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Pastimes : Triffin's Market Diary -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Triffin who wrote (216)	10/3/2003 10:26:16 AM
From: Triffin	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 869

BC: EBAY SHIPPING TIPS If you're selling through ebay, you need to specify in your auction how you plan to ship. If you say in your auction "I ship priority" and the buyer paid for priority and then you actually ship parcel post, you'll have an angry buyer (and quite rightly so). You should be as specific as possible in your auctions - buyers like it and it keeps questions to a minimum. In general, I find it's rarely worthwhile to ship parcel post. Except for the heaviest items, the cost difference is minimal, and buyers tend to get antsy when their purchases are delayed. First class mail is perfectly acceptable and just as fast as priority, but it only covers up to 1 pound. Using parcel post as a way to "punish" slow payers seems like a sure method for getting negative feedback. Media mail is slow but cheap - but it can only be used for books, CD's, DVD's, videotapes, etc. Sometimes the post office will check. If your package is up to 5 ounces, it's just as cheap to ship first class - give your buyer a free upgrade, they'll be happy and you're not out any extra money. Media mail is commonly used for sales through Amazon and Half.com. Some ebay auctions use it too, but buyers tend to get impatient - I offer it but I'd rather have the buyers use priority. But for Amazon and Half sales, it's great - the smaller packages (up to 1 pound) can be thrown right in a blue mailbox with stamps (4 stamps = 1 pound media mail). I offer UPS shipping but only as a special request - it's rarely cheaper anyway. I've only had one request over 4 years. I tried FedEx Ground once - never again. It's cheap but it's a pain to use. I've never had a buyer that wanted overnight shipping but I suppose there are some out there. I generally offer priority mail shipping as the standard in my auctions. It's cheap, and there are lots of extras that you can get for free! If you go to the USPS site, you can order priority mail supplies for FREE. That's right, FREE! They'll ship them right to your door for absolutely no charge. You can also get FREE delivery confirmation through the USPS web site for priority mail packages. If you pay with a credit card, you can even print postage online, although I've never done it. I don't think you can beat priority mail for packages under about 5-6 pounds. The one negative is insurance - it's extra and quite pricey. I rarely use it, but this probably depends on what you sell. If you need insurance, UPS and FedEx become a better deal, since insurance is included. As far as packing material, I use my priority mail boxes for larger items. But I invested in bubble envelopes for my book sales. I bought a pack of 100 large bubble envelopes online (through ebay) for less than I'd pay for a dozen at a local office store. And that was with shipping. Padded envelopes are cheap if you buy in bulk, and easy to use. I also splurged on a roll of bubble wrap but that's harder to justify (but it's also cheap on ebay and makes packing very easy). Newspaper works fine, it's just heavier and requires a bigger box. Styrofoam peanuts are also great for larger items, and they're usually easy to get - many offices throw them out and would be glad to give you some. One other comment about mailing - you'll need a scale if you're shipping a lot of items. Priority mail is now zoned, so you can't estimate shipping without a scale and a zip code. EBay now has a shipping calculator which allows you to offer variable rate shipping. Flat rate shipping is easier, but you'll either be screwing the people near you or you'll lose money on the people far away. I've had good luck using the calculator, and buyers seem to appreciate it. I find that a reputation for accurate and fair shipping makes a big difference - any slight "hassle" for me is made up in positive feedback. You should check out the "selling books online" board - we discuss this kind of stuff quite frequently, and it's not just for book sellers. Not sure how to link to a board - it's under speaker's corner.