If I'm selling stuff on ebay and want the buyer to pay the shipping costs, how exactly do I determine those shipping charges so that I can include them on my post? I've never sold anything on ebay so if there is some method I'm unaware of please fill me in.

3/3/2006 11:05:28 PM

when you start signing up to sell the item, they ask you questions about it. like, they'll ask how much the item/package weighs, an estimate. and if the package is going to be an odd size, you can put in the dimensions. then you can add on whatever 'handling' charges you want, and it will give you a shipping price.

3/3/2006 11:40:53 PM

if you really want to sell stuff buy a book. theres a ton of basic books on ebay telling you how to sell stuff, great investment for $10-$15

I normally just put 10 bucks for small stuff, 15-30 for larger items depending on weight. i dont like using the calculator, but thats just me.

3/4/2006 12:14:15 AM

i posted an item and the bidding started at 12:30, but when i go to the site and search for it, it doesnt show up in the search. Anybody know why? Keep in mind I'm new to this so the answer could be obvious.

3/4/2006 12:57:36 AM

Because ebay's search function sucks ass. If you don't type exactly what your subject line says even you won't be able to find your item. Also, ebay doesn't search subtitles. I'll be so fucking glad when google runs ebay out of business.

3/4/2006 1:02:59 AM

im typing my subject verbatim, thats why i dont understand why its not pulling it up.

3/4/2006 1:13:14 AM

go to "my ebay"

everythings there

[Edited on March 4, 2006 at 9:32 AM. Reason : ]

3/4/2006 9:32:45 AM

^yeh i can find it in my ebay, but the rest of the world who will be buying things can't see my ebay

3/4/2006 10:24:24 AM

if they know enough about what they want, they know how to search for it

3/4/2006 10:31:38 AM

I always just search for other items of the same description and just see the average S/H price that it's going for. Put something along those lines...typically it's $5-9 for something real small (Nintendo controller) and $10-18 for some medium (keyboard/mouse set) and $25+ for something large (crockpot).

EDIT: Also note in these prices that inflated S/H is the only way to counter the eBay fees/PayPal fees, plus your packing expenses and time to ship. If they don't like the shipping, they can pay more at a retail location.

[Edited on March 4, 2006 at 11:34 AM. Reason : .]

3/4/2006 11:33:16 AM

Quote :

"i posted an item and the bidding started at 12:30, but when i go to the site and search for it, it doesnt show up in the search. Anybody know why? Keep in mind I'm new to this so the answer could be obvious."

ebay listings don't show up immediately. their scripts or whatever rebuild the acution list every so often. i don't know how often it is, but items typically won't show up for the first couple hours. you can still link directly to the auction if you want to advertise the auction elsewhere, like tww, newsgroups, craigslist, etc.

if you really want to know how much shipping is, pre-package the item after taking pics of it, take the package to fedex or ups store or usps and get a quote on how much to ship to some zipcode in california (90210 usually works). that would basically be your max shipping and you can list that. you can either go with that or tell your bidders that they will pay exact shipping. then after they win, you have to go back to the store with their zip code, get the exact shipping, tell them so they can pay you, then finally go back a third time to ship it.

i usually just list $5-$10 for small stuff. if it's large or heavy, i'll get a shipping quote (something like car wheels). the charge is usually more than the cost to ship, but you can roll your packing fees into it. most people are willing to pay the $5-$10, but they start getting pissy when you charge $20 to ship something that costs you $5 or $10.

by the way, fedex is usually cheapest, especially on the heavier items.

3/4/2006 2:01:40 PM

^ But USPS is much cheaper on the smaller items, and you can't buy 2-3 day service from ANYBODY cheaper than USPS Priority Mail.

3/4/2006 2:06:29 PM

you can't buy 2-3 day service, but fedex gets it there in 2-3 days. on the east coast atleast.

if they want something 2-3 day, then they should be prepared to pay for it anyway.

3/5/2006 12:01:22 AM