eBay

gp-glassco · ‎02-09-2018

Hello EBay Community!

Im a glass blower out of MA and have been selling my work locally for a year or so.

I just recently started selling some of my products on eBay and could really use some help.

I’ve been selling very skinny, light mats that easily ship in those little orange envelopes. I only sell them for about $6.00 so I shipped them with stamps and never had a problem.

With my other products I’m starting to realize that stamps and envelopes are not the best route to go. I previously sold these metal items that were about the size of a pen. I went through the same procedure I did with the mats, however this time the post office flagged me for a postage issue.

Here are are my questions for you guys:

1. I understand that stamps aren’t the most reliable way to ship but are the envelopes okay to ship non flat items? If I were to try this form of shipment again would the solution be to put more stamps?

2. What is a better way to ship these products? The shipping labels definitely give peace of mind but it seems with cheaper items such as these, the $2.61 for postage barely allows me to break even.

partial*eclipse · ‎02-09-2018

USPS categorizes each piece of First Class Mail as a letter, flat (AKA Large envelope) or package, depending on factors like dimensions (including thickness), weight, rigidity, etc. An "envelope" could fall into any of those 3 categories, depending on those criteria.

For instance, an envelope that is more than 1/4 inch thick cannot be mailed as a letter. An envelope with an item in it that makes it rigid or lumpy cannot be mailed as a "flat." If your envelope is over 1/4 inch thick and is rigid or lumpy OR if it's more than 3/4 inch thick , then it must be mailed as a package. Your pens would probably have to be mailed as a package not as a letter or flat.

Minimum online postage for a First Class package recently increased to $2.66. That covers any weight up to 4 ounces, so you might find it more cost-effective to offer your items in multiples rather than selling individually. That weight threshold would also allow for better packaging such as more padding and reinforcement inside the envelope.

rei-npkrlma · ‎02-09-2018

Boy oh boy do I understand your postage concerns - just did my taxes and nearly fainted when I saw what a HUGE bite postage took out of my meager little profit.

What you could do is add a small shipping fee to your items - like $2.95 - enough to cover your expense, or add enough to your price to cover postage. It's tough when you have small ticket items and sometimes you have to experiment a little. Good luck - sincerely!

creativecrisis · ‎02-09-2018

Mail your items as First Class packages and charge buyers for the postage, or roll it into your price and use "free shipping."

A tactic that has worked well for me is charging a flat rate for my very lightweight items. In other words, buyers pay the same cost for postage regardless of how many they buy. It seems to encourage multiple orders and gives buyers a little break on their shipping costs. You might consider something like this if you sell lightweight items that are often purchased together.

gp-glassco · ‎02-09-2018

That was extremely helpful I really appreciate the advice.

gp-glassco · ‎02-09-2018

Very smart tactic! Is that an option you have to select through eBay or do you manage the shipping deals yourself?

luckythewinner · ‎02-09-2018

wrote:
I previously sold these metal items that were about the size of a pen. I went through the same procedure I did with the mats, however this time the post office flagged me for a postage issue.
{snip}
If I were to try this form of shipment again would the solution be to put more stamps?

One solution would be to package one up, take it to the post office, and find out how it needs to be shipped.

Without knowing the size, shape, weight and contents of your package, any suggestions we could make would be guesswork.

creativecrisis · ‎02-09-2018

Thank you.

I manage my own shipping, so that flat rate thing was my idea (although I've seen some large online retailers offer similar deals).

A little off-topic, but I think sellers always need to be looking for different ways to improve their sales and service, and not rely on eBay for ideas. I find the advice coming from eBay extremely limited and often unhelpful, especially for smaller sellers of niche products. Then again, the fun of being in business for yourself is doing it yourself, right?