Looks like i'm gonna be stuck here a while.

[inhawaii]

This isn't about shipping and returns. It's a question for sellers and how they spend/budget their money.

So i bought 2 sizes of ebay padded envelopes last night.  I usually get them from Amazon but decided to go with ebay this time. Ebays were a little cheaper.  Even though it's way more than i need, i took advantage of the price break and bought 400 of each. 

Do most of you sellers here do the same and go for the larger quantity even if it may be more than you need in order to get the cheapest price possible? 

[donsdetour]

I have found if it is way more items for shipping:

Storage and lack of usage of the items out way such, due to not used and in the way.

They get dirty, or damaged moving em around etc.

If you have good storage location such would be a good thing to do for some.

[mcdougle4248]

@inhawaii 

Yep, I do.  I stocked up last month so I could take the write off on my 2020 tax return. 

[buyselljack2016]

I sometimes go for the savings, but I have to sometimes go the other way when the quantity is more than I will realistically need, but then I'm old, and may not sell that much longer. YMMV

Later this year "eBay selling" will become the longest career that I have had. My second job slightly overlapped the 1st, and the 3rd was commingled with the 2nd for a few years. eBay supplemented our income during the 3rd.

It's a toss up on some items. When I do the math, and find that I have to buy twice as many to save a nickle on each one, I will probably let it run into the loss column on my business model profits.

[drinkwine1204]

I only buy what I can with my quarterly shipping coupon (premium store). With my sales down 55% over last month and over 70% from October, have no need to "stock up". Won't be using what I have.

Saving $$ any way you can is a great idea though, we should all try and pass on these tips. With increased postage, it is getting harder all the time to stay competitive in some crowded fields. 

[sin-n-dex]

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@inhawaii wrote:

This isn't about shipping and returns. It's a question for sellers and how they spend/budget their money.

So i bought 2 sizes of ebay padded envelopes last night.  I usually get them from Amazon but decided to go with ebay this time. Ebays were a little cheaper.  Even though it's way more than i need, i took advantage of the price break and bought 400 of each. 

Do most of you sellers here do the same and go for the larger quantity even if it may be more than you need in order to get the cheapest price possible? 

---

I order padded mailers #0 for my coins and small things. I order from Uline in Canada (they might be international, but they have a warehouse 50 miles from my house, so they just drive the box over here and drop it off).

For other sizes of mailers, I use the eBay coupons each quarter and order whatever I need (there's a bigger mailer that's good for coin sets, and the really big mailer is good for stamp pages, plus i need giant boxes for the courier to pick up my shipments... the giant boxes at work aren't big enough to accommodate a medium priority flat rate box).

C.

[chapeau-noir]

I always stock up on stuff like that, and go through it faster than I can believe. 

Understand @drinkwine1204  POV, though.  But you can always sell what you don't use.

[disneyshopper]

I, too, was stocking up on padded envelopes and boxes when I had my premium store.  When ebay decided to give Managed Payment sellers an extra 10,000 listings, I decided to downgrade my store to a basic one.  With my major source of inventory closed down due to the pandemic, my volume of sales went way down, so it made sense.

[jayjaspersgarage]

Your question about budgeting money seems vague at first but I think you mean specifically on supplies.

For starters I sell half of the free ebay supplies I order.  I miss the years when the coupon was $50 per quarter.  

I source padded envelopes various ways and cover the ebay logo with my label.   I don't advertise for any corporation for free if I can avoid it.  

I have connections where I can get unlimited foam sheets (60" x 60") with perforations every foot for free.  

Estate sales abound with inexpensive office and shipping supplies.  Former sellers who gave up usually just want to get rid of padded envelopes that remind them of how things didn't work out.  I have purchased padded envelopes by the hundreds for five cents each.  Some are too messed up to use but the savings to be had are impressive.

Same approach to legal writing pads, regular envelopes, staples and packing tape.  

[jayjaspersgarage]

"It's a toss up on some items. When I do the math, and find that I have to buy twice as many to save a nickle on each one, I will probably let it run into the loss column on my business model profits."

People sell extra padded envelopes on ebay all the time.   Look at how they price them and you might be able to make a small profit while saving space.   If anything it will bring fresh eyes to your store.  I don't plan to sell the variety of items I list but I figure even at close to break even it brings more potential customer views.

[little*blackdog]

Yes.  Absolutely.  Why not? 

If you have a place to store this stuff, buy it at the best price. 

[themo_4718]

I usually buy padded envelopes in bulk from Global Industrial, though they have gotten a little pricey lately. Otherwise I go with Staples. I have not looked for them on eBay, mostly because I am stuck listing as soon as they give me more spaces.

[luckythewinner]

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@inhawaii wrote:

Do most of you sellers here do the same and go for the larger quantity even if it may be more than you need in order to get the cheapest price possible? 

---

eBay 6x9 bubble mailers are $100 for 400. 

I can buy 500 for $70 with free shipping right here on eBay. 

[coffeebean832]

eBay branded supplies are more expensive than most others so I tend to not go over my store coupon amount by more than a few dollars.

Generally speaking- I do purchase many things in a larger quantity as long as I have the storage space for it. I just bought 36 rolls of clear packing tape which should last 3-4 months.

[farmalljr]

I'm a small seller, and I buy ALL of the supplies I use in BULK. First, it saves you money. Second, you will use them all up at some point, IF you are a committed seller. 

If you don't have a space to store stuff, you have a problem. You will need to only sell things that fit in a certain size box or mailer, to cut down on needed supplies. 

Personally, I avoid selling anything that needs a box bigger than 12x12x12 (it eats too much space) and prefer to stick to items that go first class or flat rate USPS bubble mailer. Most of my stuff goes in either a poly, bubble or document mailer. I order these in about 500+ piece quantities. All of my boxes I order in 100+ quantities. 

It's the only way to cut costs, to buy in bulk.