. : 10 Easy Ways to Save on Shipping for eBay Buyers : .

As registered eBay Trading Assistants, we are always looking for ways to help people buy and sell on eBay. In recent months, eBay has started cracking down on what they call 'excessive shipping costs'. Meaning, some Sellers charge a minuscule amount for the item, but charge and exorbitant amount for shipping. With that in mind, we want to give you 10 easy ways to save on shipping for eBay buying.

1. Ship to a commercial address. This, above all, is the easiest way to save on shipping. The three major carriers prefer to ship to commercial address because loss & theft claims are significantly lower. On average, shipping to commercial addresses is 30% lower than residential. If you are unable to ship eBay to your work, then we recommend getting a private mailbox from a local mail & parcel center.
   
   
2. Do not buy from Sellers who only offer flat rate shipping costs. Flat rate shipping costs generally benefit the Seller. Calculated shipping rates, even with adding in packing costs, are far more accurate.
   
   
3. Try to buy from Sellers in your local area. Most Sellers will accommodate local pick up - especially for larger items. If the item is 30 or more miles away, it may be cheaper just to ship it.
   
   
4. Do your homework. If a Seller offers offers calculated shipping in their auction, check what the price is. Ask the Seller for the shipping specifications they used then take those specifications to the carrier's website and get a quote. If there is a significant difference, ask the Seller what it's for or buy from a different Seller.
   
   
5. Get your own UPS Account. UPS offers its account holders a 'Return Shipping' option. This means, a shipping label can be emailed to the Seller for the package. The appropriate package specifications must be used in order for this to work. The Seller would have to pack and weigh the item and send those specifications to you. Then UPS can email them the label. Note: Some Sellers will not use this method because of 'loss & damage claim' reasons. It never hurts to ask.
   
   
6. Learn about the shipping process. Shipping is not as straightforward as it may seem. The carriers can all have different rates for the same package to the same address. There are size limits that can make the package more expensive to ship. There are delivery surcharges for remote areas. Being knowledgeable about these intricacies will help save you money on shipping. FedEx offers comprehensive information on its website "Packaging Tips for Shipping".
   
   
7. Learn about retail packaging prices. If a Seller is charging a fee for packing, you need to know if it's appropriate or not. Not everyone has access to wholesale packaging pricing, so the best way to learn about retail packaging pricing is to go to a local business that sells a large array of boxes and other shipping supplies. These will generally be mini-storage facilities or mail & parcel centers. They will have nearly every product available for pricing. Ask if they have a price list to make it easy for you.
   
   
8. Compare shipping prices for similar items. eBay has added a column on the listing pages called "Shipping". This gives you an estimate of what the shipping costs will be for this auction. It's not a perfect indicator - because one Seller may be too high or too low - but it's an indicator nonetheless.
   
   
9. Buy multiple items from Sellers who offer shipping discounts. Shipping discounts can offer huge savings for multiple items. For example, two books can fit in our boxes just as easily as one and it generally only adds less than a $1.00 more to the shipping costs. Please be aware that some items cannot be safely shipped together.
   
   
10. Ask the Seller how they come up with their shipping costs. Sellers should be able to give you a decent answer on how they come up with their shipping costs. For example, we use eBay's Shipping Calculator to provide an estimate. Our invoiced shipping costs include the lowest actual shipping rate of the three major carriers plus any significant ($5.00 or more) packaging supply costs.
    
    
11. BONUS - Size does matter when it comes to shipping! Use our Dimension Calculator to determine whether you can save money by using a smaller box. Oversize Package Calculator

We hope you can use this to save money on your shipping costs for the future. Remember, most Sellers do not have intricate knowledge of how shipping actually works. Educating yourself on the process will help you save money and avoid lost or damaged packages.

Let us know if this article helped save you money on shipping. Email us at "auctions @ netsend.us". If you have a website, feel free to link to us!