Friday, February 5, 2010

Well, Since You Asked...

This weeks question came to me about shipping and handling. Hi. I was wondering about your s&h prices. Do you spot on weigh? What is your handling fee? Do you pad? How do you determine your handling fee? If the postage comes up less will you refund difference? I prefer you to show the postage s that I may see for myself your honesty. Im afraid that I may have to give negative feedback if your s&h is too high. Thank you, XXXX I hate this question. Only because no matter how I answer I will look like I'm ripping someone off. I can make charts, graphs, powerpoint presentations...it doesn't matter. Unless you sell for a living the average person doesn't understand the nuances of shipping costs and frankly doesn't care. What I wanted to say: Hi. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule of playing s&h detective to insult me. I use a flat s&h rate that is based on weight and zone costs. My handling fee is my business and comparable to most seller's in my area of selling. I have no problem showing you my postage but how do I know what you think is fair and what I think is fair is the same? I have no problem refunding difference. Are you willing to send me more money if I short myself in s&h ? It's only fair. Don't worry about the neg because you won't be buying from me. I've made sure of that. Thank you, Your Seller. What I really said: Thank you for visiting my store. My s&h practices are above the board and my feedback reflects that. Thank you, Your seller. And yes, I blocked her. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't advocate making your money off in the s&h. If your prices are fair then there is no need to do that. Too often on ebay certain sellers will start prices out MEGA low to suck you in then have outrageous s&h charges. What kills me about that is that it's all upfront. If I'm looking at a $1 Versace dress with $499 shipping then I can sorta tell where the profit is being made. Likewise, I can hit the back button and not buy. If you get screwed in s&h it's your own fault. Don't buy. VERY SIMPLE. Now my favs are the negotiators. Those that buy then negotiate for cheaper s&h. WTH? Again, the full price is disclosed to you before you buy. If you want to TRY and negotiate cheaper s&h the time to ask is BEFORE you buy. Most sellers, including myself, are willing to ship a less expensive method. Most of the time it depends on the item and cost of item. Under this topic falls the who I call the "crammers". Those that believe the USPS FREs (Flate rate Envelopes) are magical and can actually fit up to the advertised 70 lbs. I hate to break it to you but a sweater, blazer, 4 prs of jeans, will not fit into one. In fact not one of those items will fit into one. It's not going to happen. OoooO and lets not even go into international shipping. Because costs overseas are 4 times as much as within the US and no matter what I do I cannot make them less. And yes, while I understand that customs tacks on a VAT fee for items over certain prices and I sympathize...it is ILLEGAL for me to falsify customs forms. My insurance is based on what the item sells for. So if I say you paid $10 for an item and you really paid $100 my insurance is only going to insure for the $10. AND you can bet that if item gets lost....I won't be refunding you $100. So let's make a deal. I won't tack anything extra on and give youthebest service possible and you don't try to pull one over on me. OK? This weekend only....use code SAVE15 and get 15% off ANYTHING in store.

No comments: