What Promotion Do You Like Best?

[sushob]

I try to offer some kind of promotion each month to stir up activity on my website, and who better to ask than you guys :) . When you're shopping for trains online, what kind of promotion do you prefer, and why?

Thanks for your time!

[jbaakko]

Nate I picked free gift item, cause who can't resist having something extra dropped in!? Free shipping bothers me, cause, well I kind of see shipping the same as Tax, a given...

[radar]

Fre gift cause I don't have enough toys

[Alcomotive]

free shipping for me....I really dislike those guys on e-bay that charge so freaking much to ship stuff when you pay em 12 or more for shipping and ya get the package and the postage says 4.25 or something like that. ticks me off! but a strong 2nd on free item.

[Trucula]

I went to a hobby shop auction ( a store closed down )and another guy and I were the only ones there for train stuff, allot wanted models and the R/C stuff. I was able to buy $7800+ of retail priced stuff for $265 bucks!..I was getting boxes of stuff for 2-5 bucks because the auctioneer was getting bored that no one was bidding...(You don't get those chances everyday!!) Some boxes had Kibri kits in there that were priced $35 and there'd be 3 kits!...Allot of slot car tack and stuff that I eBayed.
I got 3 small file cabinets of HO decals stocked full. ($15 bucks each) I would put 100 of them on eBay and guys would run them up to 60-80 bucks and when I shipped them I would throw in like 25 extras. People loved it!..I got very good feedbacks over it.
I agree with Alcomotive says about shipping...you have to pay attention to that..I saw 1.99 ride able pocket bikes on there and the shipping is $425!!
I think if you want to charge handling/shipping/insurance, it should be added in on the starting price and noted so. And you can say FREE in the shipping!
Me personally, I like free stuff!...just getting a surprise is real cool!..That's why surprise boxes sell all the time!...and its a great way to clean the shelves off of item that set there forever...a guy might not buy something that set there for years, but would be excited to get it as a free gift. (I would!!)

[jbaakko]

Good thought Bob. I wish I found an auction like that, though that trade show I raided was great.

[RexHea]

I like the free shipping first and a discount second. A freebee is fine if you need it...which most of the time you don't more junk.

[modelbob]

I went to a hobby shop auction ( a store closed down )and another guy and I were the only ones there for train stuff, allot wanted models and the R/C stuff. I was able to buy $7800+ of retail priced stuff for $265 bucks!..


You lucky dog... I went to one a couple of years ago, had my eye on quite a few items. Lots of bidders there, and much of the stuff sold for OVER LIST PRICE... It was still new in the box, but they were paying more than what you could buy it at a hobby shop for! I came home with only a few items, and only got those because they had some mixed scale lots that lowered the bids.

[CP9302]

I would go for the free shipping or percentage off. Everyone likes to save some money, but not everyone needs whatever the free gift may be.

[Trucula]

I would go for the free shipping or percentage off. Everyone likes to save some money, but not everyone needs whatever the free gift may be.

Understandable!!..So how bout a choice?..gift/free shipping?..I know my LHS knew me personally and would review what I bought and that's what the item would pertain to..He threw in stuff now and then just for stopping in....He knew what I looked at and knew what I modeled...If my girlfriend went in to shop for me a present he knew what to show her...(I had him trained!!...LOL) ....There are allot of items you can use, like vehicles, you never have too many of them! As long as their the right era. It's nice when they take a personal touch and remember you...not clean the junk out!!...LOL The more you spend...the better the gift!...Shipping is one price, which is usually not too much...some add the "handling charge" and that's a variable figure. :mad: If you want allot of business....don't add that (handling). I'd rather ship out 20 orders and make $10, then to ship out one item and make $10. This is what gets return visitors!!! ;)

[RexHea]

I don't remember ever making an order where the shipping and the handling charges were broken down as separates. They were always together as S&H and at an inflated cost. But, this practice is not isolated to MR and is the same with Pennys, Sears, or most all online retailers. I try to justify it by equating it to not having to pay our sales tax. If I have an order of $100, then the 9% tax I would have had to pay locally would justify most S&H charges (this is providing there is not an in-state store). Then the discount offer is indeed a discount for me.

Two S&H charges that really burn me:
Many times I need only a few items that have a total cost of say, around $35. I still have to pay a minimum S&H, usually around $8.50+, thus negating any discount/bargain.

The method that really sets me into a fit is when they charge a S&H based on the cost and increases accordingly, i.e. If I have an item that weights 6oz and cost $125, it will cost me more for S&H than an item that weighs 2lbs. and cost $35.

[sushob]

Two S&H charges that really burn me:
Many times I need only a few items that have a total cost of say, around $35. I still have to pay a minimum S&H, usually around $8.50+, thus negating any discount/bargain.

The method that really sets me into a fit is when they charge a S&H based on the cost and increases accordingly, i.e. If I have an item that weights 6oz and cost $125, it will cost me more for S&H than an item that weighs 2lbs. and cost $35.

I completely agree that S&H based on order total is annoying, but it's also the easiest method to set up. I would love to be able to calculate the exact charge for every order, but unless you know someone that has time to come weigh 20,000 different items (and items that are future releases, etc.) and record that value in the database, exact shipping is extremely difficult to calculate. A company like Walthers might have the resources for it, but I would rather focus on answering questions from customers about products than weighing everything.

What I do on my website is use a basic formula based on the number of items and total cost to come up with a figure for S&H. Once I receive the order, I can judge how fair the charge is. If the actual cost is more than what the calculator came up with, I eat the difference. If it is drastically less (I.E. it calculated a $12 charge because you ordered $250 worth of couplers and detail parts), I edit the amount. I never charge a customer's credit card until their order is ready to ship, so I can change the S&H charge easily before processing it. I want to make money on the products I sell, not on mailing them to you.

A reasonable handling charge, as much as it may seem a ripoff to the customer, is usually justified. Packing peanuts, bubble wrap, and boxes (with the exception of USPS boxes, which are limited in size) aren't free. It costs me $16 for a bag of packing peanuts (and that's actually a really good price). I also buy shipping labels (I don't cheat and use the free UPS labels for the postal service), stickers to mark items as 'fragile,' packing tape, paper, etc. I've heard the argument, "I just sent a Christmas present to my grandmother and I didn't have to buy any of those things. I used stuff I had laying around the house." True, I recycle shipping materials as much as I possibly can, but I'd like to see you send 20 - 30 Christmas presents to your grandma every week without having to buy some shipping materials.

For my eBay auctions, I do program the weights for the shipping calculator, and I usually specify a $1 - $2 handling charge per shipment, not per item. That means the eBay check-out will total the weights of all of the items you won and add the $1 or $2 charge to the actual postage. I consider that to be a reasonable charge. I usually charge $3 + postage for international shipments, because I have to fill out customs forms and take them to the post office to ship, whereas I can do domestic shipments online.

Yes, the guys that charge $35 to ship a locomotive are trying to cheat eBay out of fees by keeping a lower auction price, and are in direct violation of eBay policy. Unless they're shipping your loco overnight from NYC to LA, it's not going to cost them $35. That's just plain ridiculous. Don't buy from them. :mad:

Sorry to rant...back to the original thread topic :)

It looks like free shipping is winning on the poll. I can't honor free shipping on every order, since it wouldn't make business sense to offer free shipping if someone buys a $10 kit and it costs me $4 to send it to them, but I can offer it on orders that meet a certain amount.

How's this sound: Free USPS shipping on orders of $65 or more for the next week?

[RexHea]

Hey Nate, that's ok! You provided more insight to the workings. I just have a hard time understanding a S&H charge based on cost and not size or weight and to believe there is not a monetary advantage to the retailer. You can ship an awful lot of MR parts and kits at the minimum UPS charge. A charge for materials is, of course, acceptable in anyone's book.

I'm not sure where the weight line is, but couldn't shipments of increased/questionable weight be weighed? How long does that take? Whom ever figures a more fair way to charge S&H and break even will have a definite appeal to the consumer. The relativity of this post is simply the advantage of free shipping or fair shipping as opposed to other options.

[sushob]

You can ship an awful lot of MR parts and kits at the minimum UPS charge. A charge for materials is, of course, acceptable in anyone's book.

UPS is great if you're shipping thousands of packages each month, but for someone like me who does much less in volume, UPS is a heck of a lot more expensive than even Priority Mail. That may be why some places charge more for shipping...they're using a more expensive service to start with. Not to mention UPS beats the daylights out of everything they ship. I've had more problems with packages sent UPS to me from my supplier (30 miles away) than in all the thousands of packages I've sent to customers around the world through USPS. Unless it's an unusually large/heavy order, USPS is the way to go.

On the other hand, UPS equipment makes for some great prototype modeling. I've collected enough parcel trailers, delivery vans, containers/chassis, and a hub building to start my own 1:87 scale shipping service :rolleyes:

I'm not sure where the weight line is, but couldn't shipments of increased/questionable weight be weighed? How long does that take?

That's what I touched on in my previous post. For orders where the shipping charge the calculator/formula spit out seem high, I wait until everything is packed, and then calculate what it will actually cost to ship it. I edit the cost accordingly before I charge their credit card (lower the charge, that is...I never raise the cost unless there is a special situation, in which case I contact the customer to discuss it with them--such as ordering the 5-gallon boxes of plaster, etc). My customers seem to appreciate it when their order turns out to be a couple bucks less than they thought they spent ;)

[RexHea]

Your on the "right track" Nate and thank you for a good explanation of how your operation handles it. Many of us, fixed income or not, are looking for the best way to stretch our dollar. We are not interested in paying the rent for the LHS, but only to be able and afford to stay in this hobby. Any method that your company or others can do this will certainly attract many.

Oh yeah...do you handle Atlas flex code 83 and what price?;)

[sushob]

I understand what it means to stretch a dollar...I'm a teenager :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

For you, it's $3.25 a piece, sold in quantities of 10 (that's how I have to order it). :) I know you can probably find it priced better on other sites, but 30% off list ($4.65) is the best I can do for flex. My supplier's pricing structure went up a few weeks ago :(

[RexHea]

Thanks again. I am re-working an area of the layout and I am not sure how much additional track will be needed. Your price looks good and I will definitely keep you in mind.;) :)

[sushob]

Thanks Rex! I appreciate it! :)

[Smoke]

What would the gift be? If it were a pair of kadee couplers that would make alot of people happy. I myself voted for free shipping. I always count in shippin ghwen i but something but it usually adds on $10.

-Smoke

[sushob]

What would the gift be? If it were a pair of kadee couplers that would make alot of people happy. I myself voted for free shipping. I always count in shippin ghwen i but something but it usually adds on $10.

-Smoke

Actually Kadee's are one of the things I have been considering...

[tenwheeler]

I'd have to go with free shipping... that would be a great inducement!!!

Bob