eBay Mistakes and Other Things Not to Do

Having an eBay business is hard enough without throwing away money on shipping supplies. If you sell multiple items every day with a low profit margin, you can’t afford to use new supplies from your local office supply store. Here are some ideas that have helped me ship items cheaply but professionally.

RECYCLED BOXES: Using old boxes can be tricky. Only use boxes that have light to no damage on them and never use a box with another company’s printing on it. Nothing says “professional” like getting your new mini-helmet in a box with a picture of bananas on the side. If you must recycle boxes, don’t go to the grocery store (or liquor store, mall, whatever) to get them. Those boxes will work great for moving day but look like garbage for your eBay business.

NEW BOXES: Don’t ever, EVER, purchase new boxes direct from a retail store (Office Depot, Staples, etc). Those prices will murder your bottom line. Instead, check out eBay or other online vendors. Their prices are half of what you’ll see in the store. eOfficesupply.com worked great for me. Buy in bulk so you can save money up front. Also, take a look around your office. Besides generating new ideas on what to sell, your office (aka “day job”), may also have a lot of boxes that were used temporarily for a cubicle move and will be thrown out that night. Take them to your car right now! Or, check with your mail-room. A lot of corporate offices will sell you boxes for personal use at an insane discount. (My office sells large boxes for $0.25!)

PRIORITY MAIL: There is no better deal than free. Oh sure, buying frugally will save you money but FREE is king. Because the USPS (United States Post Office) is losing money every year, they would love it if you shipped your merchandise Priority Mail. Hence why they provide free multi-size Priority Mail boxes and envelopes. If you’re selling DVDs, CDs, video games and so on, don’t ship Priority unless the buyer has paid for that service (or if you are doing the buyer ‘a solid’). However, with that said, PayPal will offer you free Delivery Confirmation when you use Priority Mail in conjunction with your labels so run your numbers before the switch. If you keep being Mr. Nice Guy with your shipping, you’ll be living in a van down by the river in no time.

“So how I can use Priority Mail supplies to ship First Class or Media Class mail?”

Glad you asked. Turn those bad boys inside out! Especially the tyrek envelopes that the USPS offers. They work great on DVDs and the product always arrives safely to the buyer even without the bubble mailer. (WARNING: A lot of shipping labels do not stick well to the envelope. Be sure to test your labels before you overhaul your shipping methods.)

Free supplies, Delivery Confirmation, speedy delivery, and automation of shipping are just a few of the reasons to use USPS Priority Mail with your business. The post office will also send you the supplies free of charge! Consider upgrading but only do so if the buyer is PAYING for this service and your product can support this method. (i.e. If it makes fiscal sense)

Stay tuned tomorrow for packing materials.

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