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Shipping cost "with another item" mandatory?

 
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LuxuryLinensEtc



Posts: 72

PostPosted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 12:07 pm    Post subject: Shipping cost "with another item" mandatory? Reply with quote

Ecrater requires me to enter a value to my cost of shipping to show the combined shipping cost if the buyer buys more than one item. There is NO WAY I can calculate this amount until I know what the additional item is. I sell bedding and a pair of pillowcases weighs much less than a comforter, for example. Is there any way to bypass this requirement. It may be valuable for someone who sells identical items but not for me. I foresee angry buyers.
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FoxAndFish



Posts: 1585

PostPosted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 2:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This issue was already discussed in detail when it rolled out in March.

See "Flat Rate Shipping Improvements" at http://community.ecrater.com/viewtopic.php?t=35561

Some other sellers who offer fixed rate (or flat rate) shipping are in the same situation as you are. eCrater resolved the issue to the best of its ability by making the secondary rate box auto-fill with the same amt as the primary rate box. So in practice, nothing has really changed. There is no need to bypass or opt out.

I raised this point on p4 of the above thread: "The secondary rate system is not going to work for those of us who sell items of very different sizes and weights...and who ship using different classes of service, with different additional tracking/insurance services."

eCrater's response is on p6: "If not defined, we auto-populated the secondary rate automatically with the primary rate."
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cosmicray



Posts: 7286

PostPosted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 4:26 pm    Post subject: Re: Shipping cost "with another item" mandatory? Reply with quote

LuxuryLinensEtc wrote:
I foresee angry buyers.
If you only accept electronic payment, how can the buyer be angry ? More likely the seller may not like the calculated price.
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MoonwishesStore
moderator


Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 5:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can always refund the excess postage if needed, not that most buyers seem to care or even thank you. At least not in my experience. Just this week I sold 4 items on another venue and the buyer got charged $20. I refunded $10 of it and not so much as a word from the buyer. I've only ever heard from them once and that was when I didn't give a refund because the amount wouldn't have been worth the monkeying around in my opinion as I don't refund $1.

One of the big reasons I really like the matrix here. After years of using it, I could set it up if need be for all sorts of weights of products and combining them all. Probably wouldn't work as well for international shipping though. I know many complain about the matrix but in reality for me it is the easiest postage set up I've ever used.
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pickychicky



Posts: 1552

PostPosted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 6:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[DELETED DUPLICATE POST]

Last edited by pickychicky on Sun Jun 21, 2015 9:27 pm; edited 1 time in total
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pickychicky



Posts: 1552

PostPosted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 9:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Referring to the example you gave, the size of the box would significantly increase when shipping a comforter and pillows together, which would in turn cause the shipping rate to increase dramatically. So, I think you'd be safe just entering the same amount in both columns. As someone else mentioned, you can always refund any overages -- it's better than undercharging for shipping and eating the cost.

For those who sell things that are closer in size and weight (like me), I just figure the difference between the retail rate of shipping it by itself and the next pound up. For example, if something ships to Zone 8 at 1 lb for $5 and the 2 lb rate is $7, I put $2 in the second column (just dreamt those numbers up for the example). Mind you, most everything I sell is under 2 pounds.

The system is always going to calculate the shipping for the heaviest item plus the rate in the second column for the lighter items. So it should balance out about right, especially since the system charges retail rates when I pay commercial rates. So I doubt it would ever undercharge by too much and I always refund excessive overages.

P.S. -- It duplicated my post for some reason, so I removed the initial copy.
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