Would you rather get free shipping or...

I was having a conversation with someone today about buying online. The discussion eventually got around to the subject of shipping. Both of us had different opinions on shipping charges. I had the idea that someone would rather pay $10 for something and have free shipping. He said he believed that most people would rather see a smaller selling price of $7 and have a $3 shipping charge.

I realize there is psychology behind the two methods and the closest thing I can equate it to is the idea of $9.99 being cheaper than $10.00

The whole idea got me seriously thinking about changing the structure of one of my sites but I would like as many opinions as possible before making changes. So what is your personal preference?

 

The majority of the time I would say free shipping sounds more appealing.
Now if it we're a competitive product, then a lower price might sound like a better deal.
Interesting topic to bring up =)

 

Here is some true psychology.

Don't mention the shipping charge until an order screen. Say your item is priced at $7, $3 shipping and a competitor is $10 free shipping. If you wait until the order screen to tell someone it's $3 shipping, it's proven that they are already interested in the item because they are going to order, and $3 more isn't going to change their mind.

Short version: If someone has agreed to pay $7, $3 shipping is not going to change their mind.

 

I would say free shipping, because people, including myself, associated shipping charges as more money spent for the product. With it says free shipping it means your getting a deal and not paying for the service. If someone really wants the product they will pay for shipping, no matter the cost.

Free shipping always looks like a good deal, even if you pay more for the product.

 

well i would go with the $10 free shipping. the free just makes it way more appealing and $10 is a nice even price. The $7 + $3 shipping doesn't look good to me because that says to me that i'm paying 20% of the product more just to get it to my house. But that is just my opinion.

 

I always look at the total delivered price as the cost of the item.

I don't buy from any sites that make me enter anything other than a zip code to arrive at a final delivered price.

Free shipping takes all the guesswork out of the transaction.

 

I would go for free shipping.

Soccerplayur012 I've personally changed my mind becouse of shipping cost, but your theory is also true at some point. This topic is debatable

 

Interesting thread.

 

Thank you for your replies... It appears that I am doing the right thing by offering free shipping.
Currently the vote if 7 for free shipping and 1 against.

Thanks for the help and I hope more people vote

 

Freeshipping, but you should really really clearly state that there is free shipping! People will check prices on different websites, and then the prices of your competitors that don't offer free shipping, might appear lower to them and lure them to their sites. And once they have focussed on the presumably lower prices of your competitors it's a whole lot harder to get them back to your shop

 

I would rather get free shipping. It sounds way more attractive to the potential buyer that the shiping cost would be free even though the price is the same in actuality.

 

would prefer free shiping

 

If they are looking at your item knowing it is priced at $10, when they see the shipping is free, they will jump all over it. Normally They wouldnt even look much further if they didnt like the price in the first place. So basically the $10 has already caught their eye, when they see the shipping is free, i think they will more likely buy

 

I agree....

When I've used the Free Shipping tactic on eBay, I lost money. Somehow the "free shipping" didn't work to well for me there.

Now if you were selling different items, you could do "Free Shipping When You Buy 3!". That's when the free shipping tactic works well, at least for me.

This is based on my personal experience.

But if you do go with the $10, make it $9.97....I don't know why, it just works.

Jen

 

Depends on where you are shipping to..... We offer free shipping to the UK as we are based in the UK and most of our customers are also from the UK. We charge shipping for clients outside of the UK.

Make sure when you say free shipping, the customer knows what it means.

 

Yes, i would agree, free shipping would draw me

 

I have taken everyones comments into consideration.

prose65, I agree with you on shipping that far as the cost dramatically goes up in that case. What I have decided to do is re-add the shipping but offer a shipping refund to US and Canadian orders.

I do appreciate all the comments and votes so far...
Thanks

 

no no no this is a silly question... Price the product at 8.00 and say free shipping over $50.00 (or whatever a few items is) This is always a killer... All of the sudden people who had $15.00 in their cart find it more appealing to spend $35 more than to pay 5.00 for something they do not like paying for.

 

There's no such thing as free shipping, people generally will know that the shipping price had just been included in the product price.. they just have no idea how much you're ripping them off on shipping in that case

I would go for 'free shipping for orders above $XX' as suggested above. Then customers (should) realize that you're just covering the shipment costs with your profits on the products if the order is of enough value so you could afford to do it.