Selling on eBay is expensive. There is a fee when you list an item, another fee when your item (hopefully) sells, and fees to collect money with PayPal.
But, it's all part of the cost of selling on with eBay. If you are like a lot of people, you are looking to cut costs anywhere you can. I believe the #1 place to save time and money for most small to medium sized sellers is in shipping eBay items. Here are a few of the things I do and recommend to save time and money on eBay shipping.
3 Tips to save time & Money Shipping eBay items:
- If you do nothing else, please do this: Purchase and print your USPS or UPS shipping labels online with eBay and PayPal. This tip alone will save you a ton of time and money. First, it saves time because you are not waiting in line at the Post Office or UPS . Just print at home, and drop 'em off. Personally, I would rather be doing almost anything other than waiting in line. Second, eBay and PayPal will automatically notify your buyers so you won't have to answer the question coming from so many otherwise uninformed buyers: "Did you ship yet?" and, "What's my tracking number?". By purchasing online I can see exactly how the size and weight of my items effect the shipping costs. Sometime slimming down one or two ounces, or even fractions of ounces, I can save a few dollars, something that may be to late to change once you are finally at the front of the line at the Post Office with everything packed and ready to go. Even if you valued your time at zero, something I don't do or recommend, printing labels this way saves money in that the USPS will give you free tracking with your priority mail package when purchased this way, and UPS will give a discount to all eBay sellers, and an even bigger discount if you are an eBay PowerSellers, up to 31%! Here is the link for UPS discount for eBay sellers. While you can print these labels with your own standard printer and 8.5 X 11 paper, or cheap or free (See tip #2 below) self adhesive labels, there is one small caveat though. You will need to get a digital postal scale, to weigh your items, available and cheap on eBay!
- Get free shipping supplies! Many shippers including the USPS, UPS, and the Fedex provide free shipping supplies of one kind or another. The USPS offers free boxes and mailers for Priority and Express mail. UPS also give free supplies if you create an account online. Fedex provides free supplies to anyone with an account. As a green and thrifty alternative, it is very easy to keep and collect boxes and packing materials from anything you or your family receives in the mail, and get clean reusable boxes from local stores. Many grocery or department stores are more than happy for someone to take away their boxes. As a little bit of insurance against unhappy buyers I have it stated in my policy that the packing may be clean but reused. In all my years selling on eBay I have never had anyone complain about or even question this. Use a little judgment and thrift and you can have free and green shipping, and happy buyers too!
- Scheduled pickups. No need to head down to the post office or shipping place everyday. USPS carrier Pickup is always free, provided the item is ready to go when the postal worker comes around for the normal rounds. You can also pay for Pickup on Demand Service for $15.30 per pickup regardless of the number of packages. You can learn more about both options at the US Postal Service Website. UPS also has on demand pickup. Call 1-800-PICK-UPS® (1-800-742-5877) or visit UPS Online for additional information. No matter what carrier you use, stop driving around to drop off packages, let them come to you!
Hopefully you liked this article.
If you did, didn't or have any questions on how I can help you with eBay, contact me today.
Travis
travis@folkseller.com
