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Anything "small-ish" is going via USPS Priority flat rate box. I sent out the camera via a medium fixed rate box today. Bubble wrapped and packed it with supplies from Walmart. It was like $18 to CT, much larger and a bit heavier than the Apple Watch that went via UPS Ground to Nashville for $31.
Are you printing out your own labels at home? $18 is too much for a medium flat rate box. These are the rates I get when I go to my PayPal account and click on their payment to create a label.
If I go to the USPS site, the rates are higher. On PayPal, there is a feature where you can buy labels at the above rates even if the buyer didn't pay PayPal, it's called multi-order shipping.
I sell from my own site and rarely use ebay. We ship every day, post office and UPS. Order the free supplies from the usps site, buy labels, bubble wrap, tape and boxes from Uline.
If you are doing this at some shipping store, you could be paying higher rates and losing money that way.
You have to sell in large volumes to make it worth it.
Here is what I do know, I outsource it to someone I know who sells locally on Craigslist, Facebook or eBays it depending on the item. They use all their time dealing with the people who want endless text conversations, pictures, never show up when they say they will etc....and I take a small hit, but never have to waste my time or deal with all the headaches.
Since I am just selling used personal items, it works out. Lots of times I would just donate or throw stuff away anyway because I didn't want to deal with the hassle. At least now I get a little money.
I can't stand flakes, people who lie, people who can't make a decision, people full of a million excuses (who always seem to have major issues in their life every single day, come on now, really?) and it seems like a lot of people who buy used stuff are like this.
Are you printing out your own labels at home? $18 is too much for a medium flat rate box. These are the rates I get when I go to my PayPal account and click on their payment to create a label.
If I go to the USPS site, the rates are higher. On PayPal, there is a feature where you can buy labels at the above rates even if the buyer didn't pay PayPal, it's called multi-order shipping.
I sell from my own site and rarely use ebay. We ship every day, post office and UPS. Order the free supplies from the usps site, buy labels, bubble wrap, tape and boxes from Uline.
If you are doing this at some shipping store, you could be paying higher rates and losing money that way.
$18 included tax and additional insurance for the $300 the camera is worth. I think the box was $13.50. No, I'm not getting the prepaid labels. If you do, do you just take the label to the post office and then they give you the box?
The problem I'm having with the shipping is that I had not done this in so long, that everything I knew was well out of date.
I have a couple of items going out tomorrow and a book going out before the end of the week. They'll be going out in flat rate boxes and are not large, so the listed shipping costs should be fine.
$18 included tax and additional insurance for the $300 the camera is worth. I think the box was $13.50. No, I'm not getting the prepaid labels. If you do, do you just take the label to the post office and then they give you the box?
The problem I'm having with the shipping is that I had not done this in so long, that everything I knew was well out of date.
I have a couple of items going out tomorrow and a book going out before the end of the week. They'll be going out in flat rate boxes and are not large, so the listed shipping costs should be fine.
We order the boxes (free) from usps.com so we always have them on hand. I'm sure they probably have a few sitting in the lobby of the post office, or you can ask.
So we print out the labels from PayPal, pack the items, tape up the box and give it to the mailman when they drop off our mail. Sometimes we'll drop off at the post office.
We have never asked the counter person to pack up our box, we'd probably be attacked by the people in line. So you should probably take the labels, packing materials, packing slip and tape to the post office with you and pack it up there yourself.
Also, I rarely buy insurance, unless it's something I couldn't replace/refund the customer.
Last edited by KaraG; 01-15-2018 at 07:12 AM..
Reason: sp
Why would you charge the customer for shipping if the item is picked up?
You don't charge them for picking up. You give BOTH options if you so choose to. Some things cost alot to ship so if people live nearby, it used to be they could save money by picking it up.
Offer that option along with shipping and it will be taxed just as the price of the item is. Ebays shipping is more expensive anyway....without the extra fees...versus amazon.
USPS priority is my favorite since things don't bounce around in UPS / FedEx trucks for a week.
Priority mail, even packages almost always get on a plane the same day they are dropped at San Antonio postoffices.
One warning, when taking a prepaid USPS package to the post office be sure to ask for a receipt, that forces the counter guy to scan it into the tracking system right then and the package does not go into the 'steal me' pile. Learned this the hard way twice.
I buy and sell quite a bit of old photography gear on eBay. Some of it, especially under $100 items, I only break even on but like to see it go to someone who wants it rather than trash it.
I've found some good deals on Craigs and OfferUP but most old cameras there are priced 5 to 10 times their going eBay value by clueless sellers. Its just too much work to search through those sites anymore.
And it seems the pawn shops are clogging up the listings with crazy priced junk on those sites.
As a buyer, eBay policies are favorable. I've bought a couple of expensive things that were completely mis-represented as to model number even.
Money goes into paypal escrow for a couple weeks and if buyer has a complaint he almost always prevails.
Buyer gets his money back and prints a free shipping label to return the item to the seller. A couple weeks of aggravation is required.
Never sell an item on eBay to a buyer without a large and perfect rating.
Don't ever take something to a UPS store or some such independent to box up (or even just ship) something.
They have a high markup to cover their costs.
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