selling sewing patterns Part 2

[keziak]

Follow up to my previous thread. 

1. what is your shipping method? poly mailer? bubble mailer? cardboard mailer? one of the first two but with cardboard stiffener?

2. I read online to mark "do not bend" to avoid damage to the pattern. that to me suggest cardboard stiffening

3. can they ship Media Mail? A lot of conflicting advice online. Some sites say categorically yes while others reproduce USPS information about media  mail

[net926]

I have been selling patterns for many years.  Patterns are super easy to ship.

You cannot ship patterns media mail, they do not qualify.  

I ship my patterns in poly mailers, no stiffening needed.

I wish you alot of luck.

[reallynicestamps]

Poly mailer.

And letter rate, no tracking*.

Sell with Free Shipping (ie shipping is included in my selling price).

Almost all single patterns fit nicely into eBay's branded 6x9" poly mailer.

This is also waterproof, of huge importance with paper goods.

I can't see that there is anything to damage in a paper pattern. All the pieces are folded already, after all.

And the poly mailers are hard to chew up. Which is why they are so widely used in ecommerce.

Most shipments are handled by machinery.

Very few machines can read.

* I'm shipping from Canada. The cost of shipping a 110 gr pattern to the USA by letter is $3.19. With Tracking that rises to $9.68 (although just now we have a promotional discount ).

[kitschy*loot]

I don't sell them but I collect them, and I can tell you what makes me happy when sellers do it. I like when they sandwich the patterns between sturdy cardboard and place them in a plastic covering and ship inside something waterproof. Some sellers have sent them with no cardboard and no protection from rain and that makes me very displeased but I overlook it as long as it arrives safely.

[mam98031]

What type of sewing patterns are you talking about, it makes a difference?

If they are in a packet, then they need to ship Ground Advantage.

If they are pattern books with 8+ pages they can go Media Mail.  This is what I sell mostly, but I do have some pattern packets too.

For my books I do put a piece of cardboard in them to stiffen the package.  Then I put in it a 2.5 to 3mil poly mailer and then into an envelop for mailing.  The outer envelope has Do Not Bend on the front and the back.

For pattern packets, I put them in a poly mailer and then into an envelope for mailing.  

I always double protect patterns, especially this time of year when packages often get wet.  I use the letter size Ebay branded bubble mailers for my books too.

I would not go to a cardboard mailer, way too expensive.  

Just remember if you are going to stiffen a package, cut your cardboard so that the spines, for strength, in the cardboard run side to side of your package.  About 8.5 inches wide and I cut mine about 5-6" tall.

[keziak]

thanks all for the good advice. Mam98031, what is the envelope you mention? The Priority envelope?

I am debating whether to use Free Shipping. I started another thread about it. Does that discourage multiple orders because there is no combining for a discount? My TOS talk about how to get a discount when combining so I'd have to take that out if I went to Free Shipping. I don't know if many/most people just like Free Shipping.

I left a question for someone selling cardboard mailers. I can't tell from the ad how many are in an order so I don't know the unit price.  Seems like a weird thing to leave out. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@mam98031 wrote: ... If they are pattern books with 8+ pages they can go Media Mail....

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Here's a USPS ruling regarding pattern books. They seem to base their judgment on whether a publication is primarily text-based:

"Crossword puzzles, pattern books, poster books, iron-on transfer books, and cut-out books which do not consist of reading matter as well as publications containing advertising are not acceptable in the mails at the Media Mail rate of postage."

https://pe.usps.com/text/csr/PS-064.htm

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

Poly mailer.

And letter rate, no tracking*....

* I'm shipping from Canada....

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In the US, the rates for First Class letter are available only for pieces up to 1/4 inch thick.  For flexible pieces up to 3/4 inch thick and up to 11-1/2 inches long and 6-1/8 inches high, the sender can use the First Class flats rate, AKA Large envelope. There is no tracking for First Class letters or flats, but many sellers of lower-value items are quite successful using these services for items in categories that do not attract scammers.

[keziak]

so much new information. mam says patterns in packets need to go Ground Advantage and she uses "an envelope" but doesn't say the First Class Large Envelope.  So is the issue moot? I tried to google the question of whether sewing patterns can go by large envelope, no luck and the USPS help center is closed.

[nobody*s_perfect]

Yes, sewing patterns can be mailed as USPS First Class flats if they meet the requirements for dimensions, flexibility etc.  If you add cardboard then you can't mail as a flat because they have to be flexible. Also, the weight limit is 13 ounces.

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

Whilst I never sold a sewing pattern the idea comes to mind of simple fold over cardboard.  You can find large boxes all over creation for $0, cut em, fold em' over wella...  Nice and stiff and easy to do.

Shipping multiples also becomes a breeze and the patterns are not going to add significant weight.

As to shipping price if free isn't actually free then you'll be raising pricing and I've no clue how competitive or not sewing patterns are or will you be producing you're own?  That is doable too, very very easy in fact with almost no cost involved.  I'd suggest similar to what I do.  Make a mock sale up so you know weight and look at highest ground advantage price distant from you versus lowest local/regional to you.  Then pick ship price in between.  So, those sales closer to you, make a little money on the shipping and those more distant loose little but it should basically balance out.  It can position you at an overall better price point for your offerings as you can be price competitive on the article(s) and yet have an attractive shipping position as well.  For multiple's as the patterns probably dont much weight(?) do a .50 per additional or something along whatever fits nicely given ratio of cost to additional pattern sold.

Its the model nobody seems to think about!  LOL.  But over 20 years ago model we used.  Here people are either:  I charge the shipping or I offer free shipping and roll the expense into the price.  I think most consumer can do basic math, more likely get frustrated in having to do that basic math period across handfuls or more of sellers.  Another area Amazon shines, "No addition required" LOL.  How cool would that be as a marketing campaign, "Amazon your price competitive alternative with no addition required."  LOL.

Striking the balance between zoned pricing at a flat rate can be VERY effective in offering better value to the consumer and as a side benefit when rates go up very simple to work with.  Go into you're shipping policy and whatever, $6 turns into $6.50, done.  If you've multiple pattern buyers that say .50 additional, ok, lets do .60 additional.  Nobody gonna blow a cork champagna-tistically speaking.

[keziak]

Looks like it's $3.03 for 8 oz and $3.99 for 12.  Thanks for the clarification of using cardboard. The Endicia label says First Class which is confusing to me because I thought there WAS no more First Class. 

[keziak]

I found an awesome web site with tons of details about selling patterns, plus I am researching how sellers do it on Ebay. Some of the listings go into a whole lot of detail.

[lacemaker3]

@keziak,

Speaking as someone who has purchased a lot of vintage sewing patterns, I can tell you that just writing "Do not bend" on an envelope is useless.

If a package can bend, then it will probably get bent, no matter what you write on it. If it needs to bend in order to fit into the letterbox, then it will definitely get bent.

I prefer to receive them unbent, so I appreciate it when sellers add some cardboard to the envelope. But I don't recall ever receiving one that had been damaged by being bent.

[keziak]

Does bending ruin a pattern?