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Icon credit: Davide Eucalipto

A Roundup of Discogs Marketplace Product Updates from July 2020

Shipping Policies are a requirement for all Sellers on Discogs starting November 1, 2020.

In July, we announced our plans for improving the Discogs Marketplace. This continued focus on developments enables us to keep driving buyers — Discogs veterans and newbies alike — to your shop. Shipping Policies are already a preferred method of setting shipping rates for most of our top sellers on Discogs, and buyers show a clear affinity for being able to understand their shipping costs upfront then move through the order process to get those discs and tapes from their Cart to their Collection.

Of course, a healthy Marketplace doesn’t just cater to the buyer but also simplifies selling. The following product updates from July 2020 aren’t just about getting more buyers through the door; they’re also about making selling easy and effective for you. (And there’s an unavoidable tax update in there, too).

Sellers Can Set Minimum Order Total

Even when the buyer pays shipping costs, there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work for a seller that sometimes means orders below a certain value don’t offset the time and effort that goes into grading, listing, packaging, and setting up postage.

To address this, we’ve introduced the Minimum Order Total field in your Seller Settings (in the Buyers section, specifically, which is where you can also exclude orders from buyers below your preferred feedback rating or from certain buyers by entering their usernames). This field is optional in your Seller Settings. By entering a value in this field, buyers won’t be able to place their order until it reaches the amount you specify. This value will apply to all regions you sell to.

If a buyer tries to complete their order without meeting your specified amount, they’ll get a notification in their cart to let them know how much they need to increase their order by (from your shop) to check out. The seller in the example below has set a Minimum Order Total of €10, so the buyer will need to add at least one more item worth €5.30 or more to place their order. This does not affect ‘Make an Offer’, you’ll still be able to accept offers below the Minimum Order Total.

Screenshot of minimum order requirement messages that appears to buyers during checkout

This gives sellers more control over the orders accepted with Shipping Policies, encourages multiple-item orders, and ensures buyers are serious (meaning fewer Non-Paying Buyers and order cancellations). When the sellers are able to set the expectation for what they’re willing to ship, you also benefit from a lower cancellation rate. For buyers, this means you’ll likely get more music for the same amount you’d be paying in shipping anyway.

Please note this has now been implemented in the Discogs mobile apps, however, if the buyer hasn’t updated their app to the most recent version, it may be possible for them to place an order below your minimum.

Free Shipping Better Displayed In the Marketplace

Sellers who offer Free Shipping as a shipping method often enjoy an increase in orders and more multiple-item orders. It goes without saying that free shipping is a big draw — it feels like you’re getting away with something. But the lure of free shipping only works when people know about it. From now on, when a seller offers free shipping, it’ll be a lot harder to miss. 

On the Seller Profile

When a seller offers free shipping, you’ll see a banner at the top of their Seller Profile page with the minimum order amount for free shipping to be applied. Here’s what it looks like: 

Screenshot of the free shipping banner at the top of a seller profile

What’s displayed in this banner will depend on the address you’ve provided in your shipping address (or your IP if you’re logged out). A seller may only offer free shipping to certain countries or have different order amounts that free shipping applies to in different countries and continents, so you’ll only see what’s relevant to your location. 

In the Cart

There’s no worse feeling than checking out a cart full of gems for $48 only to realize that free shipping kicks in at $50. As a buyer, when you add an item to your cart you’ll see a yellow notification (pictured below) if the seller offers free shipping and the order total you need to meet to take advantage of the offer.   

Screenshot of the free shipping message seen by buyers during checkout

On Marketplace Listings

Coming soon, you’ll also see a small notification (similar to the one displayed in the cart) on marketplace listings when the seller offers free shipping, as well as the minimum order amount to qualify. This update is in development and will appear over the coming weeks.

Local Pickup

In case you missed it, we added Local Pickup as a shipping method in our Shipping Policies around the time that Free Shipping was added.

New Zealand Goods and Services Tax Collection

One of the few certainties in life is now also a reality on Discogs for our Kiwi buyers and sellers. As of July, we are required to start collecting Goods and Services Tax (GST) on all orders placed by a New Zealand buyer with a seller outside of New Zealand. New Zealand sellers without a New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) will also be required to pay GST on your Discogs seller fees.

You can find more information in the help documentation.

Seller Updates

Seller Updates

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