Use a Shipping Calculator
Another option for deciding your shipping charges is to use the shipping calculator when you list an item. This will usually mean that your buyer may have to pay a fair bit to have the item shipped to them, but if you have a quality item they will probably be willing to pay it. The calculator was only offered in the US at one point, but I believe it’s now available to Canadians as well. This video I found will explain the process to you. Let me know if you try it.
Update on Sale of Maternity Top
I’ve come to the conclusion that Canada Post is more expensive than the American mail system. I re-listed the maternity top we worked with at the last Momiji workshop and this time it sold.
Since last Monday was a holiday, instead of ending the auction on the Sunday evening, I ended it on Monday night. The top was purchased by someone in Nova Scotia, at a price of 99 cents US plus $3 US for delivery.
One of the recent purchases made during a workshop was a similar size item of clothing that arrived at my home in a small bubble pak envelope. The cost of postage $1.90. Based on that shipment, I thought $3 for shipping within Canada was reasonable – charge much more and no one will want to buy the top.
The maternity top was light and easily fit inside a small bubble envelope. I took it to the post office and couldn’t believe it when the clerk charged me almost $9. Yes, I should have checked first and charged more. But the less you charge for shipping, the better your chances of selling your items. And I really didn’t think our postal charges would be so much more than the states.
Bottom line: I’ve learned my lesson. I’m going to stick with selling information products on eBay. Creating and shipping a cd isn’t hard to do and is much more cost effective. Any other products I sell will be limited to my local area so I don’t have to deal with Canada Post’s crazy prices.
Our New Design
My daughter Melanie seemed to think the background I had on this blog was boring, so she has changed it to this darker one. I like the way you can see what the posts say so clearly, but I find it hard to read any of the areas on the side because of the black background.
Please tell me what you think. Do you have trouble reading this blog the way it’s designed right now?
Update: I think I am sticking with this computer theme. Easy on the eyes and easy to find things.
Blue Mountain Pottery Duck Auction
For those of you who attended my last eBay workshop this past Saturday, we had some problems uploading our little Blue Mountain Duck to put it up for sale. I realized after that it was because I listed it on the new buyer identity that I created that day, but I hadn’t confirmed the account by email.
Bottom Line: None of that hard work we did on the title and description was saved, although I thought I kept it as a draft. I still have the photos and plan to list the item this Sunday night, since it will get more traffic then. Unless someone from the group still has the information you wrote for that cute little duck and wants to email it to me, I will have to create a new one. Sorry about that, but it was still a useful practice exercise. So keep your eye on this site and I will give you the auction link.
And speaking of past auctions, if anyone from the summer workshops wondered how our Simpsons’ toys fared on eBay - you naysayers were right. They didn’t sell. But at least we tried.
Glossary of eBay Terms
Bid: telling eBay’s system the maximum price you are prepared to pay for an item.
Dutch: an auction where more than one of an item is available.
Feedback: positive or negative comments left about other users on eBay.
Mint: in perfect condition.
Non-paying bidder: a bidder who wins an auction but does not then go on to buy the item.
PayPal: an electronic payment method accepted by most sellers.
Rare: once meant hard to find, but used so often on eBay, it’s now meaningless.
Reserve: the minimum price the seller will accept for the item.
Shill bid: a fake bid placed by a seller trying to drive up their auction’s price (not allowed).
Snail Mail: the post, which is obviously very slow compared to email.
Sniping: bidding at the last second to win the item before anyone else can outbid you.
Common eBay Abbreviations
When buying on eBay, you will come across a number of abbreviations, some of which are listed here. As a seller, using these abbreviations will sometimes be necessary, especially when you want to describe something in the title of your item, which has very limited space for text.
BIN: Buy it Now. A fixed price auction.
BNWT: Brand New With Tags. An item that has never been used and still has its original tags.
BW: Black and White. Used for films, photos etc.
EUR: Euro Currency.
FC: First Class. Type of postage.
GBP: Great British Pounds Currency.
HTF: Hard To Find. Not quite as misused as ‘rare’, but getting there.
NIB: New in Box. Never opened, still in its original box.
NR: No Reserve. An item where the seller has not set a reserve price.
OB: Original Box. An item that has its original box (but might have been opened).
PM: Priority Mail.
PP: Parcel Post.
SH: Shipping and Handling. The fees the buyer will pay for postage.
USD: United States Dollars Currency.
VGC: Very Good Condition. Not mint, but close.
eBay Resource
For some great ideas of products that are in demand on eBay, check overlookedtreasure. There are a number of very unusual items people are looking for, many that you probably have never thought about.
eBay Rules
- If you list an item and sell it, you are under contract to ship to buyer.
- No ‘shill bidding’ (bidding on your own items).
- No closing auction sales outside eBay.
- No lying about the item you are selling (seller non-performance).
- No keyword spam to lure customers.
- No links to external sites, except on About Me page.
- If buyer doesn’t pay, contact them first, there may be a good reason. Then you can file an ‘Unpaid Item’ alert with eBay. After 10 days without payment, request a final value fee credit from eBay and a refund will be credited within 48 hours.
Drop Shipping
A drop shipper allows you to list their items on your auction, using their description and photos. They charge you a wholesale price and you charge a higher price. When you sell the item, you email the buyer information to the drop shipper and they ship the item to the buyer with your name on the package. Use caution when choosing a drop shipper. Many of them are middlemen and not true wholesalers.
Sell Your Item
- After your photos and description are finished, go to ebay.ca
- Sign in with your username and password.
- Go to Sell on the top of the page menu.
- Fill in the box that says What Are You Selling.
- Choose a Category from the list that comes up. You can also choose a second category for a small fee.
- Click Save and Continue.
- Fill in Create Your Listing page:
- Currency (U.S. for more bidders)
- Item Title – keywords people would use to search
- Choose Type from list (you can choose more than one)
- Choose Age Level from list.
- Choose Condition from list.
- Click Browse to add pictures. First one is free and then slight charge.
- Select any picture upgrades (optional). Make sure you wait until upload is finished before you continue.
- Check box for gallery picture. This is an extra .35, but very worth it. Otherwise, your listing won’t show any pictures in the general listing.
- Type in your description: keyword rich, interesting, and a large enough font.
- Preview your listing.
- Use listing designer if needed and a visitor counter (free) if you like.
- Add starting price (lower is best and make sure decimals are in the right place.)
- Enter quantity of items and duration of auction.
- Choose payment method (PayPal is best).
- Chose shipping cost (free if possible) and any insurance.
- Choose any other countries you will ship to.
- Enter any information about your return policy.
- Click Save and Continue.
- Chose any options to make your listing stand out.
- Next you will see the fees eBay will charge you (plus a percentage if you sell). In my case it was $2.90 U.S.
- Click List Your Item and you are done. Congratulations!