Raising Prices before Deal

[ShopDeatsGifts]

So, I read this in another thread about a seller raising their prices right before their Heartsy deal went live. How often does this happen? I know I've read another post on the main forums about it as well.

[SaressaDesigns]

I've read about that too, but have no evidence that it happened/happens. I haven't followed anybody closely enough to see if they raise their prices. Me personally, I didn't. I kept my prices where I did before the feature and where they are now. I had Facebook followers that bought vouchers and I imagine that would've been a turn off if I had done that. But, that's just my point of view.

[RainGirlDesigns]

I didn't even though I have known that I need to due to the rise in fabric prices.

[sugarplusspice]

Before my deal went live I did look at everything in my shop and raised the price of a few items. But these are permanent increases and not just because of the deal. I did also look at my shipping charge structure and actually lowered it a bit since the new regional rate boxes make it a bit cheaper for me to ship.

[Former_Member]

I have seen that before and it really turns me off. A permanent increase is one thing, but I watched one shop in particular raise their prices for the deal, then lower them again afterwards. It was very offputting for me.

[Former_Member]

I mentioned it in another thread...

I am a VIP member, and when I noticed a shop I've been looking at in the "Tomorrow's Deals" section, I went in and looked around again, saw what the popular items were, and decided to buy a voucher. I haven't used it yet, as I have not had time to decide what I'm going to get. But when I went on their page the next day when the deal was officially live, all the prices went up $1.

I'll be honest I was kind of turned off. I think maybe, the seller should make a very educated decision, run the numbers, etc before agreeing to do a deal, rather than raise all your prices for it! This was also a shop in the category of "consumables" which tend to do REALLY well on Heartsy. I plan on waiting now to see what happens...or how long the prices are raised.

Keep in mind, I am not a seller. I'm strictly (and enthusiastically I might add) a buyer. I do always come back if I like what I got, even if it takes months, but i ALWAYS do. But this kind of bugs me.

What about sellers??? How do you feel about this? I obviously don't know about the experience first hand, so weigh in...enlighten me!

[waterwaif]

if you need to raise your prices, do it before you submit a deal.

if a seller has raised their prices a few days before their feature goes live, report them to heartsy. to prove it, look at the cached version of their shop on google.

[Former_Member]

I actually have proof of this. I bought something from a seller two weeks ago for one price and when I noticed that they were having a heartsy sale I went to buy a voucher so I could get more of their product (which I love). When I went to their shop I noticed that all the prices had DOUBLED. Literally. That was a huge turn-off to me, so I ended up not buying a voucher.

[waterwaif]

that's disgusting.

[Former_Member]

Well, what many learn after they submit to heartsy - is that heartsy keeps changing their deal also - and that effects the seller!

Not only do they now heartsy wants a $ amount from the sell but they also want the seller to take a bigger hit in the pocket -

So buyers should consider that the seller pays fees to Etsy on the full amount of the sale not the discounted amount plus the .20 to continue to relist.... to keep up with the demand.

So tell me whats not fair about the seller raising their prices in order to cover this... Heartsy fees and Etsy fees and paypal fees - why should a seller take the hit!!!

Oh and if you dont give the fees to Heartsy then you can now only do the VIP....

[Former_Member]

Hartley - I'm all for sellers turning a profit, but Heartsy is a little bit of a trade-off...the sellers offer awesome discounts and in return get a wicked amount of advertising. Here's the particulars in the instance I'm referring to above:

If I were to buy a Heartsy voucher and make a purchase from the shop I'm referring to I'd be paying $24.75 (shipping included) for something that I bought 2 weeks ago for $20.50...is that really fair?

[Former_Member]

sapphireyes25 says

Hartley - I'm all for sellers turning a profit, but Heartsy is a little bit of a trade-off...the sellers offer awesome discounts and in return get a wicked amount of advertising. Here's the particulars in the instance I'm referring to above:

If I were to buy a Heartsy voucher and make a purchase from the shop I'm referring to I'd be paying $24.75 (shipping included) for something that I bought 2 weeks ago for $20.50...is that really fair?


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I agree with you there - That is a big price increase - I thought it was a buck or two to cover the fees - That sort of markup is wrong! and should be reported to Heartsy!

[ShopDeatsGifts]

I can understand having to restructure a little, but double is just outrageous!

[Former_Member]

That's outrageous, and really off-putting. I'm now in the habit of checking shop's cached pages to make sure they haven't done that.

BTW, I returned a voucher once to Heartsy (unused, of course!) and got a refund immediately with no hassle. If a seller doubled their prices, I'd return the voucher to Heartsy and explain why!

[Former_Member]

That's interesting...I didn't know you could return vouchers. Good to know! Fortunately I hadn't yet bought a voucher, but you can bet that I would have returned it if I had.

[Former_Member]

I have busted a couple of people I bought vouchers for doing this.
They had to change their prices back. But I still asked Heartsy to refund my voucher. I'm not buying from someone who is that dishonest.
Google cache was my proof for them too. The sellers who do this don't realize all you have to do is use Google, and it shows past ads/prices in a screenshot. t's crazy at how many people do this. And not very tactful IMO.

[Former_Member]

Well, what many learn after they submit to heartsy - is that heartsy keeps changing their deal also - and that effects the seller!

Not only do they now heartsy wants a $ amount from the sell but they also want the seller to take a bigger hit in the pocket -

So buyers should consider that the seller pays fees to Etsy on the full amount of the sale not the discounted amount plus the .20 to continue to relist.... to keep up with the demand.

So tell me whats not fair about the seller raising their prices in order to cover this... Heartsy fees and Etsy fees and paypal fees - why should a seller take the hit!!!

Oh and if you dont give the fees to Heartsy then you can now only do the VIP....
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What? Heartsy does not take money from sellers yet. lol And they have nothing to do with a sellers etsy fees. The seller had to pay fees regardless of being on heartsy! That's something that already realize before going into the Heartsy thing. They're being dishonest.There's no reason to do it. If sellers can't afford to do Heartsy they shouldn't do it all!! It's gross and tacky.
Nuff said.

[Former_Member]

It's important to know what you can afford when you negotiate your deal. however, there will always be people who manipulate the situation.

Here's a philosophical discussion topic...If sellers want to stop losing money on Heartsy deals then why do we all keep accepting deals that ensure no profit or even loss? It's simple really - if sellers just said "no, I will offer 40-45% off" then Heartsy would be in a position to have to negotiate on a sellers terms.

I'm a doing a deal, yes I agreed to break even, but I have figured out that with profit I lose I could purchase google adwords and pay for advertising on several successful targeted blogs every month to drive business my way. Plus this would be lasting business from buyers who are actually willing to pay full price for items. I'm afraid it will be hard to get repeat business from buyers who are only willing to pay for an item at 50-60% off.

These are just thoughts - not meant to inflame, just a possible discussion point. Next month I will be trying the blog ads and google adwords. I'm curious to see which month is more profitable.

[Former_Member]

GeeYouSmellGood says Edited on May 13, 2011

Well, what many learn after they submit to heartsy - is that heartsy keeps changing their deal also - and that effects the seller!

Not only do they now heartsy wants a $ amount from the sell but they also want the seller to take a bigger hit in the pocket -

So buyers should consider that the seller pays fees to Etsy on the full amount of the sale not the discounted amount plus the .20 to continue to relist.... to keep up with the demand.

So tell me whats not fair about the seller raising their prices in order to cover this... Heartsy fees and Etsy fees and paypal fees - why should a seller take the hit!!!

Oh and if you dont give the fees to Heartsy then you can now only do the VIP....
-----------------------------------------------------

What? Heartsy does not take money from sellers yet. lol And they have nothing to do with a sellers etsy fees. The seller had to pay fees regardless of being on heartsy! That's something that already realize before going into the Heartsy thing. They're being dishonest.There's no reason to do it. If sellers can't afford to do Heartsy they shouldn't do it all!! It's gross and tacky.
Nuff said.
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Is this not marking up the deal and taking a piece of the PIE !

Deal Type 2: Voucher Buy-in Mark Up
>> We will mark up the cost of your voucher by $2-$5 (based on voucher
>> “cost” for the buyer) after we agree upon the terms of your deal.
>> Heartsy will keep the difference between our agreed upon deal amount
>> and the marked-up deal. With the added mark up value, the deal you
>> offer on the site must still be at least 50% off. This deal structure
>> is a great choice for sellers who want a high number of new customers
>> and cannot offer additional credit for VIPs.

NUFF SAID

[AprilMarieMai]

if you are concerned about the etsy fees then have your deal on artfire or push heartsy to have it on your own site.

adjusting prices for the deal only makes the offer a lie.

[Former_Member]

I know this has been said before....but no one is forcing anyone to put their shop on Heartsy. You even have the option to back out if you can't strike a deal you both agree on. While I understand the hit a seller may take financially to participate, it comes off as tacky, and suspicious. It just...doesn't look good. Especially if it's the day it goes from VIP to everyone. It's easy to see. I mean....at least attempt to do it before, so you don't get caught red handed

[CottagePixie]

I know that I need to tweak my shipping charges, but that is with or without a heartsy deal...and permanent. That should be ok, right?

[Former_Member]

That's totally fine since you will be eating the cost for shipping! I feel like that's acceptable.

[Former_Member]

I think permanent changes are fine, it's the temporary ones made exclusively for the heartsy deal that I have a problem with.

[Former_Member]

That reminds me....

The shop I bought the vouicher from recently that raised their prices during the deal, still have the same price hike as they did a week ago. Perhaps they are doing it permenatly as well.

I will need to check back again...