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Shipping Options - Help!
Good evening.
I've recently started selling again and for the most part, it's been fun, rewarding and pretty much smooth sailing. However, on some items I'm finding I'm running into trouble thanks to the dreaded "S" word - shipping.
Smaller items I have no problems with. It's the larger ones that have me absolutely frustrated. Example: due to the size of a recent item, the quote on the cheapest option - the so-called 'economy' shipping -- still turned out to be more than what the winning buyer bid for the item.
Currently I'd like to sell a group of items as a collection, the largest being a framed Broadway showcard. With bubble wrapping and other preventative measures, the shipping container is approximately 24 x 18 x 18 and conservatively weighs about 9 pounds. The quotes I got back for this configuration from both the United States Post Office and FedEx gave me sticker shock. Offering free shipping would solve the problem for potential buyers but would put me at a loss straight out of the gate, more so if I start with a low opening bid amount to spur interest.
I've tried three times to create this listing but when I get to shipping options it's just not working out. So my question is this - how do I navigate this minefield called shipping so that the potential cost is reasonable to both the buyer and me? Any tips, tricks and personal experiences are very welcome and would be definitely appreciated.
I (and the remnants of what little sanity I have left) thank you! 🙂
captainemo
OP3 years agoThank you all for the responses - they definitely helped and are very much appreciated!
wooden_flower
Mentor3 years agoThere is no way around the high cost of shipping large packages, unless you can find a way to make the package smaller.
There is a $25 surcharge for packages over 2 cu ft. There is also a $4 surcharge for the package being over 20â€. The final factor making this package so expensive is dimensional weight pricing, which puts this package into the 47LB rate. 24x18x18=7776 ./. 166 = 47
In some instances, it would be better to ship multiple items in multiple boxes. You could try pricing it that way. Use the shipping calculator to get a shipping cost for each package to a sample location to compare to the cost for 1 large box. https://www.ebay.com/shp/Calculator
rfmtm
Mentor3 years agoLarge items can be a problem to get a good shipping cost. Often best to offer Local Pickup, but also use Calculated Shipping, so at least closer buyers can see a more reasonable price.
How can a show card be 18" thick? Maybe you need to look into different packaging.
captainemo
OP3 years agoApologies - I meant to write 24 x 18 x 8.
(See? I've already lost a few more strands of my rationality!)
rfmtm
Mentor3 years agoIf the 8" thickness is mostly packing, consider more rigid but much thinner packing to protect front and back. Often when you get into dimensional weight, it is cheaper to decrease any dimension you can even though you increase the actual weight.
For this I would think UPS with good discounts from say a free PirateShip account would be best, especially if you get that thickness down.
wooden_flower
Mentor3 years ago24x18x8=3456, so you won’t pay the 2 cu ft surcharge (for ground that’s $15, not $25), but you still pay dimensional weight of 21 LB plus the $4 surcharge.
As @rfmtm suggested, open a free account at pirateship.com and check the ups prices there - they offer a better discount than eBay.