eBay

eggs3 · ‎10-16-2023

Looking for the cheapest way to send 7 x 5 greeting card in a cardboard mailer. Doing a label through ebay or sticking some stamps on it? Confused and grateful for info!

1786davycrockett · ‎10-16-2023

@eggs3

Since greeting cards do not qualify for the eBay Standard Envelope, your cheapest USPS method is just regular USPS First Class mail. Here's the USPS rates:

Letters (Stamped)1,4

Weight Not Over (oz.)

1	$0.66
2	0.90
3	1.14
3.5	1.38

And these prices will go up (AGAIN!) in January 2024.

eggs3 · ‎10-16-2023

Thanks for the info. Would I be able to print the postage on ebay? When I tried to list and selected First Class with 3 oz ebay wanted to charge $4.65 or so.

katz.paw · ‎10-16-2023

As far as I can tell Ebay does not let you print out .66 letter postage, for example, even though there is a letter option on their shipping calculator - It always seems to calculate that at a package rate because their calculator won't let you enter a dimension under an inch.

A cardboard mailer would probably be a considered package unless it was flexible enough and similar to a large envelope.

There is a Large Envelope option on their shipping calculator, and even though that too won't let you enter a dimension under an inch, it does seem to be calculating a Large Envelope price by weight, irrespective of the dimensions entered. The least expensive option I see is $1.35 for First Class Large Envelope, which would need to be flexible and meet USPS standards.

Go to 'add services' on the shipping options, then at the bottom of the window that opens click 'calculate shipping'.

1786davycrockett · ‎10-16-2023

@eggs3

Sorry -- I neglected to notice that you wanted to mail the greeting card "in a cardboard mailer." That might not be flexible enough to go as a First Class Envelope, and instead would probably be considered as "non-machinable" --

The nonmachinable surcharge is added to First-Class Mail® with any of the following criteria:

For pieces more than 4-1/4 inches high or 6 inches long, the thickness is less than 0.009 inch
The length divided by height is less than 1.3 or more than 2.5 (length is the dimension parallel to the address)
It is poly-bagged, poly-wrapped, enclosed in any plastic material, or has an exterior surface made of a material that is not paper
It has clasps, strings, buttons, or similar closure devices
It is too rigid or contains items such as pens, keys or coins that cause the thickness of the mailpiece to be uneven
It has a delivery address parallel to the shorter dimension of the mailpiece

Also, the nonmachinable rate may not be charged for round-trip mailings of letters containing discs (discs mailed under specific criteria from a mailer who expects to receive the disc back from a subscriber) that are placed into the mailstream either presorted or returned single-piece.

If you're panning on multiple mailings, your best bet is to go to your local post office to get an accurate quote; but there is no option on eBay to print these on-line.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎10-17-2023

@eggs3 wrote:
Looking for the cheapest way to send 7 x 5 greeting card in a cardboard mailer. Doing a label through ebay or sticking some stamps on it? Confused and grateful for info!

If your piece is not over 1/4 inch thick, then it can be mailed as a nonmachinable letter at the rates shown above, with a 40-cent nonmachinable surcharge due to the rigidity, so if it's not over 1 ounce that would be $1.06. eBay does not sell labels for letters so you'll have to use stamps or go to the PO to purchase postage.

Your piece cannot be mailed as a flat, AKA "large envelope," because those must be flexible and also it doesn't meet the dimensional criteria.

bjkfinn · ‎12-12-2023

I, too, am trying to sell some greeting cards and other small ephemera items. I want to ship in a cardboard envelope or photo mailer type of envelope (I don't trust the post office to not bend or crease something I sell if I put it in a simple envelope - I had relatives who worked in mail processing!)

How would it work to charge the buyer for shipping? If I charge the buyer and then I pay out of pocket for shipping then it shows up as profit for me, correct? So I assume I would need to save receipts and claim as an expense for tax purposes?

Or should I just figure out how much it would cost to mail and then include it in the selling price?

I'm new at selling this kind of stuff but have done a lot of selling of packaged items that I was able to measure and print a label on eBay. That is simple with a good postal scale!

Thanks for information.

buybuy42 · ‎12-12-2023

Put the item in your envelope take it to your Post Office and have them figure the postage.

If you go cheap, you are cheap. Don't be cheap. And get Tracking aka Ground Advantage.

Loose Cannon

12345jamesstamps · ‎12-12-2023

Most greeting cards sold at Walgreens, CVS, Post Offices, etc. only need a .66 stamp.

5 3/4 X 8 3/4 envelope & card is usually .86 cents... Nothing bigger than that size. Otherwise, it can be considered a parcel.

As long as it's bendable and card fills the envelope inside completely and under 1/4 inch no problem.

I have been mailing my items as such without any problems for years.

Something inexpensive does not need tracking. A waste of money. And your item will arrive quicker without tracking. 3-4 days coast to coast USA without tracking. Tracking maybe 2-3 weeks buyer might get it....especially now if you're lucky.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎12-12-2023

@bjkfinn wrote: ... How would it work to charge the buyer for shipping? If I charge the buyer and then I pay out of pocket for shipping then it shows up as profit for me, correct? So I assume I would need to save receipts and claim as an expense for tax purposes?

Or should I just figure out how much it would cost to mail and then include it in the selling price?
...

You can list the item with a flat rate for shipping, or you can add that amount to your asking price and offer Free shipping. It might help to check what your competition is doing, in your categories.

Tax-wise, it doesn't matter. The buyer's total payment is reported as income, and then whatever the seller pays for postage is a deductible expense, regardless of where they buy it -- through eBay, or elsewhere online, or at the PO counter, etc.

candd205 · ‎12-12-2023

As of about a month ago, greeting cards do qualify for the eBay Standard Envelope, so it is slightly cheaper than a stamp. The cardboard mailer would probably be too rigid for either a stamp or the eBay Standard Envelope. I use a regular envelope wrapping the card in cardstock and mailing it by printing out the eBay Standard Envelope postage. It works.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎12-12-2023

@candd205 wrote: .... The cardboard mailer would probably be too rigid for either a stamp or the eBay Standard Envelope....

A cardboard mailer would indeed be too rigid to meet the criteria for eBay's "Standard envelope." But it can be mailed as a First Class letter if the "nonmachinable surcharge" is attached.