Shipping

What Shipping Option Do I Use?

Shipping Options through USPS (Cost Effective)

There are so many choices – what do I do??

If you’re new to eBay shipping if can be overwhelming.  There are many things probably floating through your head such as “Am I picking the right service?”, or “Am I paying too much??”  If you’re not careful shipping can quickly eat away your profits from reselling.  As you are listing items make a mental note of how heavy the item feels, or weigh it.  This will give you an idea of how much you’ll be willing to sell it for as well as if you’ll offer free shipping or not.  These are a few items to consider in which I dive into below.  Keep in mind these options of efficient for COST and NOT SPEED.

  • Weight – If you’re getting into the reselling business its almost imperative you have a scale.  When you are beginning, I would recommend you weigh every item you list.  If you are going to be sticking to the same type of items you’ll get a grasp how the weight of each item and your expected shipping costs.
  • Buyer vs. Seller Burdened Costs – What is the best option for WHO pays for the shipping.  Personally it always feels better when I buy things when shipping is free.  I always offer free shipping on my auctions and “buy it nows”, but I try to account for the shipping within the listing sell price if I can.  If you’re looking for a set amount and are willing to potentially sit on an item for awhile, then build the cost into you auction.  DO WHAT FITS BEST IN YOUR PROFIT MODEL!  Don’t list a listing with Free Shipping and lose money!
  • Priority vs. First Class – eBay gives me the ability to ship items using the First Class service offering for weights up to and including 16 ounces.  ALWAYS ROUND UP.  If the item weighs 16.5 ounces then I would not ship first class.  When you ship priority the price of shipping jumps a lot.  My recommendation is if you jump into the Priority bucket then always price out a flat rate box option (if the item fits) to validate that you have the most cost effective option.  I found this image floating around online.

IMG_9521

#Secret Tip – You can order flat rate boxes and envelopes online at USPS for FREE!  But its important that you use the supplies as intended and not as packing materials in a random box.  I will dive into this in another post, but Regional Flat rate boxes will save you a ton of money if used correctly.

I hope my tips can help you save some money on your shipping costs!

-Chris

LiquidationOH@gmail.com