Psychology 101: Price.

In the poll:

What's the first thing that attracts your attention in an ad?

We determined that the picture was by far the most important thing (67%). On second place but way down there came the person/breeder who offered the animal (8.86%), then the wording employed and finally the price (merely 3.8% of the votes).

It seems most people agreed price is not important. Now let’s concentrate on just the price for a second.

As a buyer what do you like best to see the price of the animal only, the price of the animal with shipping included or the price of the animal plus shipping separated one from each other. Think for a second about your reaction when you see the price for the first time. Will a lower initial figure (price of the animal alone) entice you to inquire about the animal rather than if you saw a higher priced animal upfront although shipping is included? Examples: Baby ball python for $45 vs. baby ball python for $90 shipped.

i like to see what the prices are seperate . so price of animal plus shipping is how i voted .

I have to say the price of the animal alone since shipping charges are a given and the actual amount may vary depending on carriers and distance.

Think for a second about your reaction when you see the price for the first time. Will a lower initial figure (price of the animal alone) entice you to inquire about the animal rather than if you saw a higher priced animal upfront although shipping is included? Examples: Baby ball python for $45 vs. baby ball python for $90 shipped.

No one answered the second question though. What about your first impression when you see an ad for a baby snake for $90 shipped or $45. Let’s assume the ad doesn’t even mention shipping.

Is there any difference in your thought process when you see the first two figures for the first time? As Vickie states the price is a given we know we will have to pay it (Although when posting a $50 animal I’m pretty sure most sellers at one time or another have heard the question: “Does the price include shipping?”).

When someone sees the ad for the first time, will he think “Only 45 dollars, that’s a pretty good price!”, without giving a second thought to the shipping charges, and establish the initial inquiry? Or confronted with the $90 shipped he/she thinks: “well…I can’t afford to pay that much for that snake, in fact I’ve seen them posted for less”.

From my perspective I’d rather have a person e-mailing me to ask a question (even if it’s something that obvious that shipping should be added to those $45). Why? Because you establish an initial contact with an individual, the first condition for a sale to take place. When I write ads I usually include the shipping in the total price, but maybe that's not the right approach. Just remember there are no right or wrong answers here, just different opinions!

Regards

I voted for The prices together, I believe it makes the transaction go quicker and saves time on the fingers (ie) the typing back and forth on What the shipping would be......Leaves more time for the important questions jmo

i voted for no preference. in my case i can guess the shipping costs on average. and the shipping costs aren't a major factor in alot of purchases. alot would depend on what animals you're shopping for and their costs.


vaughn

being as i have never bought any critters online , and have never had to have one shipped , it honestly would not make a difference to me how the pricing is listed . if i think the animal looks nice and it appeals to me then i'll ask about it . although i guess if i was to buy a snake that way i would have to be concious of the total price including shipping . i'm far from rich and for now i have to watch my pennies .

Psychologically, I find it more appealing to see $45 plus shipping (and I like to know the shipping cost without having to contact the seller, however, it can be stated somewhere else in the ad - like in the terms of sale), than seeing $95 shipping included. You're paying the exact same amount either way, but it just looks nicer to see a smaller number.

Another problem I see with $95 shipping included is, what if you want more than one animal? Are you going to pay $95 for all of them? You don't know until you contact the seller.

When you have the price only, with no mention of shipping cost, you are FORCED to contact the seller just to find out if the shipping cost is what you consider reasonable.

When I'm buying an animal, I want to see everything possible up front. That means pictures (notice plural...I ALWAYS like to see more than one view of the animal), animal cost, shipping cost, at least a brief summary of terms. With all that information at hand, I can make a choice as to if I want to proceed with buying the animal with a minimum of questions and time wasted on both the seller and buyers sides.

Don't even THINK of saying "Best Offer"...you won't hear from me unless it's spectacular and something I'm just dying to get. Don't play pricing games! Set a price and stick with it....if you want to lower it in private, fine, but I don't need to know about it. When you say "Best Offer", how is the person making the offer going to know if you're being honest when you say "Sorry, someone has made a higher offer"?? It's a serious problem, and it's the reason I skip right past ads with no price.

Ultimately I don't think it really matters as long as it is CLEARLY pointed out that shipping is included. I will give two examples.

Example 1: Baby Female CB Ball Python $90 Shipped.

Example 2: Baby Female CB Ball Python $90. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. That price includes shipping.

If you place your ad like example number 2 I am likely to skim your ad and move right on not seeing that the price included shipping. So I think it is very important how your ad is worded when including shipping in the total price.

Originally Posted by A_Kendergirl

Don't even THINK of saying "Best Offer"...you won't hear from me

HAHAHAHA..... you hit one of my pet peeves right on the nose. As soon as I see best offer I dont even bother reading another word and just immediately move on to the next ad.