Occasional Seller? Beware of Shipping Reality
Gone are the days of reasonable shipping. I sold a an antique lamp that was fragile and required extra packing. It didnt weigh a lot but was more bulky. It was packed by our local UPS store. Shipped from (near) Louisville, KY to Las Vegas. The UPS air hub is in Louisville.
I used what I considered high rate of $60 for shipping. The total turned out to be $128. Ouch.
I am not whining; the fault is all mine and I should have somehow calculated that in a worse-case scenario. I wanted to pass on to any infrequent sellers that you might end up taking a bath after expenses are deducted.
16 comments
broto_64
·2 years agoThe first thing I think about when I want to list something on ebay is how is this going to ship?
I've been doing this long enough where I usually have a pretty good idea and most often the answer is yay or nay right then, and it has to do with cost.
Size of package and weight are two of the biggest considerations.
After that most things ship cheapest via USPS.
UPS and Fedex do offer some competition but watch out for the hidden fees (Fedex is the worst here).
Next, will it fit in my mailbox or do I have to drive it up the road?
Yes because driving costs money too...
inhawaii
·2 years agoI never sell anything unless I know EXACTLY what it will cost to ship.
gloryglorygifts
·2 years agoPersonally, I've never found UPS to have reasonable shipping and I've used them all over the years. I guess you can chalk this up to a learning experience.
hartungcards
·2 years agoI always take a bath right after eBay deducts their FVFs from any sale I make, because it always makes me feel unclean.
mam98031
·2 years agoThat is an odd remark. You must have a heck of a water bill not to mention electricity for the hot water.
Ebay's rates are not the highest rates on similar sites nor is it the cheapest. Each seller has to decide for themselves which sites are best for them. It appears you have made such a choice.
farmalljr
·2 years agoI find it hilarious anymore when people whine about the fees. No, they are not cheap, but people have zero perspective. Auction house will charge you about 1/3 (33%) of the sale. Your audience will be much smaller. Your item WILL sell to the highest bidder, even if that bidder is "stealing" it. If you set a reserve, you will be paying the auctioneer whether it sells or not.
eBay is half the price or more, of local auctions. eBay allows you to set a price and let your things hang out there for as long as you want. Overall, a much sweeter deal then any auction house I know of. We won't even get into a brick an mortar's costs.
Yet people still want to act like eBay is robbing them blind. LOL. No perspective.
evelyb30
·2 years agoAnd they wonder why I used to mainly sell jewelry. For one thing, packing and shipping materials were cheaper and easier to keep on-hand. I have major medical restrictions, so I maxed out at 5 pounds packed. A mail scale is a must. Also have a letter scale if you're handling small items. I also had a dram scale for close to exact metal weights as needed, but if you're not doing jewelry you don't need that.
fern*wood
·2 years agoGuessing shipping on something big isn’t a good idea as you found out. I always use calculated for stuff like that.
blueapples_22
·2 years agoDepending on how much selling you do, would be a good investment to buy a shipping scale, then you could know exactly what you're going to pay. Also I would absolutely buy your own packing supplies and be on the hunt for boxes. You'd be surprised, if you're looking for boxes they pop up everywhere. Good Luck!
baydealz
·2 years agoI account for my net profit after shipping and fees. People complain about fees but you can price away (charge appropriately) the shipping cost. If fair, people should get it. It's when you compete with competitors, like Chinese vendors, that you get burned. 'How can they ship a desk for $8'?????
I weigh, size and usually use ebay calculations. But often don't get the box (dumpster dive) until after the sale if it's bigger, so I sometimes still get caught.
adkhighker
·2 years agoThe UPS Store is notorious for charging people 3 times the cost for what you could have done yourself by packing it yourself and then dripping it off at a UPS retail center or a USPS post office. Unless you have money to burn, avoid the UPS Store if at all possible.
baydealz
·2 years agoyep, that is the biggest mistake. UPS stores are franchises and they don't make much on UPS commission, it's all on the 'added value.' You pay for that. Preparing in advance is really tough, but it's really the only way.
simba6
·2 years agoI always advise sellers have the box and packing before listing so they know the final size and weight of the package. Shipping is high and over size is murder.
mam98031
·2 years agoYou will likely find that most sellers would agree with you, shipping is outrageous and getting even worse every few months.
Keep in mind that your shipping rate increased by having the UPS store package your item. They do charge a fee for that. So I'm unsure how much of that $128 was for their services and how much was the actual shipping. Do you have a break down of that?
slippinjimmy
·2 years agoJust one of a few hundred things that occasional (actually all) sellers should be aware of.
stainlessenginecovers
·2 years agoUsing a UPS store you were paying for:
Box
Packing Materials
Labor
and RETAIL Pricing on the shipping.
The REAL moral of the story is:
Get your own box and packing materials
Pack it yourself
Buy the label on ebay or other 'online' place.