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Hi Sharyn,
Those new boxes look like the ones made to ship record albums. I use them all the time for books and will most likely pick some up with my next coupon.. nice catch.
Thanks
As far as the poly mailers are concerned, Sharon is correct. Just guesstimate a size and weight in the listing. It does not have to match what you enter, when you ship it.
I would keep the guesstimate on the smaller size, in case you sell multiples and want to combine is a flat rate padded envelope. The shipping “helper” may limit your options if it thinks the item is too big.
Advice from an older post:
Shipping is a major part of selling on Ebay. If you can ship efficiently, you can keep more of the money an item sells for. Also, I believe, if an item is packed well and shipped quickly, customers are much more likely to give positive feedback. These are a few brief rules I go by.
1. Ship on time.
2. Pack it well.
3. Consider alternate carriers based on the item shipped and destination.
4. Print your own shipping labels. The online discounts are too big to ignore.
5. Get an accurate digital scale. Guessing on the weight is risky and not cost effective. The last thing I do, before printing the shipping label is reweigh the package.Regarding weight:
Is it 1 pound or less? If yes, then it can go USPS First Class Mail.
After that the postage due increases with each pound.
Using poly mailers, light boxes and light packing materials all help to keep the weight down.
Regarding size:
Is it oversize for USPS?
Length X Width X Height must be 1728 cubic inches or less.
12x12x12=1728 or 16X12X9=1728
It’s that simple.
Books can go Media Mail, consider Fedex Ground for larger items and I love the USPS Flat Rate padded envelopes.
Anyway those are the very basics.
Welcome to the group.
For scavenging, you can go to Craigslist- Garage sales and search: Church or Rummage and also community.
The church sales are generally on Saturdays, but the ones on Thursday or Friday can be real scores. Sometimes, they don’t get posted until the night before.
Frequently, the local real estate agents will sponsor community yard sales and entire neighborhoods will have yard sales.
Don’t forget “Estate sales.com” for all the local estate sales.
I lived in that area for a long time. There are lots and lots to scavenge. Lots of free stuff too.
That makes sense. It also benefits the businesses, because the property and operating costs will be less. Also, the workers can probably be paid less, because they don’t have to make as much, as they would in the big metro areas, like Los Angeles or the San Francisco Bay area.
This is one of the many articles on home affordability.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/15/10-best-cities-for-millennial-homebuyers.htmlThe nice thing about these size cities, is that you have the population base and hopefully an educated populace to hire from.
Many of the new occupations are mobile or internet based, so it’s less important to live in the big expensive city.
Vermont is actually paying people to move there, due to an aging population.
Lower interest rates may help with mortgage payments, but you still need money to make a down payment and to pay property taxes etc. Between that, student loans and car payments, there’s not a lot left over to enjoy life.
Wow.. maybe it’s intent is to be the alternative to Ebay/Amazon and the constantly changing rules and regulations.
It looks like they can handle payments, but it’s not required.
Does being associated with Shopify give the seller increased credibility in the market place?
What an interesting niche.
If they do file a Vero claim, Ebay will take down the listings and possibly suspend your account.
Whether or not you can resell the items, they own the name and images (regardless of who takes the photographs.
I don’t see how you can benefit from fighting or ignoring them.
Good luck.
09/06/2019 at 7:36 pm in reply to: A way to see what listings have which business policy applied to them #67490Yes, upper left where your name is.. drop menu- account settings then drop menu.. business policies.
09/06/2019 at 10:46 am in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 426: Our Financial Lives Are Tied To The Mysterious Whims Of A Website #6745409/04/2019 at 10:47 am in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 426: Our Financial Lives Are Tied To The Mysterious Whims Of A Website #67357Yes, the Flat Rate Padded Envelopes and Media Mail are my two favorite USPS shipping methods.
09/04/2019 at 10:32 am in reply to: Just got some Strapping Tape. How did I survive without it? #67356Hi Mark,
The regulatory and environmental issues I’m referring to, have to do with operating an unlicensed dismantling operation.
The motorcycles all contain hazardous materials, like oil and antifreeze, that need to be disposed of properly.
Also, the paperwork needs to be processed properly through the DMV system. The motors and frames all have serial numbers on them. Many times, the title has disappeared by the time, a junk motorcycle is sold.
Yes, California is probably more vigilant than most states, in enforcing this.
Selling used parts shouldn’t be a problem, unless it’s the frame or engine, which should be sold with the paperwork, although it’s done without all of the time.
Good Luck.
08/31/2019 at 12:12 pm in reply to: Just got some Strapping Tape. How did I survive without it? #67169In the early days of Ebay, I sold used motorcycle parts, mostly from Japanese bikes. Back then there was a real demand for them on the east coast and in Europe.
Most of the stuff, I bought in bulk, from a salvage yard going out of business or at swap meets. The real money was in identifying the parts. Almost everything sold.
After a while, Ebay caught on and everyone with an old motorcycle, became a parts seller. The supply soon met the demand.
Now it’s just like anything else. The right parts for the right motorcycles still bring good money, but most have become a commodity.
As a consumer, who rides an older motorcycle, it makes my life much easier. I can find almost any part I need on Ebay. Then I can go on You Tube and find out how to replace the part. In the old days I had to go to the dealer and use the repair guide.
If it weren’t for the regulatory and environmental issues, I would love to start buying and dismantling motorcycles to sell the parts.
Hi Emma,
You’re probably in a better spot than you think.
Being employees, means that the government has most likely been with holding taxes every paycheck. If that’s the case, you may actually not owe any taxes, or the amount will be less than you think.
The key is to get with a good tax person and file your taxes. The longer you put this off, the worse it will get. Even if you do not have the money to pay back taxes, you should file as soon as possible.
The IRS is much more lenient to people who file voluntarily. If you put it off, until they find you then, they are not near as friendly.
Beyond that, getting a grip on your monthly expenses and setting up a budget is Huge. The money that is slipping between you fingers every month, will cause you to work years longer, than if you handle this.
Dave Ramsey is a great resource for budgeting. Mr Money Mustache has a great website for people to live cheap and retire early. I also like Clark Howard for advice on finances.
With the money you guys make, you should have no debt and be fully funding a retirement account with money to spare. Once you take care of this, your Ebay money will be a true blessing.
I agree with the above poster regarding Dave Ramsey’s books. His first one, “Financial Peace” is great as is “The Total Money Makeover”. Read one or both and take action.
(Saving money/getting out of debt) is a lot like (losing weight/getting in shape). It’s mostly about motivation and taking action. It’s not so important exactly how you do it, just as long as you start.
Good Luck and welcome to the group.
Monster Energy drinks is another that will get pulled pretty quick.
The key to not losing money on shipping is to estimate on the high side, when creating the listing. You always have the option of refunding the difference, but you’ve still got other costs for shipping, besides the postage. Boxes, bubblewrap and the Ebay fees come to mind.
Keeping things as simple as possible makes a lot of sense in the beginning.
Good Luck
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