Ebay Shipping
10 Tips To
Start Right
By Mason Hipp
There are about as many different ways to ship ebay items as there are ebay
sellers. That being said, there are many eBay sellers who don't ship using the
correct packaging or the least expensive service. These 10 tips are written to
help sellers get started shipping their ebay items correctly.
1) Always Pack the Item Properly
The biggest mistake you can make when shipping an item is to go lightly on
the packaging and send an unprotected item. Buyers will instantly leave negative
feedback if the item arrives damaged due to bad padding. Make sure you look into
the proper packaging for the item you are shipping - a book is different then a
china doll, and both require proper materials.
2) Never Pay For Packing Materials
Right behind improper packing is over paying for shipping materials. There
are far too many sources of free boxes and free padding to need to buy them. I
have been a powerseller on ebay for 4 years and not once have I paid for packing
materials. EBay and USPS offer free boxes, UPS offers free shipping labels.
Local retailers will generally have old boxes lying around also - this is
perfect for those large items.
3) Ship Promptly After the Auction Closes
So you've just spent $400 on the newest game console - purchased it from an
eBay Seller. Do you want to wait a week just for the seller to ship the item?
Neither do your customers. Always ship the item as soon as possible after the
auction is closed.
4) Box the Product Before the eBay Auction is Over
It is a good habit to get into packaging your items before the auction is
finished. This makes it exceedingly easy to ship within a day of the buyer
paying. Shipping quickly will grab good feedback more than anything else.
5) Use UPS Ground Shipping for Large Items
It is generally the best to use UPS ground for anything that weighs more
than 10lbs. It is very inexpensive to ship large items with UPS. Though slower
than USPS, it is far more cost effective on larger freight.
6) Use USPS Priority Mail for Sending Small Items
Anything less than 10lbs is best shipped with priority mail. Priority mail
is very fast, and very inexpensive for small things. Shipping with priority mail
is also very good for your buyer, as it will get them their item quickly and
effectively.
7) USPS Media mail is Best for Shipping Media Items
If you are shipping a book, cd, dvd, or any other item that fits in the
media category - it is probably best to ship with media mail. This is a very
cheap service, and is great for the items it is meant for. If your item is
expensive, however, it may be better to use priority mail to please your buyer.
8) Include a Thank You Note in Each Package
This is one of the most overlooked methods of creating return customers. You
need to ship the package anyhow, why not attempt to get another eBay purchase
out of each customer? Almost all of the big players on eBay use this tactic.
9) Use Paypal to Print Shipping Labels
Printing eBay shipping labels from Paypal is one of the easiest and most
time saving features available to new sellers. Larger eBay sellers might want to
look into further automation, but for everything under 50 packages per week -
electronic labels from Paypal are the way to go.
10) eBay Shipping Takes Getting Used To - Don't Quit
Not everyone gets into a rhythm immediately. Shipping on eBay can be a
trying task - but keep going and you'll soon be rewarded with happy customers
and efficient practices. It is important to learn and rethink and establish
you're own personal best practices. With time, anyone can ship like a
PowerSeller.
Mason Hipp has been an eBay Powerseller for over 5 years.
During the last two years he has dedicated most of his time to
helping people learn to sell on ebay. More information can be found at his
website. Click here to learn
more about eBay Shipping.