eBay

davidbelluzz-0 · ‎11-14-2018

I am new to selling on eBay and was curious if you had any advice for setting the shipping price, for items I am selling. I know there is no set rule, but I was curious to know what you guys do (i.e. when do you do flat rate versus calculated shipping?).

hlmacdon · ‎11-14-2018

@davidbelluzz-0 wrote:
I am new to selling on eBay and was curious if you had any advice for setting the shipping price, for items I am selling. I know there is no set rule, but I was curious to know what you guys do (i.e. when do you do flat rate versus calculated shipping?).

Calculated in your case unless you are doing the lettermail /slot of doom stuffing routine or mailing to an international country where the rate is flat/relatively flat across the board. Anything by parcel domestically will vary depending on source/destination pairings so it is easier to use calculated. Set your box dimension and weights accurately. Keep in mind final value fees on shipping and add a handling charge to reflect that. Remember measurements listed on a box refer to inner diameter, not outer diameter, which is what the carriers will use when calculating dimensional weight. If you want to avoid rebilling charges measure your outer dimensions or pad them a bit.

tyler@ebay · ‎11-14-2018

I think this is a great question @davidbelluzz-0

I know that shipping can be different for everyone, so before too many people get you their input I'd recommend giving folks a bit more detail about your current and future inventory plans:

Are you planning on getting items that are about the same size/weight? Are they usually small enough to send letter post, etc? I think that will help people tailor their advice for you a bit more.

Tyler,

davidbelluzz-0 · ‎11-14-2018

tyler@ebay wrote:
I think this is a great question @davidbelluzz-0

I know that shipping can be different for everyone, so before too many people get you their input I'd recommend giving folks a bit more detail about your current and future inventory plans:

Are you planning on getting items that are about the same size/weight? Are they usually small enough to send letter post, etc? I think that will help people tailor their advice for you a bit more.

Smaller items for the most part

ricarmic · ‎11-14-2018

I'm a stamps on the box kinda guy, and whilst I sell little wee stamps, I sell stuff up to bankers boxes size lots and everything is flat rate shipping (because traditionally I only sold on .COM and that was my only option).

Note that virtually all my stuff is "free shipping" at least domestically. Outside that I usually charge extra.

Generally I pick one of the nearly top shipping categories* for the shipping price. The odd time that it is a larger one is made up by the others that were under it.

Normally the only time this really makes a big difference is for the largest (aka bankers boxes size) stuff going internationally. In those cases if the buyer does not pay immediately I verify the actual cost to them and downgrade it. If they've already paid it I normally will refund unless it is a small amount then I add extra free stuff for them (normally for me this is relatively easy to do).

*Because I'm a stamps on the box kinda guy, I have all the rate sheets printed out so I know for each and every item the shipping cost now. Of course if the postal rates change, I run the risk of being under but so far that hasn't presented a major problem.

Rate sheets found here (click on business prices picture on right side):

https://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/prices/default-e.asp?ecid=murl07001139

Lookup table for your postal code here (click on Canada rate code lookup table):

https://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/prices/default-e.asp?ecid=murl07001139

esclyons · ‎11-14-2018

if you are planning on shipping small items, that will ship letter mail, in a bubble mailer, and is under 100 grams, you will be paying 2.95 to ship to the usa, and 1.80 to ship in Canada.. remember, you lose fees to ebay and paypal on item , and postage, so be sure to add in that on your shipping fees, unless you can absorb it into your selling cost.. as you are new here, i would advise you buy a few smaller, items and get familiar with the way things work, as opposed to jumping right in..

vintagenorth · ‎11-14-2018

Make sure that your measurements and weights are in metric as that is what Canada Post uses. If you use Imperial it will not be accurate.

momcqueen · ‎11-14-2018

Small like a slice of bread? Or small like a breadbox.

Smaller items — as in items that are flat and under 2 cm deep — can ship for lettermail rates and are therefore easier to offer as ‘free shipping’ which appeals to many if not most buyers. Of course, as sellers, we all know there’s no such thing as free shipping (unless it’s a Tuesday in October) so ‘free shipping’ to a buyer is really just ‘cost of postage included in the selling price’ to a seller. A shell game. It’s all in how you play it. Buyers tend to see no added value in money spent on postage but if you add that cost to the selling price, you provide the impression of quality.

Anonymous · ‎11-14-2018

Remember they don't include tracking number.

bpl521_sell · ‎11-15-2018

@vintagenorth wrote:
Make sure that your measurements and weights are in metric as that is what Canada Post uses. If you use Imperial it will not be accurate.

I learned that the other week when using Snap Ship and they charged me a extra 67 cents a couple days later. I always overestimate the weight but tend to measure exact box dimensions as rulers rarely vary much. Guess the metric/imperial conversion wasn't exact so they charged me a bit extra, guess it changed the volumetric weight.

femmefan1946 · ‎11-15-2018

@Anonymous

Remember they don't include tracking number.

The postal system is very good at what it does (when it is doing it).

So anything you put in the mail for Canada or USA will get to your buyer fairly promptly and in good shape.

BUT.

Tracking.

Americans are totally over the top cuckoo bananas paranoid about tracking.

The first thing to remember is that tracking is completely useless to buyers.

Tracking is a Seller Protection against crooked buyers who claim non-delivery.

But most people are honest and this is rarely a problem.

All Canada Post tracked services are expensive so if you can use LetterPost, which is untracked, do it.

And let me repeat the Canada Post website:

https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1

Bookmark it. You will need it.

The other thing you will see US sellers panicking about is Top Rated Seller status. This gives you a few perks, the most important being some fee discounts.

But Canadian sellers can qualify for TRS Global which does not require using tracked services.

Also sign up for a Canada Post Small Business Services account.

You will save 5% on most services (including Paypal and Shippo labels) and there are a few promotions from time to time.

It's free.

Now let me tell you the Good News about Cookie Jar Insurance.

This is a form of self-insurance.

You add a few pennies to each asking price and toss them in a virtual Cookie Jar.

Then in the rare instance of a Dispute, or even just a complaint from a buyer, you use those virtual pennies to pay for return shipping and to refund the buyer.

I'll let someone else explain why Free Shipping:

isn't free
is beloved by buyers
may even save you money.

davidbelluzz-0 · ‎11-17-2018

Thanks to all those that replied to this discussion, I think I have more than enough here to get started. Another thing I am unsure about is which shipping service to use? What's the advantages and disadvantages of each? There seems to be an overwhelming amount of options.

femmefan1946 · ‎11-17-2018

When you go to print out a label through Paypal or SnapShip* you will see an automatic discount applied to your price-- even before you pay for the label.

Then go back and check the cost for different services. You can do this several times.

There are sometimes specials which put the same price on two different services. Given the same price, go for the tracked one. But also look at promised delivery times.

ypdc_dennis made up Rate Card earlier this year. I won't post it, partly because I can't find his post, partly because the rates will probably change in January.

If he (or another poster) makes one, copy it and tack it up near your shipping station. Invaluable.

Really there are three options for shipping outside of Canada.

LetterPost - which is fast but not tracked
Small Packet- cheap but not tracked
Tracked packet- pricier but tracked
The other options are ridiculously expensive.

NEVER NEVER NEVER SHIP INTERNATIONALLY BY SURFACE.

Signature Confirmation of Delivery is required if you are shipping items with a value of $650 including postage.

But at a buck fifty, it's good insurance on any item that is high fraud. Tells a sketchey buyer that you have your eye on him and makes an honest buyer feel loved and protected.

*I rarely use Shippo, but it may be the same with them.

ypdc_dennis · ‎11-17-2018

@davidbelluzz-0 wrote:
... is which shipping service to use? What's the advantages and disadvantages of each? There seems to be an overwhelming amount of options.

Depends what you are shipping and to where.

Inside Canada:

When not on strike, Canada Post is usually the best choice for lighter weight items.

Oversize lettermail: up to 500g, max of 2 cm thick

Flat rate anywhere in Canada, but no tracking or insurance.

Can not buy labels online.

Extra savings: Buy stamps on ebay (those with glue or self peel, NOT the ones steamed off paper) and save on cost (10%-30% off face value).

Regular Parcel, Expedited Parcel (up to 30kg)

Both are similar except Expedited gets tossed on the truck ahead of Regular.

Both can be insured, but Expedited includes $100 of free insurance.

Savings: Make sure you sign up for Canada Post's free Solutions for Small Business membership, this will give you discounts when buying the shipping label online.

Extra savings: If lucky to live near a company like ChitChats or StallionExpress you can get additional discounts if using their company to ship via Expedited Parcel.

...

Xpresspost, Priority:

Only if you want to spend more money for faster.

-..-