With nearly 180 million users, eBay is still one of the world’s largest online marketplaces. Used by both individual sellers and large retailers, the competition for many markets on eBay is competitive, fierce, and fast-paced. This has put shipping in the spotlight as many sellers try to use it as a competitive advantage, whether that may be the cost or delivery time. Here we will discuss a few top eBay shipping tips that can help you optimise your shipping and use it to make more sales.
The three key areas to consider when it comes to eBay shipping are as followed:
- Choosing a plan that suits your store and product needs
- Utilise eBay shipping labels
- Package sizes and costs
1. Choose a shipping plan that suits your store and products
Flat-rate fees can be set so every customer pays the same amount towards their shipping no matter how much or little they have ordered. This is very much a double-edged sword, and the products you sell need to be evaluated before opting for a flat-rate shipping plan. If the products you sell tend to be either large or have an awkward shape, a flat-rate fee should be avoided. Your business will not be receiving enough from the buyer to cover the shipping cost sufficiently. On the other hand, if you specialise in small and light products, a flat rate can be a significant benefit as many purchases could cover more than the actual shipping cost.
Calculated shipping takes the weight and dimensions of a product into account to form a cost. The location of a buyer is also taken into account. eBay even has a shipping calculator where sellers input predicted weights and dimensions to gauge how much their products will cost to ship. We recommend sellers take advantage of this calculator to make a more informed decision about which shipping plan to choose.
We recommend that sellers who commonly ship heavy or oddly shaped goods use calculated shipping. This will make sure buyers are covering the shipping cost and hamper your business’s profit margins.
Using eBays shipping labels through the seller portal is a prime example of how eBay tries to simplify and reduce the costs of selling on eBay. This goes for sellers of all sizes. eBay shipping labels will automatically fill out the shipping information needed from the buyer’s eBay account. This leaves you as the seller to simply print off the label and leave the package at a drop-off point. EBay shipping labels even come with their own tracking codes, meaning you can track the location and progress of any parcel you send.
We would recommend eBay shipping labels to all eBay sellers. It is arguably the most effective eBay shipping tip on this list. The ease of use and cost-effectiveness makes it ideal for all businesses looking to optimise their shipping in terms of profit. This recommendation is even prominent for larger eBay sellers as they can benefit from discounts if labels are purchased in a high quantity.
- Research package sizes & their costs
An area commonly overlooked by even more experienced eBay sellers is understanding how the shape and weight of a package will affect the shipping price. This is one of the first areas to be analysed before choosing your business’s shipping plan.
Two main areas need to be answered.
- Do my products need specific types of packaging (e.g., extra room for padding, dimensions might require more width than height or vice versa)?
- Can I take advantage of more common mass-produced packaging to try and reduce costs?
More bespoke and uncommon package types will cost an eBay seller a considerable amount more to ship, even if done through eBays global shipping program. This needs to be considered when deciding how much to charge a buyer for shipping costs.
On the other hand, if a seller can utilise standard, mass-produced packaging, they will be able to save costs and lower their shipping charges towards eBay buyers. This can create more of an incentive for buyers to choose your product over others.
eBay shipping tips
For more tips and tricks for selling on eBay as well as shipping, checkout Khaos Controls guide to selling on eBay in 2021.
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