Newbie Seller

[motivoonline]

Hi all!

I am new to selling on ebay and looking at other people selling the same things as me, either i'm doing something wrong or other people are shipping using pigeons.

I have lots of stuff selling, where my shipping can double or even triple the price. I have heard that canada post is very expensive, but I was thinking maybe I'm not using the right shipping options?

Here is how I break down my sales to figure out prices and shipping:

Price: (My cost + my profit margin + 0.50$ (bubble enveloppe) + 0.50$ (ebay fees)) X 1.1 (to cover for ebays 9% final value fee)

Shipping: actual shipping cost X 1.1 (to cover ebay fees so it doesnt end up costing me money)

The shipping for most of my things falls into regular parcel for canada which seems to be 13$ for anywhere in the country. For the US i get mostly small packets or expedited parcels which go for around 6-7$ ...

The only ones that make sense are when im shipping stuff that doesnt weigh anything and fits in an envelope so it passes as lettermail and costs under 2$.

Any input is appreciated as I'm really lost here 🙂

Thanks everyone!

[cottonwoodindustries]

I have been selling here since 2006.

And it took me a few years to figure out what to do about shipping costs to make them look more attractive.

I use several methods  - stamps, light, small package - air, and expedited.

I use stamps on anything that is letter size. $1.05 + HST (US)

Canada 61¢ + HST (under 30gms)

light package - air (under 2cm) - to the US costs $2.10 + HST in stamps, costs a bit more if you use paypal to print label

(but does look more professional), in Canada $1.29 + HST (this is a biggy when it comes to savings in Canada)

Larger packages - over 2cm, small packages - air, costs around $8-10

Then Expedited for anything larger.

Make yourself a jig to check that your light packages are under 2 cm - big savings, in stead of sending small packages.

As of February NO MORE USA ground, but we will be able to get tracking # for international orders, can't wait.

[pjcdn2005]

light package - air (under 2cm) - to the US costs $2.10 + HST in stamps, costs a bit more if you use paypal to print label

(but does look more professional)

Light packet USA should cost the same whether you use stamps or Paypal. The $2.10 + tax is the 2012 price for oversize lettermail to the US which technically, is supposed to be used for documents only.

[pjcdn2005]

btw, it is nice to see you post cottonwood. 🙂

I was wondering if you were still around as you don't post as much as you used to.

[boredhousewife*123]

I too am just buyer.. Yup irks me to see it I just bypass that seller and move on to next seller.. Sometimes you have an idea of what it should cost to ship and item of that size or weight..I am Canadian and yes some of our shipping prices a bit way off..It probably good idea for a buyer to look up rates at the postal so it gives them an idea of seller's shipping price and then make a decision if they want to buy or not could save a lot of headaches for both parties.. With the exchange rate between US and Canada the canadians are actually getting the better deal right now.. So many of them will be doing a lot of cross border or online buying with the Americans.. I find the GBP odd only because they convert to US bucks and some of the sellers I have noticed have themselves under GDP even though their location is somewhere else not in the United Kingdom..JMHO

[tgif_sales]

Yes, Canada Post is quite more expensive. Example a USPS first class stamp is 44 cents, i believe, Canada Post first class stamp just went to 63 cents. They also do not ship by weight but by the combination of size of package and weight. Plus the USPS gives away Priority Mail boxes as Canada Post does not and we end up buying boxes and it goes into the cost of shipping. Then if it crossed the border there are tariffs and duty fees to be applied.

[fuzz533]

Ebay & customers get mad when they get charged extra for S/H. What if you are new seller and buyer get charged less than is cost of shipping. Do u get credit or can u charge buyer after the sale?  I have'nt been on ebay for a couple of years and it is all different.

[fuzz533]

Thanks for the tip..  I'm retired and into Ebay again.....I didn't know I was going back to school. ha

[pocomocomputing]

Ebay & customers get mad when they get charged extra for S/H. What if you are new seller and buyer get charged less than is cost of shipping. Do u get credit or can u charge buyer after the sale?  I haven't been on eBay for a couple of years and it is all different.

You take the shipping loss and learn from your mistakes. You have to ship at the cost you listed with.

If you try to get more for shipping, the buyer can and most likely will refuse to pay the difference. The buyer may also leave negative feedback and low DSRs ruining you ability to sell as a new seller.

I have made the mistake of putting the wrong shipping cost at least once and ended up selling at a negligible profit. Buyer left positive feedback and good DSRs for such a good price and great shipping cost, LOL!

[laidlawgifts]

Hey Newbie Seller

I have been having alot of issues with the shipping as well.

I just did a sale for a $9.99 item which cost me $5.00.

A 50 percent markup is standard and in order to compete on the web, sometimes

even a bit high.

It freaked me out that it cost me $15.56 to ship using Paypal shipping to ship

to the US.  It was the cheapest shipping available.

After doing the math like you did...

The cost of carrying my store

The cost of listing the item

The commission Ebay takes on the item

The commission Ebay takes on the shipping.. BIG ding.

The cost of my shipping supplies

I actually lost money on the sale. 

I am going over my other items and its the commission Ebay is taking on the shipping

that is really hurting me and I dont even make money on that.

Then to add that commission to the HANDLING fees .. makes me even LESS

competitive compared to other sellers on the web.

Ebays cut on the shipping is hard for me to understand and with it, is making me wonder how other sellers make money with their cost of items even LOWER than mine.

I sell the same items on Ebay as I do in a retail store in downtown Toronto, Canada.

I would love to have an online store like Ebay but I am so confused and frustrated ...

and would love to be a fly on the wall with other sellers living in Canada to see how they

make a profit.  My accountant looked at my numbers and asked me to forward her the actual sales records cause the numbers didnt make sense to her to enter into her system and for income taxes... lol   So I cant be the only one with my head spinning.

I am glad to hear that you are banging your head as well.

It seems that when a person questions this issue.. more people tend to try to cover up

or suggest you change your items.. instead of them agreeing with you.  Would be nice to find a forum where similar views are shared lol.

laidlawgifts

[laidlawgifts]

1madcollector said

"Ebay claims to have the cheapest shipping available(they say its because they do not add or charge any extra fees.)....."

That is incorrect.

Ummm dont they add 11 to 15 percent for final value fees or commission to the shipping costs?

laidlawgifts

[regalservice]

Canada Post is good for prices, after shipping some stuff a few times you will kinda get the hang of it, so much so that will guess for what shipping will be a tip I can offer is to check around ebay for the same object you have for sale, and look at what the shipping cost is to canada to usa to worldwide - but use ebay.ca if your in canada and find the object in canada that is the same for the shipping services and idea. so on and so on. best of luck

[19funk67]

Epay is a super-rip. The costs at CanPost don't make it any better. You'll find it's less and less fun and even less profitable in short order. Sorry, I'm not bing a negative nelly, it's just the truth. With their fees and calculations and rules, you're best off hopping from flea market to flea market. Yes, it's that bad. And now USPS has raised prices significantly so it's even starting to suck for buyers. I tried selling quite a while back and Canadian buyers at least understand that CanPost is holding you over the barrel. But US buyers - look out! They are able to add this thing called 'handling fee' to their 'widgets' to help boost profits (at least, they used to). Canadians could never dream of doing this without pricing their items way out in the stratosphere where no one wants them. Many times, I too ended up losing money or lowering my profit margin to where it didn't make sense unless I was doing it to be charitable or for the sheer 'fun' of it, both of which, I WASN'T. Anyway, don't say I didn't warn you.

[aser2805]

Can I sneak in on this board to ask more about the arrangements for shipping -how exactly do we determine the shipping cost for a range of different sized/weighing items for both U.S.(I could technically ship just across the border in the U.S., too) and Canada???  I am completely new to selling, I haven't even started.

[vancityapparelstore]

If your close to a U.S Border drive over the border and get free postage boxes and bubble mailers from usps. Just walk into a post office and ask for some free boxes and bubble mailers. Set up a P.O box over the border and ship from there it will save you a bunch on shipping fees.

[999buchanan]

Get a Venture One card at Canada Post. Costs nothing but you get better shipping rates!

[dianequeenofstuff]

In case you folks didn't notice, Canada Post took the coverage off of small packets over a week ago.

I had to edit all of my active listings to remove the now flase information.

Not so much on this ID but my power seller ID.

I use to have an eBay store with 1,000 items, and fancy seals, but once they jacked the store rates, then hit me with the 9% on the shipping, I shipped most of my stock that would not fit through the 2 cm gage at Canada Post, off to auction.

Let me explain to folks why eBay charges fees on shipping.

(I have had many a conversation with the brass BTW)

Some devious sellers where ducking the FVF

It was pretty obvious. One seller was charging $3.95 with $30 shipping and HANDLING, the honest seller was charging $30. with $3.95 shipping for the exact same thing.

So rather then police the seller who where ducking the FVF they lowered the FVF 3.5% and nailed the honest sellers to the wall.

Speaking of handling fees.

Why is it that my eBay.ca account from 04 can charge Canadians a handling fee while my most recent ID can not?  I do all my listings on line. (sell similar, copy paste out of Turbo lister)

There is only one way to save money on eBay and that's to dump all older ID's and start over again. Newbies get invited to free listing sales every other week! I have since Nov.

This poor eBay slave/ID has been a top rated power seller, still has 100% feedback but has only been invited to one listing sale, of late. How unfair?

As long as your not paying a listing fee, you can muddle through.

I do not recommend selling on eBay.ca at all. I only do it because I'm 63, my pension is under $65. a month, and no one will hire someone of my age. Ageism is prevalent.

Canada Post is insane, if you check the web site today, you will see that a small packet under 250 grams has airmail small packet to the States with no coverage for $7.80, next is tracking packet with coverage @ $16.03?

There is a .73 cent fuel surcharge included in the rate. That to my way of thinking is totally wrong. Canada Post is allowed to raise their prices to cover inflation, inflation is fueled by fuel charges.

Basically they are double billing.

Excuse me, I have read that message about Canada Post changes 3 times, through all 3 of my IDs and #1 the new prices where not suppose to take place until the 14 of this month, and #2 the rates where suppose to be lower, not astronomical!

You can not give the rates for the tracking packets through ebay yet. I just combined shipping to the States, is how I found out.

At least now we have the option of giving our customers a tracking number which will in all fairness, allow Canadian Power sellers to have their seals show up in the search results in the market place/US. Seems to me that is the prime reason why we Canadian Power sellers listings are still showing up with the seller who have all those policy violations etc.

However, with tracking numbers, will we sell more or have people buy elsewhere where a tracking number does not cost the same as a full course meal?