shipping options ? fixed, free or standard
Looking for some feedback, suggestions on shipping options for my shop. I sell mostly vintage photos, postcards and ephemera so mostly lightweight items. Occasionally I have items weigh above 10oz when combined with other items. I ship usps ground advantaged for almost everything. We recently got a printer , I have not been using ebay labels due to no printer.
My shipping prices look high, $5.25 is lowest I believe. I know if I use shipping labels I will save but the cost still looks high to potential buyers. Especially when buying a single photo or postcard.
Should I use the ebay envelope option with tracking for items less than $20, have people found this reliable? I pride myself on packaging well so photos, postcards don't arrive damaged, I worry a standard envelope won't allow for that.
I thought about free shipping but even with ebay labels I'm loosing I feel. There is only so much I can build that into the cost of my item. I also noticed a lot of odd prices for shipping like $3.80, $4.77 so are these fixed rates? I feel I lose out on buyers due to shipping cost.
Any helpful thoughts would be appreciated, thank you!
12345jamesstamps
·1 year agoPost cards?...free shipping is what I would use.
Shipping one post card under $20.00 bucks...use a forever stamp.
Don't need tracking for cheapo items.
And items will get to the buyer faster without tracking...LOL
And someone buying multiple items...that's a 'keeper' potential 'repeat buyer'...my business plan is repeat buyers and not 'nickel and dime' in shipping to the buyer for nickels and dimes.
Buyers of post cards LOVE the pictures on the post cards...correct?...wouldn't a buyer love a cool stamp(s) on envelope instead of a printed label(like junk mail labels).
For International Shipping I charge $1.30 with multiple items and refund buyers if they buy more than one item.
I prefer to sell and not hold on for items to make that extra dime.
Tracking...why?...new credit cards come in the mail without tracking...as well as social security checks to some...paper bills to customers all the time.
paperandphotocollection
OP1 year agoI see your point, thank you
onefootflipper
·1 year agoI also want to point out that the actual full legal terms of conditions of the standard envelope program only care about what category the item is listed in, not what the item actually is, and the list of categories open to it is extremely expansive. I ship 4-20 standard envelopes every day and have been doing so since the first day of the program.
I used 5.99 fixed shipping on anything 12 ounces or under and that works just fine for me. Best possible case scenario is that it costs me $4.04 to ship, the box costs 35 cents, and the ebay fees on the shipping is 77 cents meaning I make a whole $1.18 on shipping under the best case scenario. I actually lose money on that 5.99 shipping when the item weighs 12 ounces.
bdmh-enterprises
·1 year agoI was going to jump in here and espouse my veiws of how great ESE is for sending thing like trading cards, stamps and photo/postcards. And it is! I've had great success with it. I think it would probably work quite well for a good number of your items.
BUT... I see you sell a lot of fairly old vintage cards and photos, and many of those may be on thicker stock than more modern ones, that I fear may wrinkle or crease going around the wheels of the letter sorter. The technical specification is 1/8" curvature around a 16" drum, which is slightly more than this: ). If you don't think your item can handle that flex than it should go with Ground Advantage.
paperandphotocollection
OP1 year agoThis makes sense! I keep wondering about sending some of my old items through there machines.
1786davycrockett
·1 year ago@paperandphotocollection
The eBay Standard Envelope (ESE) can not be used for photographs -- here is an official eBay list of the eligible items --
Eligible categories
As of Nov 2023, four additional categories are now eligible to use eBay standard envelope, expanding the service to eight categories. See the full list of category paths.
The ESE is also limited to single items valued no higher than $20.00 (or multiple items valued no higher than $50.00 total). The weight can be no more than 3 ounces; and the envelope can be no thicker than 1/4 inch. The envelope can be no small than 3.5" X 5", and no larger than 6.125" X 11.5", and the envelope can not have any exterior clasps or ties, and must be paper -- not plastic.
Check out other specifics for the ESE here -- https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/shipping/choosing-a-carrier-and-service/ebay-standard-envelope
If you buy your postage through eBay, you will quickly realize how much money you will start saving, over the regular over-the-counter postage prices at USPS. It's up to you whether you wish to share this savings with your buyers.
As for postage for non-ESE items, you probably would be better off with calculated shipping, rather than fixed, as USPS Ground Advantage grows more expensive, depending upon the distance between seller and buyer.
On the other hand, if you are comfortable eating the postage to your buyers, go ahead and offer free shipping.
paperandphotocollection
OP1 year agoThank you for all the helpful information, I am definitely going to start using the shipping labels.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoConsider eliminating the low priced items which are not selling. ESE is unreliable and you are already getting a marginal return on your labor for these cheap items. You are likely to have more problems if you use ESE. Those bowed stereo cards may not survive intact, or may jam the sorters, or may see you charged a non-machineable surcharge after the item ships.
Every sale you make with inferior packaging or that is delayed because you used ESE is a risk to your entire business, not just those transactions.
You are already experienced with lotting inexpensive items.
You can often help yourself sell items with proper shipping charges by identifying cross-collectibles. I price my early actor and actress postcards to sell to theatre collectors who will pay more for the card than postcard collectors, for example. I include more background on the subject in my listing, and make sure that keyword meaningful to theatre collectors are indexed. Many are rare enough so that they will not find another listed on Ebay to undercut my price, and I can wait out lowball sellers.
paperandphotocollection
OP1 year agoYeah I'm definitely worried about the packaging of my items. Thanks for the helpful hints.
mantle1951
·1 year agoYes it's tough selling a $2.00 item and charging $4.50 for GA. Ebay standard envelope has worked for me because I sell baseball cards for $4 or $5. Good luck.