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Seth speaks Inner circle New Mexico 1249 Posts |
Hey all, I have a question for those of you who ship stuff the smart way.
I sporadically sell books and merchandise here in the For Sale section, not super often, but when I do I tend to unload a ton of stuff. But I do it all manually--writing out shipping labels by hand, taking them to PO, getting back to everyone personally with their tracking number, which can be confusing figuring out who's who and going back and forth between PayPal and the paper shipping receipts, etc, and it is very tedious if I'm selling a lot. I'm getting too old for that method, lol! I would like to change to something more efficient and automated, like the smarter folks who send me stuff with labels printed out, tracking number automatically emailed, etc. Maybe even packages picked up instead of me going out. That type of thing. What is the best way to start? Do I sign up for something at the Post Office, or with PayPal? Do I need to buy any special equipment, like a scale of some sort? I think there are various services out there, so I'm wondering which is recommended highly and the best steps to begin. Thanks for any help from my peeps here! Seth |
DelMagic Special user 719 Posts |
PayPal is a good way to start and I'm surprised you have been selling a lot of stuff without it.
USPS is a great organization and I always use it for shipping, but do not use their online site for printing labels. It is very limited and costs more than just about any other online shipping site. The only thing that costs more is paying for your package at a USPS counter and shipping from there. If you receive payments through PayPal, they have their system setup to take you to ShipStation to create labels. I have not used this, but this is probably the easiest thing for you to use. I use pirateship.com. It is free to use - no membership or fee to create an account. They offer very good discounts over standard rates. They offer rates for USPS and UPS only. If you want to use Fedex, you need to go to another online site. You can schedule pickups at your house, but I always take mine in. At a USPS counter, they will scan your preprinted label and weigh the package at the same time. There are many drop-off sites for UPS including Staples. Since I don't usually use UPS, I can't say anymore about that but you should be able to find them in your area. The first item you must get is a digital scale for weighing you packages. I bought one for about $15 on Ebay years ago and it worked just fine. Look around on Ebay, Amazon, etc. and you should be able to find something that looks reasonable. The 2nd investment you need to make has to do with labeling you packages. I use self-adhesive labels myself. However, I have also printed labels on plain paper and them put them inside a clear envelope that has its own adhesive so it sticks to the package. Both work well, but if you have a computer and printer in your house already, I'd opt for the self-adhesive labels. I have purchased these from this seller. https://www.ebay.com/itm/230604484286 Those labels have a receipt area on them and it sounds like that might be useful for keeping your records straight. I did use that format for awhile but I went back to using the 2-labels/sheet format instead since I do so much shipping and I didn't really need the receipts. You want to make sure you have a laser printer for shipping labels. If you only have inkjet, then skip the self-adhesive labels and use the clear envelope that sticks onto the package. Many professional sellers use thermal printers for labels, but I wouldn't recommed that for you. You can probably just go into a local big box office supply store and find everything you need, though it will cost more than finding deals from mail-order sites. You will need shipping containers that protect you items well. You can purchase new boxes and envelopes but start saving all of your amazon boxes and buy a big roll of bubble wrap. Get some good quality shipping tape. Scotch or Duck work well for me. |
TomBoleware Inner circle Hattiesburg, Ms 3163 Posts |
Good info from DelMagic. Let me add.
I ship eBay items nearly every day. The best investment I have ever made was buying a Zebra Thermal Printer #2844. It's an older model but has worked great for over three years. Paid a little over a hundred dollars for it on eBay. Replacement labels cost 6 or 7 dollars for a roll of 250 peel-and-stick labels. It doesn’t use ink so there is no ink to buy. I ship priority mail primarily so I get all those shipping supplies free from the post office. I collect and save boxes for first class and media mail from wherever I find them. Just something you may want to think about. Tom
The Daycare Magician Book
https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/amazekids/the-daycare-magician/ My Blog - https://boleware.blogspot.com/ |
DelMagic Special user 719 Posts |
Good additional info Tom.
I ship a lot of small and light items, so I do more USPS First Class and Media Mail shipping. However, usually for any package over 1-pound I almost always use Priority Mail. Tom mentioned getting the Priority Mail containers from USPS. You can get them at your local Post Office, but you can also simply order them from USPS.com and they will ship for free. In fact, for some reason, local post offices do not carry the flat rate bubble envelope. You have to order them from usps.com and they are definitely a good item to have. |
imgic Inner circle Moved back to Midwest to see 1336 Posts |
If shipping books, DVDs, or other Media, USPS Media Rate is the most economical. Huge savings! And it comes with tracking number and delivery time is about same as first class.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
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Seth speaks Inner circle New Mexico 1249 Posts |
DelMagic, Tom, and imgic--thank you SO much!! This is super helpful info. I do use PayPal for collecting money, but I am now going to use it for shipping as well. I almost always use USPS Priority since I want items to arrive quickly.
I've just signed up with ShipStation, and it seems pretty easy. Using my kitchen scale for the moment, and seems to work fine. I've just ordered labels from the seller you recommended, DelMagic--thanks for that!! I do have a laser printer that I don't use much, but I am also fine with just putting clear packing tape over the address label to protect it. I feel I am finally ready to enter the world of 21st century shipping--thanks guys!! Seth |
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