Ebay Shipping is killing me

I am new to selling on ebay.  Not selling a lot of volume, just basically things I can't unload locally.

I am finding that I am so far off on my shipping estimates that I am paying for shipping out of pocket on majority of items.

I did go buy a scale to help and am now estimating my shipping cost as if I was sending everything to Sea World in San Diego (about 2000 miles away) and will see if that helps.

Sold a medium sized purse and figured $6.95 would cover shipping.  Not even close came out to be $10.81.

Then when you add the FVF on shipping it is a losing battle.   

Anyone willing to share how they stay on top of shipping charges? 

Thanks

Anyone willing to share how they stay on top of shipping charges? 

Thanks

1) Weigh and measure the item you are shipping.
2) Use Calculated Shipping...it automatically calculates THEIR cost based on your zipcode to their zipcode.
3) Build in a couple of dollars in handling charge...takes care of any problems usually.

I'm sure there will be one or two folks here who will react to the handling charge, but I have put it in for going on 9 years now and while my rating for that category is only 4.9, what can I say...it works for me.
I let them know I am including it in their total charges so they know exactly what it would cost them and if they don't want to buy it they don't have to.

I am new to selling on ebay.  Not selling a lot of volume, just basically things I can't unload locally.

I am finding that I am so far off on my shipping estimates that I am paying for shipping out of pocket on majority of items.

I did go buy a scale to help and am now estimating my shipping cost as if I was sending everything to Sea World in San Diego (about 2000 miles away) and will see if that helps.

Sold a medium sized purse and figured $6.95 would cover shipping.  Not even close came out to be $10.81.

Then when you add the FVF on shipping it is a losing battle.   

Anyone willing to share how they stay on top of shipping charges? 

Thanks

"There is no right way to eat a reese's!"

There are multiple ways to ship products depending on thier size and weight, so there is no one best way to ship. It sounds like you are offering free shipping and working the shipping cost into your total product cost. Hard to tell where you are going wrong other than underestimating total weight of shipped item (item + shipping media + packaging).

Anyway here are a few tips that might help, and hopefully others will add some more. My tips are for shipping with U.S.P.S. only.

Use media mail for books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, video games, disc drives. cheaper than standard mail by weight.

When selling/shipping the same product over & over across the country consider the flat rate boxes & envelopes, or when it turns out the winning buyer is far away or in an expensive zone use a flat rate box instead of standard mail by weight. Can ship items up to 70lbs for one flat rate. Small boxes ship for $5.35, medium boxes ship for $11.35, large boxes ship for $15.45. "If it fits, it ships!"

Not everything is fragile and needs to be protected with a hard box. Consider using large envelopes or padded envelopes, cuts down on the overall weight.

When shipping something relatively heavy but wont fit in a flat rate box, consider using the Regional rate boxes. They come in regions A, B, C, but that's really the weight limit. region A items up to 15lbs, region B items up to 20lbs. region C items up to 25lbs. Once you choose the appropriate box, use the zone calculator to determine the shipping price. Shipping to San Diego (zone for me would be $9.62 for regional box A, $15.46 for regional box B, & $45.02 for regional box C. (The Regional rate box C would probably not be a good option for shipping something cross country).

Disassemble anything that can be a let the bidders know it will be shipped unassembled.

Hope this helps! 

I'm sure there will be one or two folks here who will react to the handling charge,

Why do you say this? I think it's a perfectly acceptable charge. There's the cost of the box, packing materials, printed label, the labor to put it all together, then of course the time to go to the post office.

I am finding that I am so far off on my shipping estimates that I am paying for shipping out of pocket on majority of items.

What carrier and what shipping method are you using?

Why do you say this? I think it's a perfectly acceptable charge. There's the cost of the box, packing materials, printed label, the labor to put it all together, then of course the time to go to the post office.

Yep, pretty much the  eBay SELLERS here would get it, but there are always buyers who over-react on this kind of thing. The boxes are pretty much free for the taking at a vareity of spots and of course for usps you can use their free boxes.

I use UPS and USPS. I take all my shipments to a UPS store 1 mile away and they have a usps pickup there of course.
I print both sets of labels through eBay (helps on costs though I couldn't tell you just how much) and I also have separate UPS and USPS accounts for those times I deal directly with someone not buying through eBay.

I also don't print up the labels showing the cost of the shipment. I have seen buyer's feedbacks for other sellers who say, "It cost $4.50 to ship it but he charged me $6.00". Thanks, but no thanks.

Shipping...

Here's the deal with that..

1) You need to learn the tricks of USPS... 

   

• I.E. Shoving small boxes into a flat rate evelope, so it ships at 4.90

2) Order Flat Rate Boxes from USPS - They are free

3) Get an account with FEDEX or UPS with Discounts on it (Join some existing association that has discounts.) How do you know what associations exists, research my friend.

• I get 74% off Fedex Express
• I get a flat 30% off all fedex ground, regardless of wieght
• Associations don't have $$ amount requirements, if you get a rep and ship a lot, they will give you discounts, but you need to maintain a certain volume
• With assocation discounts, sometimes it cheaper to ship ground instead of home delivery just do the match and add the surchage to ground. Fedex doesn't give good discounts to home delivery.
• Do automatic billing with fedex with an AMEX card that has 5% off Fedex charges
• Use the Free USPS Flat Rate boxes and ship that out fedex, Fedex don't care - a box is a box to them.

Shipping makes and breaks people, study it learn it, love it.  So you can compete on a level playing field. I don't endorse some of the above, but if you can't beat em join em. You need to eat too.

Pretty much MM and Luke have summed up my ways.....

You really can fit a ton in the flate rate envelope.  Box item, shove it in and tape the sh*t out of it!

Print shipping at home from USPS site and you save .20-.30 cents.  It adds up.
Plus, as stated, you can 'hide' shipping cost.  And arrange pick up to avoid gas to post office.  And get free delivery notification/tracking.

The only packing supplies I buy are shipping  tape and shipping label sleeves.
Boxes and peanuts I get from behind stores, especially the Mall.

Tape is cheap at dollar stores, goodwill and eBay.

Shipping sleeves can be cut out but I hate taping down shipping labels and I think it adds a nice professional look.  I got 1000 for $10 off eBay.   
I prefer the sticky labels for the printer since the USPS labels don't fit in the sleeves very well.  Have to crop and have gotten attitude from postman.  But the sticky labels do add 10 cents to the cost (more when they jam up!). 

Use the Free USPS Flat Rate boxes and ship that out fedex, Fedex don't care - a box is a box to them.

Fedex might not care but the USPS does and it is a felony to use their boxes like you just suggested. Me I'd rather dish out the $.20 for a shipping box, it's a whole lot cheaper than a lawyer.

Fedex might not care but the USPS does and it is a felony to use their boxes like you just suggested. Me I'd rather dish out the $.20 for a shipping box, it's a whole lot cheaper than a lawyer.

Frankly, it's hard for me to imagine it is a felony, but I don't really know.  What I do know is this.

Several years ago the interior (brown side) of usps boxes was not imprinted with the words that indicated that the box was to be used ONLY for priority shipping. I turned the boxes inside out on more than one occasion and used them for both usps mailings and ups mailings.

Once I sent a BOOK through usps using a box treated in that fashion. It was returned to me a few days later with a note saying I couldn't use the box like that. I THINK the box was opened by usps to see if it really WAS a book being mailed under the media mail rate, otherwise I doubt it would have been a problem.

NOW, all the usps priority mail, flat-rate, etc boxes have messages printed on the brown side, which pretty much eliminates using that old technique.

I can't remember the last time I've bought a box though. Grocery stores (especially small ones) often don't flatten their boxes (or bind them for disposal) relying instead on people coming around for  boxes for moving or in OUR case, shipping. I go to one spot that unpacks various dry items like crackers, etc and I get maybe 10 to 20 boxes at a time all the same size. Since I send a lot of eBay items that are "breadbox" size, this works great for me.

Large boxes can be obtained that used to hold lawn mowers, patio sets, even sofas.

Frankly, it's hard for me to imagine it is a felony, but I don't really know.

http://faq.usps.com/eCustomer/iq/usps/request.do?create=kb:USPSFAQ&view()=c%5Bc_usps09091%5D&varset(source)=sourceType:embedded&referrer=faqsitemap#Using2

Using Express Mail® service or Priority Mail® service envelopes for other mail

If any Express Mail service or Priority Mail service packaging or packaging supplies e.g., Priority Mail tape to seal a Parcel Post package, are used on any other class of mail, the applicable Express Mail or Priority Mail price will be charged.

Misuse may be a violation of federal law.
Turning the packaging inside out to conceal the Priority Mail / Express Mail insignia is specific misuse that is not allowed.


Using boxes that are ordered at The Postal Store® for other uses

The terms of Agreement for the use of United States Postal Service shipping supplies is as follows: I understand that Express Mail service, Priority Mail service, Global Express Guaranteed, Express Mail International and Priority Mail International packaging is the property of the United States Postal Service and is provided solely for sending Express Mail, Priority Mail, Global Express Guaranteed, Express Mail International and Priority Mail International. Misuse may be a violation of federal law.

http://faq.usps.com/eCustomer/iq/usps/request.do?create=kb:USPSFAQ&view()=c%5Bc_usps09091%5D&varset(source)=sourceType:embedded&referrer=faqsitemap#Using2

Using Express Mail® service or Priority Mail® service envelopes for other mail

If any Express Mail service or Priority Mail service packaging or packaging supplies e.g., Priority Mail tape to seal a Parcel Post package, are used on any other class of mail, the applicable Express Mail or Priority Mail price will be charged.

Misuse may be a violation of federal law.
Turning the packaging inside out to conceal the Priority Mail / Express Mail insignia is specific misuse that is not allowed.


Using boxes that are ordered at The Postal Store® for other uses

The terms of Agreement for the use of United States Postal Service shipping supplies is as follows: I understand that Express Mail service, Priority Mail service, Global Express Guaranteed, Express Mail International and Priority Mail International packaging is the property of the United States Postal Service and is provided solely for sending Express Mail, Priority Mail, Global Express Guaranteed, Express Mail International and Priority Mail International. Misuse may be a violation of federal law.

Seems even the post office has questions about this.  My guess is that if a business ordered 100,000 boxes or even 10,000 boxes and then used them all for inappropriate mailings there would be a problem, but to come after Joe Schmoe for his twice a year mis-use would be a losing proposition.

By printing their message on the brown interior surfaces they took the route that would eliminate most of the problem.

On the other hand, using those boxes as fillers inside larger boxes for padding MIGHT not be a violation, especially if they were sent in re-useable condition....that is they could be used by the recipient for their intended use.

Could you find a section in the code about THAT Alloro ?  

The point being is that the USPS pays for and supplies these boxes to the consumer free of charge for the purpose of shipping via the USPS. Using these boxes for any other purpose violates that implied contract and essentially means the boxes (owned by the USPS) were stolen. Now you can play any game you want over the wording, but anyone with a half-assed grasp on reality can see that the misuse of these boxes is flat out wrong.

The point being is that the USPS pays for and supplies these boxes to the consumer free of charge for the purpose of shipping via the USPS. Using these boxes for any other purpose violates that implied contract and essentially means the boxes (owned by the USPS) were stolen. Now you can play any game you want over the wording, but anyone with a half-assed grasp on reality can see that the misuse of these boxes is flat out wrong.

Speaking of half assed grasps....

Going faster than the speed limit is also against the law as is talking on a cell phone while driving (at least in California), but it frequently happens ....doesn't mean it's right, but it happens.

On the other hand the pricing of gasoline MAY be legally done, but like no down payment house loans is IMO truly morally reprehensible.

Y'all can go on fighting but I think we can all agree it comes down to the box companies forming special interest groups to lobby our goverment for tighter box regulation! 

Just more big goverment telling us how and when we can use boxes! 

I for one, am starting a campign for Pro-Box-Choice! COME ON!!!  Who's with me?!?!   


......anyone?.......hello?..............   i have doughnuts.....