These Shipping Tips Saved Me THOUSANDS! Ebay for Beginners 2024
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ม.ค. 2024
- 10% OFF POLY BAGS AND MORE ▷ jiaropack.com/calebsells
USE CODE: caleb (all lowercase) FOR 10% OFF your first order!
Get Free USPS Supplies Here (Flat Rate Envelope):
www.usps.com/
Buy Discounted Shipping Here:
ship.pirateship.com/
GET $5 OFF with AutoPosher! ▷ autoposher.com/?referral=cale...
USE CODE "calebsells" or click the link! (eBay VA, Crosslister, & Poshmark Sharing)
Follow me on Instagram for daily content!
/ _calebsells
⭐️My Favorite Business Tools⭐️
Shipping Scale: amzn.to/48CZYVn
Thermal Printer: amzn.to/48HwZQC
Clothing Storage Boxes: amzn.to/48pfIM7
Clear Storage Bags: amzn.to/3S41gTX
Storage Racks (with wheels): amzn.to/459D2fU
My Photo Lights: amzn.to/48Fm3Tj
Daily Planner to Track Goals/Listings: amzn.to/3X9nsyU
💻 My Tech Gear 💻
Macbook Pro M3 Computer: amzn.to/49745t5
Samsung Odyssey Monitor: amzn.to/3Hzah1o
Logitech MX Ergo Mouse: amzn.to/3SvI4yC
Click below for links to products I use & how to contact me!
linktr.ee/_calebsells
*Disclaimer: Caleb Sells is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to www.amazon.com. Some links may be affiliate links but not always.
Thank you for supporting the channel!
Those flat rate envelopes are gold. Look up the fold and crease bottom trick. Doing that allows boxes to fit. I've shipped some very heavy stuff in those that would be $25+ to California. The legal size flat rate envelopes, as mentioned elsewhere in comments, fit even bigger boxes.
I started two weeks ago and have been printing my labels at staples every morning, taping it on in my truck and heading to the post office lol. Got me to the point i could buy something with the gains. It was a good experience and really helped me to get a good schedule setup each day. My label printer is on the way. Stoked.
Thanks for your videos. Been a good inspiration.
That’s amazing! It’s hard to get started because there are so many hurdles at first. Gotta just rip the band aid and get some sales rolling. Sounds like you did that and are going to be pain free before long!
How much do you charge the customer for shipping charges?
Does it cost more to print the labels at the post office with a QR?
nope!@@andrewwashere82
In this video I recommend calculated shipping so ebay charges the customer the amount that it costs for that specific item.@@christinamycoff7302
Thank you Caleb for going over that very calmly, and at an ease. Most resellers go to fast. ❤
My pleasure!
Killing it bro! Dense with info and moves a good pace.
Thanks brother!
Excellent video, Caleb. So much good info! Thanks!
Thanks! Glad it helped!
Excellent video, well presented. Nice work, Caleb!
Thank you!
You just answered so many questions! Thanks for this!
Glad it was helpful!
Killer tips man!!
Thanks!!
Shipping is my biggest hurdle. Thanks for the very useful information. I believe this will make the learning curve much easier
Glad it was helpful! Keep it simple at first and it will get easier!
This was great. I haven't started yet, but I think understanding shipping is one of the last things I need to master. Thanks so much for your time and efforts. I just subscribed.
Yes! Shipping is one of the confusing parts about this whole thing
Super helpful! Thank you!
You’re welcome!
For Thermal Printers get the DYMO labelwriter 4XL and 450. Had them for almost 8 years and they are AWESOME. No buying ink again, ever.
Yep thermal printers are the way to go 100%
Thanks for the great videos. I took advantage of all your codes and links. Thanks again and keep on thrifting!
Thank you! I appreciate the support!
Thanks man your good at explaining stuff
I appreciate that!
Thank you for the tips!
No problem!
Thank you just watched your video and followed your directions. You explained a lot of my questions. I hate the shipping part.
So glad it helped!
Thanks for the informative video! I knew about Pirate Ship, but didn't realize it integrated with eBay. I will check it out.
Glad I could help!
Thank you so much Caleb for the tips 🤩
You bet!
Great tips! Pirate ship is great. I use it a lot.
It really is!
Thanks for the information!
You bet!
Thank you for all your information and tips I really appreciate it! Blessings!
You are so welcome!
Thank you for reminding me about pirate ship. New subscriber.
Welcome aboard! You’re welcome!
Great video, for the flat rate envelopes, there is a legal size which is bigger than the letter size and padded one and less money than the padded one. It has saved me quite a bit of money through pirateship for bigger items.
Those are great too! Just that little extra space you can fit so much more
Finally, a video that made sense for me. THANK YOU!!!!
Glad it helped!
@@_calebsells I've had to come bak to this video a few times. Ordered my scale, plastic bags, and poly bags through you. So thank you. If you don't mind answering a question for me, I was wondering how you make your listing to reflect what the customer will pay before you go through the step of purchasing the label. I'm assuming you weigh everything as you're creating your listing and then select the appropriate option for the customer. This is where I get terrible anxiety about shipping things. As of now I just try to jam everything into a padded flat rate or flat rate box and call it a day. It's been the safe thing but I realize now I am losing money. Anyway, if you made it to the end of this message, thank you kindly. Appreciate your videos.
Thanks! Learned some things I didn’t know about eBay shipping! 👍
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you darling!
No problem 😊
Thank you so much!
You're welcome!
1st i've seen your video....well executed, to the point...no chit chat....like your ideas
I appreciate that!
Thanks for the info! I got overcharged for a flat rate package one time, so Ive avoided them since. Maybe its time to try them again.
I think you should go for it! I've never had an issue and its saved me hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Just make sure you are purchasing the correct label for it 👍
I have been selling on ebay for 20 years and am always learning more. THanks. Another thing to keep in mind is that ebay has better prices on flat rate envelope then pirate ship. Also, for those big items, fold up the legal flat rate an inch or so to flatten out the bottom... bigger things fit easier that way.
Good tips! I personally use both of those tricks too but I was trying to keep it simple! Shipping is so complex but becoming a master really helps with the savings!
I believe the padded flat rate price will be going back to $8.30 on Pirate Ship soon. Not 100% sure of that, but I think I heard that.
I hope! Annoying to switch back and forth. I check every day lol
Thank you
You're welcome
New sub here ! Thanks for sharing this info !
You’re welcome!
Could you do a video on developing inventory system using those bags , I have things grouped in categories but would love to transition to your system
I’ll be doing one eventually but probably not for a while. Daily refinement has some videos on it!
Thank You so much God bless you🙏
You are so welcome
Great Easy to Understand Video, Like to Keep Up to date with new info, I use Pirate Ship on Occasions I need to Go Back and see if items are cheaper. One Thing maybe to note Under a Pound increments are 1-4oz, 5-8oz, 9-12oz,and 13-15.9oz so if you say have 10oz you can put 12oz. Make sure to give wiggle room for the difference in scales too.
For sure! I tried to keep it as simple as possible so I left out some stuff. Maybe a video on more advanced techniques will be good later on!
Great video! Thanks for the tips. Quick queastio, how do you print your skus so nicely?
I followed a tutorial from dixons pickins! If you go to his channel I’m sure you can find it
Shipping charges are outrageous, haven’t shipped in 15 yrs and I’m blown away by the charges, wow
Yep they’re always going up so we have to always find the cheapest way
Hey! I have a question about the whole jeans to Puerto Rico thing. So for those, what did you select when listing? Did you select priority mail for some reason then based on weight? Because you obviously didn’t know they’d be sold to someone in Puerto Rico so that would be cheapest. So how did you originally list? I’m so lost with shipping but this is helping! I just don’t know what to start each listing with.
If you are lost with shipping I would recommend doing calculated shipping and putting in the weight and dimensions for every item when listing. Be sure to select USPS Ground Advantage because those are generally the most affordable for your customer.
With this option eBay will charge what it cost to ship to the buyer based on both of your locations.
Then if you find a cheaper way to ship then you can pocket the difference as long as the service you get is the same or faster than what the buyer paid for.
Where do you bough your photo background? I like that gray! Cheers
It’s an outdoor rug from Home Depot
Probably a stupid question, but am always looking to optimize my setup. I noticed each of your clothing items goes into the clear bag and then has a number label on it. Question 1: If you don't already have a video of it, can you do a walkthrough of how you store and manage inventory? Question 2: Can you provide information and/or a link to what you use to create the labels - as well as how you identify within listings, which item goes with which label? Found this video so helpful! Heard of PirateShip before, but never looked into it. Top priority task this week after watching! Thanks so much! Looking forward to learning more from you.
Thanks for watching and no dumb questions around here. I haven’t made a dedicated video on my inventory system but it models the old daily refinement method. If you search that on TH-cam, I’m sure there’s a video on it. I do have the bags and boxes linked in the description if you do want to buy the materials. For the labels, dixons pickins has a video on how to create your own. But you can also buy them numbered cheap from Amazon. The number matches up to the custom sku on eBay so I can quickly identify which item is which when something sells. Hope that helps!
How do you find out how long it takes your post office to process your deliveries?
I figured we could drop our packages in the outgoing mail slots? (Idk exactly the name) Sounds more like you have to wait in line? 🤔
You can do it that way but if the packages don’t fit you have to drop them off inside 👍🏼
Hey there Caleb, is there a way to exclude Hawaii and Puerto Rico for all of my active listings without creating a shipping policy??
Yep! At the bottom of the policy there is an exclude section. 11:40
If I want my listings only sold to buyers in the 48 continental States, not Hawaii and Alaska, how to set up this policy to let the shoppers know? Is there something in the setting or in the listings I can do to specify that policy?
Yes I’m the policy there is a section for exclusions and you can select to exclude those regions if you desire.
I would recommend if you are charging calculated shipping, to leave them included though because they will pay the extra in shipping anyway.
Very helpful! But if you don't know where your package will go, how can you accurately put a shipping amount in your listing? I'm just starting and shipping is quite a hurdle.
When creating the shipping policy, make sure to select the calculated option. Then you can just put the weight and measurements in your listing and eBay will make sure to charge the right amount.
Can you use USPS ground advantage for anything shipped in a box of poly bag? Can you ship things in a flat rate box and ship it ground advantage? Just not sure how these shipping charges work.
The flat rate box costs a certain amount. Thats why they call it a flat rate because anything in that box costs the same no matter the weight. The flat rate boxes are priority mail which is an upgrade from ground advantage. Both are products from USPS.
Bags and boxes can be shipped USPS Ground Advantage and is 99% of the time cheaper.
Thank you from the Alamo City I heard rumor bout free shipping supplies and thought it was jibba jabba but it was actually Free99 not even any cost for shipping just pay attention to what your ordering ready post is not Free 😎
not much is free these days so good to double check anything labeled as free!
With the GA shipping policy you created, can that be used for something that weighs over a pound?
Yes you would just put in the weight and dimensions when you go to list
Just found your video when I search "How to ship on Ebay items over 1lb?" Useful video but still struggling with how to figure out the cheapest shipping for items over 1lb so it is already selected for the buyer in the shipping costs. I use the flat rate envelope for anything I can stuff (btw I got a tip from you as I usually put shipping label on first and saw how you seal first which I am going to start doing) but for those items that are too big I keep getting stumped. Any tips?
Glad it was helpful! I would recommend charging calculated shipping via ground advantage as shown in the video. Just make sure your weight and dimensions are correct in the listing and eBay will charge plenty for you to ship it under that cost. For the flat rates, since you’re sending an upgraded service you can still use those and pocket the difference. Anything over 5 lbs you could add UPS Ground as an option as sometimes they can be a bit cheaper. Especially if the dimensions are bigger.
So even thought it is a flate rate I can ship it using the ground advantage or do I have to ship it at the flate rate in the shipping policy
The shipping policy is your promise and price to the customer. Buying the shipping is a separate process. eBay will hold you to your promise of shipping it Ground Advantage if that is what is in your policy. BUT you can upgrade them to Priority Mail (a faster and better service) by using the Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope. This saves you money and actually helps the customers delivery speed.
Its a complex thing so hopefully that helps.
Is there a program or site that filters through all the shipping methods and gives you the cheapest way to ship each particular item?
I use pirateship.com and when you put the weight and dimensions in, it shows you all of your options for shipping.
@@_calebsells thanks!
I'm still trying to figure out what the advantage of adding shipping policies is. I guess I don't understand how that is different than just choosing usps ground advantage with calculated shipping when you list?
It just saves a few clicks but as you add more you can have multiple customized settings within 1 click. It also helps with return policies
@@_calebsells thanks for the response, that makes sense. I didn't know if I was missing something major haha. Thanks again.
No problem!
I’ve been selling on eBay since 2022, and my question is, what hair conditioner do you use?
ACV does it all
I round down
Make sure to check your eBay payment history or pirate ship receipts because if they check your package and it’s over on weight or size they will charge you additional postage and fees. 👍🏼
I had not heard of Pirate Ship before, and I do have a question: The buyer likes to have the tracking number if using Ebay shipping...so how does that work with PS?
You connect your ebay store and pirate ship pulls the buyers info from ebay and uploads your tracking back to ebay automatically
Why did you use the actual size of the package for ebay and on Pirateship you used the size of the poly mailer?
On eBay your required to do dimensions LxWxH. On pirate ship they have a polybag option because the height is 0 so it’s just LxW
For the flannel lined pants, wouldn't the Ground advantage also be cheaper if you bought through the eBay site instead of Pirate Ship?
It was $7.35 for GA through eBay. I forgot to show me scrolling down. eBay doesn't have cubic rates which are the cheapest for zones close to your location.
@@_calebsells 🐐
I have started selling again. I have boxed of hair color, I use small poly bags and reinforce with cardboard so they don't get crushed. I don't come close to what other people are saying they are shipping them for? Mine are higher? What am I missing?
I need to add pirate ship to my shipping options?
Should qualify for ground advantage cubic rate. They added it to eBay now so you don’t need pirate ship. Go in and put the weight and the dimensions. Make your dimensions as small as you can (tape loose areas of polybags down, cut boxes down to exact size, etc)
The data about “the buyer pays retail at the shipping rate” doesn’t seem to be a thing. If I purchase a shipping label from USPS through eBay it will say, for example: you pay $7.99; and below that “buyer paid $7.99 for shipping”
This is only if you do the calculated shipping policy as I mentioned in the video.
There is a setting where you can charge the buyer your discounted rate instead of the retail rate so go into your policy and make sure that box is unselected. 👍🏼
Discounts only apply to certain sellers, like if you don't have a store for example I don't think you get a discount. Top rated sellers get a discount, etc. I could me wrong on this but I'm pretty sure. 🤷♀🤷♀
When I enter the same dimensions and weight into eBay it says $13+ for USPS Priority. How is yours only $7.20? I set my delivery zip code for the furthest away possible in the US (West Coast to East Coast). Thanks!
7.20 is with the priority flat rate envelope (but the price has now gone up from there)
When did Ebay start making you round up to 2 lbs if over a pound? I never round up pounds, just ounces but it has been a couple months since shipping over a pound.
You can put pounds and ounces but 1 lb 2 oz is the same price as 2 lbs. So I just round to the pound to keep it simple
If you ship with Pirate ship?, Is it still covered under EBay protection? As in… if buyer wants to return , they have to pay the shipping? Also, if someone tries to swindle you by sending back an item that is- replaced with another, not the original you sent?
pirate ship is covered under ebays protections because it integrates directly.
@@_calebsells I’ll have to look into integrating it. Thank you 😀
How would you ship socks? Wondering if I should use a bubble mailer since it is cardboard labeled on each pair. I wonder if it will get smashed if I use a poly mailer.
I would send socks in a polymailer 100% of the time unless they were gucci or a designer of that level. Just my opinion!
Thank you!
@@_calebsells do polymailer bags count as large envelopes for Ground advantage?
@@cyberedwing Polymailer bags can be put in the envelope category like on pirate ship, but I recommend putting in the dimensions of the bag once your item is inside and treating it more like a box or rigid structure. Typically this will result in a smaller cubic size which can save you money in some instances. So if you're using a 13x10 poly bag but your item is 12x8x4 when its packaged inside, I would use the 12x8x4 dimension.
@@_calebsells thank you very much for the insight!
Have you shipped large items like furniture?
I have before but usually new in box stuff when I just enter weight and dimensions and slap a label on the box. Not many ways to save on those big items. If you do it often enough you can try to negotiate rates directly with fed ex or ups.
wait so setting your shipping for ground like you showed in the end of the video, is that making the shipping the buyer pays cheaper?? I'm trying to find a way to have the buyer pay the cheapest price for the shipping so that I can charge the most I can for my item I'm selling
That option just charges the buyer what the retails price for shipping. If you’d like it to be cheaper, there is a setting to offer then your business discount on shipping but I recommend leaving that buffer there so you don’t accidentally lose money
@@_calebsellsok. I am new to ebay just selling things I'm finding in the basement mostly stuff from my recently deceased father. Also lots of books and dvds and toys. I have almost 200 listings right now and have sold 12 items in a month already. Most of my items are cheap, like dvds and books $5 and I put in the weight and the dimensions of my polymailers and shipping usually is $4 something. I wish I could make it like $10 profit from a dvd but as a buyer I'd be less likely to pay $14 for an old dvd than $9. I thought the price of shipping would be cheaper using polymailers but you explained in the video that it depends on the weight.
I'm really trying to get rid of all my stuff lol.
@@_calebsells I thought about selecting free or flat rate shipping for some things, but I don't know how much that would cost for me
Yeah since you’re just starting I would let eBay calculate what to charge the buyer so you don’t lose money. 👍🏼 but once you get more experience you can tweak it to maximize sales
@@_calebsells crap! my ADHD impulsivity got the best of me and i already created a shipping policy like your video and posted 14 listings using it so now i can't delete the policy
How is pirate ship impacting your eBay shipping cost? I feel now with the USPS changes it’s the same prices as eBay offers now. As far as posh/Mercari I am sure it still makes a big difference.
Yes the ebay shipping update came out since I made this video. So both pirate ship and ebay have the cubic rate option which saves you the most money. I still prefer the user interface, ease of access to a USPS Scan Form, and CC Payment (for rewards points) that pirate ship offers over ebay. But there are not any direct financial savings.
The flat rate envelope still saves me lots of money tho!
@@_calebsells
Thank you, what is the best CC for the shipping, because I know there are some that cater more towards the business owner, I just use the chase freedom and its meh, 1.5% back. I heard that you can get a paypal CC and it's a 3% which seems nice and then you can link it to ebay that way thus not having to really mess with pirate ship.
Honestly I haven’t really dove into it but will be more this year. There is a chase business one that gets you 3% on shipping I think so I’ll probably be getting that
My Local USPS charged me $8 Dollars to ship ONE Hot Wheels car! Is that correct or did I get ripped off? I shipped it in the smallest $1.99 bubble bag offered right on the USPS shelf. I shipped to a guy that lived only 2.5 hrs away from.. they charged me $5 to ship it! Plus the bag + plus taxes $8 dollars! WTF! Rip off how does anyone make money selling Hot wheels cars?
Sounds about right for paying at the store. You get significant discounts for purchasing your postage online before going to USPS. Probably would be about $4 for the postage online and you can reuse an amazon bubble mailer next time to do it for half the cost!
@@_calebsells thank you!! I didn't know this!
Is there a away to bulk ship with Pirate ship? I find the site tedious to use so I only ship large coats and shoes on there
For me, doing bulk shipping on eBay takes longer than doing one by one so I just do them one by one on pirate ship
On pirateship in their website questions area, they have instructions with video for bulk shipping, you might find it informative.
Even if it is tedious (I don't find it to be at all) you're throwing away thousands of dollars a year by not using it. I'm assuming you sell a lot if you're considering it to be tedious. If you only sold a couple of things a day I can't imagine you'd think it was tedious. Just use it. Plus, the more you use something, the faster you get at it.
Now eBay has Ground Advantage and it's like a $1 cheaper than priority.
yep! I recommend ground advantage unless you're going cross country and can use a flat rate envelope to save a little bit.
Don't forget their is a Legal Flat Rate envelope ==> 08:38
Those are a great option!
My sold item is in a flat poly bag 7x6 @3oz…why won’t it show the first class mailer instead of ground advantage? I have it at first class in the listing…and at free shipping…
I lose money with not getting the first class option
First class was replaced by ground advantage. It no longer exists. But ground advantage under 1 pound is the same as first class
@@_calebsells even when it’s a 3oz envelope? They’re charging 3.96 to ship? If that’s the case can I just go to the post office? It’s only a flat letter size not quite 3 oz envelope
@@_calebsells I also sell on Etsy and the same envelope was mailed first class last month for .88 with tracking…so this is really confusing
Ground advantage is different than a stamp. If you item qualifies for a stamp then yes that’s cheaper but as soon as it qualifies as a package that’s the cheapest option. It will be more expensive at the post office than online
if I use pirateship do I still have the buyer pay for shipping cost on ebay?
You can still have the buyer pay for shipping!
@@_calebsells as I explained I'm trying to ind a way to have the buyer pay the cheapest price for the shipping so that I can charge the most I can for my item I'm selling, so would using pirateship do that?
When you sort by price on eBay it includes the item price and shipping so I would just price your item competitively and have eBay calculate shipping while you learn and grow your business
@@_calebsells hen you use pirate ship with ebay, and list and item for sale, does the pirate ship price of shipping show with your listing?
I think you're wrong, you dont round by the nearest pound, you round in increments of 4 ounces. if its 1 pound, 5 ounces, you would list it 1 pound and 8 ounces.
Under 1 pound you round to the nearest 4 oz. Over 1 pound you round up to the next pound. No price difference between 2 pounds and 1 pound 8 ounces.
How long can that label maker not be used and dry up and give problems with printing. That’s my biggest problem.
It’s thermal so it uses heat instead of ink. Never dries up 😊
Thermals do have a expiration on them if you look at your manufacture it will tell you about how many prints you will have. Also I couldn't use the cheap labels with my rollo. It came out faded and liney. Once I bought rollo labels it has worked great.
@@_calebsells ok nice 👍🏼 thx for the info
By using pirate ship doesn’t it take away certain seller protections?
It does not remove protections if you link your actual ebay account because it integrates into ebay and pulls the information directly. It also uploads tracking directly to each order. I've had multiple "item was not delivered" cases and have won by showing tracking as delivered even when purchased through pirate ship.
@@_calebsells does pirate ship cover the eBay envelope for trading cards. I have so many problems with tracking with cards under 20 dollars
No they don’t do the standard envelope
Another plus for Pirate Ship is that they use a different insurance company for our shipments. Their insurance is much better than USPS's insurance. First off, Pirate Ship's insurance covers our packages up to $200.00 (at no extra cost to us) whereas USPS's only covers up to $100.00. Secondly, many sellers have reported that it is extremely difficult to get USPS to pay up on damaged or lost packages due to their negligence. The Pirate Ship insurance always pays out with no issues. 🙂🍀
@@westcoastpicker167 that sounds actually very good I might start using them
This is why I only sell media. Shipping is way simpler.
I can’t blame you there!
But where's the challenge?! 😂
poly bags are cheaper on ebay
I like these ones but any polybag does the same thing if you find a cheaper price!
May I ask why you say "saves ME thousands" on shipping when the customer pays for the shipping? Newbie serious question! Thank you for these videos!
No problem! When the buyer pays shipping, we still have to use those funds to pay for the label. The cheaper you ship, them more of that money stays in your pocket. If the buyer pays 9.99 in shipping, you can ship it one way for $9 and one way for $7. Save those $2 thousands of of times per year!
Great question, I was wondering the same thing
Yay! Another crap video on eBay shipping
Why do you say that?
@@_calebsells don't pay attention to that comment. Your video is of great help, as well as your comment responses. I'm about to start up selling stuff and I'm glad I found your video.
Promo_SM
not sure what you mean but thanks for watching!
Thank you
Appreciate it!