Tomorrow...

Delcampe Bonus Card

Dear Sebastian,

Congratulations! Excellent idea!

Hi Sebastien,

It looks good.

I have a question though about setting a time limit.

It gives you a calendar; if I put in a date, let's say 3 months from now; will it than automatically keep forwarding so that it remains 3 months or would I have to reset it on a monthly/weekly basis? And if it is the last scenario, what would happen to any credit that someone already has earned when I change the date? Would that automatically be extended or would that still expire on the original date?

I also have a few questions:

1. Can you increase / decrease the percentages? If so what are the restrictions and implications of a change? I assume the bonus amount credited to the customer will be calculated using the percentage applicable at the time of settlement. Is this correct?

2. Will there be any kind of reporting available for sellers to see how much credit has been earned by a customer or customers overall?

3. Will the bonus only be useable against purchases? I assume that it couldn't be applied against postage for example? Is this correct?

4. Can you leave the scheme at any time? If so, what are the implications?

Perhaps someone can clarify how the system will operate in respect of the above questions.

Alan Catherall
[Hoatzinstamps]

I have another supplementary question.

Under the current discount system when I accept the discount request from the buyer the price is lowered and the Delcampe commission is calculated on the lower price.

Under the Bonus card scheme the discount offered to the buyer appears to be totally to the seller's cost and is not reflected in any reduced commission from Delcampe. Could someone at Delcampe please confirm my understanding or correct me.

Thanks,

Alan Catherall
[Hoatzinstamps]

Alan,

That is how I read it. I think, even if you accept a lower offer, the buyer will get the credit on top of that, to spend on future purchases.

It's the 3rd point in your previous post, that concerns me most though.
I wouldn't want to end up in a situation, where I end up sending stuff out, when no p&p has been paid. The discount should only be on the goods and not on p&p.

It would be nice, if they could be a bit clearer with their instructions, when they introduce new features like these.

Marianne

Le informazioni non sono più disponibili perché l'account di questo utente è stato eliminato (Regolamento RGPD).

Marianne,

I really want some comment from Delcampe on the points raised so that we all know how things will operate.

This is the second enhancement that has been rolled out this month on the back of a load of hype and with very little detail. Problems with the earlier enhancement relating to checkout & invoices don't appear to be fixed yet and here we have another change that affects the same area.

What's more the Bonus percentages being offered of 5% + are a significant business expense, as much as or more than the Delcampe fees! Sellers need to understand how they operate at a detail level so that they can manage the process and know how it affects their business plan.

Once again sellers will have to find out by trial and error and to my mind that is UNACCEPTABLE.

The Bonus card seems 'prima facie' to be a good idea but as always with these things the devil is in the detail.

Some things to consider:

1. How long does the bonus last. Does it expire? Who determines the parameters? Buyers would want to know this. Are customers going to be advised who they have credit with and when it will expire? Buyers will want to understand this too. Can a seller just withdraw from the scheme ... and if so where does that leave the Buyer? Does the seller have an ongoing liability under the Bonus Scheme?

2. What changes will be made to the payment advices received by sellers to show any bonus amount taken. Some of us are already complaining about difficulties reconciling payments received.

3. Can the buyer offset the Bonus against the whole payment due including the postage?

4. What reports are available to sellers to show how much bonus was taken up during the month and how much might be outstanding for the future. This information is needed to manage this Scheme on an ongoing basis.

5. At the detail level how is the bonus calulated and at what point in the buying process. A simplistic example, Seller offers 10% bonus.
First transaction: Buyer buys GBP10. Buyer earns GBP1 bonus. Buyer pays GBP10.
Second transaction: Buyer buys GBP10 and reduces payment with bonus earned of GBP1. Buyer pays GBP9. Now, does buyer earn a further bonus on GBP10 or GBP9? Your guess is as good as mine.

As you can see the devil is in the detail ... and this could turn into a nightmare. There's also the buyers that prefer to pay by bank transfer, cheque, cash or don't like using e-wallet that are discriminated against under this scheme!

I hope that Delcampe will take time to explain what will actually happen and how the Scheme will be managed for the benefit of both sellers and buyers alike. This is information that should have been available at roll out ... I guess it will be better later than never.

A concerned seller ...

Alan Catherall
[Hoatzinstamps]

I absolutely agree with you - there are too many vague areas. I can make an "educated guess" at some of the points you're raising, BUT this should be much clearer.

Marianne

p.s. I've sent you a message

Le informazioni non sono più disponibili perché l'account di questo utente è stato eliminato (Regolamento RGPD).

Thank you for your comment.

I have posted a separate list to summarize my initial thoughts / observations.

This new Scheme could fall on its face if the rules are not clear from the outset. We have complained many times about enhancements that appear from nowhere and have not been thought through clearly. I would have hoped that some Sellers would have provided some detailed input as the implications of such a Scheme are significant.

I hope that some answers will allay my fears.

Alan Catherall
[Hoatzinstamps]

Le informazioni non sono più disponibili perché l'account di questo utente è stato eliminato (Regolamento RGPD).

Le informazioni non sono più disponibili perché l'account di questo utente è stato eliminato (Regolamento RGPD).

It's a shame I can't get any responses at all from Delcampe. Too many questions I expect????

Alan Catherall
[Hoatzinstamps]

Le informazioni non sono più disponibili perché l'account di questo utente è stato eliminato (Regolamento RGPD).

First of all let me stress again that the idea of this card is very interesting and Sebastien Delcampe and his team must be commended for the Bonus Card release.

Sadly I don't have the same feeling about the new invoicing system while the reported problems are not solved.

Said that, I agree wholeheartedly with the thoughts of the members Mainlypostcards and Hoatzinstamps, which has raised a number of important issues related to the Bonus Card that need clarification from the Delcampe team.

I would add a suggestion for debate and Delcampe team consideration that seem important, too.

The discount system can be more effective if the discount value is associated with a percentage of future purchases.

I believe that in the current situation the following can happen:

The buyer “x” acquires € 50 items in the store “y” that offers 10% discount on future purchases and get a credit of € 5.

Although pleased with the items received the buyer “x” don’t go back to the store "y" for more purchases.

Three months later the buyer “x” still have the credit of € 5, and though not interested in making new purchases, returns to the store "y" to purchase a single item that costs € 5, only to avoid losing the credit.

The seller “y” will be obligated to send the €5 item purchased from the buyer “x” for free (only plus shipping costs). That is, keeping in mind the additional handling (time and stationery) of this additional supply and the costs associated (Paypal fees, including the flat fee, only to get the shipping cost payment) it would have been more interesting for the seller (and probably to the buyer) to offer 10% discount directly on the first purchase.

However, if the discount of € 5 is associated with 10% of future purchases, the buyer will need to acquire an additional 50 € of articles to qualify for the rebate in full. More revenue for the seller and for Delcampe trough additional fees.

But will this suggestion may also be interesting from the perspective of the buyer? Yes, because with this system sellers will be more confident in offering discounts - and offering bigger discounts - without fear of falling into situations like the one described above.

Hope this helps.

The concept of a Loyalty card is to build up points / value to offset against future purchases. However, you don't see too many Loyalty Cards offering 5% or more because it is usually uneconomic to do so unless the goods are overpriced in the first place.

I prefer to keep the deal clean and up front and have a personal preference to cut the deal at the point of sale. The buyer will, in my view, return if the deal is good value, the item good quality and service excellent. So I'm with you to certain extent.

Moreover, until Delcampe come clean with the detail surrounding the Loyalty Card (as per my other post) I am intending to leave it alone.

Alan Catherall
[Hoatzinstamps]

The point Stampsandpostcards makes, makes a lot of sense to me, i.e you have x amount to spend, but only up to 10% of your next purchase. Thus, if you have £5 accumulated, but only spend £10 on your next purchase, you get £1 off.

With the lack of clarification about the fine detail, I am feeling more and more uneasy about it and may well opt out of it very soon. Maybe I should have given it a bit more thought, before I signed up for it.

Have you seen the list of subcribers? Some of them are offering 30% discount - I can't see how anyone can do that, unless there goods are grossly overpriced in the first place.