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What Price Should I Set?

Categories: General, General Goods, Household Moves, Vehicles, Boats, Special Care Items, Pets & Livestock, Plants & Agriculture, Junk, Auction/eBay, Commercial Freight, eBay Buyers
Was this tip helpful to you? Yes No (211 out of 243 people found this tip helpful) Author: uShip
uShip allows shipping customers three options when setting prices for their shipment:

   A) Set a “Target Price”
   B) Set a “Max Price”
   C) Choose the “Place Bid” option.

In addition to these three pricing types, all shipping customers have the OPTION of enabling our Book it Now™ feature. Enabling Book it Now™ will save you time by automatically accepting the first "qualified bid" that you receive at a price that you set. A "qualified bid" is one from a Service Provider with a feedback rating of at least 10 and with 95% positive feedback.

If after reading this information you want to change your pricing type or add an Book it Now™ option, just click here and the "edit" next to your shipment listings. (If you have any open bids, you will have to decline them first)

TARGET PRICE
The target price is exactly what it sounds like – a target (not a maximum or a starting point) ! This is used to give Service Providers an idea of what you are willing to pay to have you item shipped. While uShip is an open system where Service Providers can make bids, they often avoid shipments that are listed with clear lowball offers – it is important to be fair in your estimation of what you are willing to pay. To get an idea of a standard commercial shipping price for you item, try the normal channels such as calling a mover, freight company, or specialty shipper – then apply a reasonable discount.

This will put you in a reasonable range to be noticed by drivers and to receive bids. The closer to “market” value you set your target price, the more likely it is that Service Providers will choose your shipment to make bids on.

MAX PRICE
The max price option is if you absolutely don’t want to pay over a certain amount for a Service Provider to ship your item. Remember that extremely low “max” prices (compared to traditional “market” prices) will tend to scare drivers off. Max prices are most appropriate when you have another firm offline option for delivering your shipment and you are trying to see if you can beat it, or if you have a budget that you cannot exceed under any circumstance. Service Providers are allowed to under bid each other and offer bids lower bids than your max price.

PLACE BID
Finally, you may opt to use the “Place Bid” option when listing your shipment. This means you are not sure of where to start the bidding and you have a flexible budget. You are leaving it up to the Service Providers to decide what they would like to be paid to ship your item. Remember, if you have a fixed budget or a target price in mind, you should choose one of those options.