Reduce Your eBay Shipping Costs By Up To 20%
When many eBay sellers are just starting out, they often 'guesstimate' the weight of their package before printing out a shipping label or else lug their items to the post office and wait in that long, slow, gruelling line to have the post office weigh and price their sales. If you are only selling a few items a month this isn't too big of a hassle, but once you start selling a lot of items on eBay, inefficient shipping methods can really put a crimp on your style as well as your wallet.
Why buying a Postage Scale for your Ebay Business Makes Cents
Postal scales can save you big bucks
Why buying the correct postage meter can save you big bucks in Shipping costs on eBay:
- No more waiting in line / gas to the post office - In life, time is often money. Spending an hour or more waiting in line just to get prices for the items you've already sold is simply a waste of good time. Not to mention the $4 gas you use to drive to the post office with all your latest sales in the trunk. Nowadays, virtually all of the major package delivery services will pick packages up right from your door (if you already have postage!).
- No more 'guessing' games - I know that when I started selling a lot of items, I would often just guess or round up for the postage before I bought a proper scale. After I bought a scale I realized that my estimates were often way too high! This is a result of knowing that if you 'guess' too low your package may be returned, costing you even more time and money. I immediately saw a 10-25% reduction in my shipping costs once I started weighing each package after it was ready to go and putting the correct postage on it.
- Better ratings for shipping costs - If you know your shipping costs before you place the listing, you can be more competitive on your pricing for shipping as well as receive higher feedback ratings for your transparency in your process. Not only will this be good for your overall reputation on eBay, but you are much more likely to create repeat buyers if you have consistent and clear shipping policies.
What do you dislike the most about shipping on eBay?
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Postage Meter Buying Tips
Things to consider when buying a postage meter
Digital or Mechanical - Mechanical scales are sometimes cheaper and don't require batteries however digital postage meters will give you your item's weight in about 2 seconds with no fuss and no mess. Go with a digital postage scale.- How big of a postage meter do you need? - Do you usually sell heavier items or do buyers tend to buy a lot of items at once from you? What's the biggest size package you've ever sent out? As meters increase in the amount they can weigh, they also increase in price and the accuracy goes down. Buy a scale that can handle 3-5 of your largest items at once. If your items usually weigh more than 20 lbs a piece, you may need to invest in an industrial scale or *gasp* go to the post office until you know what the weight usually is going to be.
- Devil's in the Details - With shipping costs on small items a few ounces can matter either way by a ton. make sure your eBay postage scale can measure to at least to the tenth of an ounce. That way you can make sure you are getting the most bang for your buck on shipping.
Lightweight Postage Scales for eBay Sellers
0-6 lb. shipping weight meters
If the ebay items you ship are small, you probably want to go with a postage meter that has a 6 lb. or less capacity. This will give you more exact readings for those borderline packages.
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Time to Calculate shipping!
eBay shipping calculators
Now that you know what your package weighs, here are a few quick links to calculate your postage due on the package. Paypal also has this functionality built right in so many eBay users just choose to use that. However, there are other options out there that may get you a better deal on shipping costs.
- PayPal
- Paypal has built in shipping calculation and postage printing if you choose to use it.
- USPS Postage Calculator
- Postage Calculator for the US Post Office.
- FedEx Rates and Transit Times
- Calculate FedEx Shipping Rates with this handy calculator
- UPS Calculate Time and Cost
- Grab a shipping quote from UPS here.
- DHL: Get rates
- DHL Shipping Quote Calculator Tool
Medium Size Postage Meters for eBay Sellers
6 - 25 lb postage meters and scales
If you sell medium size items on eBay, a shipping weight scale that has a maximum weight of 25 lb. should work just fine for you.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byMore Great Tips on Shipping and eBay
- Quick eBay Shipping Cost Question - DVD Talk Forum
- How do you increase shipping costs above $3 when selling heavy DVD box sets on eBay. Thanks for the help, as eBay help menu isn't very helpful. LOL! *I'll delete this, as soon as my question is answered. ...
- eBay Certified Provider Program: Automate Shipping Invoice, Label ...
- ShipWorks makes it easy to ship more in less time by eliminating manual data entry through integration and direct download of eBay shipping orders from PayPal. ShipWorks will keep track of a seller's notes, shipments, tracking numbers ...
- Small Business Advice -Top eBay Shipping Mistakes
- Shipping is critical to a successful eBay business.One of the nation's leading shipping experts, Mark Taylor shares his expertise on eBay shipping.
Heavy Duty Postal Scales for Big Box Sellers
25 lb + capacity Scales
If you sell heavier items or lots of combined orders, a scale with more than 25 lbs of capacity is probably where you want to look.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byWhat other eBay Shipping Tips do you have?
Powersellers sound off on Shipping
Have you run into shipping problems with your items or have a great story to tell about shipping and eBay? Share it here!
Susan52 wrote...
Great idea for a lens! My shipping on eBay tip is this - Don't forget the communication! Let your buyers know their packages are on the way!
Posted June 19, 2008
janieruth wrote...
Nice lens - shipping is sometimes a hassle. I have the scales you show at the top of this lens and they are great. I love having the readout away from the platform, that way when my larger packages hang over the scale, I can still clearly read the weight.
5 star lens,
janieruth
Posted June 15, 2008
Lady_Gotrocks wrote...
Nice job! Love my Scale... I could not live with out it.
Posted June 07, 2008
KimGiancaterino wrote...
Great idea! Dealing with the post office was one reason I quit selling on eBay.
Posted June 07, 2008
by Loyalis
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