Wow I wish I would have known about this site before my garage sale! If you are one of those people who always has to have the latest gadget then eBay's new electronics buying site may be your new best friend. The time and effort it takes to sell your used electronics on eBay or Craigslist typically does not make it very profitable. How nice is it to go to the Instant Sale Site and select a few options, see the price you are being offered and sell. Yes, you aren't going to get rich selling your used electronics this way but unless you are a neat nick with a lot of spare time, it beats the alternatives.
I will definitely be trying the site out the next time I have an old cell phone or gadget like my i Touch that has been replaced by the newest gadget I just had to buy. I definitely suggest checking out this site.
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:
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 sellersdon't usethe 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.
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.
So far this week has been pretty uneventful. I have been busy with sales, mostly swords and some clothes that I had bought last year when I thought I wanted to sell clothing on Ebay. That is a tough market. There are a lot of WAHMs who do it but the loss potential is huge. I am starting all of clothing auctions at $0.99 to save on fees but am losing a lot of money on my initial investment. I just want all the clothes gone so for me it is a pay off.
My whole family has come down with the flu the past two weeks so it has been interesting caring for the sick and running a business.
This Blog Tip:
GoogleBase
Some of you have heard of Google Base I am sure but I didn't learn about it until a week and a half ago. For free, you can upload your whole inventory into GoogleBase and your products show up in Google searches and Froogle for FREE!!! This is a must for any business owner. If you are a EBay Store owner, go to listing feeds and get the listing feed that is Google Base specific. EBay makes the file available for you (how nice). If you are not an Ebayer go to the Google Base and read the instructions.
Hope this helps, it helped me for now my products show up on Google (at the top).
I have been selling on eBay since 2000 so why I am not new to the business scene, I am still pretty green. This year I decided to apply for my business tax # and take my hobby to the next step.
So I set up shop on eBay because I am familiar and so far it's going well. eBay business is tough with the fees and the small profitability of most items so I am branching out. I will set up a site on freewebs and maybe also on eCrater and see if I can't get some profit going.
I will try and update my blog with my struggles and any advice I obtain along the way. Maybe I can help some poor soul from making some of the mistakes I have.
Wow I wish I would have known about this site before my garage sale! If you are one of those people who always has to have the latest gadget then eBay's new electronics buying site may be your new best friend. The time and effort it takes to sell your used electronics on eBay or Craigslist typically does not make it very profitable. How nice is it to go to the Instant Sale Site and select a few options, see the price you are being offered and sell. Yes, you aren't going to get rich selling your used electronics this way but unless you are a neat nick with a lot of spare time, it beats the alternatives.
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