eBay

siberbunny · ‎10-05-2022

How can anyone sell on Ebay with a shipping price of $ 17.10 priority mail for a 2 pound package from Virginia to California 23139 to 93449 ? How much price increases until you can't? Everything I sell on Ebay costs more to ship than the price of the item

dbfolks166mt · ‎10-06-2022

It is relevant if those higher shipping rates are scaring buyers away. Its not very enticing to pay $10 shipping on an item that costs $10 itself.

The government is making inflation worse by allowing the postal service to continually raise its rates to ridiculous heights.

The postal rates are so high its getting to the point where its no longer feasible to buy anything online.

Without a doubt USPS is bringing our entire economy to its knees.

For every action there is an equal an opposite reaction. One of the potential reasons ecommerce sales are slowing probably relates to the increased shipping costs, among others rising costs. The opposite reaction, at least in my area, is buyers are returning to B&M stores which eliminates shipping costs but also speeds acquisition of the product and simplifies the return process if needed. This is especially true for buyers that are located in major metropolitan areas where major stores are within a short driving distance.

For more rural customers and for items that are not easily accessible ecommerce may still present a better option but the competition across that business area has become intense. Those ecommerce sites that are directly involved in the logistics/shipping process hold an edge over those that, like eBay, depend on a second party service provider like USPS. I have ordered items from Amazon that I could not easily locate in a store. Items were ordered before 10 AM and most were delivered by 6 PM the same day.

gotta-have-it-collectables · ‎10-06-2022

Man you are right on target. The stupid USPS is pricing themselves right out of business. I moved to coins to avoid the postal nonsense. When I started selling here a 1Lb package was about $3 to ship now it $7+ depending on where your shipping from. I'm in Illinois so not taking to much of a beating on bigger stuff but it still is piracy.

And why is it eBay can't cut a better deal with USPS for its Seller's for a better rate?

gotta-have-it-collectables · ‎10-06-2022

B&M stores have no bearing on the items most collectible dealers sell here. We are Not selling Bath towels, socks, TV remotes, socket sets or cookies.

And small business was never set up to ship same day...get over it!

dbfolks166mt · ‎10-06-2022

B&M stores have no bearing on the items most collectible dealers sell here. We are Not selling Bath towels, socks, TV remotes, socket sets or cookies.

I have at least a dozen antique, collectable and pawn shops within less than 10 miles of my house that sell virtually the same "collectible" items that are listed on eBay. Obviously not all but a lot of crossover. Most of those also list their items on eBay.

And small business was never set up to ship same day...get over it!

Nothing for me to get over I fully understand the eBay environment and the shipping timelines it's just the way things are.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎10-06-2022

@siberbunny wrote:
How can anyone sell on Ebay with a shipping price of $ 17.10 priority mail for a 2 pound package from Virginia to California 23139 to 93449 ? ...

But the postage cost to ship to a nearby buyer is $9.55. For a 3-pound package, the range is even more dramatic: $10.20 vs $22.20.

With any zoned shipping rate, a seller will have a big advantage in appealing to closer buyers. If a seller on the west coast is selling a similar item, you will lose those west coast buyers who see a shipping cost of $17.10; but those west coast sellers of that item will lose the east coast buyers who see $17.10 shipping for their item, but $9.55 for shipping yours.

As postage rates increase relative to the value of the items, there is a tipping point beyond which each buyer individually reaches their threshold and just isn't willing to pay the total cost with postage. That's why the list of "items not worth selling on eBay, even to neighbors" is growing.

dbfolks166mt · ‎10-06-2022

But the postage cost to ship to a nearby buyer is $9.55. For a 3-pound package, the range is even more dramatic: $10.20 vs $22.20.

With any zoned shipping rate, a seller will have a big advantage in appealing to closer buyers. If a seller on the west coast is selling a similar item, you will lose those west coast buyers who see a shipping cost of $17.10; but those west coast sellers of that item will lose the east coast buyers who see $17.10 shipping for their item, but $9.55 for shipping yours.

As postage rates increase relative to the value of the items, there is a tipping point beyond which each buyer individually reaches their threshold and just isn't willing to pay the total cost with postage. That's why the list of "items not worth selling on eBay, even to neighbors" is growing.

Agree for the most part especially when using a shipping method that is based on zone rates which is why I often look at, and offer, different shipping options. In addition to the weight the size of the package plays just as important of a factor. I live on the east coast and have shipped 20-50 pound boxes of lead, tools, metal parts/pieces using flat rate shipping which does not depend on zones. Example: shipping 20 pounds of lead shipping weights in a padded flat rate envelope cost around $8 regardless of whether I ship it to Virginia where I live or to CA.

A lot depends on what you are selling and how big it is and as you mentioned that is having an impact on what is adding to the list of items not worth selling or buyers are not willing to buy on eBay.

ednkarens · ‎10-06-2022

There is a LOT of good advice here from other sellers. The high cost of shipping is one of the reasons we rarely offer "FREE" shipping since when we do it seems the buyer is always far away and no matter how hard we try to find a fair shipping cost to add to the sales price, we end up spending more on shipping than expected.

All you can do like others have said is look at each individual listing and choose among the various shipping tools to see what works best. Speaking of tools, your Vintage Antique SAW SET Tooth Setter Hand Tool can probably be mailed in a USPS Flat Rate bubble mailer and you should have enough room to place a piece of cardboard on each side. This old steel tool is Not going to be damaged!

We also have a lot of Christmas items to list and this year we are going to group as many like products together to try to get a higher sales price and by being in a lot the postage would cost the buyer less than if they bought in multiple orders. We have been using the still free USPS Priority Mail Box 7 and this has helped us in mailing multiple fragile items surrounded with bubble wrap.

skeletonstore · ‎10-06-2022

It forces a seller to rethink what they're selling. 1st class is almost the same as priority for that distance. I've tried making things lighter(albeit in small quantity)because anything I think over 7 or 8 ounces jumps in price. Priority is ridiculous now and what is even the point of parcel post when at best it's always like 20 cents less? Unless your item is expensive like a box of tools or carparts(which I think is what priority flat rate was made for)you can't sell a cheap 2 lbs item anymore. You're lucky there was flat rate option. If dimension gets involved priority can be over $60 for such. Basically you don't want to be sending anything cheap that is that heavy. It kills the selling point.

varebelrose · ‎10-06-2022

"what is even the point of parcel post when at best it's always like 20 cents less?"

As I said above, priority usually works out to actually be cheaper or equivalent to Parcel if you buy labels through eBay, but occasionally parcel can be significantly cheaper. I have had packages that compared ~$40 for Priority, but less than $20 for parcel. It just depends on size/weight and the zip codes involved. Always compare.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎10-06-2022

@dbfolks166mt wrote: .... In addition to the weight the size of the package plays just as important of a factor.....

For USPS, the dimensions will affect postage cost only if the package has a volume over 1 cubic foot (1728 cubic inches) or a length over 22 inches.

The flat rate packaging can indeed save a lot, even if you aren't shipping 20-pound metal items: The Medium flat rate box is cheaper than regular rates (based on weight and distance) if you're shipping more than 2 pounds to Zone 7 or 8, more than 3 pounds to Zone 6, more than 6 pounds to Zone 5, etc.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎10-06-2022

@skeletonstore wrote:
It forces a seller to rethink what they're selling. 1st class is almost the same as priority for that distance. I've tried making things lighter(albeit in small quantity)because anything I think over 7 or 8 ounces jumps in price. Current rates for First Class packages are priced in increments of 4 ounces, so there is a jump between 4 and 5 ounces, between 8 and 9 ounces, between 12 and 13 ounces. Priority is ridiculous now and what is even the point of parcel post when at best it's always like 20 cents less? That used to be the case (there was even an era when the costs were the SAME for Zones 1 - 4) but since a year or two ago there's a big gap again. For instance, online Priority rate for 4 pounds is $8.59 - $21.57; Parcel Select Ground is $7.69 - $13.57. Then you'd have to allow for Priority having free boxes, free insurance, and TRS discount but still. Unless your item is expensive like a box of tools or carparts(which I think is what priority flat rate was made for)you can't sell a cheap 2 lbs item anymore. You're lucky there was flat rate option. If dimension gets involved priority can be over $60 for such. Basically you don't want to be sending anything cheap that is that heavy. It kills the selling point.

chaud9964 · ‎10-06-2022

For example, if the price of an item is 18.99 dollars (the shipping price is 20.99 dollars), add 10.00 dollars to that price and put the known shipping price as 10.00 dollars. Then the price of the product will be USD 28.00 and the shipping fee will be USD 10.00.

dbfolks166mt · ‎10-06-2022

For USPS, the dimensions will affect postage cost only if the package has a volume over 1 cubic foot (1728 cubic inches) or a length over 22 inches.

The flat rate packaging can indeed save a lot, even if you aren't shipping 20-pound metal items: The Medium flat rate box is cheaper than regular rates (based on weight and distance) if you're shipping more than 2 pounds to Zone 7 or 8, more than 3 pounds to Zone 6, more than 6 pounds to Zone 5, etc.

My error on stating the size impact. What I was referring to with regards to size was related to what you can possibly put the item into and ship it securely without damage concerns. I ship a LOT in flat rate or legal size envelopes and some padded flat rate envelopes both of which have 70 pound weight limits. Although I have never hit that I have shipped some very heavy items via those methods.

The regional boxes can also be a good value but if you are on the east coast there is an east coast rate and a west coast rate. If you have to ship to the west coast the flat rate boxes are generally a cheaper option than the regional boxes are. Shipping always has been a crap shoot with regards to all the available options and generally there is no real good one size, no pun intended, solution.

dbfolks166mt · ‎10-06-2022

For example, if the price of an item is 18.99 dollars (the shipping price is 20.99 dollars), add 10.00 dollars to that price and put the known shipping price as 10.00 dollars. Then the price of the product will be USD 28.00 and the shipping fee will be USD 10.00.

The problem is this does nothing to relieve the total cost to the buyer. While to the buyer it appears to lower the shipping cost but at the same time the price of the item is elevated. Also unless you know exactly what the shipping cost will be for any area you ship to, i.e. flat rate box or envelope, it is hard to know what the shipping cost will be unless you are basing it on the worse case highest price scenario.