eBay

webringthedeals · ‎01-08-2021

Hey Guys. Im new to the ebay market and very eager to learn the online selling process, i do lots of sales based out of my home via fb kijiji etc but wanted to open up to ebay,amazon etc... I figured id start here as i heard its easier.

I did my first shipment roughly 2 weeks ago 👍👍 was a pair of jeans cost 16$ to ship which the buyer paid... From their i started doing up post on here with average shipping cost 15-24$ (Not knowing very much just using same method i had did before and a rough estimate for weight...) I wanted to start with small stuff to earn feedback so i purchased a vhs lot 😂 god bad idea... I figured this be best to practice with but yet still no hits.... So i figured maybe my shipping is way off and pricey idk looking for any information to help as researching online hasnt told me much.... I have not purchased a scale or anything cause im still unsure if ebay will be a good spot for me. ANY INFO helps. (I did copy and paste this from the other section i posted in which was guided here) ive checked the graphs and might be abit confused over how low the prices seem? For example how much should a vhs cost to ship anywhere in canada or states side?... 😂👎 thanks in advance.

flyhooks4less · ‎01-08-2021

From my experience a VHS would cost $12-24 to ship in Canada depending on province, via regular parcel, as VHS tapes are too big to fit into letter mail. $7.54 small packet to USA without tracking, and about $13 to USA with tracking. Those are estimates, your prices may vary based on your location,

lady.stark · ‎01-08-2021

One of the best advice I received here when I began selling was to buy a Starfrit scale. At the time, they were like $14.99 at Canadian Tire. Today, they are more like $20, but boy, if mine breaks, I'll buy another one immediately. The BEST purchase I made for my online selling hobby.

flyhooks4less · ‎01-08-2021

I second that! I use mine everyday!

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎01-08-2021

Good assortment of scales at Bed, Bath and Beyond and Cajun Tire. (Starfrite Digital 5 kg on sale right now 9.99 at CT.) Staples has but can be very pricey when they are not on sale.

-Lotz

msmaggie060 · ‎01-08-2021

That Starfrit one is great. Had mine for 15 years now and use it all the time.

femmefan1946 · ‎01-08-2021

You need a scale. You need a tape measure.

You need to bookmark this:

https://www.canadapost.ca/information/app/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1

And sign up for this:

https://www.canadapost.ca/cpc/en/business/small-business.page?

That will give you some discounts on some services and allow you to use Expedited Rates which are the same as the Regular parcel rates but give faster service. (Because Canada Post has service to businesses as part of their mission statement.)

If you are shipping parcel rate, list on eBayCanada in loonies and using Canada Post Calculated Shipping format, which will tell your buyer exactly how much he will pay for shipping to his doorstep.

Those rates can vary by the cm, the gram, and the distance, so don't ever estimate.

Shippo (default on eBay) , Paypal (default on PP- watch out for their parcel service it can add unexpected charges) , and SnapShip(Canada Post) all will sell you shipping labels which will allow your to drop all your labelled parcels in the closest mailbox. They will be marked Accepted at the terminal. You will have a copy of the tracking number (if any).

If you can ship LetterPost (up to 2cm thick and up to 500grams DON'T ESTIMATE) your costs will be lower but you will not be able to track. Most people are honest but "most" varies with category. Don't use LetterPost on anything you consider expensive.

Above all do NOT estimate the cost of shipping.

femmefan1946 · ‎01-08-2021

The USA is our biggest market, and Americans love tracking which is very cheap through USPS (about 25c purchased online).

Canada Post is not so generous.

If you list on eBay dot COM you have to list in US dollars and you have to use Flat Rate Shipping from an International Location.

Because all buyers hate to pay shipping, when you are confident in your understanding of shipping costs, you can decide on a Flat Rate that will be too high for some shipments and too low for others.

The idea is that at the end of the month you didn't lose money on shipping, although you may have underestimated on some shipments.

Americans are more likely to buy when they see the price in US dollars than if they see both US and Canadian dollars on the listing. They're delicate that way.

If you are using Flat Rate, you can also consider Free Shipping.

DON'T PANIC!

Free shipping means shipping is included in the cost of the item rather than being a separate charge.

Which is cheaper a $10 tape with $10 shipping or a $20 tape with Free Shipping?

You'd be surprised at how many choose the $20 tape.

And if it were a $5 tape with $15 shipping, no one would buy at all.

But this is Shipping 201 and you are at the Introductory Shipping stage. Just be aware there is a 201 level.

And a 301.

Then the doctoral thesis.....

triber · ‎01-08-2021

I am on my second Starfrit scale over 20 plus years of selling. I have to say I preferred the first one where I could lock in the result and take the package off to see the result, the new one is much harder with bigger packages to see the result.

lady.stark · ‎01-08-2021

What I do to help see the result better: I always keep an empty tissue box that is somewhat high on it. When I open the scale, the box doesn't show any weight. So I can put my parcel on it and see more clearly the exact weight of the package.

webringthedeals · ‎01-09-2021

Thanks so much for this!! And thank you everyone for the help.

webringthedeals · ‎01-09-2021

So i purchased a scale today at walmart for 19.99 the Starfrit Brand. And got a measuring tape.. Are ebays shipping quotes accurate? I was thinking about using this for a shipping quote and add that to item cost to make Free shipping... I was also considering maybe to just charge 1.99 shipping and move the remainder balance to item price...

Another Question i have is i estimated after all charges i will be roughly fee'd 10% of all Charges (item Cost and Shipping Charge if any).

Looking forward to this new process.

lucitabby · ‎01-09-2021

Use all the spaces available in your title - people search with keywords.

For example:

Instead of - 5 Brand New Belt Buckles

Use - New Belt Buckles Rolling Stones Iconic Red Tongue Mouth Lot of 5

zee-chan-jpn-books · ‎01-09-2021

@webringthedeals wrote:
Are ebays shipping quotes accurate? I was thinking about using this for a shipping quote and add that to item cost to make Free shipping... I was also considering maybe to just charge 1.99 shipping and move the remainder balance to item price...

Another Question i have is i estimated after all charges i will be roughly fee'd 10% of all Charges (item Cost and Shipping Charge if any).

I use Canada Post's website's find a rate

https://www.canadapost.ca/information/app/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1

I factor in the shipping cost into my item price, but you can do whatever works best for you.

I factor in about 15% for eBay and Paypal fees.