Happy On-line Shopping Surprise

I always email thanks for terrific shipping. Probably should have worn safety goggles and opened the last one outside. She had loaded one of those 'if it fits, it ships' boxes so firmly it it was about to explode. Atta girl! Polly

"Marcella Peek" <

Just a thought - shipping costs are more than just postage. Boxes, bags, tape, making sure it's weatherproof (and hopefully UPS proof!), time spent doing this and dropping off the package for shipment (for me anyway). I've sold a few things on Etsy and I can see the other side now.

Of course I agree that many times shipping rates are excessive, and I try to keep mine realistic. In fact, it sometimes costs me more out of pocket than I charge, depending on where the package is going.

Iris

Not exactly.

When mailed US postal I almost always receive things in their priority envelopes and boxes - those are free from the post office.

Tape for boxes yes

Other boxes yes

However, those supplies and time spent are part of the handling charge. Not postage.

Two different things.

I notice many vendors are separating those costs out now - postage on one line based on zip code and a flat handling fee on another line.

marcella

Yes, exactly.

My quillows don't fit into any of the postal boxes. Believe me, I've checked what's cheapest. I would have to buy boxes in bulk (large bulk) and right now my volume of sales doesn't justify it. That could change. A few of my small items do fit in the priority envelopes, and I have used them. Ability to use the small envelopes or boxes is reflected in my shipping.

I will not quibble about postage vs. handling as Etsy does not separate out the two. It's called "shipping" which is the word I used in my post. Shipping costs include postage, and the other things. If you want to separate those other things and call it handling - fine. Add up your "postage" and "handling" and you get my "shipping." The fact that large firms can subsume some shipping -- er, postage and handling -- charges into the overall price they charge, and offer free shipping, makes it tougher for small operations. I don't make anything on my shipping and often lose, as I said. When I offer free shipping, as I have done occasionally, I really lose. Fortunately, I don't depend on sales for a living. It supports the hobby. I've made a lot more money selling items locally through word of mouth than I have on-line.

Iris

If I were selling on my own website, I probably would. I could micro-manage more. However, we're talking Etsy here. They set up a page where you decide shipping costs. You can have different shipping rates for different parts of the world. But (at least the last time I looked) you can't charge different rates for different parts of the US, even though the actual postage differs by zone. Etsy does not split "postage" from "handling". It's shipping, period.

Hey, like everybody else, I sometimes think that shipping costs are too high on some websites. All I'm saying is, that since I've actually been involved on the shipping side, I see how difficult it is to strike a balance between keeping people happy and not giving things away for practically nothing because I'm losing money on shipping, not to mention the Etsy fees, Paypal fees, and taxes. I probably need to raise the price on the quillows because they're cheaper than anything comparable on the site. But it's a moot point right now because I'm sold out and busily making more! Most of my joy comes from the construction process, not the sales anyway, so it's all good.

Iris