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I have the same issues with listing low value items. There is really no cost to them, as they usually come with box lots. The only question is whether or not it’s worth the time and effort to list, or just discard/donate.
Of course, I’ll bundle, whenever practical to raise the listing sale price. I sell a lot of books in groups.
Generally, unless I can get more than $15 for an item, I tend to donate it, especially if there are a bunch for sale and few solds.
When you look at a listing on Ebay, as a buyer, the vast majority already have the shipping charges listed. The buyer knows ahead of time what the charges are. It’s in the listing.
I believe you are over thinking this whole process. You should probably start out listing some small relatively inexpensive items and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
If you don’t have a small scale, buy one right away.
As long as the package isn’t oversized, the dimensions are really not relevant for USPS shipments. You can change them when you print the labels anyways.
When listing, weigh the item, add an appropriate amount for the box, packing etc and start listing. Estimate the dimensions. When in doubt, estimate everything a little high, keeping in mind that over 1 LB tends to bring the cost up to the next tier.
After the sale, you can change the dimensions and weight before printing the label if the need arises.
Good Luck.
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 weigh the package.
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Less than 1 Lb.ships USPS First Class.
Over 1 lb ships Fedex Smart Post or USPS Priority Mail.
Books ship USPS Media Mail.
Oversize or Heavy ship Fedex Ground (Home)
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Regarding weights there are a few questions I ask myself, due to the rates.Is it 8 oz or less?
Is it 1 pound or less?
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.
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Regarding size:Is it oversize for USPS?
Length X Width X Height must be 1728 cubic inches or less.
12x12x12=1728 or 16X12X9=1728
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It’s that simple.And I love the flat rate padded envelopes.
Those the very shipping basics for my business and are just suggestions.
Good Luck.
That’s the way I remember it. The original caller was calling Ebay to get refunds on final value fees for partial refunds made directly through Paypal. Some of them may have been for shipping overages.
The recent caller didn’t make it clear if she was calling Ebay, for reimbursement of the actual refunds she gave the buyers, or just the final value fee on those refunds.
Also she stated that she had several hundred dollars in refunded shipping. I wonder if she refunds every single shipping overage. I have heard of sellers who do that.
There is a service in which the Post Office can intercept your package and either redirect it or send it back to you. It’s not cheap, but is available. If you go to USPS.com, they can tell you the costs and if there’s still time to redirect it.
If you choose to go this route, Id make sure the buyer pays all the extra postage.
To answer your question, it’s not really your responsibility that the buyer gave you the wrong address. Also, if you do redirect it, I don’t know where that will leave you, regarding seller protection.
Good Luck.
Medium Flat Rate is $13.60.. with discount it costs me $12.05. Discounts are generally greater for non flat rate shipments.
You are welcome.. I’m happy to do it.
I’m going back for more. They keep the green ones out front at my store, but I went back to the actual Tote section to find the gray ones.
Between the clear (see through) aspect and the locking tops Mike, those bins you’re buying, sound like a real score..
When I notice a bin is 1/3 empty or more I put a small piece of masking tape on it, so I’ll know it has room for new items. It gets the job done, but not near as convenient as a clear tub.
I’m constantly reorganizing and rebuilding storage. Every time I do, I become more efficient and find make room for more stuff.
These are clearly cheap “discount” totes. If you’re not too picky about strength or quality. but are looking for quantity I think they’re a good deal.
I use them for light to medium items.. clothing, shoes, games etc. They’re not so big you have to dig forever to find something.
If I had a source for those Sterilite totes Mike, I’d be all over it. They sound like a great deal.
I’ve got such a hodge podge of bins now it’s a bit of a joke. At this point, I’m eliminating the ones without lids.. I don’t think I’ll ever have them all match.
Don’t forget First Class if the items weighs less than a pound.. By far the cheapest.
Are you saying the name and address were the same for both purchases? Are you sure it wasn’t some type of forwarding company, possibly dealing with overseas buyers?
The free boxes from the Post Office tend to be for Priority Mail and higher.
You can order a variety of boxes for free (Flat Rate and Calculated) at USPS.com.
If you want to ship cheaper (First Class, Media Mail or Smart Post), you’ll have to come up with your own boxes or envelopes.
The long term affect on an increase in home ownership (less tax write offs) is a decrease in prices (home values). It is similar to an interest rate increase.
Hopefully I’m overstating this, but I know a lot of people directly affected by this.
First Class Mail is generally the cheapest option for anything less than a pound and really cheap for anything less than 8 ounces.
Print your own labels through Ebay and you’ll save a whole lot. You will need a scale.
I ship a lot of Flat Rate Padded envelopes for items over a pound that fit, otherwise, I rarely use flat rate.
Good Luck with it…
I just found out the place in Norwalk, I’ve been to several times has shut down (For now they say). Bummer.. I should have gone there more and bought more stuff. I’m still digging through books I bought there months ago.
In Norwalk, the Auction would start at 10:00 AM and the box lots would be done before 1:00 PM. By then I’d usually check out, because the car would already be full and I wanted to beat the rush.
I’ve been to the place in Santa Ana, once and wasn’t really impressed. There’s a ton of stuff, but it looks like most of it is large.
For the right auction, I’m willing to hook my trailer up to my car and go far if need be.
I’m curious to see what you find out. Just remember, if it’s that good, you can rent a pickup from U-Haul pretty cheap for local stuff…
JOE
