| |
|
|
Ebay Shipping - 10 Tips to Start Right
by Mason Hipp
Published on this site: December 3rd, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
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.
- Always Pack the Item Properly
The biggest mistake you can make when shipping an item is
to go lighty on the packaging and send an unportected 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.
- 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 generaly have old
boxes lying around also - this is perfect for those large
items.
- 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.
- Box the Product Before the eBay Aucton 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 anythign else.
- 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 frieght.
- 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.
- 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 catagory - 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.
- 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.
- Use Paypal to Print Shipping Labels
Printing eBay shipping labels from Paypal is one of the
easiest and most time saving features availible to new sellers.
Larger eBay sellers might want to look into furthor automation,
but for everything under 50 packages per week - electronic
labels from Paypal are the way to go.
- eBay Shipping Takes Getting Used To - Don't Quit
Not everyone gets into a rythm immediatly. 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 of
his articles and information about ebay shipping are availible
at http://www.selladeal.com/guides/shipping/
|
| |
|
|
