Choosing the best postage method

Filed under eBay Postage by on January 21, 2012 at 11:53 pm {no comments}

I recently had someone referred to me by my own eBay mentor, Suzanne Wells, in the USA.  They were wanting to find out the best way to post items in Australia.  Here is the question they had for me:-

Hello Andrea,
I was referred to your blog by Suzanne Wells from Allexperts after she was unable to answer this question.  I am in Australia and planning to sell some unwanted items on eBay, and I am unsure about which shipping options to select (package type, costs).  Also, do I need to attach a shipping label?  I am planning to sell things such as an iPod Shuffle, flash drive, computer carry case and small stationery items.
Thanks,
D

Here is my response to their questions:-

Hi D,

I sure can help you with that.

You don’t need to do anything like attaching a shipping label, a lot of that stuff is what they do in the USA.  Their postal service is a lot different to ours.  I believe they have several different postal services that they can use whereas we really only have Australia Post.  The only time we need to attach anything extra is if the parcel is going overseas, you would then need to attach a customs declaration.  This is a small form that the Australia Post outlet will let you know about when you post the item.

The easiest way to post anything is using our postpaks.  You would have seen these in an Australia Post outlet or maybe even received something this way.  There are heaps of different sized satchels, padded satchels and boxes available.

When you list something on eBay simply use ‘calculated postage’ and place the weight and dimensions of the parcel in the listing form.  Also just place the cost of the postpak and any other packaging materials in as a handling cost (only put in the costs of what it cost you, it’s not a place to try and get extra money).  That way the postage cost will be shown on the buyers screen as eBay and Australia Post work together to calculate the postage cost based on where the buyers computer is located.

Australia Post also has an online postage calculator.  Go to http://auspost.com.au, then click on ‘Calculate Postage’.  Have a play there with different sizes and weights so you can get a feel for prices.  Keep in mind that if something costs too much to post it may not get any bidders, especially if the postage costs are higher than the purchase price.

We have also got an online postage service through Australia Post at www.clickandsend.com.au, but in the end you still need to take it in to the post office to lodge it so it really doesn’t have much benefit yet.

Keep it simple to start with and sell a few smaller cheaper items first to get your feet wet with the postage stuff.  Once you sell a few things you’ll really get to know what postpak you want to use.

With the items you have mentioned in your email I would suggest:-

- a postpak box and bubble wrap for the ipod shuffle, with registered post (extra $3.05 paid by the buyer, so it is added in as a handling fee)

- a small padded postpak for the flash drive (I actually used to import them and sell them on eBay)

- a large toughbag postpak for the computer carry bag (I hope you mean laptop bag??)

- for the small stationary items just make a judgement on that if they could break a box is best, if not the padded satchels are fine.

The decision is really based on what would get the items to the buyer in perfect condition.  They can get bashed around in the post so protection is important.  At the end of the day if something arrives broken the seller gets blamed not Australia Post.

Feel free to let me know if you need any extra help as I’m more than happy to you learn about selling.  I’ve got a blog that I post stuff to specifically for selling on eBay Australia at www.onlineauctionresources.com.  There might be some stuff there to help you as well.

When you get some listings up let me know, I’m more than happy to take a look and give you some tips on good ways to list or wording for listings!!

Kind regards,

Andrea

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Organise and pay for your postage online with Australia Post’s ‘Click and Send’

Filed under eBay Postage, eBay Tools by on April 18, 2011 at 10:45 pm {no comments}

For anyone who uses the 500gm and 3kg Australia Post prepaid parcel post satchels you now have another slightly cheaper option with more benefits!  Click here to read all about it!

These new co-branded satchels are fantastic.  They will also make you (the seller) look more professional with your packaging materials as they have the eBay logo printed on them.  So your buyers will know by looking at them that it contains their eBay purchase.

So how much cheaper is this service?
The price difference between using the Click and Send service with the co-branded satchels over the regular Australia Post pre-paid parcel post satchels is:-
500gm - $5.50 (co-branded satchel) versus $6.60 (regular pre-paid satchel) – a saving of $1.10
3kg – $9.35 (co-branded satchel) versus $11.20 (regular pre-paid satchel) – a saving of 1.85
(Please note:- Prices above have been updated and are correct as of January 2012)

These co-branded satchels have been around since December 2010 but I only started using them recently (yes, I was a bit slow on the uptake of this service but I usually sell smaller items that I can get away with sending as large letters.  A topic for a blog post another time!!).  You can only use them in conjunction with the Australia Post Click and Send online facility.

The Click and Send facility is easy to use.  You connect it to your eBay account and it will import all the details of your eBay sale right into the delivery details of the recipient.  You then pay for it online via credit card, print out the delivery slip and attach it to the co-branded satchel.  To post the parcel you have two options.  You can either pop it straight in to your nearest post box OR you can lodge it over the counter at your local post office where you will receive a receipt as proof of postage.

One big advantage to using this facility is that the delivery slip on the satchel that the customer sees does not have a postage price on it.  So you could be charging the customer the price of the regular pre-paid satchel but only paying the cheaper price using Click and Send.  This is extra profit in your pocket!!

Another advantage to using this service is that it tracks the parcel for no extra cost.  An email can be automatically sent to the buyer as you go through the process supplying them with the tracking number, it also places the tracking number in your ‘My eBay’ area.  Parcel tracking is important to have if items ever get lost in the post and the buyer makes a PayPal claim.  It gives you proof that the item is in the postal system, thus proof of postage.

Click here to order the co-branded satchels and they will be delivered to your door free.

Click here for more articles about posting items you sell on eBay.

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Offer ‘Payment on Pickup’ on all auctions.

Filed under eBay Postage by on March 23, 2010 at 9:00 am {no comments}

In this post I’d like to discuss why it is a great idea to offer ‘Pick up’ as a delivery method and also ‘Payment on Pick up’ as a payment method on ALL of your eBay listings.

You can still off your other preferred postage and payment methods, but this is just an extra option you can offer your eBay customers.

The option of your buyer picking up their item doesn’t just have to be reserved for items that are too large to post.  You will find that some people who live close enough to you will want to pick up their  item.  Sometimes it is because they wish to save a few dollars by picking up. This is understandable if it is a high postage cost and the buyer lives near by.

I once had a buyer who won a $0.99 auction for a book with a postage cost of $1.65.  Instead paying the postage they asked to pick up the book to save some money.  I agreed to this as they also wished to pay on pick up.  The funny side of this was that the person lived about an hour away!  I politely made a point of saying via email that the postage was only $1.65 and they would surely spend more than that in petrol driving to get the book.  Even after making this point they still wanted to pick up.    (In the end they did have an ulterior motive for picking up the book, but that isn’t important to this post!)

There are a few good reasons to let people pickup and pay for an item in person:-

1.  Most people today pay via PayPal so you won’t need to pay any fees there.  This means your profit for this sale will be larger.  This is great especially, if like in the above example, it is such a small sale to start with!
2.  It shows you offer a varied selection of payment and delivery methods.  The more payment and delivery options you accept the better.  Most people will accept your postage cost and pay via PayPal but a small number will use the other methods you offer.

On auctions for some very large items I have even seen sellers offer to deliver to the buyer within a certain distance for a fee that covers their petrol costs.  If you are selling items that are too large to post you could also offer it too if you really are prepared to do it and can work out a reasonable delivery fee with the buyer.

Not many people will take you up on this additional payment and delivery option of pickup but if you just add it as standard you will be covered should you get that ’1 in 100′ customer who would like to use it.

Click here for more articles about posting items you sell on eBay.

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eBay Listing – Harsh Terms and Conditions.

Filed under eBay Listing, eBay Postage by on March 21, 2010 at 9:00 am {2 comments}

Would you you bid on this item with these terms and conditions?

Here are some conditions I saw in an eBay auction listing the other day . . .

“. . . .Flat rate (per listing) postage and handling for this item is $13.00.  Please do not bid if you do not agree with this price.

This P&H charge is not just the price “of the postage stamp / post mark” it is a handling charge also which covers my time, travel / petrol etc.  I don’t want to sound harsh but even with this ‘straight to the point’ information, some people still complain or ask for cheaper postage.  As I start most (if not all) of my listings at 99 cents I charge a ‘per listing flat rate P&H charge – I do not combine postage costs, so again if you do not agree with this P&H charge now, please do not bid.  I think this is as ‘extremely upfront” as I can possibly be, but I have experienced ‘some’ eBayer’s who still buy / win 2 or more items then try to negotiate postage costs after, when every one of my listings state per listing P&H clearly.  I would honestly rather be “upfront” now than both parties experiencing problems later on – Thank you for your understanding!!!

If you are paying by PayPal please wait for me to send an amended invoice as an extra $3.50 will be added for registered post – I will only send items paid by PayPal registered, as the can be tracked through the postal system.
Bank deposit is my preferred payment method and does not incur the extra $3.50 unless you require registered post but I will not be held responsible for any items lost in the post that are not registered . . . “

In the listing all these conditions above were written in large red underlined, capital letters.  It was very hard to read so I have altered the text just to make it more readable for you – and also I’ve fixed a few spelling and grammer errors for clarity.

This whole auction listing made me think of the etiquette of chat rooms and instant messengers where capital letters are classed as ‘yelling’.  This combined with the bold red text and everything underlined made it feel even more aggressive than I’m sure seller intended it to be.

Let me explain why I think these conditions are unreasonable:-

  • The flat rate cost of $13.00 is excessive to start with.  To send the parcel from this auction anywhere in Australia by a 3kg ‘pre-paid’ Parcel Post Satchel would be $9.90.  These satchels are 405mm x 310mm in size and the item the seller had up for auction would most certainly have fit in it.  The $9.90 covers the cost of the the postage as well as the satchel, so there are not extra packaging materials needed at all.
  • I do not believe you should charge for your “time, travel and petrol etc” as the seller states they require.  All of this SHOULD be integrated into your starting bid or ‘buy it now’ price.  Yes, I agree it is attractive to start your bidding at $0.99 as it generates interest, but DO NOT do this if you are not perfectly happy to sell the item for that price.  The eBay listing fee for an item starting at $0.99 is only $0.30, but if you start the bidding anywhere between $1.00 and $19.99 the listing fee is only $0.50, only $0.20 extra to start the bidding at the minimum price you are happy to sell for.  Also your postage costs are not allowed to ‘bump up’ your profit margin.
  • They will not combine postage.  So if you purchased two similar items from them the postage would be $26.00.  A combined postage on two of the items in this auction would only be about $14.00 (a rough estimate of sizes and weights and using the Australia Post parcel calculator).  With this method they may then have had a reason to add $1 or $2 for additional packaging materials but certainly not double the already excessive costs.
  • They are charging an extra $3.50 if you pay by PayPal.  Yes, there are fees involved when a buyer pays you by PayPal but the ending price of your listing would have to be quite large for PayPal to charge anywhere near $3.50.  The following eBay help page:- http://onlineauctionresources.com/go/PayPalPolicies/ outlines in the first two paragraphs that you are not to penalise, or discourage, people for using this service.
  • They insist on registering the parcel if you pay by PayPal.  What a waste of time! PayPal already includes insurance for the item.  I believe you can only suggest to people to register the item as a safety precaution, you certainly can not insist on it.  And, you should not only offer it if the payment is made by PayPal, it should encompass ALL forms of payment.

Not surprisingly this seller’s DSR scores for postage costs are only 4.1.  At that rate they would never qualify for many of the financial benefits that will come if and when the Top Rated Seller program comes to Australia (currently operating in the USA).

Your buyer may want the item you are selling just enough to put up with these conditions.  But you as a seller, need to look at the bigger picture.  Whether you are selling items as a business or selling some ‘stuff’ in your house you are trying to:-
a) earn money from the sale of items.
b) build a positive eBay feedback score which is your online reputation as an eBay member.
c) if you are doing this as a business you need to keep your DSR’s as high as possible. 4.1 out of 5 is 82% satisfaction, sounds like a great score??  But it is not good at all in terms of DSR’s.

Follow the link to read more about eBay’s Postage & Handling policies:-  http://onlineauctionresources.com/go/eBayPostageAndHandlingPolicy/.

Click here for more articles about posting items you sell on eBay.

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eBay Postage Tip #2 – Cheap & easy postage guide

Filed under eBay Postage by on March 3, 2010 at 10:57 pm {no comments}

Please Note
Australia Post increased their postage fees on 28th of June, 2010.
This page has been fully updated to reflect the fee structure that is now in place.

There is no reason to charge too much to send small items through the post.  Low postage costs makes your eBay listing very attractive to a potential buyer.  Low postage costs are also good for you when it comes to people rating you in eBay’s new DSR’s (Detailed Seller Ratings).

You can utilise these standard fixed postage costs Australia wide for items up to 260mm x 360mm as long as they are no thicker than 20mm.  This means that it does not matter whether you are sending something from your home town to the other side of Australia or to the next suburb, the postage price will be the same.  You can also use eBay’s flat rate postage instead of calculated postage.  It really is a one size fits all locations option.  It means you can have your stamps ready to pop your parcel in the post instead of having to wait in the long, long queues at the post office.

These fixed price postal costs are set out in the tables below.

PLEASE NOTE:-
1.  These prices are current as of 28th of June, 2010.
2.  Click here to be taken to the Australia Post page that was used to get these figures.
3.  I must stress again that the restriction on using these postage methods are that the articles MUST BE no larger than 260mm x 360mm and no thicker than 20mm. Articles over 20mm thick are considered to be a parcel. Click here to go to the Australia Post site where parcel costs can be easily calculated.
4.  These prices are the postage costs only and do no include the cost of the packaging materials that you choose to use.  Keep an eye out for a future post on adding handling fees and suggested packaging materials.

This method is ideal if you are sending books (that are no thicker than 20mm and no heavier than 500grams).  I have also used this method many times when I have sold small items of children’s clothing.

It will make you think twice next time you buy something on eBay and see an over-inflated postage cost.

Click here for more articles about posting items you sell on eBay.

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