Urgent Ebay advice needed!

[davethesailor]

Hi Everyone,

Apologies if this is in the wrong place!!

I need some advice please!

I am currently selling most of my Dr Who books on ebay, the auction is due to end today. I have set the postage and packing at 1.40 per book and all books were listed at a starting price of 99p.

Anyway, I keep on getting requests for me to combine postage on multiple items. Which is fair enough. I'm just not sure what is a fair discount to offer.

I mean if someone wins a couple of books for 99p I don't really feel able to offer a discount, however, if someone wins 15 books at various prices I guess I should offer something.

Has anyone else experienced this? What do you think is fair. I don't want to be greedy or rip people off, but at the same time I'm doing this cause I need to make some cash.

Advice please!


Dave x

[Pip Madeley]

Dave, you didn't specify a discount in your listing, so you're not obliged, and the buyer can't kick up a fuss about it. Just give them at your disgression - I'd say more than a handful would deserve a little discount. Make sure you get them weighed first though, you don't want to be losing money.

[Alex]

Well I guess it depends on what your costs are Dave, I'm guessing each book would cost, what, about 70p postage (as that's the cost to send a dvd), and it depends on where you get your envelopes / jiffy bags from as to how much they cost. But if you do it via the Royal Mail it'd be about 60 odd pence, and that'd make a total of 1.30.

If that's the case, just explain that you're not making any profit whatsoever on the postage and so can't offer a discount. If someone wants to buy loads off of you, I'd visit the Royal Mail site to see how much it'd cost and if there is a way to offer them cheaper postage.

Ultimately it's all about you not making a loss, and as you've stated your postal costs, everyone should go by that, and if you do offer a discount than that's a kindness on your behalf, if you get what I mean.

Hope that helps a bit, anyway.

[Wayne]

In my experience of selling on eBay Dave, including Who books, i've found that sending 2 roughly indentical in weight items together, is only about approx half as much again as snding just 1 item.
If i was using your prices that would work out at costing 1.40 for the first item, & another 70p for every item on top of that.
Bear in mind that i've not taken into account the price of your envelopes in that, but for pure postage costs you wouldn't actually be losing anything by sending multiple items at approx half your postage rate, or a bit more than half, just to be sure you're covered.

[Dirk Gently]

I'd just give the stock answer of 1.40 for the first item & 1 for every item after. Your not cutting your throat & you're giving them something.

[Wayne]

Tim's compromise is a good suggestion.

[davethesailor]

Thanks for all the feedback. I like Tim's suggestion and will go with that. Obviously if any of my buyers have an issue with it I shall give them Tim's address and phone number!!!!!!!

[Paul Clement]

I did something similar to what Tim's suggesting when selling my Big Finish CD's. The buyers seemed happy with it, and I was happy to feel I was being a little accommodating, too.