General shipping questions, tips and answers

[Jimking23]

2 hours ago, Huskers1236 said:

There was an employee at one of my stations that would always ask me what the contents were.  I relented at first but then eventually got to the point I had had enough and told him it was none of his damn business as long as I had agreed I wasn't sending anything illegal.  He didn't like that response but really couldn't do anything about it.  Fortunately it's an out of the way station and don't go there often.

This was the response I got from the employee from my situation.  That the packing materials had added a couple ounces and that I should factor that in every time.  Problem with this theory is that many of my very small orders weigh in at less than an ounce, so I know that the couple strips of tape and piece of paper don't weigh multiple ounces.  

I find it amusing when they go through their usual, “ is there anything fragile, flammable, etc”. One day I told them it was broke into a thousand pieces and I’ll be pissed if it arrives assembled 

.

[Phil B]

6 hours ago, Huskers1236 said:

There was an employee at one of my stations that would always ask me what the contents were.  I relented at first but then eventually got to the point I had had enough and told him it was none of his damn business as long as I had agreed I wasn't sending anything illegal.  He didn't like that response but really couldn't do anything about it.  Fortunately it's an out of the way station and don't go there often.

I have this at a specific UPS (not USPS) location. They always want to know what is inside, and when I say "why is that important?" they say they need to know because otherwise they couldn't ship it.

And then recently I went to FedEx with a box with heavily bubblewrapped BrickHeadz in it, and the clerk shook the box and said "this is not properly packed" because I left a little space in the box and you could hear movement. As a "one time courtesy" he opened up the box, added some brown packing paper, and then sealed it again. Weird.

[donbee]

I have this at a specific UPS (not USPS) location. They always want to know what is inside, and when I say "why is that important?" they say they need to know because otherwise they couldn't ship it.
And then recently I went to FedEx with a box with heavily bubblewrapped BrickHeadz in it, and the clerk shook the box and said "this is not properly packed" because I left a little space in the box and you could hear movement. As a "one time courtesy" he opened up the box, added some brown packing paper, and then sealed it again. Weird.

He heard the Lego inside and wanted to see if it was a set he needed for his collection.

[Grynn]

These are the custom depth (3/4/6/7/10") boxes I love because they just miss dimensional shipping for everything up to small modular size. Half off at Staples, hard to beat.

[stackables]

Is there an accurate first class cost chart? I am a bit confused, I thought I found the most recent one and when I match the prices up with the Ebay shipping calculator, they don't coincide.  For instance the chart I am looking at has the lowest cost for 12 oz at 3.82.  The same weight on the ebay calculator shows the lowest possible cost 5.19.  Obviously I am doing something wrong.

[mizeur]

2 hours ago, stackables said:

Is there an accurate first class cost chart? I am a bit confused, I thought I found the most recent one and when I match the prices up with the Ebay shipping calculator, they don't coincide.  For instance the chart I am looking at has the lowest cost for 12 oz at 3.82.  The same weight on the ebay calculator shows the lowest possible cost 5.19.  Obviously I am doing something wrong.

https://pe.usps.com/resources/PriceChange/January 2019 - Notice123.pdf

12 oz First-Class Retail pricing starts at $5.19.

12 oz First-Class Commercial pricing starts at $3.82.

[brickolodon]

ups destroyed (first time and i mean it it even lego box inside has holes and tears, expensive GE set $300+) my shipment as seller claim denied (need to be 55 vs 32 box thay say) so, how to deal with it? what to do next?

Edited December 22, 2019 by brickolodon

[NIevo]

On 7/27/2019 at 5:10 PM, stackables said:

Is there an accurate first class cost chart? I am a bit confused, I thought I found the most recent one and when I match the prices up with the Ebay shipping calculator, they don't coincide.  For instance the chart I am looking at has the lowest cost for 12 oz at 3.82.  The same weight on the ebay calculator shows the lowest possible cost 5.19.  Obviously I am doing something wrong.

eBay quotes shipping at the regular retail rate as if someone would purchase directly from USPS.  When you actually go to ship it you get a discount on the seller end from Paypal or eBay on shipping.  These are the 2 most helpful charts for estimating shipping costs.

https://postcalc.usps.com/DomesticZoneChart

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm#_c078

[Brystheguy]

5 hours ago, brickolodon said:

ups destroyed (first time and i mean it it even lego box inside has holes and tears, expensive GE set $300+) my shipment as seller claim denied (need to be 55 vs 32 box thay say) so, how to deal with it? what to do next?

Can yo use explain the comment about the box size? Who is “they?”

[iahawks550]

5 hours ago, brickolodon said:

ups destroyed (first time and i mean it it even lego box inside has holes and tears, expensive GE set $300+) my shipment as seller claim denied (need to be 55 vs 32 box thay say) so, how to deal with it? what to do next?

Get the set back from the seller and refund their money. 

[brickolodon]

Can yo use explain the comment about the box size? Who is “they?”

They=ups, size 24x22x4,

Get the set back from the seller and refund their money. 

I did but set destroyed by Ups, totally

[Brystheguy]

11 minutes ago, brickolodon said:

They=ups, size 24x22x4,
I did but set destroyed by Ups, totally

So, UPS has recommended box sizes for shipping other boxes? Is this published somewhere and are you covered if you use their recommended box sizes?

 

[amtrak23]

9 hours ago, brickolodon said:

ups destroyed (first time and i mean it it even lego box inside has holes and tears, expensive GE set $300+) my shipment as seller claim denied (need to be 55 vs 32 box thay say) so, how to deal with it? what to do next?

You could be a peach and be one of those slimey guys who swaps garbage out with unsuspecting ebayers. Joining the ranks of turds like Toycentric...da da

[Shortbus311]

Hard to decipher but I think that he is saying that UPS told him his box needed to be a 55 ECT box instead of a standard 32 ECT box.

[Brystheguy]

I sold a small Star Wars bundle (Darth Vader bust and a few other 20th anniversary things). It ended up going to France through the Global Shipping Program. The buyer said he refused the package as the outer box was damaged and he said it looked like the inner boxes got mangled as well. I told him to file a claim on his end. I feel like I did my part by getting it to the distribution center in Kentucky and this is on EBay. Do I get the sets back? I'm just wondering what will happen as he didn't even take delivery of the package.

 

 

Edited January 19, 2020 by Brystheguy

[Brystheguy]

I sold a small Star Wars bundle (Darth Vader bust and a few other 20th anniversary things). It ended up going to France through the Global Shipping Program. The buyer said he refused the package as the outer box was damaged and he said it looked like the inner boxes got mangled as well. I told him to file a claim on his end. I feel like I did my part by getting it to the distribution center in Kentucky and this is on EBay. Do I get the sets back? I'm just wondering what will happen as he didn't even take delivery of the package.
 
 

Ha, so do I respond by the 23rd or not? I've heard of claims being denied because a person didn't respond to a claim by a deadline. I just don't want to get screwed over here.

[jbacunn]

30 minutes ago, Brystheguy said:

Ha, so do I respond by the 23rd or not? I've heard of claims being denied because a person didn't respond to a claim by a deadline. I just don't want to get screwed over here.

I would just do what it says. Wait until after the 23rd. I have only had one problem with an item sold through GSP. They mixed up my item with someone else’s and sent my buyer the wrong item. Buyer opened a case and I responded explaining what happened and eBay took care of it with no harm to me. My understanding is that the sellers responsibility is to get it to the shipping center and after that whatever happens is not the sellers issue. 

[MoHu]

6 hours ago, Brystheguy said:

Ha, so do I respond by the 23rd or not? I've heard of claims being denied because a person didn't respond to a claim by a deadline. I just don't want to get screwed over here.

As you said & did.
(1)Buyer files a claim
(2) inform the buyer (within claim case) that you sent it in good condition & believe it was damaged after it got to GSP.
(3) After 23 Jan, escalate it to ebay to sort.
(4) You keep ya cash & ebay refund the buyer.  You'll never see the thing again.

Had an item delivered to the wrong continent and an ceramic bowl smashed to bits.  Sold plenty of the bowls within the uk but the single GSP one didnt survive

[joch29]

Has anyone used DHL for international shipping from the US?  Are they reliable?  Looks like I would drop them off at the UPS store?

Looks like this was a recent option on Amazon.  I use to just use USPS express international.

Edited March 30, 2020 by joch29

[keith1833]

16 minutes ago, joch29 said:

Has anyone used DHL for international shipping from the US?  Are they reliable?  Looks like I would drop them off at the UPS store?

Looks like this was a recent option on Amazon.  I use to just use USPS express international.

Yes, but I didn't set it up.  I don't ship international, but a buyer asked to make an order if he handled all the shipping paperwork.  Everything went smooth for me - DHL picked it up at my house and it arrived a couple of days later in Norway.  That was early January though...

[MotorCityMuscle]

can anyone point me to the best spot to research selling on eBay? It's been many moons since I've sold something on there. I've mainly been using local services like Craigslist and Marketplace, but eBay seems to be going gangbusters. Anyway, I had clicked on something in the footer I believe at one time which was general eBay guidelines but I swear it's no longer there. Any advice or link to a wiki or similar where i can learn best practices for an amateur wanna be eBay LEGO seller?

thanks in advance!

[$20 on joe vs dan]

12 minutes ago, MotorCityMuscle said:

can anyone point me to the best spot to research selling on eBay? It's been many moons since I've sold something on there. I've mainly been using local services like Craigslist and Marketplace, but eBay seems to be going gangbusters. Anyway, I had clicked on something in the footer I believe at one time which was general eBay guidelines but I swear it's no longer there. Any advice or link to a wiki or similar where i can learn best practices for an amateur wanna be eBay LEGO seller?

thanks in advance!

if you want be be scared away read about 5 pages of the "Fruitcake thread"

There's a ton of do's and don'ts and can get overwhelming fast. My best advise is to give it a go...slowly on low price items (something you are OK w/ in terms of risk/loss) because the best teacher is experience.

Always keep in mind the fees which add up quick...my rule of thumb is 15% goes to someone else

 

goodluck

[Phil B]

16 minutes ago, $20 on joe vs dan said:

<snip>

Always keep in mind the fees which add up quick...my rule of thumb is 15% goes to someone else

 

goodluck

Over 4+ years of sales I average 21.17% in the case of EBay and Paypal, but I only do Fast & Free so that includes shipping costs.

Edited April 22, 2020 by Phil B

[jbacunn]

38 minutes ago, MotorCityMuscle said:

can anyone point me to the best spot to research selling on eBay? It's been many moons since I've sold something on there. I've mainly been using local services like Craigslist and Marketplace, but eBay seems to be going gangbusters. Anyway, I had clicked on something in the footer I believe at one time which was general eBay guidelines but I swear it's no longer there. Any advice or link to a wiki or similar where i can learn best practices for an amateur wanna be eBay LEGO seller?

thanks in advance!

Do yourself a favor and make your BIN listing immediate payment required. Gets rid of the deadbeats. 

[iahawks550]

1 minute ago, jbacunn said:

Do yourself a favor and make your BIN listing immediate payment required. Gets rid of the deadbeats. 

Yeah, there's pretty much no other way. Auctions suck.