Newbie question: How do I determine shipping cost when selling something?

[sebezsales]

I have an electronic scale at home. I want to know how to determine ship cost on both USPS and UPS without having to drive to either. 

Thank you

[fern*wood]

I don't even sell that much but I would be a very bad mood if I had to manually write out the labels and buy postage at a post office.

Having to also manually upload the tracking numbers would finish me off.  What a hassle on top of the potential to make mistakes.  Do you also email your buyers to give them the tracking?

@timemachine777

[timemachine777]

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@fern*wood wrote:

I don't even sell that much but I would be a very bad mood if I had to manually write out the labels and buy postage at a post office.

Having to also manually upload the tracking numbers would finish me off.  What a hassle on top of the potential to make mistakes.  Do you also email your buyers to give them the tracking?

@timemachine777

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We drop everything at the PO everyday and stop back hours later to get the receipt. I have way to many shipments everyday to have someone stand in line. tracking is easy. Only the last 3 digits need to be changed for each shipment. As for emails. We email every customer to let them know when to expect their item. We don't go by USPS estimates as they have been less accurate, when we check it against the actual arrival date. 

[penguins_dont_fly]

Try it. It only takes a few seconds to write down an address.

No thanks. I have illegible handwriting and tend to transpose things when writing things down manually. I have fully embraced technology 😉

Open bulk shipping, double check the weight, print, done.

The address on the label matches the order details and is encoded into the barcode. No chance of mix up and the buyer gets the tracking number automatically.

I have had only 1 issue with label printing in the past 3 years and I was able to quickly recover by using PayPal shipping.

I charge retail and pay Comm Plus ... which covers my FVF most of the time.

I get a SCAN sheet and I schedule pick ups. I have a great carrier and the regular subs have gotten the memo re pickup and scan. No need to go to the PO unless the buyer selects Priority Express and I need that acceptance scan before the cutoff.

🙂 Try it 🙂

[sebezsales]

So a few quick follow up questions: 

-If I weigh my item and use the calculator shipping estimator for USPS, does the estimate give you the estimate including the weight of the box?

-Should I buy a bunch of boxes at USPS for similar sized/weigh items?

-Any suggests on where to get free USPS boxes or similar boxes that will work?

Thank you

[david*42]

You will get the postage cost for the weight that you enter in the listing form.

No, USPS is a very pricey place to purchase boxes. There are many good sellers right here on eBay.

Free Priority Mail boxes and envelopesat usps.com:

https://store.usps.com/store/browse/subcategory.jsp?categoryNavIds=shipping-supplies%3apriority-mail...

[timemachine777]

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@penguins_dont_fly wrote:

Try it. It only takes a few seconds to write down an address.

No thanks. I have illegible handwriting and tend to transpose things when writing things down manually. I have fully embraced technology 😉

Open bulk shipping, double check the weight, print, done.

The address on the label matches the order details and is encoded into the barcode. No chance of mix up and the buyer gets the tracking number automatically.

I have had only 1 issue with label printing in the past 3 years and I was able to quickly recover by using PayPal shipping.

I charge retail and pay Comm Plus ... which covers my FVF most of the time.

I get a SCAN sheet and I schedule pick ups. I have a great carrier and the regular subs have gotten the memo re pickup and scan. No need to go to the PO unless the buyer selects Priority Express and I need that acceptance scan before the cutoff.

🙂 Try it 🙂

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I'm rural. Going to the PO isn't a choice, It's a requirement. I don't even get delivery, so I have to pay for a PO box. One of my PO's is like Petticoat Jct. but the tracks were torn up years ago, and now it's an ATV trail. My PO box number there is 5. It's only open a few hours a day. 

What makes me laugh is how technology is suppose to speed things up, yet instead it can slow things down. My old Post master loved to manually do my pkg's before they changed everything and addresses needed to be typed in. I would bring everything in, separated by weight. I would have about a hundred items and he would just throw each one on the scale for a base weight and make a few piles before whipping out a bunch of labels an sticking them on. 

Now my PO hates when I come in. They have to do my mail in between customers, and sometimes I need to split the load between other PO's if their shorthanded. It takes them forever to do just a few pieces when someone comes in with pkg's, because the computers take so long to process one item. 

[sebezsales]

Thanks. So, free on USPS online link?

[penguins_dont_fly]

My old Post master loved to manually do my pkg's before they changed everything and addresses needed to be typed in.

Just sayin' ... he wouldn't have to type them in if you used eBay or PayPal labels ... just scan them.

I understand having to drop them off ... but you could save the PO a lot of work 🙂

[david*42]

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@timemachine777 wrote:

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 ... Now my PO hates when I come in. .... 

Of course they do.

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@sebas_oter wrote:
Thanks. So, free on USPS online link?

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Yes, free with delivery to your door when you order Priority boxes online.

https://store.usps.com/store/browse/subcategory.jsp?categoryId=priority-mail&categoryNavIds=shipping...

Be aware that you must pay for Priority Shipping to use Priority supplies, so set your listings up for Calculated USPS Priority.

Also, you can use any Priority box that DOES NOT say "Flat Rate" with calculated Priority shipping.

Flat Rate boxes must be paid at that flat rate, no matter what weight and distance. They are not always the best rate.

[timemachine777]

Half the time those scanners don't work right either. I can't tell you how many receipts I have with my tracking numbers stuck to the back of it, because they're the tiny peel off strips from the bar code that gets adhered to the pkg.  The only way I know who the strips belong to, is because they write the zip code next to them. 

[penguins_dont_fly]

Again ...if you print the labels on eBay, you wouldn't have that problem.

The barcode is integrated into the label.

No retyping

 No extra sticky barcodes.

Print, drop off, they scan ... done.

[lintbrush*]

I've never had an issue with a scanner failing to work. 

You'd avoid a whole lot of issues, time and expense if you just printed your labels online and used calculated shipping where appropriate.  Your PO clerks would be happy too. 

[timemachine777]

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@lintbrush* wrote:

I've never had an issue with a scanner failing to work. 

You'd avoid a whole lot of issues, time and expense if you just printed your labels online and used calculated shipping where appropriate.  Your PO clerks would be happy too. 

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It doesn't cost me any more. One of my guys usually drops the pkgs off, and I stop in on my way to do my cash outs, and pay my bill and get my receipts. Even if they scanned my pkg's, there is no way that they can do them all at once. It would cause a stand still for very long time at the window. I still have to go there later to get my receipt.

I do very little business on eBay. I sell through a number of different venues, and I get my payments in all forms, which include checks and MO's, (which I cash at the PO).  I find this the fastest method for us.

[sebezsales]

Thank you! One more question.....utlimately is it simpler and cheaper to use Priority Rates and Boxes vs whatever non USPS boxes I may find? (at least for a newbie like me)