eBay

eugefunk · ‎07-08-2019

I am selling a large set of 33 books, which will be really expensive to ship. For now I have a free shipping on them. I understand it will take multiple shipments But I do wonder what is the right way and cheapest and safe to ship the books?

orangehound · ‎07-08-2019

The cheapest is USPS media mail ... at higher weights, you are paying about 55-60 cents a pound to ship it.

That may not be the "right way", however, if a customer is expecting them to arrive quickly.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎07-08-2019

Media Mail is fine, as long as that's what's shown in the listing so the buyer has reasonable expectations. Pack in multiple boxes preferably weighing no more than 20 pounds each.

scga912 · ‎07-08-2019

While I might actually do all the books in one box, sending them in 2 isn't going to cost much more and might make you feel more secure. 19 lb boxes will be $12.11 each - a 36 or 37 lb box would cost $20.95 or $21.47. (Yes my weight numbers don't add up but I'm adding packing materials in my mind)

The thing you need to make sure of is that there is no shifting in the box. That's what will cause damage when it comes to shipping books. The box needs to be sturdy and I'd support it with extra cardboard in the corners. Use packing materials that won't squish flat or pop. I get packing materials from one of the local independent bookstores here, and they receive heavy boxes of books all the time.

When I moved, I had one box of books weighing 35 lbs - and it wasn't that large.

- Suzanne -

a_c_green · ‎07-08-2019

@scga912 wrote:
The box needs to be sturdy and I'd support it with extra cardboard in the corners. Use packing materials that won't squish flat or pop.

Agree with all the above. I would also glue the flaps closed (Elmer's Glue is fine) in addition to the usual H taping across the middle and along each edge of the flaps. That gives you a solid, inflexible double layer across the whole area where the flaps overlap.

I would vote for sending two boxes instead of one if the single-box weight is getting unwieldy. You don't want it to burst due to its own mass if dropped off a high conveyor, or if dropped by someone who tries to pick it up and, um, fails...

orangehound · ‎07-08-2019

By the way, the thing I learned today is that old encyclopedia sets actually sell on eBay ... not for much, but they sell.

I thought those were as outdated as 8-tracks.

berserkerplanet · ‎07-09-2019

I can see how they could be a nostalgia thing.

I collect nothing, and am not nostalgic about much of anything, but I grew up with a set of World Book Encyclopedia that I read cover to cover, my aunt and uncle had Britannicas I poked aroung in when visiting(hoity toity folks:-), and when I thought about your statement it occurred to me that I MIGHT want a set just to travel back in time and see how much things did suck pre-internet.

8 tracks on the other hand are useless- inferior technology. Cassettes 4evar

a_c_green · ‎07-09-2019

@berserkerplanet wrote:
8 tracks on the other hand are useless- inferior technology. Cassettes 4evar

Hear, hear. 8-track and cassette players are very popular with car restorers. Check some of the Sold listings for either; nice examples can do very well.

berserkerplanet · ‎07-09-2019

Yeah I know. I'm of the school of thought that ANYTHING can be sold on eBay given enough time (3+ years) for that right buyer that wants/needs it comes along - just look at the junk I sell

30ish? year old, half used bottle of Vicks Vapo Rub $15

Junk from my desk drawers - $5 here, $20 there. I have a pile of old Tupperware I need to get listed, and so on.

ronica_73 · ‎07-09-2019

If OP did pack in separate boxes, how do you print the labels? As payment is made by one buyer, you have one transaction. How would you ship the second box? Does the system to allow you to print a second label for the same transaction?

Thanks.

berserkerplanet · ‎07-09-2019

>>Does the system to allow you to print a second label for the same transaction?

Yes. I believe you can print a total of 5 labels via the eBay label flows for a given sale (have to go to PayPla or elsewhere after that).

The real problem is setting up the listing to charge the correct postage if not just specifying a flat shipping cost. If wanting to use calculated shipping for multi package shipments, all you can do is very roughly approximate it using a fake weight and a handling fee (sometimes - depending on the carrier, the service, and the weight range).

a_c_green · ‎07-09-2019

@berserkerplanet wrote:
The real problem is setting up the listing to charge the correct postage if not just specifying a flat shipping cost. If wanting to use calculated shipping for multi package shipments, all you can do is very roughly approximate it using a fake weight and a handling fee (sometimes - depending on the carrier, the service, and the weight range).

Well, yeah, but I would suggest that if you're doing multi-package shipments of books,

It's a safe bet that Flat Rate packaging will be less expensive than Calculated for the same size of package when items as dense as books are involved, and
because you will be able to determine in advance how many Flat Rate boxes will be needed, you will know how much to charge.

In other words, I wouldn't bother attempting Calculated price estimates for multi-box book shipping, as I think Flat Rate will be the optimal solution anyway.

kim_y_buran · ‎07-09-2019

@ronica_73 wrote:
If OP did pack in separate boxes, how do you print the labels? As payment is made by one buyer, you have one transaction. How would you ship the second box? Does the system to allow you to print a second label for the same transaction?

Yes, you can buy multiple labels for the same item.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎07-09-2019

@berserkerplanet wrote:
>>Does the system to allow you to print a second label for the same transaction?

Yes. I believe you can print a total of 5 labels via the eBay label flows for a given sale (have to go to PayPla or elsewhere after that).

The real problem is setting up the listing to charge the correct postage if not just specifying a flat shipping cost. ....

Yes, as noted it's possible to print up to 5 separate labels for one eBay transaction.

In this case, calculated shipping isn't needed. The listing offers Media Mail so it's possible for the seller to anticipate the shipping cost even though he can't anticipate the buyer's location, based only on the weights of the packages.