The shipping change doesn't seem to be of much benefit to sellers.
Alibris gives sellers the full amount the customer pays for shipping and then takes part of it back as a NEW closing fee. I just did the math.
If Alibris gives sellers $3.99 for standard shipping and then take back $1.25, that leaves the seller with $2.74. Before Alibris started doing this "new system," sellers were getting $2.65 for standard orders. That means sellers are getting an extra $0.09 for shipping. How does this benefit sellers, especially since shipping increased at the same time Alibris started the new system?
Now Alibris takes a percentage of the book's selling price, a closing fee and a monthly fee. I preferred it when Alibris just kept their cut and I never saw it. I don't understand the thinking behind adding a new closing fee that gets taken from shipping. Alibris isn't shipping anything or paying for shipping materials when the seller ships books. How can Alibris justify keeping any of the shipping?
I understand Alibris has to make money somehow to pay for hosting, development, maintenance and Alibris should get something for bringing buyers to sellers,
but the new shipping credit system is insulting, to say the least. Why not just give the sellers all the shipping and then raise the per book selling
percentage if it's about getting more money out of sellers? I truly don't understand what Alibris planned to accomplish with the new fee.
Your thoughts?
