pay my employee to package and label the item properly, the costs of the labeling printer and labels, the costs of the envelope, and then the cost of shipping. We are lucky and the post office will pick up our packages when we are ready for them... so no gas costs. Most of the time we are lucky to break even at $3. If you are selling a few items... free shipping is an option... but last year we shipped about 2,500 packages. I'm a nice guy... but I'm not going to be out $7,500 just to offer free shipping.
I just assume reasonable shipping and combined shipping when i bid and if they try scamming me i just wont pay..
I think Ebay should meke shipping free on coins valued less then $10 since if a seller over charges by even $1.00 for shipping he is circumventing a large % of Ebay fee's.
They do that and you won't see any coins on ebay for less than $10. Why should the seller incur a loss on a coin just because it sells for less than $10?. It is easier to absorb the shipping cost on a $100 coin than it is on a $3 coin. If you have a coin that books for $5 and it goes for an underbid of $3 you would be better off spending it or giving it away.
Three dollars is what I charge. I always use a bubble envelope. That's a dollar at Family Dollar. The average cost to mail is 1.29. That's 2.29. The other seventy one cents pays for your gas and time. If I sell something a little more pricey, I get delivery confirmation and charge five bucks.
Were I a seller on eBay and they required free shipping (have fun trying to determine which are less than $10), I would do one of two things - and the buyers would like neither. I would either quit selling coins values at less than $10 or I would raise my prices more than enough to cover my shipping.
What ever happened to the concept of Handling fees? It often seems like people think the time and supplies it takes to pack and ship have no value. I'd like to sign up for that service! I'll give you the coin and the OGP and the exact postage (after you figure out what it is) and you do the rest for free or else I'm getting scammed big time! Of course you'll run to the PO for me by 5:00 TODAY right? That said, I usually offer free shipping! Sometimes with a BIN Spouse coin I'll charge $15. (actual postage and insurance is about $18) Related Rant: There's sometimes an attitude that looks down on people who buy a roll and sell them individually on eBay for a profit. Perhaps it's the very concept of a coin dealer that is disliked. (I bought the 100 coin bags of ATB quarters so I could teach my son to gouge people.)
Alright so it seems about $2.50 is the going rate for shipping. Now here's my questions, when I list the items on ebay which shipping method do I choose? I always use PayPal to print my labels. I want to ship the item in a bubble envelope and include delivery confirmation. As stated in a previous post I prefer knowing where and when the item was delivered. I plan on selling various slabbed coins.
I always put First Class even if the package size demands Priority. I think it's better to surprise people on the happy side.
I just shipped a dime I sold over the weekend and I charged $3 shipping. Postage and delivery confirmation was $2.29. That doesn't include the bubble envelope and everything else. I don't feel that $3 is excessive, but if anyone else does then they are more than welcome to NOT bid on my coins. If I am selling a $10 coin and offered free shipping, then I am losing a big percentage (especially after you take out ebay and paypal fees). As for when I buy, I always factor shipping into the price I am going to pay whether it is free or $15.
Someone probably said this before me, but when I list an item, I factor in the money that I won't get in ebay/paypal fees. Not only does it cost to ship, package a coin, but those fees cut directly into your profit...talk about a monopoly...I can't figure out how to NOT use paypal or a credit card on ebay...what happened to checks and money orders?
One thing I've always wondered, and perhaps those who have been selling on Ebay for awhile can answer, is why Ebay doesn't allow sellers to give shipping options. Seems it would make sense to do like all businesses and allow buyers to choose different shipping methods based on their needs. 1st Class, Priority, Next Day Air, etc.
I haven't sold in 6 months but I think there were those options at that point, in particular the "Get it Fast" option for overnight.
I agree and would add if you don't like the way I rate you that is tough. After the first auction win feel free to put me on the banned list. Now let me add - your shipping costs do not matter to me and it will be reflected in my final bid amount. If you are gouging on shipping I will decide my total bid, subtract shipping and there you have it. Either way it goes you get the same money from me. I also do not use the star rating to determine if I will buy from someone - I read the feed back and not just the negatives, but all of it. To me this is just one of the things about ebay not worth arguing over - be ye a buyer or a seller. This is another one of the reasons I prefer dealers and heritage over ebay. Take it or leave it. Well more than just that, but just one of the reasons.
