Shipping Price Hike Again

[kmmcrafts]

Just heard USPS will have another price increase starting in July.. I wish I had set up all my listings on Etsy for calculated shipping because this automatically changes with all these price changes. With offering free shipping where the price is just calculated into my price it's a full time job monitoring my prices and changing price points for 5-600 listings. 

I haven't adjusted my prices in a couple years and I have calculated a $10 added cost on my item prices that are over $35 to cover shipping cost.. Most items shipping cost in this category was between $8.50 - 10.50.. so it always kind of averaged out okay. But now it's a farther gap as in $8.50 - 14.. just sent a package out this morning that shipping cost is $13.83 when the particular item price is adjusted for a $8.50 shipping rate. With another increase coming I need to adjust the prices again. 

It's a proven that offering free shipping increases sales but by how much I don't know.. The amount of work involved in constantly changing prices to keep up with shipping cost as well as cost of supplies to make items is getting to be a full time job just price editing,  which reminds me.. I need to add to the price all the time it's taking me to edit the prices, LOL 

[JessL]

I really love the ornaments on your Esty shop. Are they your patterns?  I want to make some items for a local craft fair this July and thought ornaments might be profitable as I can maybe stack cut them easily.  We'll see....  

[kmmcrafts]

1 hour ago, JessL said:

I really love the ornaments on your Esty shop. Are they your patterns?  I want to make some items for a local craft fair this July and thought ornaments might be profitable as I can maybe stack cut them easily.  We'll see....  

Thank you, some are my patterns but most are from Sue Mey at scrollsawartist.com, what are not Sue's or mine are typically laser cut files that I modified for scroll sawing or actually cut on my laser. Some are puzzle patterns that I resized and didn't cut the interlocking pieces to make them non-puzzles. I manipulate a lot of purchased patterns to make "other things" so not to flood the market with like items. For instance some ornament patterns I enlarge and make wall hang clocks out of them and some wall clocks I shrink the size and make ornaments, so I'm always putting my own twist on patterns to make different stuff than what others are making so this helps me with sales on etsy anyway as I'm usually the only seller of the particular item even though the design itself is being used all over by several sellers. 

Forgot to mention many patterns from Steve Good as well... he has a good selection that I would like to cut more of.. just always run out of time.. since his are free designs that might be a great source for patterns for you.

Edited April 13, 2023 by kmmcrafts

[JessL]

3 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

Thank you, some are my patterns but most are from Sue Mey at scrollsawartist.com, what are not Sue's or mine are typically laser cut files that I modified for scroll sawing or actually cut on my laser. Some are puzzle patterns that I resized and didn't cut the interlocking pieces to make them non-puzzles. I manipulate a lot of purchased patterns to make "other things" so not to flood the market with like items. For instance some ornament patterns I enlarge and make wall hang clocks out of them and some wall clocks I shrink the size and make ornaments, so I'm always putting my own twist on patterns to make different stuff than what others are making so this helps me with sales on etsy anyway as I'm usually the only seller of the particular item even though the design itself is being used all over by several sellers. 

That's brilliant. I like your style. 

I've been playing with Rapid Resizer to manipulate some patterns I have. Still learning the program but having fun with it.

[ChelCass]

Hey Kevin,  Have you ever used Pirateship.com for your postage?  I use it all the time and have never had a problem.  You just measure your package, weight it and then fill out the form and then print the postage label.  I have the amount billed to my credit card so I can keep track.  They are always a buck or more cheaper then the USPS and you just put the package in your mail box and your carrier picks it up.  Easy Peasy.

[kmmcrafts]

2 hours ago, ChelCass said:

Hey Kevin,  Have you ever used Pirateship.com for your postage?  I use it all the time and have never had a problem.  You just measure your package, weight it and then fill out the form and then print the postage label.  I have the amount billed to my credit card so I can keep track.  They are always a buck or more cheaper then the USPS and you just put the package in your mail box and your carrier picks it up.  Easy Peasy.

I looked into it years ago before Etsy and Amazon integrated shipping within their platform. Being big businesses they have contracts with shipping companies and get  discounts, it also allows you to prove a item was shipped to a customer if you use the shipping provided within these platforms. Amazon will not stand behind me in a case of a non-delivery if I do not use their shipping service.. IF I do use their shipping service and tracking shows the item was delivered Amazon will side with me as the seller and not give the customer a refund. Etsy is starting to do this same thing. When I print the label it shows me what I would be paying at the post office without the discount which is usually a substantial savings considering how much I ship. 

In my case of the item shipped today it cost me 13.83 but I think it was $16 showing on the page if I was to take it to the post office. I rarely go to the post office as I usually just put in my mail box. The exception of that is during the holidays I have more than can fit in the mailbox and also what the mail carrier will take if I schedule a pick-up. They'll take it but they send a special car out to do so which cost me a lot of $$.. so I make a daily trip to take the packages to them during the busy times.  

[BadBob]

If you use Etsy shipping, you can ship up to 16 ounces of first-class. At the post office, it is 12oz.

 

You can use the bulk editor on Etsy to change prices. I don't know if that would help, but in some cases, it works for me.

[kmmcrafts]

1 hour ago, BadBob said:

If you use Etsy shipping, you can ship up to 16 ounces of first-class. At the post office, it is 12oz.

 

You can use the bulk editor on Etsy to change prices. I don't know if that would help, but in some cases, it works for me.

Yes it does help and also I do first class whenever possible but my clocks are usually over the 16oz. but not by much, unfortunately 

[BadBob]

Most of mine are 1st class. I had issues with Etsy overcharging for multiple small, lightweight items until I figured out how to fix it. I set the package size to 1x1x1 and the shipping weight to 1oz. Now they can order 15 items before hitting the 16oz limit, where Etsy will charge for priority mail.

[kmmcrafts]

My light weight items are not free shipping items, I have the shipping set up for any orders over $35 is free shipping. This causes customers to order two ornaments to get past the shipping cost. Anyway, I have fixed shipping on the light weight items and free shipping on the larger over 1lb items. Seems to work well for me other than having to change prices, LOL

[James E. Welch]

On 4/13/2023 at 11:04 AM, kmmcrafts said:

Thank you, some are my patterns but most are from Sue Mey at scrollsawartist.com, what are not Sue's or mine are typically laser cut files that I modified for scroll sawing or actually cut on my laser. Some are puzzle patterns that I resized and didn't cut the interlocking pieces to make them non-puzzles. I manipulate a lot of purchased patterns to make "other things" so not to flood the market with like items. For instance some ornament patterns I enlarge and make wall hang clocks out of them and some wall clocks I shrink the size and make ornaments, so I'm always putting my own twist on patterns to make different stuff than what others are making so this helps me with sales on etsy anyway as I'm usually the only seller of the particular item even though the design itself is being used all over by several sellers. 

Forgot to mention many patterns from Steve Good as well... he has a good selection that I would like to cut more of.. just always run out of time.. since his are free designs that might be a great source for patterns for you.

What laser cutter do you use? I've been thinking of getting one. I already 3d print so it wouldn't be too big a leap I wouldn't think. 

[kmmcrafts]

4 hours ago, James E. Welch said:

What laser cutter do you use? I've been thinking of getting one. I already 3d print so it wouldn't be too big a leap I wouldn't think. 

Just a cheap K-40 CO2 laser..

[kmmcrafts]

On 6/27/2023 at 2:53 PM, James E. Welch said:

What laser cutter do you use? I've been thinking of getting one. I already 3d print so it wouldn't be too big a leap I wouldn't think. 

If you do 3D printing and get into the laser / CNC things this site has "sub groups" for other woodworking so to not clutter up the "main scroll sawing page". Though these groups are slow since the site is really geared towards scroll sawing. You have to have a certain level of paid membership to access these groups and not sure how it works if you're not a subscriber if it even shows you the options for the groups or not? Anyway we have them there for digital creators like laser / cnc / 3d printing / cricut etc etc. and one for wood turners, and one for other crafts etc. Just thought I'd mention it. again they are very slow so it's possibly not worth the subscribing to the paid membership just to join the groups..