Greetings, i figure this would be the best place to do it.Iv been trying to start my own small business selling clothes online. I just recently made a sale with 7 shirts. My problem is i dont know whats the cheapest way to ship them all.
I figure a Medium Flat Rate Box would be fine but at the same time i want to explore all my options.
>>1361605
give up. buy trumpcoin
>>1361605
with tracking:
usps first class package for up to 1lbs
usps priority mail for past 1lbs
also since they're shirts look into poly mailers instead of boxes. it will save you a fairly substantial amount over time vs shipping in boxes.
ive had times where shipping an order in 2 packages is cheaper than sending them all together in 1 box
>>1361617
its through ebay , there 7 xl polo shirts so i imagine it would be over a pound.
i plan on getting polys soon. how could i ship all of them to on location for the cheapst part
>>1361617
also, were do i go with the box? could i just put it in the mail? How do i use ebay to ship it?
>>1361628
>its through ebay , there 7 xl polo shirts so i imagine it would be over a pound.
-yes thatd be over a pound, id guess around 4.x pounds (so for shipping youd round up to 5lbs)
>how could i ship all of them to on location for the cheapst part
use ebays shipping tool (guide below) to quote out the cheapest option, but im fairly certain itll be cheapest as usps priority mail
-id still say use polymailers over a box, sometimes when an item im shipping is too big for a mailer i cut two and tapet hem together to make one huge bag to fit it in...7 shirts would be a big one but im pretty sure itd be fine to ship
>also, were do i go with the box? could i just put it in the mail?
once its packaged and labeled you can stick it in your mailbox for the post man (usps only), drop it off at your carriers physical location, or schedule a pickup (for usps its free, i assume others are too)
>How do i use ebay to ship it?
on ebay website stop right: my ebay > selling > awaiting shipment > dropdown arrow to the left of whatever transaction youre working on > pring shipping label
from there you can choose what carrier it is, then put in its weight and packaging type/size and itll give you quotes of your options
once you do that just hit purchase postage and it generates a pdf printing label, if you have printer labels you can print it out and slap it on the package like a sticker, or if you only have regular paper you can print it on computer paper then tape it on ur package
protips:
-make sure the labels you get are of good quality and wont peel off whatever you put them on during shipping. ive had this happen a few times and learned to test a label the day they come in and if theres -any- doubt that theyll stay on complain to the seller and get your money back and throw them out, do not try to get by with them, it sucks.
you get a slight discount on shipping from using ebay over going directly to post office, but you need a scale to check package weight.
>>1361642
few more thoughts:
-i dont bother with insurance unless its a higher value item (normally 100, sometimes as low as 50, depends on the buyer and what the item is and how comfortable i am with the risk of losing the item and money in a "lost" claim)
-ALWAYS use tracking. i have started being lenient on this rule when i have really small items that can fit in an envelope. Theyre normally only small items worth a small amount of money so i'd wrather try to save by using an evenlope and .49 cent stamp vs 2.50 for the ebay label w/ tracking. if they claim its lost then o well, its just a few bucks lost, so far worst thing that happened is usps ripped a package open during transit and the item fell out
-i try to avoid using boxes at all costs because they always up the weight a fair amount (i sell items worth 5-50 dollars typically, and am very picky about maximum profit) so unless its a fragile item that cant be crushed (such as a collector item in its packaging still) i just use polymailers, sometimes with bubblewrap
>>1361642
>>1361649
wow your a godsend thank you. I dont have a printer unfortunately or a scale. Were it says service there is no polybag option. whatshould i put? thank you again
>>1361659
>I dont have a printer unfortunately
get one. browse cl for a cheap one, i often see them in the free section for my area. the longer you go without one the more headache youre giving yourself (cant print through ebay, have to manually provide tracking to the transaction for ebay protection/buyer can see it, have to go up to the post office -every time you sell something- in order to get tracking label
if all else fails go buy the cheapest one you can find at walmart, but you should be able to find one damn near free on CL if not free
>or a scale
again, get one. same as the above about the printer. without one you cant weigh your packages and thus cant make labels on your own search ebay/amazon/etc and find a scale that can measure in ounces (if youre american obviously). shipping and kitchen scales can normally do this. I got one that can read up to 75lbs and can be set to show ounces
>Were it says service there is no polybag option. whatshould i put?
it can be considered either a package, or an envelope if its less than or equal to 1/4 of an inch thick
really, if you're planning to do this for any amount of time, you -need- to get a printer and scale. it sounds like a luxury but id consider it a concrete necessity for any venture that requires shipping things out. itll save you in time, money, and gas, which means itll save you moneyx3
protip: when you shop for printers get a laser printer, if you dont at least try to upgrade to one ASAP. theyre a little more expensive in the short run, but will save you a TON in the long run on ink. I have a lazer printer, bought its first drum and ink kit when i first got it (5+ years ago) and to this day im -still- printing with it, over 2000 labels hae been made thus far, plus anything else i ever printed
protip: ironically, ebay is the cheapest place ive ever found for shipping needs (labels, polybags, bubblewrap, laser printer ink and drum, even my scale, etc)
>>1361674
i do plan on doing this for a long time. Im just now getting into the game. how long have you been doing this.
>>1361683
somewhere around 5-6 years. quit my "regular" job and became a fulltime ebayer, but lots of downhill things happened that caused me to move back to my hometown and i lost all my inventory supplies so let it fizzle out
been rebuilding it slowly this year though.
if youre already selling and making some cash id recommend taking -all- of the profits and converting them into youre necessary stuff (printer scale etc), assuming you have other means to support yourself while doing so
but i cant stress enough to get a scale and printer (along with mailers and bubblewrap and packaging tape) because i went my first 6 months or so without them and it is the worst thing you could possibly do to yourself not to have those on hand
>>1361605
refer to this video
https://youtu.be/iCtDiLiaayk
