Hi!
I was just wondering if I can make an Auction Profile for First class (eBay) and another one for First Class (eBay Store) without filling in the template part on the profile? Hope I'm making sense!
I have about 8 different first class shipping that I charge & I thought it might be easier to have 8 different listing templates with the different first class charges instead of 8 different Auction Profiles (actually, it would be 16....since I need Auction Profiles for eBay & the eBay store.....or would this just take more time?
I sure wish we could move the Action Profiles around (Thom?)....whenever I list an auction t seems like I'm searching a long list of profiles till I find what I need!
Just wondered how everyone else does their first class.....maybe I shouldn't have so many different rates? I figure the weight & then add a small handling fee.


Mickey

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MIckey,

YOu don't have to complete the Listing template default field on an Auction Profile. When you go to close the Auction profile from the File on the menu, you will get a prompt reminding you all the fields aren't complete but nothing is lost.

When you create an Auction, you are already aware you must select a Listing template in the Listing template field.

I don't have a bunch of different First Class Auction profiles. Something you really might consider doing and it is working very well for me, is just move the shipping/handling cost to the item price and go for the Free shipping. It doesn't work for everything but it can for quite a few things. What product I have moved to the Free Shipping, is selling really well.

My daughter in law just started doing the same thing and her successfully ended auctions are way up too.

It is just something to consider. and with the double discounts, if you are a Power Seller, until the end of year, it can certainly boost your sales.

If you do'nt want to try Free Shipping, you might consider just setting two First Class price points and leaving it at that. There is no use working yourself to the bone. I mean First Class is around $4.00 on stuff that weighs 13 ounces. So just do two price points. Maybe a $2.00 and a $4.00. or 3 or 5 whatever works for you and leave it at that.

Just a thought.



Judy/blue

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Thanks Judy! I should have known you'd be right there with an answer! The two rates for first class sounds good....I am going to try the FREE shipping....I'm glad you reminded me yesterday on this board! I had forgotten all about it!


Mickey

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Mickey,

Free Shipping doesn't work for everything. We are finding some products it is not working great for. But I will have to say for the most, it is working very well. We added the shipping AND the handling cost into the item price. There is just something about Free that makes people buy more.

And the FLat rate shipping is working. We have added some of the shipping cost onto the product price and then added a very low Flat rate shipping cost with a very low additional item ships cost. Those are also working well. In fact, it is a toss up between the Free Shipping and the really low flat rate shipping which is working better. But I do know both are out performing calculated shipping hands down.

Just things to consider.



Judy/blue

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Funny you should mention free shipping.

I converted all of my items to free shipping, and the results have been marvelous! The best part is that - in most cases - I am making more $$ per item.

For about 2 weeks I had an overlap of the same items with shipping and/combined discounts, and free. Even though buyers could of saved $$ with the combined discounts, they always bought the free shipping version of the item. In fact, once I put out the free shpping versions, the original items (with shipping) weren't bought at all - in fact, they were barely even looked at.

This is working so good in fact that I am now seriously considering doing the same thing in my standalone webstore.

Back a few months ago does anyone remember that study of "lost carts"? Basically they asked buyers why they had abandoned their shopping carts. 75% said it was because the shipping costs turned out to be much higher than they had thought it would be.

How significant is that? Well, as I understand it, only 25% of all shopping carts end up in an actual completed sale. High shipping is - by far - the #1 reason for abandoning the sale.

So I was trying to put this in Ebay terms. Ebay doesn't allow buyers to "abandon" their carts. You buy it - it's yours - regardless of the end calculations. But statistically speaking, this would mean that perhaps as many as 75% of those buyers are experiencing some level of regret at the purchase. Not a good start of a positive buyer experience.

So maybe that's what's at work here. Free shipping simply means "no suprises". You can easily figure out how much things really are costing, and the end number matches your mental calculations.

So the higher cost of the item is outweighed by the certainty of the final cost of the total purchase.

Hi,

I am finding the exact same thing to be true. I tried the same exact experiment, putting the same item using calculated, flat or free. Free sold first and usually all aty offered would sell promptly. Or at least fairly quickly.

It has been successful enough on eBay, that I will convert my Overstock auctions to Free Shipping too and see how those auctions perform on Overstock for the holiday season.

Maybe others will jump in and share their experiences with Free Shipping.

Judy/blue

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Hi:

I too have found that Free Shipping has helped sales. My experience is that even though an item doesn't have free shipping and the flat rate charge is low and even makes for a total less than the free shipping item - yep the free shipping item sells every time. My momma told me nothing was free but I guess on eBay free does make a huge difference.

My only problem is that many of my items have a price point low enough that adding just a little to the price to begin to cover shipping will show up right away. But I've decided to change the way some of those items are sold - grouping like sets of stamps together -- selling stamps in year sets etc to get a higher price point and that way I'm able to add on "free shipping".

For what ever the reason it does generate better sales. But those of us in a small item category just have to be creative in bundling material for sale to make the free shipping attractive. All of my tests for the free shipping have pointed big time to the fact that if it isn't free shipping it most likely doesn't sell if there is an identical item with free shipping.

There are always new ways to market and this is the latest I guess so have to figure out how it fits within the business and go with it. I sort of like the free shipping as I don't have to worry about combined shipping and having to add money to pay for shipping when they purchase a lot of material and go over what was charged for postage under flat rate combined.

Garry

Garry,

I have some stuff I am going to end up grouping together too so the Free Shipping makes sense. Sure takes time to get everything done



Judy/blue

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