# Free Shipping- will it help?



## bluemoonluck (Oct 28, 2008)

From 2006 to 2009 I sold a lot of nursing scrubs on ebay...and I have to say I did quite well with them. Before the fees were taken out by ebay/paypal, I was getting an average of $10/piece for them. They're brand new, first quality, and retail for $20 or higher, so that wasn't too bad.

In 2009 I found a woman who ran a store who was willing to buy my scrubs from me on consignment...I got free and clear $7 each for them, which when you consider the fees and time saved, was more than worth my time. Unfortunately, her store went out of business this past spring, so I'm back to selling my own scrubs again.

I've done two rounds of auctions, total of 4 lots each time, and I gotta say this just stinks :viking: I've been getting $5 a piece for them BEFORE fees, which is half of what I was getting two years ago.

Now I know the economy stinks, but this is just :shocked:. 

I ship via Priority Mail in the medium flat rate box for $10.95, and on the two rounds of auctions I've done so far I passed that cost along to the buyer. When I did ebay before I always charged shipping, but now I'm wondering if that's hurting me.

If I offer free shipping, my costs are going to go up almost $11 per auction, so the bidding action would have to increase to at least cover this expense.

I'm wondering what y'all think about free shipping - if I started offering free shipping on my auctions, would that increase the bids? What is your experience with free shipping and ebay auctions?

I'd like to list some more auctions this week - I've got nearly 400 scrubs sitting here in my house and since I'm unemployed I really need to get this inventory turned into $$$$.

Thanks!


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

What is the competition charging for shipping and would actual postage be cheaper then the flat rate box. The tyvek priority mail envelops could be another option. https://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10052&productId=10000273&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=10000002&top_category=10000002&categoryId=10000033&top=&currentPage=0&sort=&viewAll=Y&rn=CategoriesDisplay&WT.ac=10000273


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## bluemoonluck (Oct 28, 2008)

My lots are usually 6-8 pieces....they won't fit easily into a regular envelope and they're very heavy. They fit perfectly into the medium flat-rate box, and with the tracking included its a value I can't beat.

I tried doing regular shipping, not Priority Mail, but by the time I bought the envelopes and paid for the tracking (so PayPal would cover me if the items got "lost" ) it was more expensive than the flat-rate boxes.

The competition is all over the map as far as pricing goes, so that's not much help :shrug:


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

I think the free shipping helps...and helps a bunch. Buyers are tired of being taken on shipping, so I think they naturally shift to listings with free shipping.

On some items, I think it has helped my sales tremendously. 

I do dislike offering free shipping on items that can't be shipped in a flat rate box. It seems like someone from far off, in a distant zip code is buying my stuff. Shipping then goes from $6 to $10, and when you are selling low margin items to begin with, that extra $4 can hurt!!!!

It is worth trying...run a listing or two with free shipping, and see how you do.


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

Oh, also, I'd suggest you also listing some Buy It Now options for single garments.

Just mark them up a little more, even if you are one of the highest on ebay for those listings.

What's worked for me: If the high end of something on ebay is $30, I'll list mine at $36 with free shipping, assuming the shipping is going to cost $4. Some people will pay for the convenience of not having to wait, and I make $2 more than what I wanted. This might not be a great example, but you see my point.

BTW, have you tried selling single garments, with BIN, and will they ship first class parcel? It has to weigh less than 13 ounces to go FCP.


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## Wanderer (Aug 22, 2011)

I don't sell on E-Bay, but I do buy things there and always look for "By it Now" with free shipping. I don't have time to check back multiple times on regular auctions. Plus, consider using the Regional shipping boxes any time you can -- makes a big difference on postage in your area over the regular flat rate. The regional medium (Box B) is about $3.00 cheaper than flat rate.


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## Catalytic (Sep 15, 2010)

I agree with the suggestions to do single sets for BIN. I rarely, if ever, will bid on an auction, if it doesn't have BIN, I pass it by. I also look for free shipping!


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

I look for "Total Price". Free shipping helps because there is no variable. But, that said, if there is an auction that is starting out low, shipping is right, I will watch and bid if it stays within my limit. I know that shipping has to be paid by someone, I just want it to be a reasonable amount and not inflated.

Do you offer tops and bottoms separate? Or do you only offer sets? Reason I ask is, I have two DDs that use scrubs. One has to get different sizes in tops and bottoms to get the right fit. 

Have you tried other sites to sell? Even CL for local or other cities to be shipped. If you don't want the extra time dealing with people in person, only use CL in distant cities with shipping.


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## Guest (Aug 24, 2011)

I like free shipping items . It ticks me off when an item that's worth 10.00 has 10.00 shipping added on to it .


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

WV Hillbilly said:


> I like free shipping items . It ticks me off when an item that's worth 10.00 has 10.00 shipping added on to it .


I hate that too. Especially when the item could have gone a much cheaper method, like first class mail, or even parcel post, but the seller is too lazy to find a box and ship it one of those methods.


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

clovis said:


> I hate that too. Especially when the item could have gone a much cheaper method, like first class mail, or even parcel post, but the seller is too lazy to find a box and ship it one of those methods.


That is the type of auction (or buy it now) that I will not even consider. I just move on.


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## bluemoonluck (Oct 28, 2008)

I sell lots of 6-8 pieces, sometimes all tops, sometimes tops with a pair of pants that match. I don't sell individual items because in my experience they aren't cost effective :shrug:. I can't sell them for enough to make it worth my time and my costs to buy an individual envelope, pay shipping, cover the ebay/paypal fees, etc. 

I figure $10.95 shipping on a lot of 6-8 pieces (which is heavier than you think!) is better than charging $5 shipping for one or two items. And I prefer to charge actual shipping, so when I'm dealing with anything other than flat-rate boxes I tend to lose money because I always go too low. Its nice to have a fixed shipping rate and to know for sure that, come shipping time, there will be no surprises at the post office.

But I'm going to try some free shipping and some BIN's and see if that doesn't help things.


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## Guest (Aug 24, 2011)

Don't forget the Ebay takes a "final value fee" on the shipping too. So, they're going to get their 9% whether you have free shipping or not. If you list as free shipping, you need to raise your minimum bid or reserve to allow for the extra 10.95. and if you never paid final value fees on shipping before, don't forget to allow for that in your calculations.


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## INFORG (Jun 21, 2011)

Scrubs are a consumable item that should result in repeat and word of mouth business. eBay should be used sparingly to increase your customer base and mailing list. Do you have a website where you sell? Do you send out flyers in the mail? Email mailing list?

If you are going to sell on eBay, a fixed price with shipping included might be the way to go. I know the priority mail boxes are convenient, but if the shipping costs are more than 20% of the total price, you may want to check other modes of shipping or increase your lot sizes further.

If you provide a link to your listings, maybe we can help even more.


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## bluemoonluck (Oct 28, 2008)

INFORG said:


> Scrubs are a consumable item that should result in repeat and word of mouth business. eBay should be used sparingly to increase your customer base and mailing list. Do you have a website where you sell? Do you send out flyers in the mail? Email mailing list?


I only get one of each style.... I sell the salesman samples, which the Cherokee rep uses to show store owners what that season's products look like. Basically it is an example of what each style/design looks like so the store owner can decide what he/she wants to stock for their store that season. They're all also size small.

They're top quality, obviously, because Cherokee wants to showcase their product to the store owners. So they're really nice, but since there is only 1 of each style/color it limits my inventory. Once I sell the Eeyore Flex-i-bles top, its sold - restocking is not an option, so I then have to sell the solid navy Flex-i-bles top or whatever else I have left.

I don't think creating a mailing list would be practical in my circumstance.


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

Sending you a PM. One DD wears small.


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

Allot of hospitals have an organized "Nurses Day" with free meals; breakfast for the night crew, lunch for days, ect. They will also have vendors set up and offer discounts to staff. 
Along the same lines you might target local facilities & nursing schools with a discount. Advertise with a flier.


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

Pelenaka said:


> Allot of hospitals have an organized "Nurses Day" with free meals; breakfast for the night crew, lunch for days, ect. They will also have vendors set up and offer discounts to staff.
> Along the same lines you might target local facilities & nursing schools with a discount. Advertise with a flier.


That is an *excellent* idea.

Why not try to get the hospital to allow you to set up in a break room or in the cafeteria?


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

Thank you ... marketing is a hobby of mine, lol.

Another thought is to get a few reps who work in the medical field to sell to co-workers like tupperware or avon. Have one rep per local health care facility. 

I'd come up with more but with the size limits that's a hard one to work around. She could target nationalities that are small framed if that is a local possibility. 


~~ pelenaka ~~


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## bluemoonluck (Oct 28, 2008)

Well, I put three "test" listings today on ebay....

I went with BIN, and Free Priority Shipping.

I explained in the write-up what they would go for in a retail store, and that I was charging 50% of the retail price and including the cost of shipping. I figure if I can get $10/piece for them, minus shipping and fees, I'll be doing better than I was in the auctions :shrug:

I've sold 2 of the 3 listings already! :nanner:

Thanks for your feedback...I'm going to list some more BIN's tomorrow and hopefully will continue to get the same result.


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