Tips on how to reduce shipping charges

[lgonzalez28]

Hello,

I am attempting to list a 24" Christmas wreath in it's original box. The item itself is fairly lightweight, just under 3 pounds packaged. The container for this would be approximately 29"×29"x 10"h.

The usps parcel option gives me $28-$101, priority just a bit more at $33-$121.

The item bin price is $60. Without adding the cost into my list price and offering free shipping (which isn't an option for me should there be a return) can anyone provide any cost savings tips?

Other sites offer commercial based pricing allowing this same item to ship for roughly $16 usps to any location just for comparison.

Thank you for any advice,

Lori

[scstool]

Your highest profit might be to donate it and use the tax deduction. Better than throwing it out and you help at least three people: You, the charity, the person buying it from the charity, and the others enjoying it.

[itsjustasprain]

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@coffeebean832 wrote:

It's beautiful but it's also fairly common- it's easy to find a similar wreath in the fall/winter- so it's not rare enough to make the shipping cost worth it. Just my opinion.

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I agree - there is a lot of stuff that is perfectly good but just not a good fit for Ebay. This is one example. Because its kind of big and not hard to find locally. I dont think people really look to Ebay for Christmas wreaths because they are so easy to find locally in the season. We buy ours locally from the Boy Scouts who make them to raise funds for charity.

[mam98031]

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@itsjustasprain wrote:

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@coffeebean832 wrote:

It's beautiful but it's also fairly common- it's easy to find a similar wreath in the fall/winter- so it's not rare enough to make the shipping cost worth it. Just my opinion.

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I agree - there is a lot of stuff that is perfectly good but just not a good fit for Ebay. This is one example. Because its kind of big and not hard to find locally. I dont think people really look to Ebay for Christmas wreaths because they are so easy to find locally in the season. We buy ours locally from the Boy Scouts who make them to raise funds for charity.

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While I think all of that is true for people that can shop locally or can get to a place to shop for such stuff.  There is a whole section of people in the US that leave very rurally and getting to a local place for this kind of stuff isn't an option that is easily obtained.  Others have various different types of challenges that keep most of their shopping to what they can get delivered.  

I'm not trying to minimize your observation as I do feel it is true for many.  It just isn't true for all.

[muttlymob]

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@lgonzalez28 wrote:
Lol I will screenshot this and send it to my husband
I swear I end up keeping half of my stuff for various reasons. He hates that. 😂

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Only half?

hahahahaha

You're goooood.  Just tell hubby that some of us have trouble letting go of even that much of what we pick up on our treasure hunts!

[postingid2017]

Have you tried Nextdoor?  It may be better to sell it locally than trying to ship it.  Shipping costs is one of the reasons as to why I stopped selling here - and I will not do 'free shipping' - free is not free.

[lgonzalez28]

I personally dont go out shopping for myself. All online. I do agree that it may not be a rare item, per se, but I sell Pottery barn and Restoration Hardware almost exclusively on other platforms. It is my niche. Although I dont sell often on ebay, I am new to selling in general. RH is one of those stores with a following and not available to most of country outside of major cities. I do agree that it is too expensive to ship on ebay for a wreath of any brand though. Solely based on size though not because it is a wreath. I love handmade items too, but there is a difference when it comes to buyers who prefer certain brand names

[lgonzalez28]

I recently installed nextdoor. Its so bad at least for my area. My neighbors literally complain about other homeowners remodeling and permits. If my dog got lost, I would absolutely use it, but its a no for me in terms of selling. I do well as a side hustle on offerup though now that they ship. 

I am still so scared of ebay, but I am attempting to take baby steps here and there. I list a few things, but rarely sell them. 😑

[ten_o_nine]

Somethings are not worth selling online anymore. Use it, donate it, or trash it.

By the way, even if you don't offer free shipping, you're still required to accept the return and pay for it in some cases, so why bother if there's no real money in it.

[lgonzalez28]

Truth. All advice taken. Thank you all

[scottish_kat]

You can also sell locally on Facebook marketplace, if you're up to someone coming to your house with cash. I buy dumbbells and things that way and I've found it very easy to roll up, give the cash and take the stuff.

[mam98031]

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@lgonzalez28 wrote:
I personally dont go out shopping for myself. All online. I do agree that it may not be a rare item, per se, but I sell Pottery barn and Restoration Hardware almost exclusively on other platforms. It is my niche. Although I dont sell often on ebay, I am new to selling in general. RH is one of those stores with a following and not available to most of country outside of major cities. I do agree that it is too expensive to ship on ebay for a wreath of any brand though. Solely based on size though not because it is a wreath. I love handmade items too, but there is a difference when it comes to buyers who prefer certain brand names

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I don't know.  I did a search for Christmas Wreaths on Ebay and there are all kinds of wreaths the size of yours on Ebay.  

Just a few examples.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NWT-26-Christmas-Berry-Wreath-Bright-Red-Purple-Berries-on-Grapevine-Twigs/...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-RAZ-Imports-22-Red-Berry-Wall-Basket-Wreath-Door-Decor-Christmas-Grapev...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-in-box-24-red-berry-wreath-Christmas-door-home-wall-holiday-62cm/223480...

And much more.

[nobody*s_perfect]

That first link goes to an item with a listing date of August 28, which means it has been listed for nearly a year and thus didn't sell even before the new dimensional weight policy went into effect.  

[earlyant-77]

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@lgonzalez28 wrote:
I did that as well, it was a few dollars more. The parcel ground seemed to be the least expensive in this case. Oh well. I guess I wont list here. Thanks for the suggestions

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Go to the PO and ask how much it would be for Retail Ground. That isn't supposed to use the dimensional weight.

[m60driver]

Most larger online retailers get a 55-70% discount with parcel delivery services like UPS.   How can you compete with that?   I mean you can try  to save some costs with FedEx SmartPost but they only give you an estimate when buying through Ebay and that estimate is often less than what they eventually charge.   So it really is not feasible to sell heavy or very bulky items on Ebay unless it is something truly unique.

[mam98031]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

That first link goes to an item with a listing date of August 28, which means it has been listed for nearly a year and thus didn't sell even before the new dimensional weight policy went into effect.  

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Well maybe a bad choice to post, but there are lots more similar listings.  Some have sales on them some don't.  I did not look at sold listings.

But the purpose of the post was just to point out that some sellers do sell bulky items like this.  Some with success, some not.