posted on March 11, 2004 05:38:15 PM new
Hi again,
Is there a way to edit the shipping cost on the packing slip? I have previously discussed the shipping cost issue on a previous post. SEE SMP post 3-1-04 7:33pm orginally posted by isabella3luna.
I weigh my packages after they are all packed & my shipping is based on the destination zip. I use SMP and leave WBN blank, thinking I could insert it manually & then send WBN manually.
WBN just has the option to use the fixed or calc. cost, same as SMP. Just tonight on a closed auction I used the fixed selection. I then had to edit my "checkout welcome message" to state the "fixed postage" was the actual cost based on the weight & included delivery confirmation fee. This is defeating the purpose of Vendio.
I just resumed doing auctions again. I noticed that on eBay, after the auction ends you have the option of sending an invoice.
This is what I mean. eBay's invoice lets you put in the shipping cost, tax, & insurance. I have sent invoices from eBay along with the WBN to my winning bidder's but then when I do that it messes everything up on Vendio. The winning bidder usually ends up not responding to the WBN! So then I don't have the info for the rest of the steps on my fulfillment checklist.
Also, it seems you have to state in DETAIL to your winning bidders the breakdown, or else they just send the postage, and not the other fees. For example: I send everything Priority mail with Delivery Confirmation, stated in the listing. So, if you put a weight for them to do their calculations on then they just send the postage and not the $.45 for delivery confirmation! This has happened to me numerous times! I end up paying the $.45, because most of the time they have already sent the payment!
All this automation & more features is great BUT sometimes the simpler the better. Thanks for listening.
Angela...
[ edited by heavenlyms on Mar 11, 2004 05:40 PM ]
posted on March 12, 2004 12:51:21 PM new
Hi Angela,
Thanks for posting. When you send an invoice with shipping/handling to your buyer through eBay's system, don't you still need to know your buyer's location before you send the invoice? Through our system, if you base your shipping rates on the buyer's location and you vary using fixed and calculated shipping, you might want to just alter your checkout welcome message to explain the difference. If you do not consistently use calculated shipping, you might not want to use auto-WBN - that way you can edit the shipping before you send and this is what will appear on your invoice.
You can still edit the checkout information after a WBN is sent, and change the info that will apply to an invoice. Just uncheck steps #1 and #2, edit the WBN to reflect the correct shipping, and use the 'go to buyer checkout' in step #2 to apply the shipping value.
posted on March 13, 2004 08:32:22 AM new
Hi Diana,
At the top of eBay's invoice it has the buyers zip code. Editing the WBN is a solution, but it really does not do what I would like. If you pick "calc" shipping you can't put in an amount, only the weight. Then the buyer only sends the postage and not the delivery confirmation fee. If you pick "fixed" that is a little deceiving for the buyer, because I state buyer pays actual shipping costs. So editing the WBN really does not solve the problem.
I just would like to be able to list everything separately. For eg: shipping, insurance, delivery confirmation. This way the buyer knows exactly what they are paying.
The eBay invoice is this way. For the insurance field they give you a drop down box to pick - n/a, optional, required.
Not so much a reply to your questions, but some helpful hints.
1. First off, don't waste your money on the Delivery Confirmation (DC) Fee at the post office. You can go to the USPS website and print your shipping labels for priority with the DC on it for free. You just have to pay the postage amount. Because the web site only supports Priority, you need to download their program, http://www.usps.com/shippingassistant/
if you ship via first class and parcel a lot. If you use this program the DC is only 13 cents for parcel, 1st, media, and free for priority.
2. If you send quite a bit of stuff consider using an online stamp service. I use stamps.com and believe me the $15 I pay a month for the service is worth every penny.
It allows me to print the shipping label with postage on it. I then just go to the USPS website and schedule a pick up for the next day. (Can only schedule pick-ups for priority mail)
3. Buy self adhesive labels. I buy from mparry9 on ebay. It runs 10 cents a sheet if you buy 1000 sheets at a time. I then use stamps.com or usps.com to print the shipping labels. They are very professional, have the zip +4, the address is verified, DC is on the slip so I can enter it into Vendio, and stamps allows me to put the ebay item number on the sheet. My shipping page states that the item will ship within 24 hours and here is the DC number.
4. Another hint is to use packing list. You can get these on Ebay for about 2 cents each. The second I get a bid I go ahead and package up the item. When I get paid I print the invoice put it in the packing list, remove the backing and stick the list to the box. Saves a lot of time this way, although sometimes I have to open them back up to combine items.
5. 70% of my auctions I only offer Priority mail. In case you didn't know, you can go to the USPS website and get cases of the different size priorty mail boxes sent to you for free.
6. The two workarounds for your problem is to look up the parcel weight to a distant location. I am on the East coast so I look up shipping to CA. I then list this as the shipping rate. If someone on the East coast wins I will put a dollar or two in with the invoice to make up the difference. This makes buyers very very happy. The second thing I do is to average out the cost. Say it cost 11 to mail to west coast and 8 to mail to east. I will list shipping as 9.50 and eat the difference or pocket it. This has worked quite well for me and most buyers are happy with it.
In short add a shipping charge to either your starting price of the auction, or seperate. My charge is below 1 dollar, 90% of the time. The dollar pays for my labels, boxes, bubble wrap, gas, etc. My auction clearly states what the handling charge is. If I use Fedex I will list the zip and weight in the auction and let them figure shipping charges before bidding. At the end I will edit the WBN with the shipping amount before sending it. It would be nice if Vendio would support weight shipping automatic calculations for USPS, Fedex, and UPS. That would stop me from having to be at my machine to input shipping before the WBN is sent. But again, on busy weeks at work, (ebay part time), I will just list stuff with priority shipping and auto WBN's. 1 in 50 buyers complain about not offering 1st or parcel, the rest like getting their stuff 1-3 days after auction end.
