Shipping Items - Your Input Needed! :)

[linseyl1025]

I am curious as to what your processes are.

How do you accurately account for shipping charges?

My products range in sizes and weights so I typically weigh the item when I inventory it. When I go to list it, I add a pound to the weight to account for packaging. Where I get stuck is box sizes. I've been under estimating how big of a box items will require with adequate protection around it... How do you avoid doing this?

Do you package the product after you list it so you can have accurate box sizes and weights?

Any input is appreciated. I love that there is a community to reach out to!

[newburghgenerations]

Hello,  I do the listing, my husband does the packing and shipping.  I set the item on the scale in a box, the listing will say from 3 to 4 lbs, 2 to 3 lbs, l lb or less & so forth, so that gives you some space for error.  When I list I put in the weight, let the customer know I am using USPS priority mail with insurance, the ebay shipping boxes are free from the Post Office, if it seems to be an over sized package, I check the irregular size box, and then put in the  the dimensions of the box, always listing the largest number as the length.  We do mostly glass and china or other fragile items, so the less time an item has to be in the shipping faze the safer it is.  My husband uses good bubble wrap and foam peanuts when he wraps.  He prints the shipping labels on line and pays for the shipping through Pay Pal.  If we make a mistake in our figures, it is our fault and we pay for it.  My husband gets good reviews for his shipping skills.  We dont box an item up til it is sold and paid for, many times we combine shipping for a customer.   I hope this is what you wanted to know.  Sharon

[z28zoooom]

usps rounds up to the next level. ie 3.5 lbs is charged the weight rate for 4 lbs. some carriers and usps charge extra for volume, ie their measurement of the outside of larger box. those limits equal higher charge.download carrier rates from their websites. use uniform size boxes that most often fit items you sell. it doesn't matter if the box is a little larger, unless it carries a volume charge. did you know newspaper adds a lot more weight than packing peanuts? get a scale. do not expect to ever get the rates correct, though it is fun to try. safe packing is a must.call or go into your local post office for more insight / questions.they are very helpful and have rate sheets also.
🙂

[z28zoooom]

wanted to add that we now do "free shipping". it is much-much easier. though the shipping info still needs be accurate as we use eBay global Shipping program.

[gauntlettgems]

@linseyl1025 are you generally off by a lot?

[linseyl1025]

@gauntlettgems I've been able to avoid miscalculations so far but there are a few instances where it could have been a $20 difference due to needing 2" more on a box.

[linseyl1025]

With the free shipping how do you go about calculating how much shipping to account for in the price of the product?

[linseyl1025]

Sharon,

Thats exactly what I wanted to know! I appreciate your info!

[gauntlettgems]

I weigh as I am listing and always pad on a little to make up for the materials that go into the box You can always refund after everything but can't really ask someone to send extra after the fact I've had a few close calls but then I have the option to go
Fedex from the nay label printing page and they tend to run a little cheaper than USPS @linseyl1025 Do you print your labels from your ebay account?

[socialorders]

What no one has mentioned so far here is that both PayPal and eBay charge you a percentage of what your customer pays you for shipping, a "Final Value Fee" in eBay's terminology. That means that if you ask for the exact amount you have to pay the carrier for shipping, adding the cost of packing materials, etc. you've still lost money.
My problem with this is the Feedback question to Buyers regarding the fairness of the shipping charges. They may know what the USPS charges, but are ignorant of the other, forced deductions from the amount they paid for "Shipping". I think that most Sellers underestimate their real costs. I guess these have to be made up by a slight upcharge for the item sold. I do believe the Feedback question is unfair, as eBay treats the entire payment without making this distinction.

[socialorders]

I guess I should get more specific here, and give an example:  The shipping charge for a Padded Flat Rate Envelope is $5.90 on eBay, but eBay assesses a "Final Value Fee" of $.60 on that amount, bringing the shipping cost to $6.50 paid to eBay and then the Seller has to pay an additional $.30 to PayPal (which takes 5% of the customer's payment) for a total cash layout of $6.80 from you.    Now this is IDENTICAL to  USPS charge - online or not, in this case - of $6.80.
I cite this particular example as additional packing materials would not typically be needed.

But the Seller still has expenses associated with shipping the item;  printer ink, labels or paper to print them, and, using other sizes of packaging, tissue paper, maybe, tape, bubble wrap, "peanuts", perhaps special boxes, not to mention the cost of maintaining/replacing the equipment (computer, printer, etc), even if you value your time at $0... 

My point is, that taking into account the real costs, charging even the carrier's full  price for shipping results in a net loss.

I hope I haven't made everyone crazy with this!

[per_omnia]

Being only a part time ebayer you have explained so clearly to me what I have been paying. Customers ask me all the time if I can lower my shipping charge, which essentially means to take a loss on the shipping. I do think shipping has gotten very expensive as of late

[gauntlettgems]

Ebay should in no way be able to charge that shipping FVF It is totally unfair and another way of lining their pockets Their explanation of why they do is ludicrous

I start my auctions usually much lower than most and buyers still complain about shipping costs I do not ever try to make money on shipping but I do want to at least cover the costs

I had one buyer go so far as to send me a label for an expensive item and he used media mail to ship with no insurance I told him I was extremely uncomfortable with his method and that he would have to tell me he would assume liability if anything happened to it He agreed and the package was opened by the post office and he got charged Thankfully he did not take that out on me and they packed it well enough that it made the trip safely

Ugh if it's not one thing around here............

[socialorders]

Understood! Since it's your reputation, your business and your income that are on the line, you have to maintain control.

The Feedback category for Shipping Charges ought to be eliminated, in my opinion. 

Postal rates are public knowledge, but what the the carrier charges do not reflect are the Seller's total shipping expenses, which include, among others, eBay's own "cut", plus privately purchased shipping necessities such as, in my case, large plastic envelopes for my backpacks, which are pretty flat, but wider than a USPS-supplied container;  bubble wrap and styrofoam "peanuts" for china and other fragile items;  gift (and protective) boxes for glassware, and so on. The Buyer is unaware of these expenses, so not in a position to evaluate the "fairness" of a "shipping" charge as a separate item; eBay should get rid of this question.  What eBay could ask in the Feedback responses is "Did the Seller Ship in a Timely Manner?", not "Did the Item Arrive...?", because once the Seller has turned the item over to the carrier, it is literally "out of her hands", and the Seller cannot take responsibility for carrier glitches (which are rare, but do happen).  I promise "Same Day Shipping" according to eBay's standards, and I expect to be judged on whether or not I kept that promise.

Considering the topic of this Discussion Board, I suspect I'm not the only one whose real shipping costs include these types of expenses!