Home Design Luxury: How I Sell on eBay Part 3 :: Packing Materials and Shipping Costs

In How I Sell on eBay Part 1 :: My Closet

I showed you the hub of my business.

In How I Sell on eBay Part 2 :: What I Sell

I showed you what I list to sell: things that I am familiar with, like, and enjoy using myself.

Items, that if they DON'T sell, I figure I simply had enjoyed the thrill of the hunt.

Grab a cup of tea or a pillow, or better yet,

go take a nap and then come back and read it, this post is long.

Here it is:

WHERE I FIND PACKING SUPPLIES

CRAIGSLIST: Many folks that have moved into our area are looking to pass on their boxes and packing materials to others, either for free, or to recoup what they have spent. Some recent ads:

A FREE local Listing:

(Click on the pictures to enlarge them in a new window).

Not FREE, but CHEAP local Listing:

WAL-MART: I go after about 10:30 P.M. when the stocking employees start their nightly unpacking of products. Hundreds of boxes in all shapes and sizes to be had, for free!

FRIENDS: I ask my friends, and my husband's friends to save supplies for me that they may receive from being shipped something. Friends that work in offices are great to have, they often bring me the boxes, bubblewrap and peanuts that their employer is going to put in the dumpster.

EBAY ITSELF: If I am low on supplies and NEED them, I buy them from eBay. This is a last resort, but definitely cheaper than STAPLES or OFFICE MAX or OFFICE DEPOT. AVOID Office Supply stores like the plague. Buying your supplies at these places is a huge waste and is cutting into your profit.

Some eBay Deals:

Bubblewrap

Packing Peanuts

DOLLAR TREE: It's where I get my packing tape and smaller bubble envelopes.

FYI:

I PERSONALLY, DO NOT CHARGE MY BUYERS ANY PACKING OR HANDLING FEES.

Packing and handling are part of the service I offer to my customers.

HOW TO CALCULATE SHIPPING COSTS

Most of the QUESTIONS I have received are shipping-related,

here are a few:

Susan asks: I have NO IDEA how to do postage and handling. Would I pack the item and THEN weigh it and take it to the post office? And how would the buyer pay my own asking price PLUS postage and handling? Yikes. This is SOOOOO confusing to me.

Sonya asks: I find the whole shipping process confusing. So hard to know how to price. I've picked up some flat rate boxes but it seems so expensive. I need to get the scales. Any tips on that? You mentioned Priority tape & Fedex. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

Tammy asks: I sell on Ebay too. Great little source of income. I'm close to 500 right now. My question is how do you determine your shipping? I've only sold children's clothes so it's an easy calculation for me. After the auction, I use scales to calculate my shipping with USPS online. Love to do postage, labels, everything right from home.

ANSWER:

1. Within the eBay listing itself, as you are making your auction,

there is a Shipping Calculator.

But, before you get to this portion in your listing form,

you must know a few things about the item(s) being shipped:

A. What the box will weigh when it gets shipped.

This means, get the appropriate box, pack it as it will be shipped, then weigh it.

You WILL need a scale,

click here to see what Amazon offers (an up to 75-pound scale is what I have),

or you can take all your item-filled boxes to the Post Office,

weight them there, and put a sticky note on each box with its weight.

(This is a lot of work, but I did it before getting a scale).

B. The type of package you are shipping. Is it a:

Letter

Large Envelope

Package (or thick envelope)

Large Package

Click here to practice on the eBay site.

You may enter some bogus info just to see how it works.

You will have the option to add insurance, signature confirmation or tracking,

while making the listing.

As each registered eBay user (who has entered their own home or office address/zip),

looks at your auction, eBay's Shipping Calculator automatically tells them

what their shipping cost will be for your item(s).

For example, I signed into my account, and selected this tablecloth to view.

eBay automatically

(based on the zip code I entered when registering and the shipping info the seller put in)

gave me a cost of $7.05 for shipping.

At auction's close, eBay will automatically combine the auction price

and the shipping price for one final total.

Then eBay will also email your buyer an invoice.

Here is also some information about Shipping Best Practices on eBay.

You can also print the postage on your own printer, and have Mr. Postman

take your boxes from your front door! Click here to read about that.

2. You may also ship your item in a U.S. Postal Service Priority Flat Rate envelope or box.

That is, if the item you are shipping will fit in the smallish packaging.

These boxes can be ordered online, or picked up at your local Post Office.

Click here to read about that, and/or order supplies.

Everyone, no matter where they live, will pay the same amount

to have their winnings sent to them.

When listing your item, you can select any service/shipping cost.
Here, I have selected the USPS Flat Rate Medium box,
and entered the cost: $10.70.