EBAY: Buying Selling

[kgtest]

I never offer free shipping, and that's why...you can't know where the buyer will be.

I learned my lesson the hard way. Sometimes I do this in life...it's the times I learn it twice that really jar me


Everyone I've told this to tells me, never offer free shipping on ebay. AHA moment. Now everytime I buy a 1lb item and its coming from Miami with free shipping I will feel like I've gotten even

 

[sengsational]

I never offer free shipping, and that's why...you can't know where the buyer will be.

It's pretty simple: you just put in the weight, the dimensions, the carriers and service levels. Then add a couple of bucks for packing. Pretty much guaranteed not to take a bath on shipping since the shipping is calculated with the buyer's location. Of course that often raises the price of your item beyond what they can get it for "brand new" on Amazon with free shipping

 

[COcheesehead]

Sold my first item in probably over 2 decades on there the other day for $26 I pay shipping.

Went to ship with UPS and they said it would be $20 due to the recipients rural KS address.

Here I was thinking I'll take maybe a $5 loss since I paid $25 for it.


So I've decided to stick to Craigslist. Sorry ebay, I'm not paying $20 to ship a medium flat rate box everytime I sell.

Medium flat rate boxes are $13.65 on eBay.

 

[Sunset]

I learned my lesson the hard way. Sometimes I do this in life...it's the times I learn it twice that really jar me


Everyone I've told this to tells me, never offer free shipping on ebay. AHA moment. Now everytime I buy a 1lb item and its coming from Miami with free shipping I will feel like I've gotten even

Makes me think, when we go to Alaska, I should order something heavy on Ebay. Just for fun

 

[brucethebroker]

Sorry ebay, I'm not paying $20 to ship a medium flat rate box everytime I sell.

Don't use Priority Mail medium flat rate boxes. I ship over a thousand items PM a year and only lose money shipping 1% of the time or less. You just have to learn the PM system.

USPS priority mail has over a dozen different priced free boxes, envelopes, etc. Prices for Priority Mail shipping is based upon weight and zip code-yours to buyers. Don't estimate, weigh it and use the general PM shipping option at time of listing. (I add 6 oz for the weight of box.) When your item sells, USPS will charge based on your input to buyers zip code. Then, before printing the label, pull down the drop box PM menu to find the best (cheapest) option. About 1/3 of the time, from the Midwest, regional box A or B turns out to be the cheapest way, and saves $. Sellers usually get a discount of 5%-15% from USPS which helps offset ebay/PPal fees on the charged postage.

The trick to PM is the weight. Prices are based between lbs.: 2lbs ships cheaper than 2.1, and stays the same to 3.1, etc. Unless you sell really heavy items, avoid the flat priced boxes-their shipping costs are more expensive for a reason. If you have heavy items, offer FedEx Smartpost (in addition to PM and let buyer choose), which is a FEDEX/USPS joint venture. Takes a little longer, but usually costs less. But you have to drop it off at a FedEx location-they won't pick those up.

 

[Dawg52]

I never offer free shipping, and that's why...you can't know where the buyer will be.

On the few items I have sold, I never offered free shipping. I usually shipped USPS and listed the postage at a few bucks depending on the item. I sold an old golf driver a couple of years ago and inadvertently listed the item with priority mail. Low and behold the buyer was in the PNW and the postal clerk said it would have to be air freighted due to distance, increasing the cost drastically. I shipped first class mail instead and notified the buyer my mistake in the listing and apologized. I was prepared to issue a partial refund but fortunately they understood. Snow was still on the ground so they said they couldn't use it anyway. Ha. But it does drive home the point of being careful with your listing as it can come back to bite you.

 

[bigadventure]

Don't use Priority Mail medium flat rate boxes. I ship over a thousand items PM a year and only lose money shipping 1% of the time or less. You just have to learn the PM system.



USPS priority mail has over a dozen different priced free boxes, envelopes, etc. Prices for Priority Mail shipping is based upon weight and zip code-yours to buyers. Don't estimate, weigh it and use the general PM shipping option at time of listing. (I add 6 oz for the weight of box.) When your item sells, USPS will charge based on your input to buyers zip code. Then, before printing the label, pull down the drop box PM menu to find the best (cheapest) option. About 1/3 of the time, from the Midwest, regional box A or B turns out to be the cheapest way, and saves $. Sellers usually get a discount of 5%-15% from USPS which helps offset ebay/PPal fees on the charged postage.



The trick to PM is the weight. Prices are based between lbs.: 2lbs ships cheaper than 2.1, and stays the same to 3.1, etc. Unless you sell really heavy items, avoid the flat priced boxes-their shipping costs are more expensive for a reason. If you have heavy items, offer FedEx Smartpost (in addition to PM and let buyer choose), which is a FEDEX/USPS joint venture. Takes a little longer, but usually costs less. But you have to drop it off at a FedEx location-they won't pick those up.

The size of the box maters as well. A 1 pound large item, costs more than the 1 pound rate.

You can drop off Fedex at Walgreens drug stores. Saving a trip to Fedex.

 

[kgtest]

Don't use Priority Mail medium flat rate boxes. I ship over a thousand items PM a year and only lose money shipping 1% of the time or less. You just have to learn the PM system.

USPS priority mail has over a dozen different priced free boxes, envelopes, etc. Prices for Priority Mail shipping is based upon weight and zip code-yours to buyers. Don't estimate, weigh it and use the general PM shipping option at time of listing. (I add 6 oz for the weight of box.) When your item sells, USPS will charge based on your input to buyers zip code. Then, before printing the label, pull down the drop box PM menu to find the best (cheapest) option. About 1/3 of the time, from the Midwest, regional box A or B turns out to be the cheapest way, and saves $. Sellers usually get a discount of 5%-15% from USPS which helps offset ebay/PPal fees on the charged postage.

The trick to PM is the weight. Prices are based between lbs.: 2lbs ships cheaper than 2.1, and stays the same to 3.1, etc. Unless you sell really heavy items, avoid the flat priced boxes-their shipping costs are more expensive for a reason. If you have heavy items, offer FedEx Smartpost (in addition to PM and let buyer choose), which is a FEDEX/USPS joint venture. Takes a little longer, but usually costs less. But you have to drop it off at a FedEx location-they won't pick those up.

Helpful, thanks Bruce. So you are shipping a few items a day. Do they pickup or do you drop off or both?

 

[bigadventure]

USPS will pick up Priority Mail and first class mail. If you have a parcel post or media mail and include it with the first two they will pick it all up. In my experience parcel post and priority cost about the same amount, within a few cents.
You have to have a commercial address and account for UPS and Fedex to pick up at your address.

 

[imnontrad]

I used to sell a lot on eBay when I was back in college. But the past few years when I check categories of stuff that I would consider selling, I see very few purchases of the items in the past 30 days. I think professional sellers have taken over eBay.

I have found great success buying/selling locally via Facebook Marketplace - for free.

 

[COcheesehead]

I used to sell a lot on eBay when I was back in college. But the past few years when I check categories of stuff that I would consider selling, I see very few purchases of the items in the past 30 days. I think professional sellers have taken over eBay.

I have found great success buying/selling locally via Facebook Marketplace - for free.

Anyone paid to sell is a professional seller. So that would be every seller on eBay. LOL.

 

[brucethebroker]

Helpful, thanks Bruce. So you are shipping a few items a day. Do they pickup or do you drop off or both?

I leave a note in the mailbox (with flag up) for "packages on the front porch". It is only about 20 feet away from the mailbox. If your postal worker does not like that method, you will have to online (a day before pickup, I think) and request the pick up. Picking up the boxes at your home is part of the PM deal. (I know other shippers whose postal worker accepts the note method).

I bought a super large mailbox when we purchased the house-can hold 2-3 PM boxes at once. I usually have about 10 PM mailings each week, so there are always a few days I need to leave the "porch" note. Our postal delivery person does a great job.

 

[Mulligan]

I buy a stuff frequently on ebay..Probably 10-1 over Amazon. Never a seller always a buyer and have great experiences on everything I have brought. My few infrequent problems have been consummating the purchase. Some sellers will not sell to a PO Box and that is what I have....Since I am too lazy to put a mailbox up in front of my house...15 years and counting since I had the house built. Maybe next year, ha.

 

[imnontrad]

Anyone paid to sell is a professional seller. So that would be every seller on eBay. LOL.

I disagree. A professional is one who buys things in quantity for resale. So they can just use the same posting over and over or they specialize in certain types of merchandise. And they have this as their business (Schedule C?). A non-professional sells random items occasionally. I see very few of them on eBay.

 

[Sunset]

I buy a stuff frequently on ebay..Probably 10-1 over Amazon. Never a seller always a buyer and have great experiences on everything I have brought. My few infrequent problems have been consummating the purchase. Some sellers will not sell to a PO Box and that is what I have....Since I am too lazy to put a mailbox up in front of my house...15 years and counting since I had the house built. Maybe next year, ha.

Ship it to your neighbors house.

 

[Mulligan]

Ship it to your neighbors house.

I thought of that, but my neighbors are 89 years old. I dont want to bother them with that. Or maybe I dont want to be bothered with the hassle of doing it. That ebay stuff is generally things I can live with out, so I just move on to something else.