Customers and friends, we need your help. How should we charge for shipping?
For the first two years of our webstore, we charged by weight. This is terribly tedious to maintain during postal rate increases and still sometimes overcharges customers because the weight on the item is for a one item package. Order more than one item and the actual combined weight is less than the straight sum because they share packaging.
Recently we switched to a per item charge. This is easier to communicate to customers (see our Easy Ship page) and easier to change when postal rates increase. However, if a customer buys three or four lightweight accessories, they get charged for each one and end up with a huge shipping charge. We always refund overages, but that's tedious too and probably turning customers away.
There is one more option that we haven't tried - charging for shipping based on item cost. We could do this either as a percentage of sale or rate such $5 for orders up to $20, $7.50 up to $40, etc.
We want to hear from you: What kind of shipping charge do you prefer?
By the way, we have no plans to change our most popular coupon - 'freeship50' gets Free Shipping on orders over $50!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
How to Charge for Shipping
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Lovely Jess' Bee Natural Lip Balms
Take care of your lips naturally with Jess' Bee Natural Lip Balm, just added to BayingHound.com! This all natural made in the USA balm protects from wind and sun damage, soothes cracked lips, and come in two refreshing flavors. Choose peppermint or tangerine for only $3 each!
The first 10 orders received in the month of August will receive a FREE lip balm.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The perfect Ice Cream bowl
As a reward for being brave at the doctor today, I offered to give our daughter some ice cream. She wanted to eat on the front porch, so I was looking for a non-breakable bowl when I gazed upon our squishy bowls. Perfect, I thought!
Indeed, the squishy bowl was easy to eat from and insulated so the ice cream did not melt quickly. When there were drips at the end, Lillian just folded the bowl like a taco and sipped them right up.
I like the arrangement so much that I just listed an ice cream set of squishy bowls and microbites utensils for just $16.75 + shipping. That's 20% off buying them separately!
(If you are curious, the ice cream was Ben and Jerry's Imagine Whirled Peace. Delicious, though not as great as my local favorite, Jeni's.)
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Klean Kanteens and SIGGs taped for NBC 4
Ellie Merrit, a local Columbus OH news reporter, taped a segment on BPA free kids bottles at my friend Alissa DeRouchie's home office today. Alissa invited me to bring over a SIGG and Klean Kanteen for demonstration. They aired the segment at 4 PM. As soon as I get a link I'll post it here.
Ellie also posted on her blog about BPA.
It's great to have more press on this issue!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Follow me on Twitter
Ok, enough people have told me about it. We're part of Twitter now.
Follow Rachel's every move at www.twitter.com/bayinghound and Alex is www.twitter.com/baying_hound
Adding online addictions is good for our health, right?
