Shipping Fees - Delivering a Good Service

1 - Stall Shipping Rate (New!)

Where is it?
This field can be found in your 'My Account' Area. Login and go to My Account.

What is it?
This allows you to set a flat shipping rate for your entire stall. No matter how many products a shopper buys from your stall the shipping rate will always be the same flat fee.


2 - Free Shipping

Where is it?
To use Free Shipping simply set the Stall Shipping Rate to 0.00. This will apply Free Shipping stall wide.

Quick Tip
It may seem somewhat of a paradox but offering free shipping can grow your profits. You will notice that large and successful online stores often include shipping for free or perhaps build shipping fees into the cost of their product price. Many e-retailers believe that low/free shipping fees encourage customers to return and purchase again in the future. For this reason e-retailers often consider free shipping as a marketing expense. This makes a lot of sense since the hardest and most expensive part of marketing is being seen in the first place, customers will love you if you offer free shipping, they may well become your fan and return to buy in the future.
Let's face it, selling online with Markets Central is cost effective, when compared to a bricks and mortar store, an online stall enjoys a much lower costs. Why not make free shipping as part of your business model and consider it in the same light as you consider rent, sales reps and utility bills?


3 - Product Shipping Rate

Where is it?
This field can be found in the 'My Products' Area. This is where you go to Add and Edit your products.

What is it?
You may have products that need their own individual shipping rate. At check out the shopper will be charged a fee for every product separately.

Quick Tip
Let's say that you want to use the Stall Shipping Rate for most of your products, but have certain items that are bulky and require their own Product Shipping Rate.
Markets Central allows you to use both options, when you add a Product Shipping Rate it will add this in addition to the Stall Shipping Price.
It's easy to set up. Simply set the Stall Shipping Rate as normal (e.g. $10.00), then when you edit your Bulky product set the Product Shipping Rate in addition (e.g. 15.00).

Example
If somebody were to purchase 4 Jars of Jam and 3 bottles of Olive Oil using the Stall Shipping Rate of $10.00. Plus they also purchased a Wooden Storage Box with a shipping fee of $15.00, therefore the total shipping price would be $25.00:

 4 Jars of Jam + 3 Jars of Olive Oil: $10.00 - Stall Shipping Rate applies
Wooden Storage Box: $15.00 - Product Shipping Rate applies

Total Shipping Price: $25.00


4 - Product Shipping Rate for Additional Items

Where is it?
This field can be found in the 'My Products' Area directly below the Product Shipping Rate

What is it?
Where the shopper buys more than one of the same item you can offer a shipping discount for additional items.

Example
It might work out cheaper to send 3 items than it would to send 1. Therefore you could incentivise more items to be purchased buy lowering the shipping rate on additional items. If a shopper were to buy 3 Wooden Storage Boxes you might offer a lower shipping rate on the additional items.

$15.00 - First Wooden Storage Box
$10.00 - Additional Wooden Storage Boxes

Therefore if a shopper bought 3 Wooden Tables the Shipping Price would be $35.00

Quick Tip
Consider making additional items free, or at a significantly lower cost. You will find that this encourages shoppers to buy more goods from you plus it will encourage them to return to your stall in the future.


5 - Shipping Offline Fee

Where is it?
This field can be found in the 'My Products' Area directly below the Product Shipping Rate

What is it?
This gives the option to the shopper to buy the item now, but organise their own shipping.

Quick Tip
Ok so despite Markets Central suggesting free shipping fees we do know that it really isn't always possible. Sometimes items are expensive to ship and you will need to charge. When you set a flat fee it's often a case of 'you win some, you loose some', and that's ok, you just need to work out the best general price and apply it. Sometimes however, the customer may feel that they can do better than your proposed shipping price and if so, you do not want this to get in the way of the sale. This is why on Markets Central we give you the option to let the shopper arrange their own shipping. For each product you can choose to activate the 'Shipping Offline Fee'. This feature enables you to take the payment in advance then give the customer the option to arrange their own shipping, or talk with you about the most appropriate solution. Simply check the field 'Shipping Offline Fee' to display this option for your products.

Please note that with this option Markets Central advises that you ensure that shipping is the responsibility of the consumer and that you state this in your Terms and Conditions. This is important to avoid any unnecessary disputes. At check out the customer will have paid for the item and not the shipping. It should ultimately be the consumers responsibility to arrange shipping with their preferred courier. You should state this in your Terms and Conditions, your Terms and Conditions can be found in your 'My Account' tab.

 What about returns?

If your stall is going to be successful then shopping online should be as easy as shopping at the Markets. Therefore it makes sense that your returns policy should reflect that of a market place. It is, however, impossible to offer unlimited returns on your items, though you can counter that with an effective returns policy that clearly states your conditions in advance. If you have a 'no returns' policy then make sure you say so. Otherwise, make it easy for customers to return or exchange items and be timely and courteous with your communications and delivery.

 Important Message from PayPal: Proof of Shipping

  The shipping services you use matter

It’s important that you choose a shipping service that can provide you with documentary evidence that the item was shipped to the buyer’s address listed on the PayPal Transaction Details page. In the event that a buyer files a chargeback, reversal, or claim, we’ll need this information when deciding the outcome.

  What shipping services does PayPal recommend that I use?

Any Destination: Any international shipping service that supports door-to-door tracking that is viewable online, such as UPS, TNT, FedEx, DHL or a consignment note.
Within Australia: Australia Post Registered Post and eParcel.
Outside of Australia: Australia Post Registered Post International

  What is proof of shipment?

For sellers, we require proof of shipment from you if a buyer files a chargeback or reversal for an unauthorised payment, or if the buyer claims the item wasn’t received.
For buyers, if you file a claim for a ‘significantly not-as-described’ item, we may require you to ship the item back to the Seller. You will be required to show proof of shipment.

Buyers and sellers, at the very least, must provide documentation that includes:
1. The date the item was sent and
2. An official acceptance by the shipper, such as a postmark or online status (status that shows the item was delivered is also acceptable) and
3. The recipient's delivery address - showing at least the state, city and postcode (or international equivalent).

Examples of proof of shipping include the following:
• A copy of the shipping receipt that includes the buyer's delivery address. You can get this from Australia Post's Registered Post and Australia Post's Registered Post International, or
• For Australia Post eParcel customers, a copy of the consignment information page which shows buyer’s address and the online tracking code that can be used to confirm delivery - showing at least the state, city and postcode (or international equivalent) or
• A shipping code that PayPal can use online to view the shipping status and the eBay buyer's delivery address - showing at least the state, city and postcode (or international equivalent) You can get this from TNT, DHL, FedEx, and other carriers, or
• A receipt issued by the carrier that is signed by the recipient acknowledging delivery.

More information is available at PayPal:
https://www.paypal.com/au/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=xpt/Marketing/securitycenter/sell/Index-outside