When it comes to shipping your eBay orders, you have several choices. The first, and most labor intensive, is to take your packages to the post office and wait for a clerk to print and affix the postage. You can also use the Paypal shipping tool, however, I dislike this option because it requires you to print a full page label, half of which will be wasted. You can also use an online shipping service, such as Stamps.com.
I heard Neal Boortz advertising a special on Stamps.com on his radio show. I have used Stamps.com since I started selling …read more

In a post on the eBay Announcement Board, Power Sellers will receive “double final value fee discounts on all fixed-price and auction-style listings from October 1- December 31.”
The holidays are coming quickly and is the busiest time on eBay. Take advantage of the extra traffic and this discount by offering free shipping on both fixed-price and auction-style listings during this time. Remember, you aren’t actually shipping the item for free – just work the shipping cost into the sales price of the item.
If you want to be really resourceful this year, learn how to get free items to sell on …read more

If you are selling internationally, you may want to take some time to research the import fees and limits for the countries you ship to. Many eBay buyers don’t know what the limits and fees are in their own countries. Here is a scenario of what can happen if the seller is not informed:
1) Customer orders eBay item(s) from you.
2) Package arrives in customer’s country.
3) Customer is charged a hefty fee because the value of the shipment.
4) Customer refuses package due to the additional fees, or customer pays the fees to obtain his product.
5) If the customer refuses the package, …read more

I received this question from a reader, and felt like others may benefit from my answer. Jennifer asked, “You talk about shipping and getting shipping materials for low cost. Why can’t you take the item to one of those shipping companies (like Goin’ Postal) that ships things and packages them? They have all the packaging stuff, etc. It seems so much easier than doing it yourself. What am I missing?”
Well, Jennifer, you are missing the cost and time factor. If you are shipping 10 items a day, it is not time efficient to carry all that merchandise up …read more

In case you missed the announcement, all eBay listings are required to show shipping fees. Your listing may not say, “Contact seller for details.” The shipping section may not be left blank.
This new policy exists for a few reasons. First, buyers should be informed of shipping fees. It is only fair. Second, sellers must offer full disclosure and show the shipping fee before the buyer bids.
eBay has provided a way to bulk edit your listings through Selling Manager and Turbo Lister. According to eBay:
“Sellers will be able to revise listings in three ways using eBay’s tools:
Revise them individually (listing by …read more

This topic comes up on every eBay forum and group that I belong to at least once a month. A seller, usually a new seller, offers a tip about using the free USPS Priority/Express Mail supplies for other classes of mail. The uninformed seller suggests that you turn them inside out and use them for First Class, international, Parcel Post, and Media Mail. Here is an actual post from one of my forums:
“I actually dont pay for my First class shipping supplies. My secret is turning the priority mailers from USPS inside out and voila! They do get a little …read more

The eBay Power Up Newsletter had some great tips for improving shipping DSRs. Make a note of these!
1. Charge exact shipping fees. (Work your expenses for supplies, ink, etc. into the sale price of the item.)
2. Add a note to all listings, your store homepage, and all of your automated emails explaining how your items are packed, how they will be shipped, and how often you ship.
3. Communicate with your buyers. Send an email a week after shipping the item to confirm receipt.
4. Make sure your packaging looks neat and professional. The package is the buyer’s first impression of …read more

My friend, Jordan Gaffey, has been stationed in Japan with her husband for 3 years. Jordan’s husband serves in the US military. I met Jordan a few months ago through a WAHM website called MomPack. Jordan expressed her frustration with buying online, especially on eBay, because many sellers won’t take the extra steps involved in shipping to a US military address.
Jordan offers the following suggestions about how all online sellers can accommodate our troops who have a APO/FPO address. (Hey, it is the least we can do for those serving our country, right?)
1) Remove shipping restrictions for international buyers, …read more

Packaging can be tricky. You want your item to arrive intact, not damaged, and looking professional. But, are you over-packaging your items to the point where you are paying more for shipping?
eBay sellers are always looking for ways to cut costs, especially since our costs are always rising. Think about it, eBay fees increase, postage fees increase, and the cost of doing business increases all the time. We have to stay on our toes and continuously re-evaluate our processes to find ways to cut costs, without sacrificing quality.
Take a look at your shipping process. For example, some sellers of children’s …read more

I found a neat site the other day – Shipping Coach. The blog is written by Mark Taylor, a leading authority on supply and demand chain management. Shipping Coach provides a wealth of information about shipping services, major carriers, how to get lower rates through USPS, shipping supplies, shipping insurance, and more. The blog only has a few entries, but well worth reading and full of good ideas.
You can also refer to eBay’s Help Index for more information on shipping issues.
[Image Source: Flickr]