Hello,
I am a small book retailer and I am desperate to increase my profit margin. I need ideas/advice on cheaper shipping costs.
I currently pay:
Any help would be appreciated.
*Those prices include tracking, which I need.
Cheers
How dare small business owners try and make a profit.
I have no objection to then making a profit. I object to them doing it through shipping.
They're not providing the logistics but simply wrapping and posting it. This is not something they should use to increase their margins
…simply wrapping and posting it
That still takes time and resources - especially for a small business!
@resubaehtgnolhcs: As a retailer who has an online business this is part of the cost of doing business that needs to be factored into the price of the item. Not gouging in shipping costs to increase margins. Both running a business online and bricks and mortar have additional costs.
You wouldn't see a store say "hey, because you came into the store to buy your book you need to pay $10 extra. All that rent, manpower etc costs money". They'd just factor all that into the cost. Shipping should be the same and not a utility to make a profit.
@o53djz7qTPY4der: Yes, but you know all costs before purchasing. If you're not happy with the price (of postage for example) then you don't have to purchase.
+1
A sidebar ad-price made me click
recently, until I noticed ~$200
their "Economy Shipping" fee!
Most eBay vendors have learned to
incl "Free Shipping"
===
To OP:
If you buy Parcel Post or Express
satchels in 10's or 100's you save
but you'll still need a way to pro-
tect the book(s) inside.
And… max satchel - AFAIK - is 3 Kg
I grew up in a land, whose Post Office
Discounted Book shipments
Now, I tend to buy eBooks (both to be
more Green AND to save what I knew as
"GreenBacks")
Build your Business on
a foundation of eBooks
(like Amazon did…?)
When you're known for
helping Aussie authors
grow their sales in AU,
after lots more Aussies
can+do buy their eBooks
instead of paying more
to get the book deliv'd
than the author'e share
(ie, Royalties) of the
total price, & make us-
ing eBooks an even big-
ger thing than it is…
Your business will gain
positive reputation for
making a valuable con-
tribution to AU's Liter-
ary Creators (& Market)
OK, you could also sell
aBooks = audioBooks eg,
like Audible does.
The download time is a
bit longer, but… Not
everybody reads, today.
If you can find a way
Not to give away free
copies of aBooks (as
Audible does - to new
subscribers - you can
win big for AU's writ-
ing community.
It'll cost more, until
& unless authors read
their own books for u.
But - if the author's
got good read'g voice
this could be a Plus
for your Brand.
Oh, and send me a % of
your first profitable
year's profit… for
all this Consulting! ;~)
I think the OP is saying those prices are what he has to pay for shipping, and he's looking for a cheaper alternative.
How have you decided that the OP using postage as a way to increase margins?
I am desperate to increase my profit margin
If you're providing free shipping, then kudos and perhaps a minimum order limit would help those pesky margins.
I run a small business and pay a mortgage. I'm not dymocks or Kmart. I am a sole trader. The books I sell are roughly $14-18 (free delivery, free returns, great condition, tracking, 2-5 business days). Think about the cost of one book. Purchased for a few dollars, shipping 6-8 dollars, ebay fees 1-2 dollars, paypal fees <$1 and you're seriously criticising me for trying to save on shipping?
I use Sendle for all my package shipping.
the only issue is that rates vary dependent on location. e.g. I can send a parcel to Perth CBD cheaper than rural Vic.
sometimes Auspost is therefore cheaper.
there is also OfficeWorks shipping - I've never looked in to it (previous pos feedback on ozbargain) as the nearest store is inconvenient.
Thanks. Yeah, I also use sendle. They have helped to alleviate some of the cost.
This is why I hate paying shipping to retailers in Australia, and probably why it is so expensive. They're using it as a way to increase their margins. As I see it, I should only be paying what it costs to ship + packaging. Your profit should come from the product not the method of sending it to me.
If you're providing free shipping, then kudos and perhaps a minimum order limit would help those pesky margins.