The buyer's address: This might sound obvious, but you need to make sure the full address is there, including country and zip or postal code. Make sure you spell their name correctly, too, as they might be a little insulted if you don't.
The eBay item number: Write this somewhere discreet and quite small, in this form: ‘Item number: 123456789'. Under the address is a good place. This makes it easy for the buyer to find the auction again if they need to look at it for any reason.
Your logo: Putting your logo on the shipping box looks professional, and lets your buyers see what it is that has arrived. A good logo can make the whole package look very nice, and can help build recognition of your business.
Your address: It's worth putting your own address on the box in case the item can't be delivered and needs to be returned to you. It looks good to write this under your logo, as it reinforces the impression that you're a real business with a real address, not some shady operation.
Stamps: If you start to sell on eBay in a significant quantity, you might consider buying a postage meter. Again, this is a matter of looking professional – it looks much better than having stamps stuck everywhere. It also saves you from having to weigh your items at the post office and buy stamps there.
The ‘eBay Items' Debate.
Some sellers like to mark their shipping boxes with a phrase like ‘eBay items', while some feel that this is an unsafe practice that could mark their boxes out to get stolen or interfered with in the post. Whether you're willing to risk it is up to you – it's probably better to be safe than sorry, though, and there will be few of your customers who get so many packages that they won't know what yours is.
And Inside?
You'll probably find it worth printing off a ‘receipt' from eBay – the confirmation of payment page – and putting it in the envelope. If you want to make your customers feel even better about having ordered from you, you can also include a compliments slip, featuring your logo, your website address and a message like ‘Thank you for your order. Please contact me if there are any problems. [Your name].'
Always remember: the more they like what they get, the more likely they are to come back and order again from you in the future.
In the next email, we'll look at exactly that, using a strategy you might not have considered. You can make backend sales over and over again, simply by emailing buyers with good offers for things you think they're going to need. See you there.
Free Ebay Shipping Code
1) Always Pack the Item Properly
The biggest mistake you can make when shipping an item is to go lighty on the packaging and send an unportected item. Buyers will instantly leave negative feedback if the item arrives damaged due to bad padding. Make sure you look into the proper packaging for the item you are shipping - a book is different then a china doll, and both require proper materials.
2) Never Pay For Packing Materials
Right behind improper packing is over paying for shipping materials. There are far too many sources of free boxes and free padding to need to buy them. I have been a powerseller on ebay for 4 years and not once have I paid for packing materials. EBay and USPS offer free boxes, UPS offers free shipping labels. Local retailers will generaly have old boxes lying around also - this is perfect for those large items.
3) Ship Promptly After the Auction Closes
So you've just spent $400 on the newest game console - purchased it from an eBay Seller. Do you want to wait a week just for the seller to ship the item? Neither do your customers. Always ship the item as soon as possible after the auction is closed.
4) Box the Product Before the eBay Aucton is Over
It is a good habit to get into packaging your items before the auction is finished. This makes it exceedingly easy to ship within a day of the buyer paying. Shipping quickly will grab good feedback more than anythign else.
5) Use UPS Ground Shipping for Large Items
It is generally the best to use UPS ground for anything that weighs more than 10lbs. It is very inexpensive to ship large items with UPS. Though slower than USPS, it is far more cost effective on larger frieght.
6) Use USPS Priority Mail for Sending Small Items
Anything less than 10lbs is best shipped with priority mail. Priority mail is very fast, and very inexpensive for small things. Shipping with priority mail is also very good for your buyer, as it will get them their item quickly and effectively.
7) USPS Media mail is Best for Shipping Media Items
If you are shipping a book, cd, dvd, or any other item that fits in the media catagory - it is probably best to ship with media mail. This is a very cheap service, and is great for the items it is meant for. If your item is expensive, however, it may be better to use priority mail to please your buyer.
8) Include a Thank You Note in Each Package
This is one of the most overlooked methods of creating return customers. You need to ship the package anyhow, why not attempt to get another eBay purchase out of each customer? Almost all of the big players on eBay use this tactic.
9) Use Paypal to Print Shipping Labels
Printing eBay shipping labels from Paypal is one of the easiest and most time saving features availible to new sellers. Larger eBay sellers might want to look into furthor automation, but for everything under 50 packages per week - electronic labels from Paypal are the way to go.
10) eBay Shipping Takes Getting Used To - Don't Quit
Not everyone gets into a rythm immediatly. Shipping on eBay can be a trying task - but keep going and you'll soon be rewarded with happy customers and efficient practices. It is important to learn and rethink and establish you're own personal best practices. With time, anyone can ship like a PowerSeller.
Both Kirsten Hawkins & Mason Hipp are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mason Hipp has sinced written about articles on various topics from How to Sell on Ebay, Entrepreneurship and How to Sell on Ebay. Mason Hipp has been an eBay Powerseller for over 5 years. During the last two years he has dedicated most of his time to More informa. Mason Hipp's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.
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