How do you sell these freaking things?

[SILLYSHIP--pirate eye--]

I am getting ready to sell about eleven long boxes. I currently use turbo lister 2 but am now switching over to Auctiva (why they do all that for free is beyond me) and am stressing out about shipping. How do I explain shipping so that people can see what they will pay ahead of time? I only want to use USPS and give only the options of media mail and priority but I can't figure out a nice way to list it. Something like
1-5 books= and give prices for both
5-? books=
?-?=

I'm not into listing too many single books so I will be listing many lots, I may be loosing some $ but saving myself a lot of time and hassle.

I'm also a little weary of Auctiva's "Free" services. Anybody know anything about them?

Anyway, that's it for now.

[chaosus]

This is what I do.

First I went to STAPLES and bought a postage scale!

When I am selling lots or sets of books, I pack the lot for shipping and weigh it. I put the actual weight of the lot in the ad so the customer can calculate the shipping.

I calculate the cost of Priority Mail (the flat rate boxes are great)

I'll ship media mail if the buyer wants.

Either way, since I only charge exact shipping I almost always need the buyers zip code to calculate the exact cost.

Hope that helps.

Gary

[SILLYSHIP--pirate eye--]

Maybe I should just stick with my original plan which is to just state that I ship exact shipping. I have a postal scale. Yeah, maybe that's the best way.

[StlComics]

Except for very heavy lots, I usually charge flat shipping rates. It covers my ass most of the time... :D

[SatansProdigy]

Maybe I should just stick with my original plan which is to just state that I ship exact shipping. I have a postal scale. Yeah, maybe that's the best way.


It would be easier to just use a flat rate or the ebay postage calculator. Saying exact shipping in a listing only makes the bidder work more. THey then have to email you with their address and wait for a reply....by the time you get to it they may have already moved on to another seller.

[Evil Parsnip]

I was very happy with Auctiva's free services when I was selling. As to postage you could just pack up a couple of sample boxes, weigh them and add an ounce or two on the postage scale just in case they are slightly higher when taped, or heavier books.

you wouldn't be off by more than a quarter per box that way.

[chaosus]

I forgot all about the E-Bay freight calculator. That thing is a very big help to buyers.

What I need is good image hosting. I used to use ANDALE and I loved it, but it is way too expensive for me.

[SatansProdigy]

Gary I use Image Shack for my photo hosting. Works just fine and doesn't cost anything. There's also Photobucket. They have a free and pay service. I've never used them, but from what I've read a lot of people do and are happy with them.

[oxbladder]

I would use a flat rate. Find the average book weight. Then add in what packaging weighs. Also add in a little bit for what packaging and time will cost you.

As a buyer exact shipping is cool but I have no issues with reasonable flat rates. Exact shipping will nickel and dime you into a loss too because people rarely will allow you to charge that extra little bit for packaging or time.

As for hosting .... most IP providers provide their customers with free web space. All you need is an ftp client to transfer your images to the server. This allows you to use larger images in your auctions too. However most people seem to prefer using photo bucket or actually paying for space somewhere.

[SILLYSHIP--pirate eye--]

I am currently hosting with Auctiva and thinking of using there listing maker as well, but I like Turbo lister because I can save the listing and use it later.

How does this look to y'all for flat rate shipping (I stole it from wileycoyote373)
1 - 4 comics = $4.50
5 - 10 comics =$6.50
11-20 comics = $8.50
21-30 comics = $10.50
31-50 comics = $12.50
51-80 comics = $14.50
81-100 comics = $16.50
101-150 comics = $18.50
151-200 comics = $22.00
201-300 comics = $25.00

[oxbladder]

If it works for you it looks decent to me.

[SILLYSHIP--pirate eye--]

Well, I got some stuff up and would really appreciate your critiques.

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZnomoretrolls