shipping...I'm sorry! It's just so confusing

[freedom21]

I have one box filled with an antique doll. I have encased it with bubble wrap so that it looks like a cocoon.

Do I try to put it in a box within a box or is one box sufficient? 

I have 25$ buyer pay shipping listed and would like to keep it in that range cost-wise if possible. 

The box I'm trying to get it in is too tight so I will go to the stores to find a larger one so I can line that with packing material. 

Do I just take it to the post office or is there a cheaper way? I keep reading how Ebay will be taking funds from me for everything. 

EEK

[12345jamesstamps]

Yes....I was one of them.....I gave  great advice of shipping as a lazy seller to a seller.

Others came out about saving a few dollars here and there.

So, I live in a big city...San Francisco...not a farm or a town or a patch of land.

And I have a wine group where we get together 2 or 3 times a month...not a hermit as you can tell.

We talked about those in their age and such. And we talk about how those are taken advantage in their age.

Some senior prefer land lines....hopefully you know the phase "land lines".

Everyone assumes everyone has a cell phone...I think the poor don't all have cell phones..

Everyone assumes everyone has a printer with usable ink...ask the poor if they all have printers that work.

Some of the wealthy here assume everyone has the wealth they have and can do everything.

And here's the big thing: my friends in my wine group are seniors retired...

[buyselljack2016]

What is being shipped is irrelevant.

[buyselljack2016]

Don't know about the 4 bucks  or what any of this has to do with the cost of a glass of wine in SF, but now we are dealing with a box that the shipper has to buy.  The box will be 2800 cu in. resulting in more cost to ship due to size. Can't waste time cutting it down. (time is valuable) Additionally this shipper would have to buy a couple of more rolls of bubble wrap there at the PO (good bubble, but not cheap), and can't waste time going home (time is valuable).

[buyselljack2016]

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@12345jamesstamps wrote:

And every American has a printer?

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I would expect that most sellers have a printer if they are even remotely serious about being an eBay seller.

No printer............... save the info to a flash drive, and print the label at the library, friend's, or relative if not doing enough to justify a printer purchase., but as seniors they probably can't figure out how to do that.

No printer,  .............  access account at the library to purchase/print a label, or the QR code. 

[12345jamesstamps]

Key word..."lazy"...and seller agreed with me. Just move on.

[wastingtime101]

Hey @freedom21. Looks like your doll sold today - nice going.

Were you able to find an appropriate box? Some good places to check if you still need one:

Walmart, Staples, Home Depot, U-Haul, Target, possibly the dollar store, UPS (they sell plain brown non-UPS branded boxes), neighbors that have clean boxes from incoming packages, or a ReadyPost brown box from the post office (you will have to cut down that 20x14x10 box to approx 20x10x8 to avoid surcharges because it's over a cubic foot in volume, so plan to bring the box home and do some work on it before packing your doll).

Keep in mind package L x W x H you want to keep under 1728 (a cubic foot) to avoid higher dimensional weight charges.

For future, it's best to sort out the box before you list anything for sale, then set up your listing with calculated shipping and accurate box dimensions and weight. That way buyers will be charged correct ship costs and you'll have less to worry about when your items sell.

For the shipping label: if you have either a printer or a smartphone or a laptop - having any one of those three devices means you can take advantage of online discounted labels as a few of us explained above. If you have none of those three devices you can still print a label or QR code at the library, at Staples, or ask a friend/family that has a printer. Even if you pay a buck or two at Staples to print your eBay label, it's still a significant cost savings to use that online discounted label instead of paying retail at the post office.

Just make sure you enter accurate outer box dimensions and weight on the label purchase page. Let us know if you need more help and hopefully your conversation won't get derailed with the cost of booze.

[simba6]

One thing is just how old it it?   Some had eyes that closed and have lead weights inside the head on rubber straps.  If that comes loose in shipping, it can smash the head apart.

It's always a toss up between shipping cost and damage from poor packing.

[freedom21]

This is for me to KEEP. Thank you very much. No, I didn't get a box yet. The doll is all wrapped up....the thank you note is ready....but, unfortunately, no payment as of yet. 

I read about what to do when that happens and sent an invoice. 

The clock is now ticking....

If I'm going to keep doing this, I will start fetching boxes and packing material for the future. 

No retail shipping prices....check!

[freedom21]

It is from 1920. No movement of parts. The arms have metal inside the body. I have secured the arms with tissue, then small bubble wrap and then larger. Then the whole thing is encased in layers and layers of bubble wrap taking into consideration the neck and head. 

[freedom21]

Thank you!

[freedom21]

I have a lot to learn from this community. I will be selling more items once I acquire my mother's belongings so it's best to learn now. 

[wastingtime101]

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@freedom21 wrote:

This is for me to KEEP. Thank you very much. No, I didn't get a box yet. The doll is all wrapped up....the thank you note is ready....but, unfortunately, no payment as of yet. 

I read about what to do when that happens and sent an invoice. 

The clock is now ticking....

If I'm going to keep doing this, I will start fetching boxes and packing material for the future. 

No retail shipping prices....check!

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You're welcome @freedom21 . Below is some general info on invoices. Come here any time with questions.

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There's no reason to send an invoice unless you have to make an adjustment, for example combined shipping costs or adding another shipping method the buyer requested.

eBay sends out payment reminders to buyers automatically. Sending invoices is a duplication of efforts and clogs the buyer's inbox.

Sending an invoice locks in the shipping cost. That could have a big financial impact on someone that uses calculated shipping. The shipping price gets locked in based on the buyer's default location, but if they change the address at checkout to have that item shipped to Mom across the country, that shipping cost can change by leaps and bounds and seller is out the $$.

Finally, sending an invoice resets the clock on when an order can be cancelled for non-payment when sellers handle unpaid items manually. The automated system will cancel based on the seller's settings regardless of sending an invoice, but when you use the manual process and an invoice is sent it resets the clock, giving the buyer an additional 4 days before the system will let the seller cancel.

This page has instructions for the unpaid item process and setting up auto-cancellations in the future.

[freedom21]

I HAD to chuckle. I do appreciate everyone taking the time to help. 

This is going to prove to be quite the adventure moving forward! 

[freedom21]

Apparently, I should have asked FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   🙄

[wastingtime101]

Nah, it's fine for this transaction. Your item had flat rate shipping so that's not a factor. The only potential issue is you may have to wait one extra day before you can cancel as unpaid - but that's only if the buyer does not pay. If the buyer pays it's a non-issue.

But it's good info to have for future, especially if you're going to keep using auction format.