Shipping books

[jedi1353-2]

I am a new seller and I am trying to ship a large set of 36 decoartive law books. The total weight is around 200 lb. What is the cheapest way to ship them? I am thinking of using media mail w/ usps and shipping the books in like 7 to 10 boxes, but can I even give the buyer 10 tracking numbers? I would like to know how to ship these books.

[corvettestainless]

Curious, how did you now what to charge the buyer for shipping if you haven't 1st researched this? You can go to USPS , FedEx, UPS websites to determine pricing. USPS has 'media' mail, but max weight for anything going USPS is 70lbs. Having multiple tracking numbers could be an issue. I would investigate Fed Ex/UPS to see how they handle 200lb packages.

[no_zero369]

I'm thinking 5 boxes at least of around 40-lbs each.  Problem is with HEAVY boxes no one wants to deal with them or it s a real struggle.  So yeah, you could do 3 boxes under 70-lbs, but I wouldn't.

Also I'd suggest at least double layer boxing those books!  When you get to a heavy weight boxes you need to think about what kind of protection a single layer is going to be when the box falls off of the truck or a conveyor.  I might even reinforce the seams & edges with 2-in wide fiber tape. Although a separate tracking number will ID these boxes, I'd label them 1/5, 2/5, 3/5 etc.

[nobody*s_perfect · Accepted solution]

---

@jedi1353-2 wrote: .... The total weight is around 200 lb. What is the cheapest way to ship them? I am thinking of using media mail w/ usps and shipping the books in like 7 to 10 boxes ...

---

That sounds good, each box would be 20 or 30 pounds which is a reasonable limit to expect of the average USPS carrier.   For an eBay transaction, you can print up to 5 labels per order; after that, you can print as many as you like through PayPal at

www.PayPal.com/shipnow

[jedi1353-2]

I haven't listed yet, I am trying to figure things out before I list 200 lb of books. How do you get the buyer 10 ish shipping labels? I have never shipped anything in multiple boxes before.

[jedi1353-2]

How do you get the buyer 10 ish tracking numbers? I have never shipped anything in multiple boxes before.

[lex-talon]

You might want to offer free local pick up for all those books. 

[southern*sweet*tea]

So what will you do when your buyer decides that the books aren't as described and they want to return them? Did you know that when that happens, YOU have to pay the return shipping? Something to think about...

[jedi1353-2]

How would a no returns policy affect the sale?

[jedi1353-2]

Or having the buyer pay return shipping?

[lamber9347]

When you sell on eBay you are bound by the rules for this platform. Having a no returns on your listing doesn't hold up because the TOS overrides your own policies. You will be forced to accept any returns and you will be on the hook for the return shipping. 

Your best bet is to sell these as local pickup. You would actually get a better price as what you charge for shipping would all go to your shipping expenses. By not shipping such a large amount of heavy books, your buyer can spend more on them, which means more in your pocket. That would also eliminate any returns as they can either bring them back to you or you can go pick them up. 

Best of luck to you....

[lja440]

First off thank you for considering more packages at a more manageable weight.  As a mail carrier I am required to be able to lift and carry 70#, and I can across a room but at I'm a woman 59 years old. 70# over a rough driveway or up steps to a porch is very difficult. I fell with one package last year on a sidewalk where the one section had raised up just a 1/2" catching my toe.

When you print off your label it will ask if you want to print another label for this order. I then mark each box 1 of 5, 2 of 5, 3 of 5, 4 of 5 and 5 of 5. I would then message the buyer with a list giving the tracking number of each box.