One of the most challenging (and overwhelming) parts of learning to sell on eBay is understanding shipping. That is completely normal! Unless you have worked at the post office or in a shipping department, of course you wouldn't know all of the details of how to ship a variety of items.
I am here to make it easy for you! Below are some common rules of shipping for eBay, or if you want to skip the boring stuff, scroll to the end and download the free Shipping Flow Chart that you can print out and use as a cheat sheet.
eBay Shipping Survival Tips
1. Do you want to ship it? Before you even buy an item for resale, or list something you already have, ask yourself if you even want to ship it. While it may be good money, some items are difficult and time consuming to package - such as chandeliers, large sets of dishes, glassware, or heavy items like tool sets or industrial products. Try selling locally on Facebook Marketplace if it doesn't make sense to ship it.
2. You MUST have a scale. I use the WeighMax scale - get one on eBay, Amazon, or any office supply store. It costs about 20 bucks.
3. Always figure out shipping as you are listing the item and enter the weight. You don't have to actually package the item, in fact, I recommend you don't. If a buyer has a question in the future, you will have to unpackaged the item. Or, if someone buys multiple items you will have to unpackaged it and that is a waste of time.
4. Use calculated shipping - refer to the flow chart for details. Free shipping really doesn't increase sales. Buyers are smarter than that - they know the shipping cost is built into the cost of the item. Learn calculated first, then graduate to flat rate boxes.
5. Keep a variety of shipping supplies on hand until you learn what you need. An eBay business is an evolution and what you sell will keep changing. You can always recycle what you don't use, or return free USPS supplies to the post office if you don't use them.
6. Be patient. You will continue to learn with practice. You are learning a new skill just like playing the piano or another language. Your skill will develop over time.
I am always here to help you! If you want more one-on-one help, join the Premium Content Library and get access to hundreds of tutorial videos, and best of all, unlimited email support to help you build your eBay business.
Happy Selling!
Suzanne
No comments:
Post a Comment