1) 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.
2) 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.
3) 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. Visit this
website for
more informaton
about eBay shipping Always ship the item as soon as possible
after the ebay auction is closed.
4) 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.
5) 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.
6) 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.
7) 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.
8) 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.
9) 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.
10) 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.
About the author:
Mason Hipp has been spending the past two years helping young
eBay Sellers get to powerseller level. He has written many
selling guides and articles aimed at helping new sellers.
http://www.selladeal.com/guides/shipping/>More information
about shipping on eBay can be found here.
