Does shipping eBay items intimidate you? Are you afraid of losing money by quoting the wrong price? Do you really want to make an income using eBay but the shipping piece has been holding you back?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, keep reading! I want to help.
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EBay is one of the most profitable ways to make an income from buying and selling used items for a profit. Yes, there is Craigslist, Facebook, OfferUp, and other new selling apps that are helpful, but you can make SO MUCH MORE MONEY if you are utilizing eBay. For example, just this month I had two coin operated arcade games for sale. I was ready to clear out my garage and get rid of them, so I brought them out to our last yard sale and tagged them for $350 each. I would have taken $250 if someone would have offered it. Once we didn’t sell them at the yard sale, we posted them on Craigslist, Facebook, and Offer Up. Nothing. I then posted them on eBay and sold one for $500 and one for $450! And in just 2 weeks time! One of them was picked up locally, and the other one is about to be shipped.
How can I ship something so large? It actually isn’t as hard as you might think. If you have the means to move the arcade game around from the garage to the driveway for a yard sale, then you have the means to ship it.
Because shipping eBay items seem to be a big roadblock for a lot of people, I wanted to offer you in depth information on how to ship all kinds of items for eBay. I decided to create an eBook with all of this info and I am so excited about it! You can read more about that HERE.
Back to the ways to save money on shipping. Here are 3 great ways that you can save money on shipping with eBay
1. Use eBay to create the label
Did you know that you can save up to 44% on shipping costs by printing your label through eBay or PayPal? That’s a HUGE savings! EBay has connections with FedEx, UPS and USPS and will offer you a discount if you create the label through your eBay account. (Don’t have an account yet? It’s easy to sign up for one ) I have saved a ton of money over the years by creating my label through eBay.
2. Compare prices
Another great way to save money is to compare prices of all shipping companies. Just because Fed Ex may be cheaper to use with one package, doesn’t mean that it is cheaper to use with all your shipping needs. The address, size and weight of the package, and how fast you want it to get there all are variables in the price. Sometimes I will even drop off two packages at UPS and one at FedEx, just because of the price difference.
3. Get Packaging Materials at a Low Cost
You want to make the most profit on an item that you can, so getting packaging material at the best price is super important. You can find good deals on several of the things you need to package items. One of the biggest items of course are boxes. You can buy boxes from places like UHaul, but they will be the most expensive. We have a box store that is a bit cheaper if you buy in bulk. You can get boxes for free if you just ask around for them. You can ask in local Facebook groups, and ask your local retailer. They do have to be in good condition. You don’t want to use them if they are beat up or worn out, they won’t be able to protect the item properly. You can find Packaging Tape
at a good deal too! I never buy it at a supply store. I usually will get it at the flea market, but you can buy it on Amazon too! (Did I mention I love Prime??)
The only other packing materials you really need are the fillers. Either Packing Peanuts
, Bubble Wrap
, or the air pockets (some products you order may come with them and you can save them). You can get those at box stores and UHaul, but I find them the cheapest on Amazon.
If you would love to make an extra income on eBay, or increase your current profits, but shipping hold you back, then our new eBook The Art of Shipping: How to Package and Ship Items for EBay, is for YOU! I designed it for the person who really wants to make money on eBay, but shipping eBay items have been a hurdle to get over.
In this ebook you will learn how to:
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Box and Ship Items
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Save Money on Postage Cost
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Crate, Palletize and Ship Large Items
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Arrange the Cheapest Freight Possible
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Set Up an Account and Ship With Uship
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Pick the Best Shipping Insurance For Your Item
Maybe shipping ebay items isn’t really your road block, that is totally cool. I would love to leave you with a pdf download of the 5 things that I NEVER buy at the flea market. The download will come to your e-mail address and that will also give you access to our updates. Don’t worry, we won’t crowd your inbox. And you can unsubscribe anytime you don’t want to hear about flea market flips and eBay tips.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Does shipping eBay items intimidate you? Describe your reservations below. Or Are you a pro at shipping items? Leave a tip for everyone in the comments.
Featured photo and bottom Pinterest photo are stock photos purchased through Canva.com.
I purchased thie Ebook for $14 and it would not let me download. I took to have someone print it out for me but it doesn’t allow me to download. Your email says I can only open it three times and after that , the ebook will expire. I have never heard of such a thing. I have emailed you in reference to this and I am looking forward to your answer ROB. Thank you
Hi! Did you receive a response? We do our best to reply to everyone but sometimes we miss an email. Yes the downloads are set to 3 so people don’t share the link. Let me know if you were able to get it or not and we will get it taken care of. 🙂
Thanks for explaining that it would be smart to get shipping insurance. It might also be smart to check the shipping rules for the country you want to ship to. Personally, I would want to check timeline estimates as well.
Your third tip about getting a good price on packaging material was excellent. It seems if you were needing to ship things like posters or important documents, you’d want to use a mailing tube. This way it can arrive safely and protect it.
No comment ! Lol , sounds like you know what you’re talking about! I will use all of the advice posted to get myself & girl out of our big ass hole! Peace & love !!
How do you calculate the weight on larger items such as the arcade game or
kitchen table and chairs? Or even some of the larger items you have sold. Thank you
for your time.
The freight shipments are allowed tot be more approximate. It’s all lifted onto a forklift so the weight doesn’t matter as much as the size.
I need to send some gifts to my friends overseas, so thanks for sharing this. I like your point about getting cheap materials from box places like UHaul. I’ll be sure to look around for a local store that has boxes and tape for cheap.
Happy to help!
@Michael
I have gone to the post office first with the item in a box I know that it will be shippped in to get a quote. Then I set shipping fee for the highest possible distance in US. I’m on east coast, so I get a quote for Seattle or LA. After reading this article, I will check out the shipping savings by printing labels through ebay. Shipping some items that are bulky and weight a fair amount is a rip off through USPS, Fed Ex,etc…but if I can save 40% via ebay..thats a game changer.
Definitely check out the savings through eBay!. I ship FedeX, UPS, and also freight when I have heavy items. Do you currently sell a lot on eBay Evan?
I read the whole article and what I understood the most is to compare prices (which is what I am doing right now by searching).
I am about to buy a bike and I want to ship it from California to Istanbul. It’s not easy (financially I mean) though…
If you would advise me on that I believe nothing comes for free if you are an expert I am ready to pay for the advise and the help. It’s better than spending hundereds of dollars in vain.
Waiting for your answer and thanks a lot for the article.
Shrief
Hi Shrief! I just e-mailed you back. So sorry for the delay. I deal with mostly freight in the continental U.S. I don’t think that I would be able to ship it any cheaper internationally than what you are getting quoted for on eBay. I’m sorry, I wish I could help more. 🙁 Rob
Newbie comment.
What intimidates me the most about getting started on ebay is that you have to determine the shipping charges when you initially create the listing. This entails weight of product, box, packing material; is box oversize, who is cheaper – USPS, UPS, FedEx, Priority Mail or regular box, etc.
Creating a title, pictures, and description are the easy part. The shipping part is what scares me. How is it possible to answer all those questions before you list each item?
Thanks
Hi Michael! The shipping can definitely be the most intimidating. Once you get your system down it isn’t to hard. And once you have a few sales under your belt you get the idea of cost so you don’t actually have to measure and weigh the item before hand. In the beginning you will want to measure and weigh it, at least a good estimate so you have an accurate shipping quote.
It takes time for me to box stuff up, so I usually charge a handling fee as well.
I decided to write my e-book that comes out Monday that goes into more depth about everything shipping! I hope it can help clarify some things for everyone! 🙂