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does anyone sell on ebay? im having trouble figuring out the best way to ship things and how much to charge for shipping. p.s. i dont have a scale of any kind in my house. any helpful hints would be appreciated!!
I sold books on ebay for 4 years until my second child was born. Where books, movies and dvd's are concerned you can save a lot by mailing via media mail. This can be very slow though so you have to warn your buyers that the item can take up to 2 weeks to arrive within the 48 states. Much longer for Alaska and Hawaii.
I usually offered media mail (for media only), first class, and priority. Once you have the weight of your item its just a matter of checking on the listing page the different ways you are willing to ship. After all shipping costs come out of the buyer's pocket. I did always add a dollar for handling since I had to drag the stuff to the post office and stand in line! Anything over a certain amount, I always asked them to pay for insurance since its very easy for someone to say the parcel never arrived. You could add delivery confirmation and roll that into your shipping costs but if your shipping costs get too high buyers will go to another seller with a lower total cost.
As for not having a scale . . .you have got to get one if you are to accurately measure shipping costs. People will be royally ticked off if you over charge on shipping and you won't be happy if you undercharge them because then the money comes out of your profits. Depending on the size of your item a small kitchen scale can suffice. If you are mailing internationally you may want a digital one that is accurate to the ounce. If you are mailing bulky items that can change things too. Go to the USPS website and they have a terrific calculator you can use. Ebay has a built in shipping system as well that makes things easier. You can pick up a professional scale at the post office if your profits get large enough so that it looks like it may be worth it.
If you have any other questions drop me a PM.
Good luck on ebay. If you have the time and the inclination to spend on it, it can be a terrific second income.
There is real good deals on digital scales on ebay I would suggest highly investing in one if you are going to do this as a serious hobby.
Shipping:
Unless it item mention above also consider shipping things priority mail vs regular mail if the item is less than five pounds, The 3 to 5 day guarantee works great and you get free boxes from the post office or usps.com
If the item is more than 5 pounds you are better off cost wise shipping it via a carrier like Fed Ex UPS or DHL. About all these have online shipping labels so once you place the order you are good to go.
does anyone sell on ebay? im having trouble figuring out the best way to ship things and how much to charge for shipping. p.s. i dont have a scale of any kind in my house. any helpful hints would be appreciated!!
Oh my gosh, you're going to think I am stalking you here! But yes, I sell children's clothes on ebay - either my own daughter's clothes or sometimes good deals I find at outlets. I've also sold a few random other things. So, the method of shipping depends entirely on what you are shipping. For my stuff, I either use First Class mail or Priority Mail. I offer the buyers the option and I've had 2 pick Priority and hundreds pick First Class. Then you can add insurance and/or delivery confirmation. Just fyi, delivery confirmation is free if you do your shipping online.
I don't use a scale, but I am at a point where I have a very easy time estimating shipping. If I am in doubt, I might run over to the post office and put it on the scale, but that is only if I'm selling something unusual. I also offer extremely low additional costs for combined shipping (if they want several of my items). Why discourage people from bidding on several of your auctions?
I'm going to give some ebay advice that is different from everyone else. I offer the cheapest shipping possible. People love it and my auctions always outsell. I have a set of terms at the bottom of my auctions that are different from almost anyone else: friendly service, low cost shipping, satisfaction guaranteed (no problem returns). I just believe in doing it this way. And how many returns have I had? 1 out of 900, and that was because my daughter, then 2, had taken some nail scissors to a dress right before I mailed it.
thanks to everyone for your help (including the golden stalker)
my situation is that i make modern baby items (bibs, blankets). i definitely do not want to blow a sale because of high shipping cost so i want to make sure im doing this correctly. should i get a scale or just wing it? a bib weighs nothing but a blanket is heavier. i think i could fold a blanket pretty darn tight/small in order to fit in a standard/small box but im still really confused. also, i thought you could sell on ebay with a fixed price and not just an auction? i guess i have to do more reading but im always looking for quick answers from all of you. should i order some free boxes from usps and try stuffing a blanket in it to make sure it works? it is great that these days it appears you can do it all from home and not even have to go to post office!
i just want to make sure im not charging too much for shipping. the heaviest thing i would ship is the weight of a crib sized blanket. i looked at other sellers shipping costs for blankets and there seemed to be a big variety so i am still confused.
A scale that will be close enough is very inexpensive. We box items (leaving unsealed), and weigh the packaged the item and figure the postage before listing the auction.
No surprises that way. A cheap digital camera and sometimes a scanner comes in handy so a picture of the item can show on your auction.
Hi there. I also sell children's clothing on Ebay. The best thing you could do would be to invest in a small scale. You could pick one up at Staples actually. Everything I sell, shipping costs are strictly by weight of the item. It really saves people a lot of money this way, and buyers will be more apt to purchase multiple items from you if you save them money with shipping costs. Also, now with the new Ebay rating system, everyone is rated on shipping costs along with shipping time. Some people like priority mail because of the time frame, especially during the holidays, while others save quite a bit with less expensive methods. Good luck! Jeannie
Quote:
Originally Posted by nicolepsy
thanks to everyone for your help (including the golden stalker)
my situation is that i make modern baby items (bibs, blankets). i definitely do not want to blow a sale because of high shipping cost so i want to make sure im doing this correctly. should i get a scale or just wing it? a bib weighs nothing but a blanket is heavier. i think i could fold a blanket pretty darn tight/small in order to fit in a standard/small box but im still really confused. also, i thought you could sell on ebay with a fixed price and not just an auction? i guess i have to do more reading but im always looking for quick answers from all of you. should i order some free boxes from usps and try stuffing a blanket in it to make sure it works? it is great that these days it appears you can do it all from home and not even have to go to post office!
i just want to make sure im not charging too much for shipping. the heaviest thing i would ship is the weight of a crib sized blanket. i looked at other sellers shipping costs for blankets and there seemed to be a big variety so i am still confused.
thank you all. im going to get a small scale today and focus on shipping by weight only. any other hints are still welcome of course! i am new to this and dont want to make mistakes.
Don't buy into all the options that ebay offers you to spruce up your ads. Most are not worth it. Just do simple auctions with a modest picture of the item.
yes thank you. i have not bought into any of those. (i want to make money not spend it!) it would appear that it costs 40 cents for a listing (per item)? if i dont sell my item in the 7 days that the auction takes place then am i still charged 40 cents? that would only seem fair but is that the case?
im sorry but this is all new to me and i have TONS of questions!
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) it would appear that it costs 40 cents for a listing (per item)? if i dont sell my item in the 7 days that the auction takes place then am i still charged 40 cents? that would only seem fair but is that the case?
