As its getting more expensive what are the views on ‘included’ postage or adding postage after? I used to use evri but now their costs vary depending on region so selling a spindle to Scotland with ‘free’ post would significantly affect my limited profit
There’s no such thing as free postage. It’s just a marketing ploy. If you offer free postage you have to higher your overall prices to cover it.
6 Likes
Absolutely was going to say the same thing. PLUS you will have to pay Folksy 7.2% of that postage cost as separate postage is not included in the fee calculation.
3 Likes
I prefer to see postage costs seperate.
If they are factored into the price and someone orders say 3 items they are actually paying 3 postage fees whereas when they are charged seperately the cost can be set per item with an added extra but reduced price for aditional items or free delivery for additional items.
5 Likes
Free or postage included is not fair on the customer and reminds me of fleabay. The customer ordering multiple items ends up paying more.
I have used a flat rate for ages, no one complains I. Fact notice people order more. Sometimes with small parcel goes over but happy to bear that.
I would love Folksy to have scaled postage rates based on value and an option to have free postage over a set amount. I know I can refund but think that is unprofessional.
Most of the larger brands charge flat rate, customers know the cost of postage and that it has to be paid.
3 Likes
I’ve tried both and I haven’t noticed a difference in sales either way. For most if my items I now separate postage from the item…this also means that I don’t get charged fees on the pp element of the sale.
5 Likes
Thanks all, that is what I thought but was advised elsewhere that it might help sales. Will also now use PO as they are slightly dearer but same cost anywhere
Les
3 Likes
Sorry, replied to wrong place.
I was going to say that I charge a flat rate of postage - regardless of number items bought, postage stays the same.
This works for me as my items are relatively light in weight, might not work for someone selling multiple heavier items. I would say it may encourage customers to buy more than one item.
And as @JOYSofGLASS noted, if you include postage cost in the price of the item, you’ll be paying Folksy commission on that included postage cost. (If postage cost is separate, you don’t pay Folksy commission on it).
Last point - as a buyer I generally look at the overall cost (item + postage if separate) to see if I think it’s value for money. I would only be put off if postage costs were ridiculously high - though I agree, Royal Mail costs heading that way which is a concern!
1 Like
It’s been useful to get feedback, I had a Shopfront review done by the Folksy team as i changed from monthly to annual and it was very informative, got me thinking about all aspects of the shop.. I do not ‘do’ social media so rely on sales through the site
Mine is set at 3.95 for tracked 48, free for additional items, tracked covers up to £150 compensation so I do sometimes pay the second postage myself or upgrade to special delivery and again I pay the extra but I don’t mind if the order is over £150.
My cards and patterns go cheaper (can’t remember what they are set as ). To be honest I havn’t had an increase in sales at all sìnce i brought the postage down on my high end items last year so it proves it doesn’t matter whether the postage cost on high end is £3.95 or double that price. Last year my postage was higher and additional items were charged at 1 or 2 pounds extra and I had more sales last year.
1 Like
I started with a separate postage cost.
When I removed the postage cost I did not increase the cost of my items, so my items were genuinely free postage. I found that having free postage improved sales although it was a significant cost to me because I send everything tracked.
When I put the postage cost back on, sales stopped.
As a buyer, I do not look at the item price and postage cost as separate things. I look at the total cost of the item arriving at my door. If I believe the total cost is reasonable, I will make the purchase regardless of whether there is a separate postage cost or not.
3 Likes
Some of my postage can cost quite a lot. Glass is heavy and some of my pieces are large. I’d rather be completely transparent about postage costs but when I have offered free postage it’s not made any difference to sales. And as Folksy don’t charge fees for postage on here the sensible option, for me at least, is to charge postage
1 Like
Postage is in my price ( only recently about a month) , i decided to give it a try to see if it made a difference, and yes i decided that on some items i would not increase my price to cover that cost ( why? because the shop sales is very slow and far between, so though reduce some items while i’m changing listings), I also found this post on the folksy blog, its 10 yrs old, but may be of interest.
I could change back to adding postage seperately if i find there is no difference to sales.
1 Like
Mine is set at a flat rate of £3 never affected my sales and often find customers buy more to make it worth their while. They even buy a card for 2.00 and pay the £3 flat rate. If a customer wants it they will pay.
The other thing is I object to paying commission on the postage part takes even more profit out of my sales, having separate means safe apart from the bankers.
2 Likes
mine was flat 3.95 for the £40 spend and then special delivery for the higher prices Used to be 6.95 and RM just kept going up and up, i think what RM charges is putting buyers off, ( not saying they don’t deserve to charge for their service, but its gone up by about a third this year) hence trying the included side.
1 Like
I use to send everything 2nd class signed for until royal mail decided the compensation should go down to £20 so I now use Tracked 48 post with cover of £150. I do sometimes send special delivery but I pay the extra myself and only if the £150 cover is not enough.
I reduced my prices last year when I switched but sales are down this year so it didn’t make any difference. I believe on high end items customers are happy to pay a higher postage rate than on smaller, cheaper items. I think special next day delivery is just short of £10 now, the prices have really shot up the past couple of years, I don’t think it matters on high end items but it is really hard for those sending cards.
I noticed today that the weight limit of RM48 large letter has gone up from 750gm to 1kg, and the price has stayed the same (£2.70). That’s a good news story!
1 Like