Shipping Help for Website? Getting Confused!

[FutureProject]

I run a web design business (as well as the giftware store I'm here for) and after setting up hundreds of websites for many different clients and products, and running my own ecommerce stores over the past 9 years the simple truth is there's no such thing as a perfect shipping system, and you will end up profiting on some shipments and loosing a little on others, in many cases you may find trial and error is needed.

if your product line is unique then you can add your shipping to the item charge and people wont mind, if you have lots of competitors you're going to be better off trying to calculate your shipping more accurately as your customers may be shopping about to find the best deals.

Another thing to consider is up selling, if seller x is selling mugs at £9.50 free pnp and you sell yours at £6+3.50pnp you may be able to get them to buy another £6 mug because the postage will not go up (based on current royal mail small parcel rate) but the person with inbuilt shipping doesn't have anything to squeeze that extra out of a customer as if they want another they can just buy another later... I don't know how many times I've added extra stuff to my cart to try just because I'm paying for shipping anyway.

[CallumHaynes]

I run a web design business (as well as the giftware store I'm here for) and after setting up hundreds of websites for many different clients and products, and running my own ecommerce stores over the past 9 years the simple truth is there's no such thing as a perfect shipping system, and you will end up profiting on some shipments and loosing a little on others, in many cases you may find trial and error is needed.

if your product line is unique then you can add your shipping to the item charge and people wont mind, if you have lots of competitors you're going to be better off trying to calculate your shipping more accurately as your customers may be shopping about to find the best deals.

Another thing to consider is up selling, if seller x is selling mugs at £9.50 free pnp and you sell yours at £6+3.50pnp you may be able to get them to buy another £6 mug because the postage will not go up (based on current royal mail small parcel rate) but the person with inbuilt shipping doesn't have anything to squeeze that extra out of a customer as if they want another they can just buy another later... I don't know how many times I've added extra stuff to my cart to try just because I'm paying for shipping anyway.

That's completely reassured me there, and by looking at the RRP of my products I think the postage cost doesn't really affect the buyer because they'll still get a good deal. I use WooCommerce for my shop build and with its 'in-built' weight based shipment calculator, it isn't really 'the best'. So I'm trying to save up for a £14 plugin/module that allows me to set out different classes, rules and definitions as well as ranges for weights and prices so that I can charge shipping fairly rather than having a set weight calculator that only bases the shipment costs on the total order's weight.

Again, I appreciate your help and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas tomorrow

[GoonerGary]

The only problem with free postage on mugs is that it is hard to disguise it into your total price. A tenner for a mug??? is what is going through your customer's mind.

[FutureProject]

you say that but the kiosk in tesco near me charge 9.90 and are blatantly not bothered about copyright issues.

[pisquee]

The only problem with free postage on mugs is that it is hard to disguise it into your total price. A tenner for a mug??? is what is going through your customer's mind.

RRP for our mugs is £10, which is what they'll pay if they go the most of our stockists, whereas they're £12.50 on the website. Set of 4 mugs RRP is £35, or £40 on the website - sales still good.

[CallumHaynes]

you say that but the kiosk in tesco near me charge 9.90 and are blatantly not bothered about copyright issues.

Yeah, there are a lot of T-Shirt sellers within my local town center who sell 'copyright infringing' materials, like an edited Twitter logo etc. Funny really because I don't see many sales there.

[FutureProject]

I normally don't care when I see in in smaller shops and online, as the customers probably know the products are unlicenced, just when its inside of tesco and looks to be part of the tesco brand (the shop logos are very small and it looks like its just part of the customer service kiosk) customers expect licencenced products.

To get back on topic, make sure if you offer next day to clearly state your cut off time and also to specify next working day as I got a lot of people ordering on Friday \ Saturday \ evenings and I couldn't help worrying that they still expected next day delivery.. I soon changed the wording on my delivery option.

[JMugs]

I don't worry about competing on price, combined postage on some of my mugs on one site is £13.75, and they sell, granted not in the same volume as a similar design on ebay by somebody else at £4.99 with free postage...but do the maths.

On my website I do free P&P and on ebay, other sites I add a P&P...so go with one and see how well it works.

Janners

[FutureProject]

I do it the other way round as ebay offer 15% off fees for top rated sellers who offer free postage.

[GoonerGary]

I do it the other way round as ebay offer 15% off fees for top rated sellers who offer free postage.

I'm thinking of returning to ebay, but won't be jumping through any of their hoops offering free postage and click and collect. Isn't that why they introduced the minefield of the defect system to cull these discounts?