So, I decided to sell Echinodorus opacus ‘Iguazu’ plantlets on facebook which is the hardest sword to propagate; they produce a few daughter plants per year, so the price is normally $100+ in most stores (
like this one). I sell them for only $15 and I got PM asking me to lower the price by 50% everyday for the whole week, some even want free shipping. Should I lower my price? What do you think?
I think you are selling them way too cheap. Even in Australia that plant goes for $75+ for small plants with 3-5 leaves. Selling them for $15.00 is kinda crazy cheap and they should go for a lot more than that.
If you are selling that plant for $15.00, the people who buy them can pay for postage. If they pay $100 for a plant and live in your country, free postage isn't as much of an issue. But I wouldn't give them free postage for a $15 plant. And I wouldn't reduce the price by 50%.
Most companies do free postage for smallish lightweight items if the customer spends over $100-150.00 in one transaction. If they spend $99.00, they pay postage. If someone buys a $15.00 plant, they can pay for packing and postage.
I would not reduce the price of the plant. I would actually increase it to at least $50 (probably $75) per plant. And I would not give discounts or free postage unless they ordered over $100 worth of plants in one order. And that $100 order will depend on the postage costs in your country. If postage is expensive, make it free postage for orders over $150.00.
In Australia it costs around $16.00 to post small parcels (up to 1kg in weight) and have them delivered in around 24-48 hours. The heavier the item, the more it costs. This cost and the time and fuel it takes for you to go into town, stand in line at the post office, packaging and postage costs all have to be included in the cost of whatever you sell if you give free postage. You also have to include the cost of fertiliser, water and light. Light and water might be cheap where you are but fertiliser has gone up.
eg: It takes me half an hour to go to the post office.
It costs me 50 cents for a fish bag and rubber band. I use 2 bags and 2 rubber bands per plant to double bag them. And a bigger bag and rubber band to line the box with.
It costs me $3.00 for a cardboard box, packing tape and labels.
I spend 20 minutes at the post office paying for and posting the plants.
Then I have a half hour drive home. I might even have to pay for parking at the post office, depending on where it is. Nearly 1 and a half hours of my time is spent going to and from the post office and doing the postage. Actual time will be closer to 2 hours if you include packing the plant/s and getting the order ready for posting.
It costs me $10.00 in fuel to get to and from the post office.
All this has to be included in the price you sell stuff for.
The going rate for that plant is high because it is rare and slow to propagate. Increase the price of it and charge people for postage, unless postage is free where you live (unlikely), or if they spend a lot of money in one order.
For $15.00, I would buy all of those sword plants from you, pay postage and then grow them on a bit and sell them for $100 a piece in a month's time. Don't undercut yourself Barry. Increase the price of those plants and charge postage. Your time and effort to grow those plants is worth money and those plants are worth a lot more than $15.00 each.