Setting a Minimum Order

Every order carries a fixed amount of work no matter how small it is. There are messages to answer, an item to pack, a label to print and a trip to the post office. On a very small sale that work can cost more than the sale brings in, and many sellers only notice when they add it up at the end of a month.

Work out what an order really costs you

Before picking a number, add up the time and materials one order takes. Packaging, postage you absorb, and the minutes spent on messages all count. That figure tells you the point below which an order stops being worth doing.

Pick a minimum that sits comfortably above it

Set your minimum a little above that break-even point so every sale leaves something behind. It does not need to be high. Its job is to stop the orders that quietly lose money, not to turn people away.

Say it once, clearly, where buyers look

Put the minimum in your shop policy and near the top of any listing it affects. A buyer who knows the rule before they start is happy to work within it. A buyer who finds out at the last step feels caught out.

Give them an easy way to reach it

A minimum works best when there is something simple to add. A small extra item, a bundle or an add-on lets a buyer reach the threshold without feeling pushed into spending on something they do not want.

Know when to bend it

For a regular who has bought many times, or a first order that could become a long relationship, you may choose to make an exception. That is your call to make. A rule you apply with judgement is still a rule.

Review it as costs change

Postage and packaging prices move. Look at your minimum every few months and adjust it if your costs have risen, so it keeps doing the job you set it for.