posted on May 16, 2008 01:07:08 PM new
Hello Lynn,
Yes, those would be the same rates that would be shown by the shipping calculator.
You would need to enter this extra amount into your shipping markup (if you are using calculated shipping). This can be done in the main listing form under the "Calculated Shipping Options" section. Please let us know should you have any trouble with this.
posted on May 16, 2008 06:55:01 PM new
Purchase your shipping online. When shipping USPS Priority Mail, the DEC is only 18 cents additional not 65 cents. I'm not sure about Parcel Post. I would assume that is the same.
You could purchase shipping from PayPal, or use Shipping Assistant to print the labels, and pay at your local post office.
I'm just a grandma and there's no one here to help me figure out how to do calculated shipping or use the Shipping Assistant. I don't have a clue how either of them work. I've been selling since 2001 and I'm still doing everything the same way as when I started. With heavier items, I tell buyers to email their zip code to me and I'll find them the least expensive method of shipping... USPS, FedEx or UPS. But with ebay forcing us to state the cost, I won't be able to do that anymore.
I have some questions.
What does the Shipping Assistant actually do? From what I read, it looks the same as when I calculate postage on the USPS site myself, except I can print a barcoded label. Is the actual postage rate the same or is it discounted?
And do I need a postal scale? Or does a package still have to be weighed at my post office? Or can it be done either way?
How do I pay the postage... at my post office or online? Do I need a postage meter?
And if I use the shipping assistant... is the 18 cent delivery confirmation scanned at my post office or only when the package reaches it's destination?
I talked to my postal clerk awhile back about Click n' Ship. He told me the 18 cent delivery confirmations aren't scanned until they reached their destination. He said that's why they're less expensive. I always use a retail DC because I feel it's more important that it's scanned immediately so if there's a problem, I can at least show my buyer that their item has been mailed. And if it happens to take the scenic route, most of the time I'm still able to follow the enroute progress with my retail DC. Does the shipping assistant DC work the same way as a retail DC or like Click n' Ship?
And do you know anything about FedEx home delivery calculated rates? The rates on their website vary, depending on where I drop a package off at. Right now I take my packages to a FedEx terminal which is a few miles away. Do I still drop a package off there or is the calculator rate for pickup at my door?
I'm widowed and downsizing and sell a little of everything.... my books are no problem.
But antiques and collectibles are usually a toss up with shipping rates. Sometimes FedEx has a better rate than the USPS. It all depends on weight, box size and zip code.
And FedEx only insures antiques for a maximum of $100... regardless of it's value, so if the post office is too high, I use UPS... they insure things for the actual selling price.
