Welcome
Firstly, I am in no way an expert in my own mind or in any other's - but I can tell you this.
During my first 2 months selling I lost a lot of money. Since my stores opening I have still lost money, gained some money but the reality is a Store is Work!!!
Reasons for Loss
1. I could note calculate correct shipping costs and I had no understanding whatsoever regarding shipping costs
(note: ask, ask, ask)
2. being a new owner means you have to gain credibility, respect and gain new return shoppers and there is only one way a small store owner can do this and that involves selling low, shipping at your own costs and rolling the dice in auctions
3. I was not prepared yet to open a store when I did and it was because of fraud that actually made me move ahead faster than I should have - plainly put I was angry and felt like I could make a difference by being honest and always selling and shipping items I put my name on (regardless of what you are selling this is your name)
3 explanations
- I was new to e-bay and buying a wedding dress and received that dreadful email from e-Bay warning of possible fraud (no instructions as to what type of fraud just a message saying go to PayPal
- I went to PayPal but e-Bay does not tell PayPal "hey you will be hearing from a woman who was cheated out of $500 because the seller vanished" no you have to handle this yourself and this is frustrating but I learned a lot during those few months (or so I thought)
Now I can only offer my personal experience and advice and as I mentioned - I am no expert.
Never mislead, misinform or sell a product you are not willing to stamp your personal name to.
Always check anyone's feedback before you purchase or sell (extremely important and very helpful)
When it comes to shipping you have to check with Canada Post (if you are in Canada) and find a rate based on estimations and this will never change
If you are in the USA the same thing applies.
Most items have been sold before and therefore you should be able to calculate the dimension of your package and weight and then find that rate for each Country you plan to ship to
This is by no means foolproof and so be ready to suck up some extra costs and remember if your customers pay you more than it costs you to ship then just let them be aware of this especially if it is an amount over $5.00.
I truly believe no seller should rely on shipping to make any money and that you should charge only what it costs to ship - that is why it is called "shipping rate". So don't lowball your item cost and then use your shipping to make up the difference.
Also, I have found that most e-Bay store owners just wont talk to you. There are a lot that just won't try and offer you advice and I found the best thing in the world is to join as many groups (free on-line memberships) so you can learn something new everyday.
I hope I haven't just set you off in the wrong direction. All I can say is be honest and do not sell what you would not buy,
Welcome - queenbeecanada
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