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Make minimum buy treshold easier to reach
It happens the parts I want to buy don't meet minimum buy treshold. Sometimes with a large gap, but usually with a small gap.
When trying to find some extra items to reach the treshold (which takes up time that I didn't want to invest into search for parts I don't even need), it happens I go into a next shipping band, making it more expensive for the second time.
My suggestion is really simple: add a "give-extra-money" (or "donation") box to reach the min. buy treshold.
Let's say I have 3.75 USD in my cart and the min. buy is 5.00 USD. I just fill in 1.25 USD in the "donation" box (a sort of a "special service product") to reach min. buy treshold while still keeping the same weight and dimensions of my order.
You could even think about linking the extra money to a charity. If the seller would configure his shop saying he allows going under min. buy treshold when the buyer pays the gap to charity (preferably managed by BrickOwl, so the surplus is automatically donated to charity).
When trying to find some extra items to reach the treshold (which takes up time that I didn't want to invest into search for parts I don't even need), it happens I go into a next shipping band, making it more expensive for the second time.
My suggestion is really simple: add a "give-extra-money" (or "donation") box to reach the min. buy treshold.
Let's say I have 3.75 USD in my cart and the min. buy is 5.00 USD. I just fill in 1.25 USD in the "donation" box (a sort of a "special service product") to reach min. buy treshold while still keeping the same weight and dimensions of my order.
You could even think about linking the extra money to a charity. If the seller would configure his shop saying he allows going under min. buy treshold when the buyer pays the gap to charity (preferably managed by BrickOwl, so the surplus is automatically donated to charity).
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The only main aspect of this suggestion is: a way to add extra money to an order to reach the min. buy treshold, so the order can continue (at a higher price, which is fine by the buyer) at the same shipping rate and still satisfying the seller (as he will have his minimum limit income per order);
It may be possible for BO to implement something like: "You have not reached the store's minimum order amount, would you like to pay an additional amount of #x.xx in order to do so?" This would have to be an 'opt in' thing for stores, though, as each store would need to determine how to account for such payments in their accounts, and some may not want the hassle of it all.
Exactly what I meant. And I like the phrasing! Thanks @Hoddie !
So for me as a shopper, there are 2 stores i do not buy at.
Those with "quote only" and "minimum buy"
For the quote, i can not understand how it can be a problem setting up a shipping method. It makes the transaction quicker and easier for the buyer, in my view.
Now to the topic.
Those stores with minimum buy, is simply something i do not look at. the whole point of this is to only buy the bricks i need. I will not pay anything else, than what i need.
I am a small store in denmark, and would only have a slightly higher shipping cost, rather than some fixed amount you need to buy for.
Because then i would either not get any orders, or i should have something "extra" that said buyer would want. And in my view, those type of stores must loose more money on orders they do NOT get, than higher orders they sometimes get.
Small orders makes big.
So in my view, it would not matter to me, if a store has some form of "extra" pay to fulfill my order i still would not buy from that place. I buy what i need, and if that makes my shopping a little longer, until i find the best setup of stores that can ship to me, then that is what i do.
For instance, just as an example. The latest i have done like this, was an instruction booklet for an indiana jones set. 4 stores had this. BUT only 1 would offer it without extra cost.
This made me buy the booklet from that store, it was the most expensive one out of the 4 stores, but for the "minimum buy" needed, it ended up buying almost the cheapest solution.
This is of cause how i work, and shop. But i just wanted to make that view.
"You have not reached the store's minimum order amount, would you like to pay an additional amount of #x.xx in order to do so?”
Bubble mailers, paper, toner, equipment, travel to the post office - it all costs money. I don't pass these costs on like many do by inflating shipping costs, but there has to be a trade off to that and my minimum order value is exactly that.
Many sellers, like you, inflate shipping costs instead. It's almost the same thing except that every buyer pays the price, rather than just those who don't want to order enough to make it cost-effective for the seller.
But as Hoddie say, yes we / the seller do have cost to cover with packing etc.
BUT even so, there are still shops who both have a higher shipping cost, than what is needed AND want a minimum buy before the shop will ship.
I recently ordered from a store, from england, (will not write the name, for privacy)
But just for fun i just checked it out now. To start the store want a minimum of DKK 32,42 - My order was 27,37 dkk, so i was off my 5 DKK.
but since the brick i needed was the best option from this store, i choose to buy something extra.
But now that i look at the shipping prices the store wanted, i would guess i paid about 16DKK more than i should have. So in total the store got 21 DKK more from me than i needed.
That is some exchange, to send out the pieces i needed. And in my view, i would only imagine shops started to wanting xx amount of extra money just because they could.
I have my store open, and only want money for what people want to buy. My passion has always been to offer bricks in singles because that is what i want for my self. I will not spend extra to get a specific brick, because i do not feel like that is what my store is about. Even my shipping cost is actually what i need to pay, so in all, i might be loosing money when people only buy 1 brick.
But that is what people do. From my attached picture, i can show up to 4 buyers who would rather pay 36dkk in shipping, but then only get that 1 brick they need. And that is why i can only imagine that those stores with "minimum buy" will loose out in the long run.
I don't use it and I don't like the stores that do use it.
But the facts remain: as long as it's possible to have it, some stores will use it. It's up to me, as a buyer, to decide if I want to reach that minimum buy or if I will not care for those shops. But when I do want to reach that minimum buy, it's an enormous hassle to search and find parts I don't even need, just to reach that minimum buy.
"Then you shouldn't buy there."
Simple, but in the end I still end up in the same situation where I started: without the piece I need and with a lot of time lost.
Will some shops "abuse" this to get a few extra dollars or euros? Maybe.
But it's in their benefit they find a fair application for the feature. When they don't, they will be bypassed by the buyers.
Back to the actual suggestion: your example is perfect! When I would need a 10p part and I need to buy at least for 1 £, it would be very handy I could just "add 90p" to the amount, to get to that 1 £. It will avoid me having to spend time browsing your store, looking for cheap/small parts that I don't even really need. With the extra added risk I will get in the next shipping band (dimensions/weight).
So regardless of opinions if min buy is good or not, I really think it would be a useful feature.