I sell all my eBay stuff via Best Offer with fixed shipping (buyers seemed to prefer it that way).

 

Being lazy and ignorant, I had erroneously assumed that FVF on shipping would not apply to me if I stayed within the USPS/FedEx's price guidelines or that FVF shipping would only apply to excess shipping charges.

 

Of course that is not true as eBay charges 10% on shipping, regardless of my cost. 

 

To compensate, I am thinking about offering free shipping, but baking in the shipping cost plus few extra dollars.

 

What do you guys do?

That's what I do...it does jack up the item price a bit but I haven't noticed an issue with any decrease in the number of sales.  I end up charging an amount for shipping equal to the furthest zip code from me, so I end up making some extra money sometimes and use that to offset the cost of materials.

I have better luck with free shipping. I had a Heartlake Vet up for $70 buy it now + $12 shipping. It sat for a week. I changed it to $90 buy it now w free shipping and it sold same day. Go figure.

Better just to Free Ship and jack the sale price up or Cheap Ship and jack the sale price up. 

I agree with the previous posts, and chip in that buyers like to think they're getting a deal with free shipping, and sellers like to get an automatic five stars on the 's&**** charges' Detailed Seller Rating with free shipping.

Whether you give free shipping and increase your price to offset the cost or charge a flat rate with a lower selling price, either way you are still paying the same fees. Am I missing something here?

Whether you give free shipping and increase your price to offset the cost or charge a flat rate with a lower selling price, either way you are still paying the same fees. Am I missing something here?

 

 

Not in the mathmatical aspect of it.  You're paying the same.  Using the "Free Shipping" technique though plays on the idea that shoppers are always looking to get a bargain......even though ITEM COST + SHIPPING might be equal or even lower than ITEM COST + FREE SHIPPING. 

 

In regards to E-Bay....I do think that there's a generalized buyer mindset that a seller is trying to hide fees or make a little extra off of their Shipping and Handling costs.  Free shipping can alleviate those suspicions.  

Not in the mathmatical aspect of it.  You're paying the same.  Using the "Free Shipping" technique though plays on the idea that shoppers are always looking to get a bargain......even though ITEM COST + SHIPPING might be equal or even lower than ITEM COST + FREE SHIPPING. 

 

In regards to E-Bay....I do think that there's a generalized buyer mindset that a seller is trying to hide fees or make a little extra off of their Shipping and Handling costs.  Free shipping can alleviate those suspicions.

Yes, I understand all of that, but the title of the thread suggests that the OP is looking for a way to lower and/or avoid paying eBay fees on shipping charges when there isn't a way to avoid or get around them. Charging them or giving free shipping to make your item more appealing is another topic all together. Personally, I would rather have a lower starting price, which attracts attention, vs a jacked up price with free shipping. As long as you charge a reasonable amount for shipping, most people are comfortable with it. I think people are more wary of the higher cost with free shipping, realizing that the price is higher to account for the "free" shipping. There are good and bad points to both methods I suppose.

Yes, I understand all of that, but the title of the thread suggests that the OP is looking for a way to lower and/or avoid paying eBay fees on shipping charges when there isn't a way to avoid or get around them. Charging them or giving free shipping to make your item more appealing is another topic all together. Personally, I would rather have a lower starting price, which attracts attention, vs a jacked up price with free shipping. As long as you charge a reasonable amount for shipping, most people are comfortable with it. I think people are more wary of the higher cost with free shipping, realizing that the price is higher to account for the "free" shipping. There are good and bad points to both methods I suppose.

 

 

Yeah...there's no way around the fees.  They started it because of the select few that would sell  a 50.00 item  for .99 with 49.99 in Shipping and handling.   The OP is right......E-bay should have it that if you ship thru them....only the difference between your shipping quote and the price you pay for the shipping should be hit with the fee.  

thanks for your awesome comments.

 

@terry-

 

you are correct.  there is no way to avoid fvf shipping, so I am sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. 

 

however, offering a lower priced auction does not work for me because some of the LEGO stuff I sell have limited audience so i need to prolong the listing exposure.