Question for the group

[Ursus]

I was wondering what some of you have as criteria for whether you would make a posting "free shipping" or maybe deciding if you would make it an auction or "buy now or best offer"? I have played around with doing them all, and I still haven't decided in my mind the best time to use any of these options.

 

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[clovis97]

For me, the decision to offer free shipping depends on what my competition is doing, the weight and cost to ship it, what the completed sales looked like, and how fast I wanted to move the product.

Often, I've been able to get more money for an item because of the free shipping. I would have sold it for $14.99 plus $3 for first class mail, but sometimes I'll list it for 19.99 with free shipping.

I've had some items, like some new bolts and washers, that I just wanted gone, so I sold them with free shipping. I would have given them away...but the free shipping triggered sales. I had 40 lots of those bolts, and just have 2 of them left!

 

[brendan1414]

I always check the prices of the item, and list mine as a buy it now JUST under there price, and put the shipping as what i would estimate it would be, perhaps a dollar over. buy it now is by far the best way to go

 

[diggummup]

If I can fit it in a padded envelope and it weighs less than 13 ounces (1st class) I will offer free shipping. If I have to take time wrapping, packing, taping and using shipping materials, I will not.

 

[Shambler]

"buy now or best offer"

Generally, you'd do this if your target audience is small.....IE. a county atlas or a high school yearbook. If it's an item many people might search for, you want to give them the opportunity to bid it up.

 

[cdltpx]

NEVER OFFER FREE SHIPPING ! I did this on an ebay auction when I got the bill the shipping was for more than the item sold for. The woman that bought it lived down a road and she knew the shipping was outrageous for her location. I sold a financial calculator new in the box would have doubled my money but the shipping cost so much I shut down my ebay acct and swore I would never establish another acct with them again. Ebay highly recommended I offer free shipping no wonder they have a back door deal with UPS Is my guess.

 

[famous turtle treasures]

I have gone to free shipping and raised my prices.

The whole BIN vs auction could be disputed forever.

I had all of my listings at BIN with best offer option, but I decided last week to take off the best offer and see what would happen.

So far so good.