eBay Shipping Tips

I sold a flag bunting and was quickly reminded of my carelessness in weighing my items and had to revise my listing. Many times, you can weigh an item and it may be right under the weight of 13 oz. or 1 lb., however, when you consider the weight of a priority mail box, it will easily put your item over a lb., which means you must charge for 2 lbs. The same goes for an envelope. You must remember to consider the weight of your tissue paper, thank you notes and the envelope itself when weighing your items.

EBay has currently made the rule that you must list your shipping information in your auction listing. I have always done this because I want my buyer to know exactly what their shipping will be for the product in which they are purchasing. Because of eBay's new search engine, we are easily found by the buyer if our combined shipping weight and item price is one of the lowest listed. Having the lowest shipping and item price searched will place your listing at the top, if it is auction listing format.

If you offer free shipping to your buyers, your items will get more exposure and if you are a power seller, your final value fees are reduced during a limited time. Many buyers forego this option because what happens is the item price is raised, which will increase your listing fee. For example, if your item is 14.99 and your shipping is 5.05, you will be charged a listing fee for 14.99. If you offer free shipping and must raise your price to include shipping, you will have to pay the higher listing fee to eBay. Is it a good trade off? It may be if you use lower priced items to offer free shipping for.

Don't forget to make your items presentable when your buyer opens up their box or envelope from you. I purchase inexpensive tissue paper to line the box with and wrap my items in tissue paper and sometimes put raffia around them and I always include a handwritten personal thank you. Everyone enjoys a warm fuzzy and your buyers will appreciate opening up their items as if they were gifts. If you can afford to purchase items to drop in their box as a token of appreciation, be careful to choose lightweight freebies, or you will find yourself paying higher shipping if it tips the scale over what you are charging the buyer.

I hope my tips have helped you and I'll try to post more tips in the future. I enjoy sharing what I have learned to sell successfully on eBay over the last four years with anyone that would love to learn.