Need some EBay selling advice?

[Captain_chaos]

On 17/07/2017 at 1:27 AM, TabbyBoy said:

Watch this space as I'll soon be offering over £100,000 of inventory at cost price to UK BP members only ;-) I've just got to get the stock check finished which is a nightmare. I really wish I'd never got started.

I'd rather sell to you guys at cost than give those greedy bastards at eBay another penny!

Without wishing to seem desperate (oh who am I kidding), if any of that inventory includes an SSD, IS, B-Wing, or other old UCS sets, I would very much love to make amends for passing on them before they retired. I'll keep an eye out.

[TANV]

So, I have some auctions ending soon that I'll have to ship likely via UPS or FedEx due to both weight and size of the packages as well as value of the sets. First off, have people generally been fine printing UPS and FedEx labels from eBay to ship them out?  I know USPS tends to be pretty accurate since that's all I use.  First time for everything I suppose.

Second, do you guys insure sets over $100?  The ones I'll be sending out are going to be $150 and up at least.  I've documented the packing process as well to cover my bases.

Thanks for the help, all!

[fuzzy_bricks]

4 minutes ago, TANV said:

So, I have some auctions ending soon that I'll have to ship likely via UPS or FedEx due to both weight and size of the packages as well as value of the sets. First off, have people generally been fine printing UPS and FedEx labels from eBay to ship them out?  I know USPS tends to be pretty accurate since that's all I use.  First time for everything I suppose.

Second, do you guys insure sets over $100?  The ones I'll be sending out are going to be $150 and up at least.  I've documented the packing process as well to cover my bases.

Thanks for the help, all!

You have to print UPS labels through Paypal or another means, they're not integrated into eBay like USPS and FedEx so I don't use them due to the extra steps.

FedEx doesn't charge for the label like USPS does.  The total cost will be added to your monthly invoice, and it may differ from the estimated value that they provide when you are printing the label.  If you're accurate on your weight and dimensions, you shouldn't see much difference between estimated and actual value.  Make sure that if it is a residence that you have that option checked, I believe that is the default now, but it didn't used to be.

Insurance is up to you and your risk tolerance.

[Phil B]

Watch out for dimensional shipping charges with UPS and FedEx. Paypal/Ebay will *NOT* take this into account and will just quote you the cheaper base rate. You will need to go to their (= FedEx or UPS) dimensional shipping calculators and enter your dimensions and weights to get a more accurate shipping quote, and keep that in mind when you print the label. I had a long battle with EBay CS over this (for which I finally, after many calls) got reimbursed through an EBay voucher, when I was quoted $11 for shipping a big set but the invoice came back at $27 thanks to dimensional weight. So be careful and do the prework before purchasing any UPS or FedEx label.

 

[asharerin]

54 minutes ago, TANV said:

So, I have some auctions ending soon that I'll have to ship likely via UPS or FedEx due to both weight and size of the packages as well as value of the sets. First off, have people generally been fine printing UPS and FedEx labels from eBay to ship them out?  I know USPS tends to be pretty accurate since that's all I use.  First time for everything I suppose.

Second, do you guys insure sets over $100?  The ones I'll be sending out are going to be $150 and up at least.  I've documented the packing process as well to cover my bases.

Thanks for the help, all!

We sold a larger lego set on ebay last month and used them to ship it fedex across county. Ebay quoted us $31 which we used and then this month we were actually billed $66 for the shipment. We have not used ebay in over a year but had a promo so figured we would give it a shot. We will never use ebay to ship fedex again. Don't have the time to try and pry a $30 refund out of an ebay customer service agent. Probably won't use ebay again for another few years but when we do I will use our own fedex account directly. Just be warned their upfront quote may only be half of what you actaully get charged on the backend.

[TANV]

14 minutes ago, Phil B said:

Watch out for dimensional shipping charges with UPS and FedEx. Paypal/Ebay will *NOT* take this into account and will just quote you the cheaper base rate. You will need to go to their (= FedEx or UPS) dimensional shipping calculators and enter your dimensions and weights to get a more accurate shipping quote, and keep that in mind when you print the label. I had a long battle with EBay CS over this (for which I finally, after many calls) got reimbursed through an EBay voucher, when I was quoted $11 for shipping a big set but the invoice came back at $27 thanks to dimensional weight. So be careful and do the prework before purchasing any UPS or FedEx label.

 

 

2 minutes ago, asharerin said:

We sold a larger lego set on ebay last month and used them to ship it fedex across county. Ebay quoted us $31 which we used and then this month we were actually billed $66 for the shipment. We have not used ebay in over a year but had a promo so figured we would give it a shot. We will never use ebay to ship fedex again. Don't have the time to try and pry a $30 refund out of an ebay customer service agent. Probably won't use ebay again for another few years but when we do I will use our own fedex account directly. Just be warned their upfront quote may only be half of what you actaully get charged on the backend.

So, the conclusion I can draw thus far is to use my own FedEx account to get the most accurate shipping data and label.

[Phil B]

We sold a larger lego set on ebay last month and used them to ship it fedex across county. Ebay quoted us $31 which we used and then this month we were actually billed $66 for the shipment. We have not used ebay in over a year but had a promo so figured we would give it a shot. We will never use ebay to ship fedex again. Don't have the time to try and pry a $30 refund out of an ebay customer service agent. Probably won't use ebay again for another few years but when we do I will use our own fedex account directly. Just be warned their upfront quote may only be half of what you actaully get charged on the backend.

And I kept telling EBay CS that the dimensional weight formula is a simple multiplication and could easily be built into their shipping quote tool, and that not doing this leaves them open to all sorts of complaints and potentially even legal cases. So far no improvement.

[asharerin]

1 hour ago, TANV said:

 

So, the conclusion I can draw thus far is to use my own FedEx account to get the most accurate shipping data and label.

If you use your own account directly with fedex they should give a more accurate quote plus if you have any problems you can dispute the amount directly with fedex easily through your account. When going through ebay you are using their fedex account so there is no way to dispute directly with fedex. Instead you are at the mercy of clueless ebay customer service reps.

[minicoopers11]

2 hours ago, Phil B said:

And I kept telling EBay CS that the dimensional weight formula is a simple multiplication and could easily be built into their shipping quote tool, and that not doing this leaves them open to all sorts of complaints and potentially even legal cases. So far no improvement.

It's a simple multiplication, yes. Then consider implementation. Paypal, at least in my experience, did not do it correctly for USPS. Dim weight applies for Priority Mail shipments to Zones 5 or greater that exceed a certain volume (1728 in^3). Entering dimensions that yielded a volume that should not affected by dim weight prices gave me the higher dim weight price. 

Edited July 27, 2017 by minicoopers11

[TANV]

Do you guys usually get signature confirmation if you go with FedEx or UPS?

[Pseudoty]

3 minutes ago, TANV said:

Do you guys usually get signature confirmation if you go with FedEx or UPS?

If it is over $750 you have to. Over $250 recommended. Depends on the item, the buyer (no feedback just joined that day), the location google the address and do street view. 

[TANV]

18 minutes ago, Pseudoty said:

If it is over $750 you have to. Over $250 recommended. Depends on the item, the buyer (no feedback just joined that day), the location google the address and do street view. 

Thanks. I did just that. One of my locations is a house in the middle of a field so I think they'll be okay without signature confirmation.  Also, does it matter when is the absolute latest I can ship out via UPS? Within 3 days of the label being printed or a week? I tried searching online for this question.

[ravenb99]

1 hour ago, TANV said:

Also, does it matter when is the absolute latest I can ship out via UPS? Within 3 days of the label being printed or a week? I tried searching online for this question.

If it were 1999 sure...

It depends on your settings but is midnight of that last night.  So if on 1 day anything paid today would have to be shipped by midnight tomm.  Only exceptions are Friday is due out Monday.

Just add the days on to your setting if it is longer than 1 day.  If you chose nothing when you listed it is set automatically to 2 day shipping so something paid today would have to ship by Monday midnight as you have the weekend again.

the links for all the times and charts can be found at

http://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/improve-your-selling/seller-ratings.html#m17-tb2

[fuzzy_bricks]

On 7/27/2017 at 10:31 AM, Phil B said:

Watch out for dimensional shipping charges with UPS and FedEx. Paypal/Ebay will *NOT* take this into account and will just quote you the cheaper base rate. You will need to go to their (= FedEx or UPS) dimensional shipping calculators and enter your dimensions and weights to get a more accurate shipping quote, and keep that in mind when you print the label. I had a long battle with EBay CS over this (for which I finally, after many calls) got reimbursed through an EBay voucher, when I was quoted $11 for shipping a big set but the invoice came back at $27 thanks to dimensional weight. So be careful and do the prework before purchasing any UPS or FedEx label.

So if I calculate the dimensional weight on the FedEx site and input that weight into the eBay shipping calculator, I should get an accurate quote?  I'm getting a higher quote, but there is still  a discrepancy, even factoring in the eBay discount.  I had to go back a little ways to find the last FedEx shipment I had done, it was for a Death Star, but the estimate matched up with the invoiced amount, and I can't remember if I used the dimensional weight or not.

[Phil B]

So if I calculate the dimensional weight on the FedEx site and input that weight into the eBay shipping calculator, I should get an accurate quote?  I'm getting a higher quote, but there is still  a discrepancy, even factoring in the eBay discount.  I had to go back a little ways to find the last FedEx shipment I had done, it was for a Death Star, but the estimate matched up with the invoiced amount, and I can't remember if I used the dimensional weight or not.

If you do dimensional weight at FedEx.com, and the quoted price is lower than the regular EBay price, then you are likely to not get in trouble once the official invoice comes around should you purchase the more expensive label from EBay.

[fuzzy_bricks]

2 minutes ago, Phil B said:

If you do dimensional weight at FedEx.com, and the quoted price is lower than the regular EBay price, then you are likely to not get in trouble once the official invoice comes around should you purchase the more expensive label from EBay.

Dimensions w/ actual weight < Dimensions w/ DIM weight < FedEx Quote

Right or wrong eBay was still cheaper when I put in the dimension weight.  I did not carry the FedEx quote to completion so it may have worked out to be close, but the estimate was $20 difference.  I'll keep an eye on it and report back.

[Shewie]

Question mainly to German Folks.



I was lurking ebay.de for some stuff and this came across my screen... when I was looking for Destiny Bounty.
What is this thing? You can't now sell freely any complete set on ebay.de without being certified by LEGO?

 

[LeiaOrgana]

I sold something with calculated shipping paid by the buyer according to the zip code. When I made the package I was able to bring the weight down a bit and the label was less than what the buyer paid for . Should I refund the shipping fee difference to the buyer?

[exciter1]

5 minutes ago, LeiaOrgana said:

I sold something with calculated shipping paid by the buyer according to the zip code. When I made the package I was able to bring the weight down a bit and the label was less than what the buyer paid for . Should I refund the shipping fee difference to the buyer?

If the discrepancy isn't that much, you can chalk up the difference to "packing materials".  The buyer won't know if you don't print the label with the pricing on it.

[AntimonyER]

14 minutes ago, LeiaOrgana said:

I sold something with calculated shipping paid by the buyer according to the zip code. When I made the package I was able to bring the weight down a bit and the label was less than what the buyer paid for . Should I refund the shipping fee difference to the buyer?

When there is buyer paid shipping, the buyer usually includes the cost of shipping as a part of the cost of the item. They were willing to pay the price+shipping, so probably would have increased their price part of the equation if they had known shipping was cheaper. I say you are good to keep it.

[bigfanofnu]

51 minutes ago, LeiaOrgana said:

I sold something with calculated shipping paid by the buyer according to the zip code. When I made the package I was able to bring the weight down a bit and the label was less than what the buyer paid for . Should I refund the shipping fee difference to the buyer?

Keep it, but remember when you have to pay a little extra for shipping on something else, let it slide. The universe will balance everything out.

[fuzzy_bricks]

On 8/13/2017 at 11:28 PM, fuzzy_bricks said:

Dimensions w/ actual weight < Dimensions w/ DIM weight < FedEx Quote

Right or wrong eBay was still cheaper when I put in the dimension weight.  I did not carry the FedEx quote to completion so it may have worked out to be close, but the estimate was $20 difference.  I'll keep an eye on it and report back.

Just to follow up on this, I used calculated dimensional weights for a couple shipments and the quotes matched the invoiced cost.

I used actual dimensions and weight for a Smartpost shipment that I had my wife drop off.  She went to the FedEx drop off location, which is a third party outfit, and they told her that the box needed to go to the USPS office.  So she trucked it down there and they took it!  I freaked out a bit, but figured I'd let it ride and see what happened.  After a few days of no tracking updates, I requested email updates and it started showing up.  Got delivered in a timely fashion and the shipping quote ended up matching the invoiced amount even though I would have been in the dimensional weight range.  I was pretty surprised this worked out.

[jonnyhanukkah]

On 5/17/2017 at 8:02 AM, ravenb99 said:

Think those are just easy to monitor as they are reviewed and see the repeat offenders.  

They still can't stop the Markley St address scam though.

600 Markley St

Port Reading, NJ 07064

Google that for some fun reads.  Not sure why the address just can't be blocked out of there system.  If they can block certain words in emails and listing titles they should be able to.  

Just wanted to say that the 600 Markley St address is still going strong - someone ordered a $175 lego set from me last night and luckily PayPal caught it this morning before I had time to package it up.  Now I know to keep an eye out for it.  can't believe this scam is still going strong over a year later.

[SageFly]

I hit Top Rated this month and have been listing everything to fit within the criteria for the discounted final value fees. I'm not sure the final value fees are worth it, but I definitely see value in having the TRS badge! My listings are the first search result and I list my items higher than most other sellers and have been selling significantly more than expected. I had no idea people bought based on seller rating or the first item to appear in a search result, but they certainly do. Now to ensure I keep this rating...

[carini26]

50 minutes ago, SageFly said:

I hit Top Rated this month and have been listing everything to fit within the criteria for the discounted final value fees. I'm not sure the final value fees are worth it, but I definitely see value in having the TRS badge! My listings are the first search result and I list my items higher than most other sellers and have been selling significantly more than expected. I had no idea people bought based on seller rating or the first item to appear in a search result, but they certainly do. Now to ensure I keep this rating...

Nice.  Did the TRS tag come after you hit 100 sales in 12 months threshold? (assuming other metrics were positive)