With so many designers looking to Kickstarter to launch and selling direct through a personal website to extend the life of their game, I wanted to pose a question to the community. Let's assume for the purposes of this query that the game is solid, well-liked and there's little question as to whether or not a given person would enjoy playing this game...in other words, take opinion of the game out of it and judge solely on the merits of the offer in question...
How much value is there in offering "free shipping?"
If a game is sold for $20, and shipping runs another $5.95 (the cost of a USPS flat rate small box), is this less appealing to the point of potentially losing sales?
If a designer "can afford" to offer free shipping in their pricing and take less profit while still maintaining a decent margin, is the offer so attractive that it will push an indifferent person to click "buy?" Basically, will a game sell more with free shipping than one with a fee? Is it ultimately worth it for the designer/publisher?
Casamyr that gets right to the heart of the question...is there any perceived difference between "$20 game+$10 shipping" and "$30 game with free shipping?"
I suppose its hard to remove the dynamics of the game, as people will create a perceived value based on components, quality and how many plays they'll likely get out of it. Therefor if a person thinks "that game shouldn't cost more than $20," a $30+free shipping may not seem like such a deal as meeting their perceived value of $20 with an obligatory shipping charge on top of it.
Interesting feedback all, thanks! I hope this helps others who are mulling over the KS idea...