Ebay When The Auction Is Over by Melissa Olivero http://www.melsatticimages.com/ Congrats on selling your item! I hope you got a good price for it. At least it is on the way out of the house, right? Now you have to pack it with the best materials you have available and ship it the most cost effective way. We are discussing packing here. It is a bigger deal than you might imagine. A properly packed item increases your package's chances of arriving at it's destination and doing so within a timely manner. You will first want to make sure you have the buyer's proper address. If you take a few seconds to find out the full zip code if it wasn't included, your shipping time can often be cut by at least a day. Figuring out what you should put your item in is the next step. There are some people who will disagree, but you should first try to re-use packaging from an item mailed to you. Yes, I want you to clean up that box or tape over an envelope whenever possible. You are accomplishing two things when you do this -- you are saving both yourself and your customer the cost of new supplies and you are helping the planet by delaying the packaging's trip to the local landfill. You can also use boxes from household items that you've purchased. From cereal to popcorn boxes, you probably have all the supplies you need. If you do use recycled packaging that has writing on it, make sure to mark it out and securely tape an index card with the buyer's address on it. You will also want to put a slip inside the box with the buyer's info on it in case your box is accidentally opened en route. Whether you use a box or an envelope, wrap your item in tissue and then again in plastic to protect it in case of water damage. If you item still has room to move in the box, then fill up the rest with crumpled newspaper, plastic grocery bags, tissue or Styrofoam peanuts that you already have -- don't buy new! I must say this here that even if an item is free, if you are not using it according to terms then you are abusing the system and in the case of brand new Priority Mail materials, you can be fined. You are on your honor here. If you received a package using a Priority Mail box, you can turn it inside out and re-use it. I definitely want you to do that. Take every step you can to recycle what you can. If you take brand new supplies though, wrap it in brown paper or turn inside out and then send parcel post or through another mail system -- you are basically stealing and if your buyer has the knowledge and any ethics at all -- they won't buy from you again. If you are willing to cheat someone out of something so little as package material, then you'd certainly be willing to cheat me in some way and I don't want anything to do with you or your product. Okay, off my soap box and let's move on to shipping options. You probably see a lot of sellers who only give you the option to send priority. Take the time to figure out a cheaper parcel post rate to offer to your customers. If I am buying a book from you then I probably don't really care how long it takes if I can pay less in shipping. You may also see sellers that charge "s/h" which is shipping (postage) and HANDLING. I am going to say this, when you make a purchase from a catalog company, you know that you are going to spend a preset amount on shipping that is inflated with a handling fee. So there is nothing wrong with you, as a business adding a small fee to your shipping amount. I am talking 50 cents to a dollar here though. I cannot stand to see sellers start an auction at 1 penny and then charge $8.00 when it is a CD that they are trying to get you to buy. Just be normal -- don't play games and hope that people don't read all the way down to the bottom. Ask for postage and a nominal fee (IF you have to buy new boxes or envelopes) and make your starting bid the minimum you would want to take for the item. The only other way to go is to figure out the minimum you want for your item (let's say $2.00) and then build shipping into your price (start bid at $6.00) and offer free Priority shipping within the US. This is assuming that your package will only weigh the minimum Priority weight. I actually like this way of selling because as a buyer, I don't ever want to be "surprised" by shipping costs. One more thing, open up your bidding to "World Wide" buyers. I have had so many items that sold with only one bid and that was to an international buyer. You will make more sales and higher sales if you do not restrict who you will sell to and it would be silly to turn down money, right? They do understand that their shipping costs are going to be higher and that their packages will take longer to arrive. If their English is difficult to understand, then you just use a translator. Selling across the globe is fun and very easy. You have to fill out one small form. It is perhaps 2" high and 3" or 4" across. You fill in what you are sending them, their address and yours and then you sign it. It does ask you to check a box as to whether you are sending a gift or goods. If you mark goods, your buyer will pay a higher duty. If you mark it as a gift -- you will be lying and signing your name attesting to the lie. The choice is between you and your buyer. I have it posted asking International buyers to not request that I lie on a government form. It only makes me feel guilty when I have to say no and I have enough guilt in my life. Now, all you have to do is wait until the buyer receives it and you make sure that they are happy with their purchase. You can then leave positive feedback for one another and hopefully go on to enjoy many great transactions with each other.

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