USPS Shipping discount is a joke

[77lisavk]

I would think if Poshmark is able to negotiate a flat shipping rate of $6.49 (priority mail) on packages weighing up to 5 lbs with the USPS that ebay could do the same for it's sellers.  I am sure ebay funnels A LOT more business through them than poshmark.  Somebody PLEASE explain.

[plumbingspecials]

It is what it is. I do NOT complain that I am not paying retail postage on my shipments.

[tunicaslot]

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@swenson8781 wrote:

No doubt it likely balances out.  I looked up 3 items on Poshmark, that could easily ship for USPS First Class (postage cost between $3.50-$5.15), so my guess is that the amount of actual heavier items shipped, is offset by the amount of smaller items that are shipped & overpaid for.

Not to mention, the majority of the items on Poshmark look to be clothing, individually listed, which most of the time doesn't max out at near 5 lbs.  There is a much larger variety of items shipped here on eBay, many of which exceed 5 lbs. 

We do get shipping discounts overall, but with the above in mind, at what point would eBay set the 'average' item cost at?   And would you be willing to pay say, $10 to have a t-shirt shipped to you, in an effort to lower the postage, or create an average, for the higher priced items? I wouldn't.

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But buyers there don't mind - they know upfront what the shipping cost is and gladly pay it. Selling clothing myself - this is where a lot of our business has gone and yet we are "advised" here to offer free shipping and free returns - all of which comes out of our pockets - the sellers. On top of that their policies for returns on Posh are very different - as they are on Mercari - the buyer has to prove the item is SNAD. And yet - buyers don't seem to mind because they keep on buying over there.

[southern*sweet*tea]

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@tunicaslot wrote:

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@swenson8781 wrote:

No doubt it likely balances out.  I looked up 3 items on Poshmark, that could easily ship for USPS First Class (postage cost between $3.50-$5.15), so my guess is that the amount of actual heavier items shipped, is offset by the amount of smaller items that are shipped & overpaid for.

Not to mention, the majority of the items on Poshmark look to be clothing, individually listed, which most of the time doesn't max out at near 5 lbs.  There is a much larger variety of items shipped here on eBay, many of which exceed 5 lbs. 

We do get shipping discounts overall, but with the above in mind, at what point would eBay set the 'average' item cost at?   And would you be willing to pay say, $10 to have a t-shirt shipped to you, in an effort to lower the postage, or create an average, for the higher priced items? I wouldn't.

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But buyers there don't mind - they know upfront what the shipping cost is and gladly pay it. Selling clothing myself - this is where a lot of our business has gone and yet we are "advised" here to offer free shipping and free returns - all of which comes out of our pockets - the sellers. On top of that their policies for returns on Posh are very different - as they are on Mercari - the buyer has to prove the item is SNAD. And yet - buyers don't seem to mind because they keep on buying over there.

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I can't speak for Poshmark as I don't sell or buy there, but on Mercari I would be willing to bet my eyeteeth that the majority of purchases are paid for out of a buyer's Mercari account, and not a debit/credit card or Paypal.  Everyone I know (granted they are all young college students) that buys there pays from their Mercari funds gained from selling their stuff.  IMO it's easy to buy when you're not paying with "real" money. 

[expert_elec_photo]

It's still a great deal on the whole- even the cheapest Priority shipping (padded envelope flat rate?) is not much less than $6.49. First Class costs less of course, but then that's not apples-to-apples comparison.

I think most packages containing clothes are going to weigh less than 1 lb which is not much more on EBay anyway. But a $6.49 Priority flat rate for shoes is a great deal.

[missjen831]

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@mokagroup wrote:

OP is correct; Poshmark shipping is $6.49 to 5 LB. This information can be easily verified on the net but I'm a Poshmark user so know this as a fact. There are many other websites that offer negotiated shipping rates; this is a blessing for sellers, like me, who sell heavier items like boots and heavy winter coats.

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Also you can use an priority mailer with the Posh 5lb label.

[tunicaslot]

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

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@tunicaslot wrote:

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@swenson8781 wrote:

No doubt it likely balances out.  I looked up 3 items on Poshmark, that could easily ship for USPS First Class (postage cost between $3.50-$5.15), so my guess is that the amount of actual heavier items shipped, is offset by the amount of smaller items that are shipped & overpaid for.

Not to mention, the majority of the items on Poshmark look to be clothing, individually listed, which most of the time doesn't max out at near 5 lbs.  There is a much larger variety of items shipped here on eBay, many of which exceed 5 lbs. 

We do get shipping discounts overall, but with the above in mind, at what point would eBay set the 'average' item cost at?   And would you be willing to pay say, $10 to have a t-shirt shipped to you, in an effort to lower the postage, or create an average, for the higher priced items? I wouldn't.

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But buyers there don't mind - they know upfront what the shipping cost is and gladly pay it. Selling clothing myself - this is where a lot of our business has gone and yet we are "advised" here to offer free shipping and free returns - all of which comes out of our pockets - the sellers. On top of that their policies for returns on Posh are very different - as they are on Mercari - the buyer has to prove the item is SNAD. And yet - buyers don't seem to mind because they keep on buying over there.

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I can't speak for Poshmark as I don't sell or buy there, but on Mercari I would be willing to bet my eyeteeth that the majority of purchases are paid for out of a buyer's Mercari account, and not a debit/credit card or Paypal.  Everyone I know (granted they are all young college students) that buys there pays from their Mercari funds gained from selling their stuff.  IMO it's easy to buy when you're not paying with "real" money. 

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But the same could be said for buyers here - sell a VS sweatshirt and purchase one using the money in Paypal you just received for your old one. I do sell on Mercari and have not run into college kids - most of my items have been purchased by mothers and grandmothers. From my experience - the younger folks - preppy and college age are shopping on Posh - where as Mercari is mostly moms and grandmoms - and Ebay tends to be young moms and old people like me - throw in the overseas younger folks.

My point was that regardless of who is buying or how they are paying - both sites have negotiated deals with UPSP ( Mercari also has a deal with Fed Ex and they are cheaper than the USPS ) - Buyers are paying shipping and have tougher return policies and yet these buyers don't mind.

[missjen831]

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

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@tunicaslot wrote:

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@swenson8781 wrote:

No doubt it likely balances out.  I looked up 3 items on Poshmark, that could easily ship for USPS First Class (postage cost between $3.50-$5.15), so my guess is that the amount of actual heavier items shipped, is offset by the amount of smaller items that are shipped & overpaid for.

Not to mention, the majority of the items on Poshmark look to be clothing, individually listed, which most of the time doesn't max out at near 5 lbs.  There is a much larger variety of items shipped here on eBay, many of which exceed 5 lbs. 

We do get shipping discounts overall, but with the above in mind, at what point would eBay set the 'average' item cost at?   And would you be willing to pay say, $10 to have a t-shirt shipped to you, in an effort to lower the postage, or create an average, for the higher priced items? I wouldn't.

---

But buyers there don't mind - they know upfront what the shipping cost is and gladly pay it. Selling clothing myself - this is where a lot of our business has gone and yet we are "advised" here to offer free shipping and free returns - all of which comes out of our pockets - the sellers. On top of that their policies for returns on Posh are very different - as they are on Mercari - the buyer has to prove the item is SNAD. And yet - buyers don't seem to mind because they keep on buying over there.

---

I can't speak for Poshmark as I don't sell or buy there, but on Mercari I would be willing to bet my eyeteeth that the majority of purchases are paid for out of a buyer's Mercari account, and not a debit/credit card or Paypal.  Everyone I know (granted they are all young college students) that buys there pays from their Mercari funds gained from selling their stuff.  IMO it's easy to buy when you're not paying with "real" money. 

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I know California doesn’t make up a majority of their buyers but if you are in California you can’t use your Mercari balance to buy anything. I’m not sure if other states have the same restriction. And they do take PayPal there so a lot probablt use their PP balance as well.

[auctionpet]

What poshmark charges sellers/buyers may have nothing to do with what they actually pay for postage. As has been said, it averages out. I highly doubt they have a deal with USPS for $6.49 up to 5 pounds. They're simply leveraging their shipping costs to buyers. It attracts more sales with any shipping loss being a tax write-off.

But, I agree that with the millions of ebay packages going out everyday, our shipping costs are way too high.

[missjen831]

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@auctionpet wrote:
What poshmark charges sellers/buyers may have nothing to do with what they actually pay for postage. As has been said, it averages out. I highly doubt they have a deal with USPS for $6.49 up to 5 pounds. They're simply leveraging their shipping costs to buyers. It attracts more sales with any shipping loss being a tax write-off.

But, I agree that with the millions of ebay packages going out everyday, our shipping costs are way too high.

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Poshmark does have that deal with the USPS. They aren’t leveraging it out. They’ve been negotiating special rates with USPS since 2014. The 5lb

priority for $6.95 is the latest negation. Poshmark’s labels come from endicia, not sure if that has anything to do with their ability to negotiate the rates though.

[abfabvintage]

@expert_elec_photo

Hi, my men's sport coats, blazers are never less than 1 pound. And sure, I can roll them MAYBE into a USPS flat cardboard or padded, first of all they don't fit unless I roll them to the point of breaking their shape. So the Tyvek works which costs more due to US Zones and weight. Sure, Tee shirts and Tops are okay with FCP, but nothing heavier than that. If I sold there, the difference between the number of FCPs I have versus the up to 5lb would work for me saving on the Tyveks.