Free Post or not Free Post?

[pal_version]

what really is the best option?

you put free postage on and include it into the "buy it now" price but the buyers make offers to try and to effectively get free postage. or you include the postage and you seem to get less traffic.

just seems like a lose lose situation for a seller.

[game_raid]

Price your items with the minimum best offer you would accept with free shipping added, set this on the listing when you create it as you know.

Alternatively don't add best offer just price your items at the lowest price you are happy with.

We never add best offer but instead opt to send offers out every week or so which often gets a few sales, I have better things to do than mess about accepting and rejecting offers.

[papso22]

Surely a buyer's offer on a free postage item will have free postage by default?

[moldosgifts]

It is the terminology that is wrong it is postage included not free.

Free means nothing added like fragrance free soap.

But on ebay free means that postage is added and seller still has to pay someone for it.

Unless post office are giving away postage and I've not been told.

[padanpcparts]

It's not really a choice. It is dictated by the market and my competitors so everything is 'free post'. 

[the-nutwood-collection]

On another platform, I used to offer freepost on all my listings, but grew tired of updating the prices every time RM had a price hike.

I changed to a cost per item and a flat postage fee.  Whether the buyer orders one item, or orders 100, they pay the same postage.  The only variation is that, if they order samples, they get a voucher for freepost on a subsequent order.  Also, the postage charge is very reasonable.  My profit is built into the item, not the postage charge.

I have seen no reduction in sales.  I think buyers are savvy enough to realise that 'freepost' is just baked into the price.  The listings are far cleaner, they're just [n] cost per item plus [n] cost for postage. 

However, my items are things that are usually purchased in multiples - maybe one-off items are better if the price includes postage.     

[liz49181]

My items are small and only cost 85p to post. EBay now want to charge the customer postage which they are charging at over £2.70per item. I can’t afford to take this off my selling price as many of my items only cost the customer £4 with postage.  Do I find another platform to sell on or is there a way around this? 

[pulseofthedead]

I do not do free post. To me if an item has the postage included in the price, if they were to buy 2 items, then technically they would be paying 2 lots of postage.

It suits different types of items.

I prefer my customers who do buy multiples to have combined  postage which works well for me

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Not meaning to be contrary on this one, but free post is the correct terminology.

It just depends on how your looking at it.

Basically, when there is no postage charged separately, there is no postage charged directly to the customer.  Therefore it's free postage!  Even though it is still indirectly charged in the item price.

You could say the same of any number of other costs that are built into the price, such as (with clothing), free cleaned!  I know, stretching it, but you get my point?

As regards which to use, free or not, then I tend to go to free!  Though a lot of it is probably due to being an Amazon seller for a long time.  It does however have a slight advantage, in that there is a small extra discount on fees and I do believe that Ebay will increase viewing, when compared to with postage separately charged.

There is of course a dependence on the products, if they are suitable for multiples being bought at once, then it does make sense to charge postage separately.  Though you can price this, with a multiple discount as well.

But at the end of the day, it's what suits you.