eBay put large package shipping to cali and way too low a price
So I had a poster up that was 50 inches in length and I had the shipping set to 50 x 6 x 6 in and 10 lbs (guesstimated I don’t even own a scale) cause it’s just in a big paper tube. I had it set to calculate but it put California shipping at $25?? I physically go to the post office not print labels because I don’t own a printer and much smaller boxes definitely not that long are more than that?? I’m scared I’ll go and they’ll say it’s $50-100 and I’ll be paying THEM to take it. eBay showed the cost as $25 local and $60 towards the coasts so why…I’m in Wisconsin I’m not close so uh what do I do I expected to see $60 for California.
54 comments
coolections
·3 years agoEbay does not set the price, YOU DO !!!! Yes a large item will cost that much. Why would you say a poster weights 10 pounds ? You should have said One Pound. THAT, and oversize is why it cost so much.
ten_o_nine
·3 years agoYou mean you sold 584 items on eBay without a printer or scale?
Invest a few bucks in the business and the business will return that to you multiple times. Don't hesitate to invest in your business.
*meigara*
OP3 years agoI’m gonna be honest I don’t remember selling most of that and that’s because of a mental health condition I’d rather not get into so I really only remember the past two years and most of it was smaller boxes just mailed with hand written shipping labels. But everything I sell is just collectors stuff I had im selling off at less than what I paid to pay things off
mam98031
·3 years agoShipping scales are so inexpensive. A perfectly good one is less than $25.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=shipping+scale&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_PrefLoc=1
lacey294
·3 years agoAs others have said, make sure the finished package you're sending is measured correctly. Make sure to round up your measurements to the next inch if you're not exactly on an inch mark. Enter the measurements into your ebay shipping label page or go to Pirate Ship. I don't know how you could safely ship that large of a poster in a 3x3 inch box and not have it bent in half or crushed. 6"x6" Seems more plausible. The weight of this particular size box is not going to matter, as long as it's not over 11 pounds. It's the size of the parcel determining the price of shipping. Using Pirate Ship, this is the cost of a 50"x 6" x 6" box shipping from WI to CA.
dbfolks166mt
·3 years agoAs others have said, make sure the finished package you're sending is measured correctly. Make sure to round up your measurements to the next inch if you're not exactly on an inch mark. Enter the measurements into your ebay shipping label page or go to Pirate Ship. I don't know how you could safely ship that large of a poster in a 3x3 inch box and not have it bent in half or crushed. 6"x6" Seems more plausible. The weight of this particular size box is not going to matter, as long as it's not over 11 pounds. It's the size of the parcel determining the price of shipping. Using Pirate Ship, this is the cost of a 50"x 6" x 6" box shipping from WI to CA.
I get a different rate than you on Pirate Ship what zip codes did you use for the from and to locations and what dim and weight did you use?
lacey294
·3 years agoRead the last sentence in my post...I used a 50" x 6" x 6". I used a Milwaukee zip code and 90210 for CA (didn"t have to look that up!).
dbfolks166mt
·3 years agoRead the last sentence in my post...I used a 50" x 6" x 6". I used a Milwaukee zip code and 90210 for CA (didn"t have to look that up!).
My apologies I somehow missed that but that explains it. I used the OP's last info based on a 50" x 3 x 3 tube when I did my check on Pirate Ship.
reallynicestamps
·3 years agoFor the difference in cost on this package you could buy a printer and a digital scale.
Worth every penny.
This is a life lesson.
I detest having life lessons too.
https://postcalc.usps.com/Business/Index
lepke1979
·3 years agoIf you don't have a printer. Can try buying it then printing at the post office with a QR code (not always possible with USPS, but ups might be fine if you use them). Or can just pay to print it at a library or place that does copies (Staples, FedEx, etc).
As for the packaging. Maybe see what it says the item weighed on the label and/or just reuse the tube to mail it. You might not need to stick it in a box
dqdistribution
·3 years agoGotta watch out with Ground Advantage because they have the same surcharges (15+4) for larger sized packages.
I have a toy that fits snug in a 29x16x8 box and weighs 11 lbs.
Luckily pirateship makes it easier for me to get good prices. UPS labels on eBay can have added surcharges after because it's only a estimate. However, no surcharges get added to pirateship. So larger UPS packages I'd recommend those purchases on pirateship to avoid potential additional charges.
*meigara*
OP3 years agoThat’s confusing cause ebay says with the 50 inches it’s $25 but the. The actual shipping was $10 if there’s an $15 surcharge? I’m trying to figure out if I should just buy it from eBay because it’s definitely not 10lbs and just ask my neighbor to print it. Then the problem will be if I can send them the label to print via email
fern*wood
·3 years agoHow can you buy a label without knowing how much it weighs? Are you just guessing when you ship?
*meigara*
OP3 years agoI don’t even know which box I’m gonna use until I ship it because sometimes it’s combined or I’ll be given a better box etc and it’s never been a problem cause usually I just hand write my stuff and bring it to usps and it’s usually the price I expect but I’ve never mailed anything this long. I’m not selling as a business I’m selling my collection to pay off debt and give me back space in my tiny apartment
pretty much an Internet yard sale because I definitely get less than what I paid but it’s better than just donating it all at least it can go to bills
fern*wood
·3 years agoYou mentioned buying the label through ebay and having your neighbor print it, so I wondered how you can do this without an accurate weight. Buying at the post office is paying retail.
*meigara*
OP3 years agoSo I tried my neighbors scale and it’s coming up as 3lbs. Can I still use the eBay generated one that says 10?
buyselljack2016
·3 years ago1st thing I would do, if possible, is to make that "tube" 2 inches shorter to stay within the "cubic foot" to avoid that "surcharge".
50 X 6 X 6 = 1800 (measurements you gave in your 1st post)
48 X 6 X 6 = 1728
You may not actually be charged at 6 X 6, so maybe would not exceed the cubic foot.
No size (dimensions) of the tapestry in the listing, so not sure if you can cut the tube down.
How far is it to a PO that can print a label from a QR code?
I use a simple Dell "laser" printer. (no ink to dry up) Takes up a 13" X 15" space, counting the spot where the paper sits. No special labels needed. Print on any 8-1/2 X 11 piece of paper, and tape it on.
If not too far away, you could take the package to the PO to have them check how much it would cost to ship without actually buying the postage.
*meigara*
OP3 years agoUh everything else is really far away I don’t even think the postal annex here has a QR code reader but I can call in the AM for that.
the neighbor let me use their scale but I had to subtract it from my weight cause it’s a person scale so it’s about 3lbs. Can I still use this label even if it says 10?
Like said my neighbor can print it I just need to be able to email it to them and I’ve never printed an eBay one so I don’t know if it’s something I can just email to myself
lepke1979
·3 years agoYou can use it. But you might be overpaying. Although, at those dimensions (50 x 6 x 6). The dimensional weight is probably at or above ten pounds so it's possibly moot.
dbfolks166mt
·3 years agoI don't see the item you reference in your sold listings so there are things I can't look at. What class of postage did you have set in your listing? What class of postage did the post office tell you they would be shipping it as when you went to get the label? What did you do about the order? Did you cancel it or did you ship it?
As others mentioned if you take the package to the post office they are going to charge you full price to ship the item and are probably not going to give you the lowest price. Since they told you $50-$100 I am going to assume they gave you the price for shipping priority mail. As others noted you need to invest in a printer and a scale. Guessing at the weight may give your buyers an inflated shipping cost that turns them away.
I don't buy my labels through eBay but use Pirate Ship instead which has discounted rates similar to eBay's but offers a couple of shipping classes eBay does not like priority mail cubic and ground advantage cubic. Since I could not see your item and did not know the city you lived in I used a Green Bay zip code and a ship to zip code in Los Angeles. I ran the numbers through Pirate Ship and got the following costs and options.
biggymoe
·3 years agoAs has been touched on above, USPS Priority has a surcharge of $15 for an item longer than 30". That is on top of the shipping fee.
I doubt that your item weighs even close to 10 lbs. I would think the shipping would be approx. $10, plus the $15 surcharge.
*meigara*
OP3 years agoWell it’s shipping the ground shipping instead of priority it was originally retail ground but now it’s set to that new shipping ebay has been offering
mam98031
·3 years agoThat is what you want to steer clear of. RETAIL costs more than you need to pay. Buying your shipping from Ebay and you get Commercial rates which is cheaper.
If you need any help deciding on a printer and/or scale, just ask. There is lots of very experience members active on your thread with great advice to share.
dqdistribution
·3 years agoThermal printers are great, just make sure it can do 4x6 labels.
Watch out for Dymo. They force you to use their rolls, or the printer wont work and I think they might have discontinued their 4x6 labels.
I would just try a high rated one on Amazon with good reviews and try it out.
mantle1951
·3 years agoYou don't have a printer or a scale???? The basics man!!!!
*meigara*
OP3 years agoI have a scale for people the last mailing I had my ex broke.. as far as the printer it always kept drying up so the cost of the ink vs what I was printing was not cost effective. A bigger problem is there’s no place in my apartment to put it which is annoying
mam98031
·3 years agoYou sell enough stuff that you should have a printer and a scale. Both of which you can get on Ebay pretty inexpensively.
When you go to the Post Office to purchase your shipping label you will pay full retail price which is more expensive than purchasing your labels from Ebay or some other online provider of postage. So if your only option is to buy at the Post Office and you are using the Shipping Calculator, make sure you have it calculating the shipping at FULL retail pricing.
But keep in mind, if you pay full retail, the money you would save by having your own printer would pay for itself in no time at all. I use a Thermal printer strictly for my labels. No ink required, just the 4x6" labels on a roll. If you consider a scale, make sure you get one that goes at least to 50lbs.
Good Luck.
*meigara*
OP3 years agoA thermal printer? Is there a mailing label printer I could just buy instead of a giant hp printer like I used to have
mam98031
·3 years agoAbsolutely. I have a Zebra LP450. I'm guessing, but it is about 9" wide and 12" deep.
I bought it used on Ebay about 14 years ago and it is still going strong.
Just search Ebay for thermal printers and find the one you like. Keep in mind that some the labels are loaded inside the printer, like the Zebra I have others there is a tray outside the printer to hold the labels. So find what you like.
You can find inexpensive scales on Ebay too.
traditonalproducts
·3 years agoIt's not the weight at times it's the dimension in this case. 50" is a long tube thus the extra cost. It takes up space thus the increase in price. We owned a pack & mail store and had seen that all the time. People freak out when they see the cost due to a unique size like this one,
ms.rodriguez*
·3 years agoBuy a postal scale. It's one of the top ten inventions if you are a seller. It's right there near printer, printer ink, tape, tape dispenser, etc. etc. I bought mine here on ebay.
Next get a measuring tape. Become familiar with the new (since 2022) postal surcharges on the longer packages. Do NOT even think of listing anything unless you know the weight and the dimensions.
On the longer packages, I would directly add the surcharge to the starting price of the item just in case the calculator figures it out wrong. You can always refund if the calculator adds the shipping surcharge to the shipping fee.
Guessing the weight is going to result in your losing money most of the time.
*meigara*
OP3 years agoIs it not reliable to print the label through ebay? I was going to ask a neighbor to print the label after I bought it?
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoYou can actually just bring the QR code eBay provides with their label and the post office will print it.
*meigara*
OP3 years agoOh I wish. I tried this and my post office says they don’t have a Qr printer. I live in a small village with the one usps office. However the ups down the street can read qrs just fine.
inhawaii
·3 years agoJust a bit of friendly advice.
A) NEVER sell anything without know exactly what it will cost to ship first. Otherwise how can you accurately charge for shipping?
B) If you're going to be selling on ebay, buy a scale.
Good luck you you!
downunder-61
·3 years agoand C. You mention it was never removed from the tube? Check out the contents to ensure your description is accurate
inhawaii
·3 years agoand D. No running with the scissors! 😉
jlstoner
·3 years agoHaving and using the correct tools & equipment to sell here is key to success.
Proper camera & editing software to make presentable photos.
Shipping supplies, scale, tape, boxes, a printer is a must to print your own labels
which saves money.
And so on.......
*meigara*
OP3 years agoI’m selling these as a yard sale though once my stuff is gone it’s gone so I’m just trying to get rid of it almost all of it is at a loss from what I paid anyway
mam98031
·3 years agoThen wouldn't it be better to donate the items??
*meigara*
OP3 years agoWell no because I still get some money I just don’t get what I paid for it and it’s entirely going to bills and debt
robbie31415
·3 years agoDoesn't That package go based on dimensional weight of 11 lbs?
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoThat is correct, though I highly doubt a poster in a tube weighs 10 lb.
ETA: Is it the wall scroll? I still don't think it would come up to 10 lb weight. This may be something you'll have to either find someone with a scale or take it to the post office and get a more accurate estimate.
*meigara*
OP3 years agoIt’s a very long 50†tube with very thick cardboard. It was shipped to me from Japan and it was never removed from said tube. I’ve gone plenty of times and sent boxes that are 20†long and it’s cost more than 25 to California and weighed less…
it’d also an anime poster so it’s fabric and has plastic on top and bottom
*meigara*
OP3 years agoBut why would it be less than my 20 inch boxes to California that weighed less?
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoIn my experience, for heavier weights, tubes cost less to ship than boxes, but I can't give any real numbers on that - the last thing I shipped in a tube was a didgeridoo last month - it was cheaper to actually purchase a tube than pack in a box.
Forgot this: Try using the USPS shipping calculator for a double check.