Southerrrngirrl Posted October 20, 2008 Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 I have a question for those that sell stuff on TM. Do you charge the postage as what it actually costs, or do you mark it up to cover the cost of going to the post office etc?? I have sold some stuff on TM but only charged the postage amount as what it was quoted. ie, it cost $5 in postage, I charge the buyer $5 for postage. I bought of TM the other day and was charged $5 postage, only to find when the package arrived that it in fact cost $4 postage to get to me. Where did my other $1 go??? I'm just wondering if the marking up of postage to cover other costs such as travel, time, etc is widely accepted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted October 20, 2008 Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 If you want to cover postage you quote and charge postage. If you want to recover some of the actual costs you quote and charge P&P---and it will still cost more than you charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted October 20, 2008 Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 Hi, I sell on TM and i usually charge actual postage plus packaging - packaging adds up and is expensive - bubblewrap, tape, cardboard etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 20, 2008 Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 At work we always say "shipping at cost", and its amazing how many people assume that means the cost of the courier ticket. We normally charge for the courier ticket, box, and a bit more for packing materials depending on how awkward the items are to pack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 I sell on tm and what it costs me is usually more than I charge, dependant on the number of fish sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldogod Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 L only charge what the postage costs and I only expect to pay the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 It is all a bit academic realy. You sell for $20 plus $10 P&P when it costs $5 to post, or you charge $25 and $5 actual postage. There are other genuine costs other than the postage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 Postage price on my sales are advertised on each auction. If a customer bids or buy my auction, I take that as an agreement to pay that price to send item. Sometimes i manage to find a smaller box which through NZ Post may cost less. Buyer accepted stated amount on auction, why should I reduce the cost.(in saying that, the differences in costs for my auctions are usually $1.00 or less) Also as stated by others in above posts, there is cost of boxes, tape, bags, and time and fuel to take to post office that I have to cover. I try to be as close to actual cost as possible. If I stated one price, and then charged another, well thats a different story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanuts Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 They may have advertised the postage price believing it to be that from reading the NZ Post website and measuring the size of the parcel. They then took the parcel along to the post shop to send the item and was charged a smaller amount to send - would you say to NZ post - but I charged them this amount to send it - heres the $amount I charged them. They may have thought - will its only a $1 I will call that a bonus to help towards packing and petrol. I struck this once and advised the person that the post shop charged less than I had charged them and they told me to keep it as it was only a small difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 L only charge what the postage costs and I only expect to pay the same Do you mean what the courier ticket costs, or what the postage costs? Here's what the postage costs us at work: Courier tickets. We have to buy them by the book and sit on tickets, sometimes for 12 months or more, and at any given time we probably have over $500 tied up in courier tickets. Boxes. Either paid for ($1-3 each from packaging recyclers) or scrounged from the supermarket. Still not free as it involves a trip in the truck, somebodies time to collect, fsort and store them, plus the space they take up in the shed. Packing materials. Shredded paper takes time and electricity to create, and the paper has to be sourced. Same for scrunched up newspaper, polystyrene packing from stereos etc. Other miscellaneous. 'FRAGILE' tape, sellotape, envelopes for invoices, vivids for writing addresses etc. All cost money. Then there's the time it takes to find the right size box, estimate the weight of the parcel, decide on which courier ticket will be most cost effective, estimate packing/shipping cost, communicate this to the buyer, receive payment, pack the item, and phone the courier or take to post shop. Anyone who expects someone to do all that for free has got to be kidding themselves. Even with a small charge to cover the box and materials in almost all cases our shipping would still be done at a loss if a cost accountant was to work everything out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 Agreed David R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 i totally agree with david R. if you have a company or just send a lot of packages, then you should not make a loss on sending packages - even if the loss is not strictly in dollar terms. keeping money tied up in courier bags for example has an opportunity cost that cannot just be written off - so if you need to charge a premium for making up for that cost, well then it has to be done i guess. since i am not a regular seller on trademe, i just charge the same amount as the post office charges. but if i were to start an online business then i would definitely charge for the "extras" of sending something through the post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldogod Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 guess its bit differant in business type situation .I wouldnt charge for packaging or time, gas spent sending things. If I get charged $5 for postage and it arrives with $1 stamp on it then Im not impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 I sell plants on the unmentionable site. I charge $6 per parcel and will send multiple sales for $6. I cut down small cartons (takes time) to less than 70mm thick and they can then be posted fastpost for $3-$5.50 depending on other dimensions. They then take 1-2 days rather than 3-5 days. There will be at least 2 plastic bags, tape and a printed label plus the cost of getting to the post. I don't feel bad about it because I state that the $6 is for p&p (packing and post). If you quote for postage only then you better just charge postage and add the other costs to the product (all academic realy) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 guess its bit differant in business type situation .I wouldnt charge for packaging or time, gas spent sending things. If I get charged $5 for postage and it arrives with $1 stamp on it then Im not impressed. Agreed, and I have actually had a business do that ($8 postage for a $45 soft-cover book which came in a large envelope with two 50c stamps!). Another thing I find very annoying is when you do a $1reserve auction, the item sells for $1-2 and then people complain about paying $8+ for shipping. :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 as long as your honest/straight up about what the charges are then everyone should be happy (doesnt mean you can charge what u like but within reason) i find it funny how 9/10 ppl will say no dont worry about the extra dollar if u say to them hey post office charged me less but if u think to youself sweet bonus dolla for me then you'l prob end up with 9/10 ppl either complaining to you or atleast thinking to them selves they bn ript off :roll: instead of charging gas and time (even postage) i think your better in somecases just to add to the sale price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindy500 Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 i bought a drawing tablet off tm, and they then came at me saying it would cost $25 to post! so i asked why and the ysaid they had to go buy a roll of bubble wrap etc, sent me a link for the price of a 5m roll of bubble wrap... i said im not paying for that and got it sent for $5 in the end, it came without a scratch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 if it does not have the post cost I all ways ask be for I bid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_fingers Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 I sell on TM and only charge what the postage costs me. Have considered cost recovery for the time and packaging materials involved but never quite felt right about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted October 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 I sell on TM and only charge what the postage costs me. Have considered cost recovery for the time and packaging materials involved but never quite felt right about it. I think its fair enough if it was say some bubble wrap which you had to go out and buy, but a piece of wrinkled old brown paper and cardboard ripped off some random box you got from the supermarket is hardly good enough reason to charge packaging. Thats what I got. Its also fair enough if you state postage AND packaging on the auction, but in this case it wasn't. I believe I paid for tracked post and got normal post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 I think its fair enough if it was say some bubble wrap which you had to go out and buy, but a piece of wrinkled old brown paper and cardboard ripped off some random box you got from the supermarket is hardly good enough reason to charge packaging. Petrol costs, and time is money.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindy500 Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 Petrol costs, and time is money.... but should i have to pay more just because the person i buy it from's time is worth $100 a hour rather than the one who doesnt have a job? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 I have never sold a thing on TM but have thought about it as we get seconds shower doors and splashbacks. From me to get a gut to package it up and ready it for courier or cartage would take at least an hour. By the time I pay everything from wages, acc and public liabilty my cost would be at least $40. Add to that the cost the packaging itself and possibily taking it to a courier or cartage place... I think that Im better off throwing it away Mind you, if anyone wants to work at no cost to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richms Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 but should i have to pay more just because the person i buy it from's time is worth $100 a hour rather than the one who doesnt have a job? Packing is a no skill job so should be charged out at about $12 an hour. If you can only get 10 things packed in an hour (6 mins each) then its $1.20 worth of time for the packing ontop of materials and the cost from the contracted post/courier service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcase Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 I measure up items allowing for pacaging size, check against NZ Post rates and add $1 for tape, boxes, etc. For example, if NZ Post cost was $3.50 I would put $4.50 P&P (and it is P&P not just post cost). When I put that on an auction I assume bidders will factor that into the cost .... I know I do when I buy (I look at the all up price to see if it is worth it). Generally I don't buy unless there is a P&P (sometimes I have to ask for it though). Sometimes I calculate wrong and if I get away with cheaper postage I keep it ..... conversely if it costs more I wear it (can't see too many being happy to pay more than they expected) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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