Fulfillment Shipping Costs

[alexfor858]

EBay newbie here

I just recently started selling sports cards on ebay and I'm surprised by the cost of shipping labels. The method I usually use it to have the buyer pay a portion of the shipping costs.

What's the best way to minimize the high cost of shipping labels? I struggle to understand how a card in an letter envelope costs 20$ to ship.

Should I just increase the portion the buyer needs to pay?

Thank you

[marnotom!]

From what I can see, you're shipping your cards via untracked lettermail.  You can't print shipping labels with lettermail postage on them.  What you're seeing in those $20 labels is a parcel post rate.  Parcel post is great if you want tracking with your items to prevent fraudulent claims of non-delivery, but it may not be so practical if you're selling fairly inexpensive, less fraud-prone cards.

[reallynicestamps]

Cookie Jar Insurance.

Basically this is putting some of the costs  for losses into the asking price for the item, and then, rather than shipping Parcel Post which is tracked and expensive, you use cheap untracked LetterPost.

With Cookie Jar Insurance you are putting a small amount, less than a dime, aside as an insurance premium against claims of loss in transit or of damage.

You use the virtual dimes accumulated in your virtual Cookie Jar to pay refunds for Not Receive Claims and return shipping+refund for Not As Described.

This is less of a problem than you might think from the Boards, because nobody comes here to say they just had their thousandths transaction with no problems at all.  Survivor bias.

Most people are honest, although sportscards* are perhaps a little more difficult than other categories. Better than consumer electronics though.

If, in the long run, you have one percent or less in Dispute and Claims for any reason, you are average for retail and better than average for sportscards.

Note that you can Register LetterMail,  for "only" $9.50, but Registration is only valid tracking for domestic (Canadian) shipments. Not for USA or overseas.

You may decide to charge the same shipping for all of your cards, then send the $10 ones by Letter rate, while using the tracked parcel rates for those $35 or more.

You can also use Free Shipping here.  This means folding your shipping costs into the price of the card.

Which is cheaper : A $10 card with $5 shipping or a $15 card with Free Shipping?

*Trading cards.  Also with Pokemon,  gamers gonna game.