Establishing Shipping Costs

Establishing Shipping Costs

The reason for this post is to explain the benefits and drawbacks 

of shipping small items vs. large items.

            First of all, I'd like to relate a small story about a recent item 

I found and sold on eBay.  The item can be seen above in 

the picture; no not my wife, the longhorn horns.  As you can see, 

these horns are quite a large item.  I picked these 

horns up for $60.00 bucks from a local here in Utah.  

While there isn't a very large market for these horns 

here in Utah, I knew that they are selling online for 

quite a bit more than $60.00 bucks.  I bought them, 

got them home, measured them, took some pics, 

and then listed them on eBay.  The horns are just over 6'4" 

and weigh around ten pounds.  Well after 14 days 

on eBay they sold for $225.00 + $30.00 shipping.

  

I was super stoked that they sold for a total 

price of $255.00.  Well, the next thing to do was get these 

horns boxed up and ready to ship out.  Have you ever

 tried to find a box that is over six feet in length 

and is a perfect fit for oblong horns?  It's not as 

easy as one might think, and cutting up boxes to 

make a custom box was out of the question for me.

  I decided that I would rather pay someone else to 

package and ship the item to save time 

and money (well, not really money haha).

I took the horns to a small packaging and 

shipping company in Orem, Ut.  The store helper found 

two large boxes that we were able to merge together 

to get the horns ready for take-off.  When the time 

came to pay the bill to ship the horns, it cost 

me a total of $102.50!  Yes, $102.50!  

These babies are headed to Massachusetts as 

we speak and it only cost me about as much 

as 15 of the finest ribeye steaks available.

The moral of the story is that although I still made 

a pretty decent profit of $72.50 after shipping,

 product cost, eBay fees, and paypal fees, I really don't 

think that I would go through the hassle of doing 

everything I did with this large of an item ever again.

  

Shipping small items is much more convenient, 

easy, and cost effective.  Think about it for a minute. 

 Let's just imagine that I am able to buy a 

small item for $60.00 and sell it for $255.00 and

 give my buyer free shipping.  

There are many benefits in offering free shipping:

1. Better positive feedback 
2. More buyers looking at your items 
3. Happier customers 

                                            Selling the small item, my total profit would 

be $168.07! Nearly $100.00 more in profit.  

My friends, that is why selling smaller items 

on eBay is the way to go.  

Small items are better for most sellers because:

1. Inexpensive shipping
2. Inexpensive shipping supplies
3. More profits
4. Easy storage and mobility
5. Easy packaging
6. Less risk of damage

There are many more reasons for selling small items on eBay instead of large items, but I'll save those for a later post.  If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know in the comments below!

Officially an eBay Trading Assistant

     So this week I took the plunge and became and eBay Trading Assistant.  

So, what does that mean?  That means that I have proven that I can sell on eBay and I'm registered now to help people sell their own items on eBay.  

      Let me tell you why I think this is a great thing.  First of all, I spent this morning frustrated because I spoke on the phone with an 80 year old man who is trying to learn how to start his own online businesses and sell on eBay.  Let's just say that guiding an 80 year old through setting up an online website and selling on eBay is darn near impossible over the phone, especially if he doesn't even know how to open a new window, maximize or minimize screens, or how to copy and paste.

     Now I definitely respect the guy for spending a lot of money and for wanting to learn all of these things, but he has a bumpy road ahead of him.  As an eBay Trading Assistant I will be going to people's homes to look at their items and to basically tell them what they are worth and if they would sell on eBay or not.  I don't exactly have to teach the people how to do it themselves, I do it for them.  Kinda nice right? These are my guidelines as follows:

Service Description:

1.               I am a full-service Trading Assistant. I come to your house anywhere in the Utah County area, inventory and pickup the items you're wanting to sell.  I list and sell the items on eBay, ship them, and provide you with an itemized list of all items sold with the sale price and my fees. You can reach me via email at T3investing@gmail.com - I will respond within 24 Hrs. Please note I typically only sell items worth at least $50+. I have been an buying and selling on eBay since 1999.

Fees:
 

1.              I pay all eBay and paypal fees for my clients when an item is sold and this comes from the commission you pay me once a buyer has paid for the auction. Any extras which includes optional feature fees that I feel are needed to highlight the item being sold will be discussed before listing it. There is a small charge of $5.00 per item I list regardless of whether each item ultimately sells or not. This covers my time spent to list it on eBay.

2.             The commission charged is 30% on the final sale price of your item or items when sold and the $5.00 to list your item is included in the commission...You are only charged for items that sell. l reserve the right not to list items I believe won't sell on eBay. Call me for details on my commission structure.

3.             Extra promotions for expensive items are available for an additional fee. Call me to discuss specific amounts and available promotion options.

 
Terms And Conditions:

1.             I sell all items "as described" and do offer a return policy. I am very thorough with my item descriptions and photos of all goods sold.

2.             I start all my listings out at different prices depending on their value and collectibility. If you'd like me to start your listing at a particular price you have in mind or set a reserve price we can discuss this.

3.             Buyers on eBay really need to know all the specifics of any item you are selling. The more you can tell me about your item the more successful we'll be in selling it. Please be sure to tell me about any damage or aspects of your item that would make it less appealing to buyers (I believe in honesty and integrity and have a positive feedback rating of 100% very satisfied customers. I have a long-standing reputation on eBay and customer satisfaction is my #1 priority..

4.             You'd be wise to hire me; not only do I have an excellent, long-standing reputation from buying and selling on eBay since 1999, but I have the additional rare expertise of being an eBay coach to many paid students, an online entrepreneur, and a dropshipper.  These are things which you'll almost never find with any other Trading Assistant.

So there you have it.  If you are interested in learning how to sell online, let me know.  I am more than happy to help you out.  If you are interested in having me sell your stuff online for you, let me know!  email me at T3investing@gmail.com if you have any questions, or contact me by phone or Facebook.

I am a Trading Assistant - I can sell your stuff on eBay!

Current Hot eBay items

     

          If you have any items laying around the house that you aren't using; now would be the time to sell them!  The Pre-Christmas season is upon us, Football season is upon us, and Basketball season is about to start.  Although it seems way too early in the season to even start thinking about Christmas, this is the time.

        There are a few items that are selling very well right now:

• Vintage Sports Apparel 
• Sports memorabilia 
• Anything Electronic

Speaking of vintage sports apparel, check out one of my current items below.

 A vintage LA/Oakland Raiders jacket.  I picked this up at a free garage sale (everything was free! I've never seen a free garage sale before and don't plan on seeing many more!)

Here is the link: Vintage L.A./Oakland Raiders Jacket

I expect this jacket to sell for well over $50.00, as it currently has over 17 people watching it with nearly 9 days until the auction ends.

Next week I will post another hot item that I am currently selling, so stay tuned!!

What else can I sell on eBay?

A Few Ebay Items I've Sold in the Past

This month I will be posting about many of the items that I have sold on eBay in the past couple of years.  Below are just a few of the items I've sold and a few groups of items that have sold very well on eBay.

Oakley Snowboarding Goggles.  I picked these goggles up from a girl who had won them at an event she had attended.  I knew they were brand new and worth well over $100 dollars, so I offered her $60 for them and told her to think about it and let me know.  She called me the next day and sold them to me for $60.  I listed them and they sold on eBay for $140.00 plus shipping.

Pots and pans are a hot commodity on eBay. Pots and pans sell very well because people are always looking for new cookware and lids.  Think about all of the people searching eBay who live in the countryside or far from a shopping outlet where these items are readily available.  People would much rather pay for an item to be shipped right to their door rather than have to spend the extra $20 in gas to get to the nearest city to buy it.  Makes sense right?  I've sold many pans with profits between $30-$60 per pan.

So this is a small picture of my first bedroom when I really started getting into selling on eBay.  I had about 80 pairs of brand new Authentic Puma shoes.  These sold well, especially right around the start of school.

People are always looking for clothes online.  Not only do people want to buy new clothes, they want to buy used clothes that have been lightly used.  If you have any old clothes lying around in your room or closet that you are thinking about giving to your nearest donation location, you may want to think about selling them on eBay to get a little extra spending cash.  Don't get me wrong, I love donating old used stuff to people in need, but sometimes it's necessary to sell your own stuff to be able to afford some newer items.

Seasonality plays a large role in whether or not your items will sell.  Although, keep in mind that just because the sun isn't shining in your neighborhood doesn't mean it isn't shining in somebody else's.  Coats, sunglasses, sports items, etc will sell year round, but will sell best when they are in season. 

Questions or Comments? Wondering if certain items you have will sell online?  Ask me below 

Why you might want to Sell Used Books on eBay and Amazon.com

A short guide to starting and running an online book business, 

by eBay seller, Trent Crane

Used books are probably some of the easiest and most profitable items you can sell online today.  If you would like to work from home and enjoy running your own business, consider a used books business.

In the United States alone, nearly $8 Billion dollars worth of books are sold each year. Nearly $2 Billion dollars worth of those books are sold on eBay.com and Half.com.  Amazon will not release the book figures from its' sales, but it is expected to be over $1 Billion annually.  There is a lot of money being made here, wouldn't you like to be a part of it?

If you are interested in selling books on Amazon.com and eBay.com, there are a few things to know.

One of the easiest businesses that a person can have is selling books online.  Look around, have you noticed how many resellers of books have popped up in strip malls and near college campuses in recent years?  Well....it's because there is so much money to made in the used book industry.  It doesn't take much to get a used book business up and going either.  Normally, you can start for around $20-$100 dollars.  Anybody can do this.

Selling books online is super easy and failure is nearly impossible if you are willing to put in a little effort.

 The only reasons people could fail in this business:

• Not willing to work, laziness.
• They won't learn how it works.

Why should I Sell Used Books Online?

Let's take a look at the advantages:

• Demand. People are always buying books.
• Access. You probably have books lying around the house that you aren't using.
• Books are easy to stack and easy to ship.
• Discount shipping using media mail (specifically for books, and cheap).
• Stores are always having clearance sales on books.
• Where else can you buy an item for $0.25 or $0.75 and sell it for $10, $30, or $60+?
• Putting them online is as easy as scanning a barcode with your smartphone!
• Books don't take up a lot of space.
• IT'S EASY.

Make money your first week

 I talk with people almost every day who are struggling to find the right items to sell online.  They are struggling because there are a lot of sellers who are selling the same items making high profit margins nearly impossible.  Used books may have some competition, but it doesn't matter, you can find used books just as easily as anyone else.  Even if you list the books you buy and you don't sell them for tons of profit, chances are you will at least break even and not lose money.  Try it out, what do you have to lose? Gain? 

Profit margins on used books are like none other

Okay, so you might be thinking, "I know nothing about books or which ones would sell."  Don't worry, I'll help you out below.  I always look up a book online before I buy it.  There are several apps out there for smartphones that have barcode scanners that allow you to see where else they are currently selling online, and for how much.  Also, read my article http://tinyurl.com/9gm927o to get more tips on how to research items and the prices that they have sold for in the past.

 The best books to sell online:

• Cookbooks

• College textbooks

• How To books

• Photography and Art

• Legal books

• Medical books

• Books about cars, trains, trucks, airplanes, etc.

• History books

• Sports books

• Children's books

 Now get out there and try it! Good Luck!

Please comment if you have any questions or need clarification.