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Auto - check out. Any issues to be aware of?
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Hello,
As a new member we are finding the automatic check out feature has work exactly as required, we even tried to fit a order into a smaller padded bag and found the option paid by the buyer was the perfect one...the larger padded bag.
We want to continue to ensure buyers are not ripped off by overcharging or the order is held up because the postage rate is wrong. It can cause bad relations as all parties will know in some form or another.
Is there anything we should watch out for? Anything we should place in our terms? Basically is there a need to be proactive at any stage?
As a new member we are finding the automatic check out feature has work exactly as required, we even tried to fit a order into a smaller padded bag and found the option paid by the buyer was the perfect one...the larger padded bag.
We want to continue to ensure buyers are not ripped off by overcharging or the order is held up because the postage rate is wrong. It can cause bad relations as all parties will know in some form or another.
Is there anything we should watch out for? Anything we should place in our terms? Basically is there a need to be proactive at any stage?
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Don't think any of my customers have been disappointed by this, they're usually pleased with my honesty.
Brickman4you, we kept the weights and volumes cautious, and has already worked out, as mentioned because we thought we could squeeze in an order into a smaller padded bag, but could not - so was very happy to get that first order correct....
Markyd7, we have included the promise of a refund where the shipping can be done cheaper than the buyer has paid in our terms. Like you say, honesty is always appreciated, and a few cents can be turned into profit when customers feel you are offering them the respect they want. Most people will know if you rip them anyway I am sure.
Thanks for the replies. If anyone else has anything to add please do so.
Castle.
The only bad surprises I had from auto checkout is related to baseplates. I boxed them even though they fall under a lower weight band in the system but I prefer to lose a few $ on S&H than have damaged plates on arrival.
In Australia all 32 x 32 base plates have to be shipped as a package, I am generally happy with the smaller ones being shipped.
But now that you mention it, I need to look at buying in more eparcel boxes as motorbike frames will rip through a padded bag.
So is there a way of forcing the item into a packing option through the checkout, is it as simple as changing the specs in the inventory on an item?
No so keen on shelling out $8 in postage if someone buys a single bike frame....! The postage for a frame is under $3.00 on its own inside Australia.
Castle
Dunno what form of shippingmethod you are referring to, but if you're using padded mailers, then I suppose Australian post has 'limitations' on the size of the padded mailer... If you set these correctly, and from Auspost it's 260 x 360 x 20mm for a standard padded mailer (make your settings slightly smaller then that) then items like a baseplate and a bike (bicycle) will never fit in that pre-setting of yours, and it will automaticly lead to a 'superior' setting (=boxsizes).
The Brickowl calculation system is very precise (if the data is correct), so nothing to worry about there, occasionally the system will overrate (minifigs for example), so simply refund then if you managed to wrap 'smaller'. As C.B. mentions: From within your inventory you can search for missing weights and dimensions, and add accordingly those to have your store 'maximized' for autocheckout, please do so as precise as possible, as what you enter in the database, weight and sizewise is valid for *all* sellers (who might have different dimensions/weight options).
> We want to continue to ensure buyers are not ripped off by overcharging or the order is held up because the postage rate is wrong. It can cause bad relations as all parties will know in some form or another.
>
I don't think you need to worry about this. I've had discrepancies both ways (even though the system is very accurate) and it has always been fine. Buyers agree to pay a certain S&H fee they think is worth it, they do not know (or care) how much of that goes to you and how much of that goes to the postal service.
If a buyer thinks the amount is too high, it's in the end their own responsibility to check for cheaper options by asking a quote. This is exactly the pro, not the con, of automated checkout: There's no chance for ripoffs. If the buyer did not yet know how much shipping would be, the seller would have responsibility to make 100% sure he's not overcharging anything.
> The Brickowl calculation system is very precise (if the data is correct), so nothing to worry about there
Yes, it's very good. The only thing I think is systematically off and needs some kind of improvement is stickers. It doesn't take into account you need a bit of cardboard to make sure they arrive OK, so with some frequency that causes me to pay a bit extra for shipping it. In the case of stickers it would be nice to have item weight and separate packing weight, just like there are packing dimensions.
Castle.
And then there are the weightclasses of shipments, usually what you loose on some cardboard you win on mailersize, so rarely a problem, unless the stickers are combined with 'parts' in the same shipment... which does happen frequently as well.
It would be a anwesome feature if @Lawrence could program a preset for sellers with cardboard weight for several sizes and once a sticker is added to an order, the system would check the presetted cardboardsizes, compare it to the largest sticker and simply add the weight of the next presetted cardboard size to the order... whisfull thinking I suppose :-D
Castle.
The only problem I am seeing with the stickered parts is the lack of photos on them....I think it is very important that we sellers work as a team, and see that BO appreciates the effort of those that help out with the points scheme.
For me this is bonus, I just hate dealing with grumpy buyers, over a few bucks here and there. For some it is a life changing, do or die product, for others a kids toy to keep the sugar demons quiet on a rain or summers day....
So it looks like there is still plenty of times when both buyer and seller need to respect each other and work through the problems when they come up.
Castle.
I agree with you that there are plenty of pictures, but I have a large number of parts which can not be visually identified yet. During the coming weeks I will add to the blank spots, I have added a couple already, but as people know it does take time - hence the reward program I suspect.
Overall I think that the site developers have done a really great job so far, and the support from members seems positive, and hope this continues. There are not many stores in Australia yet, which means not too many buyers either I suspect. Hopefully as people find the experience of buying here friendly and helpful, the membership will increase.
However the auto check out feature is helping me to move a from the frontline work, so I want it to be working positively, hence the post.
As mentioned above, customers get an idea of their shipping prior to commitment, and this removes the stress from a sale, also having provided a safety net based on honesty, buyers should then feel that we have their best interest at heart after the sale has been completed. I.e. refund as needed for overcharging - which has happened on the last order.
There will always be difficult customers no matter how hard you work to help them, but having a good point of sale system before you deal with the order starts the relationship off in a positive manner, it gets the money thing out the way....And from there if your inventory is in good condition - not perfect as humans generally are not - the orders head out and everyone is happy!
As I understand the system more I can tailor the shipping program to suit different pieces and the post has been super helpful so far. I have learnt more from the discussions that I suspected I would so much appreciated all!
Castle.
> @Teup You do have a point when it comes down to stickers and the extra cardboard, but in most cases you would work in weightclasses, so it's rarely a problem, after all there are several cardboard types, flat, single layer, double layer and thus in endless amounts of thicknesses. In some cases (depending on value offcourse) a folded A4 is even more then enough ;-)
> And then there are the weightclasses of shipments, usually what you loose on some cardboard you win on mailersize, so rarely a problem, unless the stickers are combined with 'parts' in the same shipment... which does happen frequently as well.
> It would be a anwesome feature if @Lawrence could program a preset for sellers with cardboard weight for several sizes and once a sticker is added to an order, the system would check the presetted cardboardsizes, compare it to the largest sticker and simply add the weight of the next presetted cardboard size to the order... whisfull thinking I suppose :-D
Yeah, you're right, when they are combined with other parts it's especially a "problem". It will add some 2-10 gram to get them in there safely. Actually, the solution could be quite easy from a technical point of view: Take the dimensions of the sticker and multiply that with a factor to represent cardboard weight. Or even easier; Just multiply the current weight by, like, 5. I guess if/how it should be implemented depends on whether Lawrence deems that desirable from an interface & user experience perspective. Maybe a separate "packing weight" field as I suggested, which is by default just a multiplication of the actual sticker's weight. Maybe there are other parts that also involve some extra packaging material that could also use this field, although everyone packs things differently and it probably won't be a structural thing worth solving like the stickers.
Past few days I had 4 orders containing only stickers sheets, 1 of 1, 1 of 3, 1 of 4 and 1 of 16 sheets. Technicly, the packed weight of the orders are going to be near the same, so it would be kinda odd the buyer of 16 sheets would need to pay for the weight of 16 cardboards ;-)