'I don't know the package details' option for shipping?

[past_perfect_1]

I have a large number of small collectibles I want to sell and don't want to store them in the appropriate boxes as that takes up a lot of space at home. I DO have a small scale and ruler and to-date have been figuring out the cost (shipping calculator) as I draft the post... But on the mobile app on the screen where you input the package details there is this tempting option "I don't know the package details..."  If I could just get things posted for sale and only figure out the package details when items sell and I am ready to ship them I could get a LOT up for sale quickly...  But I'd like confirmation that if I click this NOW, there is indeed a mechanism by which the buyer will pay shipping so I am not actually optioning to take on those costs-- I do not want to accidentally offer 'free shipping'--  

I can't find any info on eBay's help pages about what happens if you select this option. Has anyone done it before? What's the outcome when the item sells?

Thanks!!!

V.

[richard1rst]

If you do not know the shipping information then, if you are charging extra for shipping,  how can eBay calculate the correct shipping? Unless you plan on offering free shipping then you are going to wind up getting screwed.

If they are small are they under 16 ounces?

If you are going to charge extra for shipping then First Class shipping only has 4 prices. 1-4 ounce, 5-8 ounce, 9-12 ounce and 13-16 ounce. The actual size of the box does not matter for calculation purposes so you could put a generic 8x8x4 and be safe on that.

If you are going to offer free shipping then you can put 8 ounces and 8x8x4 box size and it will never make a difference - as long as you offer free shipping.

[lja440]

Your information is incorrect. First Class Parcel is now zoned.

[lja440]

eBay mobile sucks for doing any actual listing. So I can't walk you through your issue, I have been on eBay for a eon or so and can't understand eBay mobile. 

I would however if you are stuck using eBay mobile you use Free Shipping with it. What you do to do this is take and package up weigh your largest and heaviest piece. Put that info in to www.paypal.com/shipnow using an address zone 8 from your location or the furthest area of the country from you. I am in Ohio so I use 325 N Maple Dr, Beverly Hills Ca 90210 (its one of the 90210 Post Offices street address). This will give you the max that one of your packages (if they are all roughly the same size and weight), will cost to ship. Then add that amount to your starting price. 

If you are worried about overcharging someone close to your location, you shouldn't many prefer the convenience of Free Shipping and the span of prices in FCP is minor.

[fuzzface50]

Others are helping on the mobile app part of the question and I have no experiance with that so I won't comment on that.

But you mention you don't want to store collectables in boxes at home. you sure on that?  you claim they take up to much space. Not sure what type of collectable you are talking about but I find they take up less space prepack.  Boxes are easy to stack up in a corner, between furniture or whatever. Collectables like figurines take up a lot of space sitting out, you cannot stack them safely without being in a box.

talking about being safe.  Accidents do happen if you have kids and/or pets. better to have the items prepack already to protect them while they are listed. Doesn't look good to potential buyers/bidders if you need to end a listing if something happens to it while it is listed.  buyers/bidders can sometimes jump to the wrong conclusion when a listing is ended early.

I also find it is faster to get the items shipped out after it sells if it is prepacked already.  Just need to add the shipping tape and address and it is done and off to the post office. Buyers like that. 

I have a separate room that anything that is already listed stores my prepacked boxes but I understand some sellers don't have that kind of extra space available but I still like the idea of having the item prepacked for faster easier shipping, keeping the item clean and safe and in the same condition as listed and to have an accurate shipping details available. 

[lja440]

I agree, everything I list gets pre-packed. Particulars, like item number, title I listed it with and the package weight are on the facing end of the box on the shelf on a post-it.  

When sold I print the label, walk to the shelf, pull the box and tape it up attaching the label then out the door to my Jeep or mailbox depending if it is a work day or not. Heck the longest part of my package prep when a item sells is waking up my printer. (slow wifi) 

[richard1rst]

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@lja440 wrote:

Your information is incorrect. First Class Parcel is now zoned.

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Yes it is zoned. But that does not change my underlying statement that there are only 4 rates (OK within each zone) 1-4, 5-8, 9-12, 13-16.

In other words if you are shipping something and charging for shipping it doesn't matter if it is one ounce or 4 ounces. Within those brackets it is a waste of time to be overly concerned with the exact weight which is what the OP seemed to be focused on.. Free shipping on the other hand the weight, for the purposes of creating a listing, does not matter as long as it is under 16 ounces.

[loveyourimagination49]

Yes you can click it. eBay puts in measurements and weights. I assume it’s based off information from the catalog or information put in your description. I could be wrong on the latter. It is somewhat correct. If you use a bigger box then they predict it could be off by a lot.
I use mobile to list.

[past_perfect_1]

Hi all-- thank you for all the info! It certainly helps if I want to prepack or estimate shipping or decide to do free shipping...  I still have my main question, though: what happens if you select "I don't know the package details?"

This reply I THINK referenced that part of my post, correct? That eBay makes an informed guess as to what shipping will cost based on it's assessment of your item? Or am I misunderstanding?

I am hoping to get info from someone who's tried it before but if there aren't any experienced responses I could play the guinea pig and just post that way on a small item-- if I end up doing that and a sale goes through I'll post what happened on this discussion...  If it doesn't work out well then I can certainly use this wealth of info to streamline my posting process!

[past_perfect_1]

Generally, with packaging, my items are right around 1lb... If it's over 1lb I have to use Priority, correct? But even with Priority I try to use as small a box as I can, as you can get away with a smaller/exact amount instead of reaching the $14.xx second level they use for standard items.

[past_perfect_1]

The only reason I don't want to offer free shipping is because most of my items sell for under $15... If shipping winds up costing $4-7 then my profit is considerably impacted per item... So I want to charge something similar to what I'll end up paying to protect myself. I guess I'd like to do that in the quickest/laziest way possible, so if this "I don't know the package details" button isn't a serious cheat then all this guidance on estimating postage quickly is very helpful...

To answer other questions: we have a small 2-br apartment and use ALL the space... To-date I have been boxing (smallest boxes available from local stores), weighing, measuring and storing between furniture in corners and walls... But it's very messy and cluttered to do so and since the boxes aren't all the same size they really don't stack well. I can fit say 1-2 dozen small (ceramics, antique jewelry boxes, candlesticks, figurines, glass decorations, etc) on 1 shelf PRIOR to boxing and posting... In about the same storage volume as only 6-8 pre-packed boxes... If I can somehow get away with storing them "loose" (safely say in a linen closet shelf) then it will solve multiple issues and I can post MORE (save time and space)-- just so you know the context

[cecilyalexander]

Hi, I list with mobile sometimes and I would never click that option. I'm going to assume that the app will gestimate the size & weight. 

Do you really want to take the chance that eBay is way off when your item sells? You will have to make up the difference if they under charge the buyer. If they are over charging, it might put off potential buyers if they feel shipping is too high. I'd rather guess myself than choose I don't know...

The only way it wouldn't matter is if you are offering free shipping by checking that box. Or offering a flat rate to all buyers by selecting that option & entering the rate.

Or, do an experiment if you can spare a listing. Do a listing with that option & take a look at it live. If it's not ideal, end it quickly. But again, how do you know all listings will turn out the same?

I'd rather measure & weigh. I do it as I'm photographing though. I got pretty good at gestimating the added weight and measurements of my items once boxed, though I don't suggest doing it that way if you're not sure. 

[lja440]

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@past_perfect_1 wrote:
Generally, with packaging, my items are right around 1lb... If it's over 1lb I have to use Priority, correct? But even with Priority I try to use as small a box as I can, as you can get away with a smaller/exact amount instead of reaching the $14.xx second level they use for standard items.

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Your thinking on this is wrong. You are not going to see anything in the way of increased postage (except for the slight additional weight occurring with a larger box) until you reach the 1 cubic foot point. For reference if you strapped together 2 LFRB's (each 12"x12"x5.5") they would not exceed 1 cubic foot. 

Instead use the size box that allows you to pack them safely. If they are breakable you want around 2" of packing materials around all sides of the item. If you skimp on packing to save a few cents, and the item is damaged then you lose it all. The money for the item, your initial postage and most likely the return postage costs.

[loveyourimagination49]

Yes you are correct. I was responding to your question.
It will not put free shipping unless you click the free shipping box. If it’s clicked be sure to unclick it.
You will be able to see what happens before it goes live. Just play around with it. It’s not hard.
Good Luck

[lja440]

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@past_perfect_1 wrote:
The only reason I don't want to offer free shipping is because most of my items sell for under $15... If shipping winds up costing $4-7 then my profit is considerably impacted per item... So I want to charge something similar to what I'll end up paying to protect myself. I guess I'd like to do that in the quickest/laziest way possible, so if this "I don't know the package details" button isn't a serious cheat then all this guidance on estimating postage quickly is very helpful...

To answer other questions: we have a small 2-br apartment and use ALL the space... To-date I have been boxing (smallest boxes available from local stores), weighing, measuring and storing between furniture in corners and walls... But it's very messy and cluttered to do so and since the boxes aren't all the same size they really don't stack well. I can fit say 1-2 dozen small (ceramics, antique jewelry boxes, candlesticks, figurines, glass decorations, etc) on 1 shelf PRIOR to boxing and posting... In about the same storage volume as only 6-8 pre-packed boxes... If I can somehow get away with storing them "loose" (safely say in a linen closet shelf) then it will solve multiple issues and I can post MORE (save time and space)-- just so you know the context

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OK , you still are not thinking in terms of Free Shipping being SHIPING INCLUDED. 

Looking at your listings I'll use your cute little Wedgewood soap dish as an example. 

Your listing price starts at $16.50 with the listed S/H to my location in Ohio shipping FCP at $7.70.

First off from NY to Ohio FCP for this would be $4ish. YES, YES I know you are allowed to add a handling fee, but someone will give you flack about it that is a guarantee. If you want to keep shipping at that level you could list the item starting at $24.20 with Free Shipping, pack up the item and some will even think YOU paid their postage. 

Now as to your apartment size, you don't know small until you are a family of 4 with the stomach flu and only have one bathroom so small that you have to worry that if anyone comes in you will get your toenails ripped back or knees bruised if someone didn't honor a closed door.

I do have a rather large house now (2300 sq/ft) but I have animals. All sale stuff is in a room that they are not allowed to enter and it is small. It is also the guest bedroom and has a full size bed in it. The actual mess is in the closet, tubs of packing peanuts, empty boxes and tissue paper, extra tape and plastic bags and the items to be listed. Once listed and pre-packed  they are neat and on a chrome shelving unit I got at Lowes (footprint is only 1.5' x 4') I actually could have done with a smaller one, I wish I would have because it's about 6 inches from being able to fit in the closet.  Oh well maybe next year and the big one can go to the basement for canned goods.