shpping information
Summary: twilli9997_0 expressed concern about losing money on eBay shipments due to discrepancies in shipping costs. stainlessenginecovers inquired about shipping methods, while thriftyfiftyfifty suggested issues could stem from passing on a shipping discount to buyers. krazzykats emphasized the importance of using accurate dimensions for calculated shipping. d.c.enterprises advised against using USPS and recommended fixed rate shipping with FedEx for better cost management. Some participants debated the effectiveness of calculated shipping, with momtoabeautifuldaughter defending its use while others shared differing experiences. Overall, participants shared various strategies to help twilli9997_0 improve shipping cost efficiency.
Most everything I ship is via USPS
ground advantage which is weight based on location.
However, EBay lists a dollar amount on listing page and when sold no matter what location, buyer pays that listed amount.
I am losing money on every shipment. How can I remedy this situation? Thanks in advance.
Tom W.
twilli9997_0
OP3 weeks agothanks, only selling for about 3 years
momtoabeautifuldaughter
·1 month agoI always use calculated shipping and have never taken a loss in over 20 years selling on eBay.
d.c.enterprises
·3 weeks ago · EditedWe find that somewhat hard to believe but if you're OK with losing money on boxes and packing materials you're providing that's up to you. And again, the only way to minimize losses on calculated shipping is proper set up of the size + weight specifics in your listing. And not to belittle your efforts but less than 100 items in 20 years does not exactly give you as wide a perspective as others.
momtoabeautifuldaughter
·3 weeks agoI get my boxes and packing materials for free so no loss there.
This is my BUYING account........my SELLING account has over 50,000 transactions......LOL
So you may want to try your belittling with someone else.
@d.c.enterprises
twilli9997_0
OP3 weeks agothanks, only selling for about 3 years
fabrics24
·3 weeks ago · EditedLots of forum users here have a dedicated account exclusively for posting to the forum; the sales number you see here doesn't necessarily reflect someone's true number of sales.
On top of that, some of us get shipping supplies for free, charge/account for a handling fee in either our shipping policies or the listing price itself, or have a primary business we're working for that allows us to budget in packing supplies.
Calculated shipping is a viable option; it makes it easier to flex with rate hikes and policy changes.
ryry-jj
·3 weeks ago...and add a handling charge as well to cover those cost and the FVF portion on shippping
twilli9997_0
OP1 month agothanks for your help !
d.c.enterprises
·1 month agoWe buy specialty boxes and packing materials and charge reasonable fixed rate shipping and we profit on shipping. Currectly we are enjoying a profit of approx 11% YTD.
NEVER USE CALCULATED SHIPPING - you'll keep taking a loss every time. With some small amount of effort you can determine the cost to ship your items based on size and weight and enter that as the flat rate shipping before you create the listing.
ALWAYS USE THE CORRECT PACKAGE SIZE AND WEIGHT WHEN CREATING YOUR LISTINGS - that's what eBay uses for "Calculated Shipping" and if it's wrong, you lose.
TURN OFF PASSING THE SHIPPING DISCOUNT TO BUYERS- you're a business, not a charity. Right?
ALWAYS CHOOSE "ECONOMY" AS YOUR SHIPPING METHOD AND MAKE IT NON-SHIPPER SPECIFIC, NEVER OFFER OVERNIGHT OR 2-DAY OR ANYTHING OTHER THAN GROUND SHIPPING.
NEVER SHIP TO HI OR AK AND ADD THEM TO YOUR "NO SHIP" LOCATIONS - there's no ground service there by any carriers and you'll get burned on that as well.
NEVER USE THE USPS - they are by far the most expensive and unless you stand in line to get a receipt tracking will not begin until it gets to it's first stop in the journey.
ALWAYS SHIP WITH FEDEX , FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THEIR DIMENSIONAL WEIGHT SHIPPING FORMULA AND ALWAYS BUY THE LABELS FROM EBAY - we send entire sets of well packed golf clubs in 50*6*6 boxes all over the US with Fedex and after a massive discount through eBay, most of the time it comes in under $20.
shire123
·1 month agoAgree with most everything you state. Except not using usps.
tobaccocardyahoo
·3 weeks agoI agree with most of what you say, But I cannot agree with shipping with FEDEX. FEDEX contractors in many areas of the country are terrible. And FEDEX manhandles more shipments than any carrier. Shipments arrive in dirty boxes with obvious signs of rough treatment. If you have not packed extremely well, damage occurs. If you have packed well, no damage but many buyers are still upset having to handle such dirty packages.
krazzykats
·1 month agoAre you using the right dimensions? Pricing depends on weight, actual package size, and location.
I usually default most items to 12"x12"x12" or to the actual size, but I noticed you have a baseball bat for sale. Be sure to enter the correct dimensions for it with calculated shipping, as a 6" x 35" package could result in an added dimensional charges in addition to weight and location.
twilli9997_0
OP1 month agoThanks it helped
thriftyfiftyfifty
·1 month agoLooking at your Solds and Actives, you appear to be using Calculated Shipping and the Shipping is changing with Zone, but looks like you are passing on your Discount to your Buyers. Could be part of the problem and there is typically no room for error if you have to adjust at the Label stage.
stainlessenginecovers
·1 month agoAre you using Calculated shipping?
Are you adding a handling fee?
Are you using 'Retail' or your (typical seller) discounted rate?