Shipping Tips for eBay Sellers
I came across an article on the MSNBC website about the "hidden costs of shipping" for eBay sellers written by Marsha Collier. I read her book, Starting an eBay Business for Dummies
, as well as Michael Miller's Absolute Beginner's Guide to Launching an eBay Business when we first started thinking about starting up our little eBay business. I thought her tips about eBay shipping were a good reminder about an aspect of the business many of us don't spend much time thinking about.
Most of her tips were about keeping a good supply of shipping materials (envelopes, boxes, labels, tape, bubble wrap, etc.), and to try to buy them in bulk quantities whenever possible.
I think these are all excellent tips, although I admit that we don't buy our boxes and envelopes in bulk yet. We plan to, because the cost savings are signicant, but at this point, our business hasn't grown to the point where we can justify the initial expense. We just don't ship enough items to buy our boxes and envelopes in 100-piece bulk packs. At least not yet!
She also reminds us that eBay sellers in the US can get co-branded flat-rate Priority Mail boxes and envelopes from the US Postal Service free of charge. I sure wish Australia Post had a deal like that for Aussie sellers!
Some other good eBay shipping tips (many are for US-based sellers only -- damn!) include:
, as well as Michael Miller's Absolute Beginner's Guide to Launching an eBay Business when we first started thinking about starting up our little eBay business. I thought her tips about eBay shipping were a good reminder about an aspect of the business many of us don't spend much time thinking about. Most of her tips were about keeping a good supply of shipping materials (envelopes, boxes, labels, tape, bubble wrap, etc.), and to try to buy them in bulk quantities whenever possible.
I think these are all excellent tips, although I admit that we don't buy our boxes and envelopes in bulk yet. We plan to, because the cost savings are signicant, but at this point, our business hasn't grown to the point where we can justify the initial expense. We just don't ship enough items to buy our boxes and envelopes in 100-piece bulk packs. At least not yet!
She also reminds us that eBay sellers in the US can get co-branded flat-rate Priority Mail boxes and envelopes from the US Postal Service free of charge. I sure wish Australia Post had a deal like that for Aussie sellers!
Some other good eBay shipping tips (many are for US-based sellers only -- damn!) include:
- Purchasing and printing shipping labels through your Paypal account. The buyer's address will automatically be filled in, plus you and the buyer can then track the package while it's in transit.
- Including USPS Media Mail as a postage option when selling books, CDs, DVDs, videotapes, etc. I can be slower than First-Class or Priority Mail, but it's a lot cheaper.
- Use the eBay Shipping Calculator in your listings so that your potential buyers can find out the postage costs of a particular item without having to ask you.
Labels: eBay
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