Friday, April 23

Shipping Secrets

The headquarters of eBay in San Jose, Californ...Image via Wikipedia
So you have finally taken the step to sell something on eBay. Maybe its some of your kids used clothing. Maybe its an antique that you inherited but don't have that perfect place for. Whatever it is that you have decided to sell will have to in the end, be shipped to the winner. Shipping can be a confusing and troublesome process for those who haven't had much experience.

So what is so complicated...

First you have to decide which shipping company you want to use. There is USPS, UPS, FedEx, Dhl, and various others.

How do you decide?

Well I always go by cost, but that isn't always easy to figure out. You have to know what shipping options to offer your buyers before you list your item so it takes a little investigation by you to know what shipping service will work best for you.

eBay does some of the work for you with their shipping calculator but they only offer you prices for USPS and UPS. So it won't tell you the prices for FedEx, DHL, or other shippers. Even so, it does a good job. Here is on one eBay user had to say about the eBay shipping calculator:
Why I always use the eBay shipping calculator;IT WORKS
How many times have you won an auction only to wait ... and wait ... and wait
to complete the transaction because the vendor did not include his S+H costs?


FRUSTRATING ISN'T IT ???

I believe that most sellers don't use the available shipping calculator because they are afraid
that they will be short-changed on their shipping and handling costs.
I have used the shipping calculator on ALL
of my listings since DAY ONE. IT WORKS !!!
I only use USPS priority shipping with delivery confirmation.
All that you have to do is click the Calculated tab instead of the Flat cost tab to open the shipping calculator menu.
I assume that you have a postal scale? (readily available on many eBay listings - search: Postal scale)
By simply showing the weight, (including packing material and the box) and your nominal handling charge, the correct shipping and handling charge will be available to potential buyers prior to bidding.AND will automatically be added to your final invoice.
As I stated, I always ship delivery confirmation and I always add .50 as a handling charge for that purpose.
That's it !! So Easy !!
If you prefer to ship parcel post (why??) or if you prefer to give your buyers the option of parcel post, you can do that also.
NO PROBLEM !!
Other choices are Media mail, Express Mail etc
Believe me, you will save time answering questions about your shipping costs and your buyers will appreciate your efforts.
Give it a try !!
Sorry to say, but in my opinion, the only reason NOT to use the shipping calculator is because
you are one of those HIDDEN SHIPPING COST RIP-OFF VENDORS.
You know, the ones who give eBay a black eye.
Sell a 99 cent item and charge $29.99 for shipping...SURE !!
BE AWARE THAT EBAY IS CRACKING DOWN ON YOU GUYS AND GOOD RIDDANCE.

This is a nice but slightly dated video on the shipping calculator:



My personal advice is to use the shipping calculator and occasionally check the prices for shipping with other shippers. If you find that shipping is cheaper with another carrier on a consistent basis, start using them and just tell your eBay customers that you ship with that other service but still use the calculator for estimates. I found that customers really like getting a little money back as a refund if you can get the shipping for less. I had customers write me really nice feedback because I refunded them $1.30 in shipping.
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Monday, April 19

Inspiration Week - Success Stories on eBay

eBay Inc.Image via Wikipedia
This week I have decided to post some inspiring success stories I have seen lately. I need some extra inspiration to keep me going sometimes. These videos are also filled with some great tips and advice about how to become successful selling on eBay. Hope you enjoy!
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Sunday, April 18

Inspiration Week - The eBay Entrepreneur

KLEINMACHNOW - DECEMBER 17: A sign for Intern...Image by Getty Images via Daylife
This week I have decided to post some inspiring success stories I have seen lately. I need some extra inspiration to keep me going sometimes. These videos are also filled with some great tips and advice about how to become successful selling on eBay. Hope you enjoy!
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Saturday, April 17

Inspiration Week - eBay entrepreneur shares her story

Image representing eBay as depicted in CrunchBaseImage via CrunchBase
This week I have decided to post some inspiring success stories I have seen lately. I need some extra inspiration to keep me going sometimes. These videos are also filled with some great tips and advice about how to become successful selling on eBay. Hope you enjoy!
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Friday, April 16

Inspiration Week - My Bathroom Buddy - An Ebay Success Story!

Image representing eBay as depicted in CrunchBaseImage via CrunchBase
This week I have decided to post some inspiring success stories I have seen lately. I need some extra inspiration to keep me going sometimes. These videos are also filled with some great tips and advice about how to become successful selling on eBay. Hope you enjoy!
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Thursday, April 15

Inspiration Week- Benjamin Lang's Ebay business Young Entrepreneur

Image representing eBay as depicted in CrunchBaseImage via CrunchBase

This week I have decided to post some inspiring success stories I have seen lately. I need some extra inspiration to keep me going sometimes. These videos are also filled with some great tips and advice about how to become successful selling on eBay. Hope you enjoy!
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Wednesday, April 14

Selling Used Kids Clothing On eBay

If you have kids and they wear name brand clothes you should be selling their used clothes on eBay. There is a small fortune to made on eBay if you list correctly. Certain brands like Gymboree, Nike, and boutique brands sell for almost new prices. I sold my daughters clothes after she outgrew them on eBay for over a year and was making back almost all of what I paid for the clothes so I was practically dressing her for free. I have learned some techniques that helped me make money selling my kids used clothes:
  1. Start by searching closed eBay auctions for the type of clothing and sizes you have to sell. This gives you and idea of the price these items are selling for. Also you can see if a certain day or time is showing more profit. I found that auctions that closed on Thursday evenings were the most profitable for me to sell my daughters clothes on. I guess more moms with baby daughters shopped at that time. Not sure what human psychology is behind it, but it does mak a difference. Here is how to search for the closed auctions: 
    1. On any page of ebay you will now find a search input at the top right corner of the page. Just below this you will find "Advanced Search". Click this link. 
    2. Now, in order to get a listing of completed items you will first need to search the current open items. Fill in your search parameters and click the "Search" Button.
    3. Once the list comes up, scroll down the LEFT hand edge of the page and you will see more search categories and "SEARCH OPTIONS". In this area you will find a check box next to "Completed Listings". Click this box and an check mark appears in it. 
    4. Scroll down a bit further and click the "Show Items' Button. You will now get a listing of CLOSED items which are still on the system. Keep in mind that this search option only goes back 30 days. You will not see any auction older than 30 days.
  2. Once you figured out about how much to expect to make off your items, decide how you want to sell them. I suggest selling clothing in bulk or lots which is just selling groups of items together instead of one piece of clothing per auction. Unless you have a very high value item it is always better to sell your items in a lot in my opinion. The reason I say this is because of how expensive shipping is. A buyer doesn't want to pay $6 in shipping for a $10 shirt. By selling a large lot of clothing you are giving the buyer a better shipping value. They will pay the $14 shipping for 10 shirts more readily. This will increase your bids as well. I would offer priority shipping and size my lots by the amount of clothes I can fit in the flat rate priority box. There are three sizes so you can sell different amounts based on what shipping box you are using. 
  3. When selling in a lot, have a theme. Sell clothes that are the same size, gender, and style. Sell clothes that are for the same season. Don't mix winter clothes and summer clothes together. Also if you can put clothes into outfits and sell them, the buyers seem to bid more. Its less work for busy moms to buy complete outfits than have to bid on auctions for all the separate pieces of clothing. On the other hand if you have a bunch of the same type of clothing like shorts an auction of multiple pairs of the same type of item does well also as long as you aren't selling duplicate items. 
  4. Organization is key so give yourself a room to spread out and group the clothes you are going to sell. Once you have decided what clothing you are going to sell together, you move to inspection. Look over each piece of clothing in very good (natural preferred) light. 
To be continued...
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    SELLING ON EBAY: Secrets To Success.

    I found this advice site and thought I would pass it along. It says a lot of the same things I have already said but says it different. Sometimes it takes hearing things in several different ways before it sinks in for me personally. Also, the more I hear something, the more likely I will be to try it. So here it is:

    SELLING ON EBAY: Secrets To Success.
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    Inspiration Week - ebay success story from $800 to 3.3 Million in 3 years

    eBay Inc.Image via Wikipedia
    This week I have decided to post some inspiring success stories I have seen lately. I need some extra inspiration to keep me going sometimes. These videos are also filled with some great tips and advice about how to become successful selling on eBay. Hope you enjoy!
    YouTube - ebay success story from $800 to 3.3 Million in 3 years: ""
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    YouTube - The Ebay Song

    Just for fun! Gotta love Weird Al
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    Monday, March 29

    Are eBay Stores Really Worth the Money?

    So my boyfriend who is my sidekick in setting up my online store has been super busy with his own online projects for the past few months. Needless to say, I am still store-less and still considering my options. I decided to go and check out the eBay Store situation. I used to have an eBay store back in 2007 and it didn't seem to bring the traffic or sales I was looking for. They claim they have improved the exposure given to those selling in an eBay store. I almost fainted when I calculated how much it would cost for me to open a store up. I have been looking at the free shopping cart software programs before now because I don't need a host. My boyfriend has plenty of space on his server for my little site.

    So here is the cost of an eBay Store:

    Subscription fees
    Store level
    Fee
    Basic
    $15.95 / month
    Premium
    $49.95 / month 
    Anchor
    $299.95 / month
    This is to just have the store. Here is what you get for each one:

    http://pages.ebay.com/storefronts/Subscriptions.html

    But then...

    Insertion fees
    Price
    30-day duration
    Good 'Til Cancelled*
    $1.00 - $24.99**
    $0.03
    $0.03 / 30 days
    $25.00 - $199.99
    $0.05
    $0.05 / 30 days
    $200.00 and above
    $0.10
    $0.10 / 30 days
    You pay for each item every month. Yes it may not be much but what if you have a thousand items! Oh but that is not all. When you sell your product you then pay:

    Final value fees
    Price
    Final value fee
    Item not sold
    No fee
    $1.00 - $25.00
    12.00% of the closing price
    $25.01 - $100.00
    12.00% of the initial $25.00 ($3.00), plus 8.00% of the remaining closing value balance
    $100.01 - $1,000.00
    12.00% of the initial $25.00 ($3.00), plus 8.00% of the initial $25.01 – $100.00 ($6.00), plus 4.00% of the remaining closing value balance $100.01 – $1,000.00
    Over $1,000.01
    12.00% of the initial $25.00 ($3.00), plus 8.00% of the initial $25.01 – $100.00 ($6.00), plus 4.00% of the initial $100.01 – $1,000.00 ($36.00), plus 2.00% of the remaining closing value balance ($1,000.01-closing value)
    In conclusion, I feel that an eBay Store is kinda a rip-off unless you have an already established customer base and guaranteed sales or have a few items you sell and they have a large profit margin.

    If you don't you would be better off paying for a shopping cart software like 3-D Cart and getting automatic exposure all over the internet for your products.
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    Tuesday, March 2

    EBAYS LOWEST INSERTION FEES EVER COMING THIS SPRING


    eBay announced in January it was going to reduce its fees. Now with March 30th quickly approaching those promises will soon be making it more affordable to sell on eBay. Starting March 30 the upfront cost of selling on eBay will be dramatically reduced for sellers of all sizes with eBays lowest Insertion Fees ever. Whether you’re running a business or selling to earn extra cash, choose from a range of options designed to make your selling easier and more profitable. So all of you procrastinators, me included, get your stuff ready to sell.

    eBay may have finally figured out that sellers will just go find another venue if they keep raising prices. There is a ceiling to the profits you can make per seller. For eBay to make more money, they need to bring in more buyers and sellers, not make it more expensive to sell. Good job eBay, keep up the rational thinking.
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