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Shipping Upgrades

 
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LazyCarrot



Posts: 8

PostPosted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 2:41 am    Post subject: Shipping Upgrades Reply with quote

I'm trying to finalise my shipping - have set up weighted shipping which seems to be working ok however....

I'm based in the UK selling to USA.
My shipping charges are for Standard UK Airmail, which is Untracked.
That's 'normal' in the UK but I know US customers are far more used to having Tracking and I'd like to offer that as an Upgrade to my shipping.

I'd only have to charge a single fixed amount for tracking (it doesn't increase with weight so it wouldn't matter if they purchased multiple items), but I can't see if it's possible to do this as an option with setting up shipping.

I do see references to people offering 'upgrades to priority' but this seems to be US sellers using USPS - not sure if it's possible for a UK seller using Royal Mail.

Scratching my head at the moment Confused

Any pointers / work arounds would be appreciated!
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SheilaDeesPostcards
moderator


Posts: 4614

PostPosted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 7:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Your question has me scratching my head also. I'm usually able to come up with an answer or a work around on shipping, but your question has me stumped. The eCrater terms of service state:
Quote:
- Shipping must be set-up in the store to all locations that are selected in the shipping zones. It is not allowed to request shipping or additional costs after an order has been placed. The buyer should have the full cost upon checkout.
Since you are giving the shipping at the time of checkout and stating it doesn't include tracking, I'm wondering if eCRATER would allow you to invoice the customer for the tracking after the fact IF the customer requested the additional charge. Only the eCRATER staff could answer that and you can reach them via email from the contact link on the home page of eCRATER.

My question would be, Are you sure you want to ship to the US without tracking? I would assume the PayPal rules for UK sellers would be similar to the rules for the US. I know in the US, if a buyer says they didn't receive the item and you can't provide a delivery confirmation, the buyer normally wins the dispute and PayPal refunds their money which they deduct from the seller's account. Some sellers feel they will gain so many more sales by offering a lower shipping that the lack of tracking is off set by the volume. They simply plan to absorb the loss. We have some sellers active on the forum who have stopped selling internationally because of the high cost of shipping with tracking and the high risk of selling without tracking. I think it's a decision every seller must make for themselves, but I did want to mention both sides of the issue as I see it.
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LazyCarrot



Posts: 8

PostPosted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 11:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

@SheilaDeesPostcards - Thanks for taking the time for such a thoughtful reply - much appreciated.
And thanks for simply confirming that I'm not missing something obvious and in fact I can't simply offer an Upgrade at checkout - it stops me barking up the wrong tree!

One possible work-around I'm pondering on is setting up a listing for Upgraded Shipping and directing customers to purchase an upgrade and add it to their basket if they want tracked shipping.
Worst case if they came back later, they'd still be purchasing a listing - so probably bending eCrater rules to the limit but the may let me through... I'll contact them.

I'm probably about to jinx this now but... I've always found RM/USPS to be really efficient at international delivering - and although untracked isn't covered by PayPal, RM do insure me against loss in transit, at least sufficient to cover the postage and take the sting out of the sale.
In part I think this is due to the fact that UK and US addresses are formatted very similarly so postal addresses tend to be correctly laid out - mainland Europe have various layouts for addresses most with the ZIP Code coming in front of the city etc., and I suspect the inconsistent address layouts account for a lot of the parcels going astray... For that reason I tend to send Tracked to our near neighbours in Europe but am more comfortable with untracked to the US.
Just my personal experience - i may live to regret saying it!!!
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SheilaDeesPostcards
moderator


Posts: 4614

PostPosted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 11:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You might want to take a few minutes to review the eCRATER terms of service. They are located from a link on the home page on the lower right. Having a listing for upgraded shipping is one of the items listed in the section titled "What is not allowed to post", so that isn't an option. Perhaps they can suggest a different option.

I'm delighted to hear you had such great luck with your shipping, but I don't think it's the postal address format. Sadly, there are thieves who steal the package off the porch and even more sadly there are customers who simply lie because they realize you have no way to prove the package was delivered. I've never had a case where I thought either were the case, but I've rarely sent a shipment without tracking.
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LazyCarrot



Posts: 8

PostPosted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 12:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you - I'll contact support and see if they have any suggestions.
If they do - I'll post back here
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SheilaDeesPostcards
moderator


Posts: 4614

PostPosted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 12:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great! That's how our community knowledge base grows.
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