Buying and Selling on eBay: Tips, Tricks, Problems & Questions

Snoogz · Jan 12, 2013

What is the most secure (tracking) and cost effective way to ship shirts in Conus48? I'm assuming its not the medium flat rate boxes which I have used before, but rather some type of envelope?

TheSizzle · Jan 12, 2013

Snoogz said:
What is the most secure (tracking) and cost effective way to ship shirts in Conus48? I'm assuming its not the medium flat rate boxes which I have used before, but rather some type of envelope?

Flat-rate is usually a pretty solid bet for domestic shipping. It gets there quicker than UPS in most cases, and they hook you up with the box. I just always forget to buy more shipping tape. They have envelopes too for smaller things, and those ship even more cheaply.

VLSI · Jan 12, 2013

Snoogz said:
What is the most secure (tracking) and cost effective way to ship shirts in Conus48? I'm assuming its not the medium flat rate boxes which I have used before, but rather some type of envelope?

Buy some poly mailer bags on amazon/ebay and ship usps first class. Will run ~$3

Brianpore · Jan 12, 2013

Snoogz said:
What is the most secure (tracking) and cost effective way to ship shirts in Conus48? I'm assuming its not the medium flat rate boxes which I have used before, but rather some type of envelope?

Most secure and cost effective are opposites and it depends how big. Stuff under 13 ounces is 1st class+tracking. Add $12 for registered mail (you can send classified government documents in registered mail, hence its pretty damn secure). Can also use certified mail and a return receipt like most people do for taxes.... Only like $5 but to ship on ebay you just need reg old delivery confirmation (tracking) and signature confirmation (over $250)

TheNeedMachine · Jan 12, 2013

Had something featured in Put This On's eBay roundup yesterday. To put it mildly, it has been a positive experience. Many thanks to PTO!

Snoogz · Jan 12, 2013

VLSI said:
Buy some poly mailer bags on amazon/ebay and ship usps first class. Will run ~$3

When I buy the poly bags, what shipping option do I choose on eBay to print out and ensure its the right one?

Does eBay have a weight and envelope / bag dimension option ?

Steve Smith · Jan 12, 2013

TheSizzle said:
Flat-rate is usually a pretty solid bet for domestic shipping. It gets there quicker than UPS in most cases, and they hook you up with the box. I just always forget to buy more shipping tape. They have envelopes too for smaller things, and those ship even more cheaply.

Assuming that we are talking about clothing here, unless you are shipping from coast to coast the Priority Mail mailing boxes (weight and distance) will be less expensive than Flat Rate about 90% of the time IME.

Small Flat Rate box is never the answer for me. If it fits in that box it will go First Class.

Steve Smith · Jan 12, 2013

Snoogz said:
When I buy the poly bags, what shipping option do I choose on eBay to print out and ensure its the right one?

Does eBay have a weight and envelope / bag dimension option ?

Yes. You need a scale. I use one which I bought at Wal Mart for about $10.

Snoogz · Jan 12, 2013

Steve Smith said:
Assuming that we are talking about clothing here, unless you are shipping from coast to coast the Priority Mail mailing boxes (weight and distance) will be less expensive than Flat Rate about 90% of the time IME.

Small Flat Rate box is never the answer for me. If it fits in that box it will go First Class.

So priority mailing boxes are different than flat rate boxes?

How do u figure out shipping price in the priority mailing boxes? Just weight and distance calculated on eBay and print out label for a priority box?

TheSizzle · Jan 12, 2013

Steve Smith said:
Assuming that we are talking about clothing here, unless you are shipping from coast to coast the Priority Mail mailing boxes (weight and distance) will be less expensive than Flat Rate about 90% of the time IME.

Small Flat Rate box is never the answer for me. If it fits in that box it will go First Class.

That's true. I guess when I ship stuff, it usually isn't clothing. So, your mileage may vary.

As far as stuff fitting in the box, some sellers used to flip the flat rate boxes inside out to use them as standard packaging, but they started printing all that stuff on the inside.

This guy wrote a guide as to when UPS or USPS end up cheaper than the other. I just don't know how much has changed since it was written.
http://mywifequitherjob.com/what-is-the-cheapest-shipping-option-usps-fedex-or-ups/

TheNeedMachine · Jan 12, 2013

I ship Priority Mail 100% of the time. I use their various flat-rate boxes and 9x12 padded mailers. And I charge for shipping (though sometimes I prefer to ship something in a flat-rate box that could fit in a cheaper envelope, and in those few cases I under-charge for shipping). I've found it to be less of a hassle vs. weighing everything, figuring out zones, buying my own mailers and so on. Just box or bag it up, print the label, and schedule a pickup. If someone has an issue with the shipping costs, I assume they do not bid to begin with, which is OK by me as I'm not a heavy seller.

VLSI · Jan 12, 2013

Snoogz said:
So priority mailing boxes are different than flat rate boxes?

How do u figure out shipping price in the priority mailing boxes? Just weight and distance calculated on eBay and print out label for a priority box?

For first class shipping, it won't ask for size, just weight up to 13oz. I buy 100 pack white poly 12x 15" bags on amazon.

Flat rate boxes are a type of priority mail boxes. There are basically three ways to ship priority:
Flat rate
Regional rate -by distance but not weight
Bring your own box - by distance and weight.

Regional rate is almost always best unless your item just won't fit in the box or sometimes when an item is going coast to coast. Using your own box is generally only be an option if your item weighs between 13oz and 1lb or the item just won't fit in any of the free boxes.

Steve Smith · Jan 12, 2013

VLSI said:
For first class shipping, it won't ask for size, just weight up to 13oz. I buy 100 pack white poly 12x 15" bags on amazon.

Flat rate boxes are a type of priority mail boxes. There are basically three ways to ship priority:
Flat rate
Regional rate -by distance but not weight
Bring your own box - by distance and weight.

.

I rarely use my own box for Priority. USPS will ship Priority Mail boxes to you free of charge. There are several sizes which are not available in your Post Office. They like people to use the simple (and more expensive) option of Flat Rate boxes. I order the 1095 (16x14x4), the 1092 (13x12x3) and the shoe box 15x8x6. Those say "Mailing Box" instead of "Flat Rate".

For some it may not be worth the hassle of learning the ins and outs of it, but I save several hundred dollars each month by mailing 13 ounces or less by First Class and choosing the less expensive (weight/distance vs Flat Rate Box) option on Priority Mail.

Brianpore · Jan 13, 2013

Steve Smith said:
Quote: Also look into Regional Rate Boxes! I use these 99% of the time when I dont ship 1st class mail. Sport Coats and most suits fit into the Regional Rate Box A which is cheaper then the medium flat rate.

If you sell on ebay, it is SUPER SIMPLE. In the shipping are they have the link that tells you the weight for ALL the available shipping methods, not really sure why this is so hard a concept to grasp. Just put in the weight and it will tell you which is cheaper.

Shipping a pair of pants...
1) are they over 13 ounce? YES ship priority, NO ship first class. (these are over 13 ounces)
2) What is the cheapest way to ship???? Cheapest way they fit is either my own package at $4.80 for priority or $4.99 for Legal Flat Rate or $5.04 for Regional Rate (these are from NJ to CT). I choose Legal Flat Rate for $.19 more as the packaging is free and I dont have to worry about the weight if I was off a few ounces. Now if they could not FIT in the flat rate envelope, I would choose a Regional Rate Box A.

Jpmorris · Jan 13, 2013

Let me know if you guys think this should have its own thread, but it is the BUYING and Selling on Ebay thread, and thus far its been almost all selling dicussion.
So, What brands/items do you guys feel like you can generally get really good value out of on the bay as a buyer. Essentially If you had a price and quality conscious friend who didn't thrift what would you recommend they look for to start building a wardrobe (i'm not talking about laying in the reeds and searching for that stupid low BIN, or checking your saved searches every day, but day in day out, whats a good value?) To start i'll throw out Oxxford, which I think we're all aware of, because there is so much super dated dross it brings down the cost of even the more recent stuff, and even the NWT Oxxford isn't priced nearly as high as comparable brands Also, Zegna shirts. I know all the thrifters pass them on the reg, but given that you can snag them on ebay for $25 or less all day they represent a very good E-value IMO. Lorenzini shirts as well.
Please chime in with your suggestions.

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