Once you’ve sold your item on Ebay, it’s time to ship it out in a quick and professional manner. You can ship on certain days of the week, or you can ship everyday if you have time. Most buyers usually ship at least twice a week, so buyers can get their packages fast. For instance, you could state in your auctions that you ship on Tuesdays and Fridays. Once you start to sell more on Ebay, you may want to consider shipping on weekdays to speed up the turnaround process, and to get items into the customer’s hands faster.
Once the buyer has paid, print out the packing slip from PayPal. If the buyer has left you a note, there will be a note icon next to the buyer’s name in your PayPal account. Find the item you’re shipping out, write out the packing slip, and pack the item.
Making Your Packages Pretty
Buyers don’t expect to have a wrapped XMAS present delivered to their door when they are buying an item from Ebay, but they do expect it to arrive clean, well packaged, and in one piece. Making your package as neat and professional as possible will leave buyers with a great first impression of you. Here are some ideas on how to make your package look nicer to customers:
• Use plenty of packaging material. Items that are left loose floating around the box are prone to damage, and simply don’t look good.
• Reinforce the bottom and top of the box with packing tape. Use more than one piece to really make it sturdy.
• Carefully affix the label to the package so that it is easy to read, and doesn’t have bubbles.
• Print out a shipping label, or make sure your handwriting is easy to read on the label. Double check the ship to address to make sure it’s the right one.
• Include the packing slip with the order. Place it right on top of the packaging material before sealing it up.
• Print up business cards that include your Ebay store URL. This not only looks more professional, but will encourage buyers to come back to you. Including some sort of incentive to return can yield even better results (like use this card for free shipping on any order over $100, or a similar offer).
• Use clear plastic bags to encase items of high worth. You can save clear plastic bags from items that you buy online, or purchase them online. These are a good way to avoid damage to your item due to rain or snow.
• Pull the old labels off of boxes if you are reusing boxes, and cover them up with a fragile sticker, USPS Priority sticker, or darken them with a black marker.
USPS vs. UPS
Most sellers on Ebay use USPS as their preferred shipping service. USPS offers quick service through Priority Mail, which usually happens to be the cheapest. The biggest advantage of USPS Priority Mail is that the boxes, labels, and stickers are free. They also provide free delivery confirmation if you ship the item via the Click N’ Ship Program. USPS also ships internationally, and the boxes and supplies can be shipped right to your door. They even offer free carrier pickup, so you could potentially never have to go to the post office.
UPS
UPS still has its benefits. Heavier, bulkier items are usually best shipped through UPS domestically in the USA. This can save substantial dollars, and includes free insurance up to $100, along with free tracking information.
Fed Ex
FedEx is another reliable alternative to UPS. Fed Ex also has one of the best track records of the three shipping services.
Shipping to APO’s and FPO’s
When you ship an item to an APO or FPO, you are potentially shipping across the world. This can often lead to a higher incident of damaged products. These items should be insurance required. Take the utmost care to package these items well, since they could potentially be travelling a very long distance, and into other countries.
Intro photo of UPS truck by tomasfano on flickr.
