Beginner

[mandeschema0]

I am brand new to selling, and I have a question about shipping costs.  I sold a pair of Nike shorts, and I used the recommended shipping that eBay gave me.  When the sale was finalized, I ended up paying more for shipping than the buyer did.  How do I avoid this in the future?  I am very new to this, so any information os helpful!  Thank you.  

[klhmdg]

You should read all you can on shipping.

Also do not use eBays recommendations.

Get a scale and input the weight and package size before you list.

eBay also has set up new sellers to pass along the shipping discount to buyers.

Passing along the discount is ok IF the seller knows about it and increases their prices to cover.

Otherwise, as you found out, you will lose money.

You can go into your account and change this and charge actual shipping to the buyer.

Shipping is one of the hardest things to learn and it would really help you if you read all the shipping policies.

[toysaver]

EBay prices are based on you buying a label on eBay and printing it out yourself.  EBay has worked out a deal with USPS for discounted rates.  If you go to the PO the fees are higher as they now have to pay a clerk to do work you could have done at home.  

[44012]

Here are some tips for a beginner that I wish I had had.

Try to start selling with small items less than 1 lb that fit into small boxes or bags or if heavier than 1 lb make sure it can fit into a 12 x 12 x 12 box. This is the largest box size that I believe USPS takes without a lot of extra charges. While you make sales with these small items you will gain experience using the shipping systems and will be able to make better decisions eventually on larger items.

You need to have a scale to at minimum weigh items so that you can approximate shipping costs better.

I use a flat rate system for my items. Most of my items are less than 1 lb, in most cases, less than 8 ounces.

I don't like using calculated shipping. I give out one price that includes postage, materials, time. I also live in the middle of the country so shipping to either coast doesn't drastically change my shipping as long as it is under the 1 lb.

At best  thing I did that eased my learning curve was viewing other similar items (not just one, more like 10 listings) to see how other sellers were offering their items. Eventually, that learning curve worked (somewhat anyway). You have to view a few listings because, yes, sometimes sellers get their shipping pricing wrong.

I don't ever use what ebay says shipping is going to cost. Those decisions are always made by me.

Good luck with your sales!

[pls-consignments]

One thing I've learned as a full-time seller is to never use "eBay recommendations!" They are AI driven to generate additional revenue from sellers. It's no different than a store clerk asking if you wish to add a $10 warranty plan to a $20 coffee maker.