So on this blog and repeatedly on Twitter I’ve hyped up the use of a Label Printer (“thermal printer”) to increase your efficiency as an eBay seller. Well, I’ve got a handful of other supplies that I’d like recommend to save you time, worries, and any confusion as well.
As an intro, it’s always best to know HOW you’re going to ship something when you list it on eBay. Not only do you need to know the costs involved with these extra supplies, but you need to be totally prepared to ship it as soon as the item sells. I frequently hear about sellers listing their items and then panicking when it comes to the actual logistics of shipping that item….and I don’t understand it.
Below I’ve put together a quick list of some common shipping supplies, techniques, and key phrases that will help you as an eBay seller. Some of them require a single investment (for the lifetime of the product), and others require repeat purchases (as you’ll use them up). One thing to keep in mind is that most of these types of supplies will be cheaper on a PER-UNIT basis if you buy a higher quantity. It just comes with the territory.
Weight Scale – This might seem like an obvious suggestion, but you’d be surprised how frequently sellers simply guess the weight of their products–OR maybe they’ll stand on their scale with and without the product in their arms. If that’s how you want to roll, go for it, but I’d recommend getting a small scale from another eBay supplier. I found one on eBay for $6. That’s right, SIX F@#$ING DOLLARS. It has a surface area of about one square foot and will weigh anything up to about 40 lbs. Clearly a no-brainer.
Bubble Mailers – You might be a little more familiar with these little gems. Now, you can buy individual bubble mailers at the Post Office or UPS store…but they will definitely try to rape you on the price (not worth it). Again, I recommend hitting up the eBay suppliers for some kind of bulk order. Maybe you need 1000, maybe you only need 10…but if you buy them from eBay suppliers you will be paying CENTS online, rather than DOLLARS at the store. The last time I needed these, I ordered 100 at about 13 cents a piece.
Poly Mailers – If you’ve ever ordered any type of clothing online, this is probably how it was sent to you. It’s a pale gray plastic bag with a polyethylene exterior…which provides excellent water, dirt, and puncture resistance. They come in all types of shapes and sizes, and are generally cheap to buy in bulk. The trick here is just knowing what they’re called (and truth be told, it took me quite a while to figure that out!).
Tissue Paper – Sometimes you just need to dress up the appearance/arrangement of your packaging, and a little tissue paper can go a long way. If you’re selling an type of high-end luxury item, it’s a must. You want your buyers to know that you really care about the item, as well as their overall buying experience. Tissue paper can also help keep your items from shifting around as they travel from point A to point B. *Depending on what you’re selling, you could also simply include newspaper or thick wrapping paper to keep your items in place–golf clubs being a common example.
Shipping Boxes – Whenever possible, I reuse boxes that I have laying around the house. However, sometimes you need specialty boxes to get the job done. For example, I recently sold a number of high-end athletic shoes on eBay. I didn’t want to just send the shoe boxes in a bag (which may cause some damage), I wanted to send each pair the same way that Zappos or Amazon or any other quality company would–in another bigger shipping box. To do so I realized that 15″ x 10″ x 6″ hit the spot just right. It turns out that U-Line has that, and they have pretty much any other shipping supply you could ever need. They can be a little more expensive than you like at times, but if you’re going for high quantity it’s still a pretty solid deal.
I think that’s about enough for this post. There are tons and tons of other shipping supplies that you need to have on-hand as an eBay seller, but these are just some of the ones I find myself repeatedly using and purchasing.