ladyjewels2000
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posted on March 6, 2011 07:25:10 AM new
Didn't ebay say that the increased rates would be automatic in the their shipping calculator?
I just got a offer on a 3 lb item which would go to Australia. Ebay's calculator says $25 - USPS's website says $36.
The item isn't that much so if I take the offer and the shipping is higher - I may go in the hole.
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alldings
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posted on March 6, 2011 08:38:39 AM new
I would go with the USPS number. I suspect eBay of low balling there shipping fees so we will use free shipping or at least suck up part of the cost from the selling price, which improves there FVF and that is of course there goal.
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ladyjewels2000
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posted on March 6, 2011 09:17:09 AM new
OK I just figured it out. The ebay quote is 1st class and I was looking at priority. Whew that was scary. Lesson learned - never do business before you finish your morning coffee!!
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hwahwa
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posted on March 6, 2011 11:09:22 AM new
The smallest USPS priority box which fits a dvd is under 15 dollars.
and what about fixed rate priority envelope?
You can have up to 4 lbs.
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
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shagmidmod
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posted on March 7, 2011 07:21:22 AM new
Small Fixed Rate boxes do not qualify for Delivery Confirmation.
On a side note, I heard that USPS said they will be broke by the fall.
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pmelcher
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posted on March 7, 2011 07:33:54 AM new
Won't be broke because of us..I never spent so much money at the Post Office before I started selling!! They get more money every year from me (or my buyers that is).
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ladyjewels2000
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posted on March 7, 2011 07:39:37 AM new
shagmidmod - bet you are happy that ebay added FedEx. I haven't tried it yet but hope to soon. I'm sick of UPS breaking my stuff. You have to crate everything to be sure it will arrive in one piece. Buyer's just aren't willing to pay for that.
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shagmidmod
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posted on March 7, 2011 07:45:54 AM new
The Fed Ex addition hasn't affected me b/c I offer free shipping on everything. No use for a shipping calculator.
I would have rather seen eBay remove "shipping fees" from the DSR. My opinion is that once a buyer agrees to shipping costs, they shouldn't be able to judge you on it. They have already factored it in, but that is just me... and the rest of the eBay sellers who find the DSR system terrible.
My latest DSR issue:
Dashboard Score....DSR Star Average
Shipping Time: 4.96 = 5.0
Shipping Fee: 4.97 = 4.9
How is that possible???
[ edited by shagmidmod on Mar 7, 2011 07:47 AM ]
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shagmidmod
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posted on March 7, 2011 11:33:06 AM new
Also, even though eBay is supporting Fed Ex, Paypal shipping is not. You can only print USPS and UPS labels via Paypal.
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ladyjewels2000
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posted on March 7, 2011 12:56:01 PM new
Hopefully they will add that soon.
I can't see ebay adding it and paypal not having it available.
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shagmidmod
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posted on March 7, 2011 02:29:11 PM new
I'm not sure how well that will work for us.
Does anyone have a UPS account that they get bigger discounts than eBay offers? If so, can you register your account to get the discounts applied to labels printed for UPS?
I'm not sure if we just get a standard discount or a better discount. I had to talk with a Fed Ex account rep who reviewed our account to determine our rates. We even received a contract detailing the rates for various Fed Ex uses.
I have had one problem using Fed Ex and it had nothing to do with them handling a package. We have shipped thousands of items with no claims for damage through Fed Ex. My issue with FE was that another person used my account number to ship a 20 pound package to our business. It was before Mailboxes, Etc sold out to UPS. The store had the shipper fill out a Fed Ex Express form for a ground package. I got a bill for $120. I called Fed Ex and they fixed it without any issues.
I forgot about a customer who purchased a Herman Miller conference table from us and had it shipped to Los Angeles, CA through UPS freight. He signed up for UPS and was suppose to get a 50% discount on his first freight shipment. UPS delivered it to his home instead of work where it was addressed to and it cost him an extra $100 to have it delivered to his office b/c UPS refused to pick it up and deliver it to the correct address. UPS damaged the item that was packed at a UPS store and denied the damage claim, and when the buyer refused to pay the freight bill, UPS tried to bill us. We had absolutely nothing to do with the shipment of the item. The buyer had his own person pick it up and deliver to UPS Store for packing and they gave it to UPS freight. The only reason why UPS even knew we existed was because we included a receipt for the item that he purchased. I will NEVER use UPS.
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hwahwa
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posted on March 7, 2011 04:26:37 PM new
I know being an Ebay powerseller,I get UPS discount .
Since I never use UPS,how is Ebay UPS discount ?Is it a good deal?
We have mail drop off etc and they want one dollar for dropping off UPS package!
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
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ladyjewels2000
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posted on March 7, 2011 04:33:02 PM new
You mean a UPS store? You have to be kidding - I drop off all the time and they don't charge me a dime.
The rates are pretty good - seems to be much cheaper than large USPS items. Like one I sold last night - $14 for UPS and $36 for USPS. No wonder the post office is going out of business!!!
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hwahwa
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posted on March 7, 2011 06:42:22 PM new
It is not an UPS store,it is like mail box rental,copiers ,boxes and supplies and they will ship your UPS and Fed Exp packages ,of course you pay them for doing it/
if you just want to drop off your prepaid UPS package,they want a dollar for letting you leave your package for pickup.
these outfits change hands so often,new owners have different policy.
You know like the drycleaner and chinese restaurants,new immigrants come and look for something to buy so they can make a living and the older immigrants will tell them this is a wonderful profitable business and take their money and start another business,sell to newly arrived immigrants and move on to another venture.
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
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shagmidmod
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posted on March 8, 2011 07:32:46 AM new
I ship Fed Ex and take everything to Kinkos/Fed Ex - no drop off fee.
When I ship USPS, my carrier picks up everything around 9am - free of charge.
Yesterday I discovered something odd though. I had to drop off a pair of shoes that were defective at Sorel/Columbia Sportswear which is located in the Industrial area in North Portland. I knew there was also a Fed Ex office out there, so I brought my packages with me. When I got to Fed Ex, the sign said their office was open Tuesday-Saturday. After close examination of the parking lot, I realized this was Fed Ex Home Delivery. I also had a package notification 2 weeks ago that said they would reattempt delivery Tuesday-Saturday. Hmmmm... does Fed Ex provide delivery to homes on Mondays??? I have to call them b/c I was unaware of no deliveries on Mondays for this service.
For those unfamiliar with Home Delivery, it is Ground, but for residential. I get a small surcharge for home deliveries added to each package.
[ edited by shagmidmod on Mar 8, 2011 07:33 AM ]
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shagmidmod
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posted on March 8, 2011 07:34:49 AM new
hwa- sounds like you need to find a new drop off location. not sure if there are other places close by, but Office Depot is a drop off location for UPS too.
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LtRay
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posted on March 8, 2011 12:32:49 PM new
Shag, Fedex Ground is only delivered Tues - Sat. They use different trucks than FedEx Express so no Monday deliveries even if the Express truck was in the neighborhood on Monday.
Hwa, our local Mailbox shop charges for UPS and FedEx dropoffs too but it is more cost effective to pay them $1/package than to drive 10 miles to the FedEx office.
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ladyjewels2000
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posted on March 8, 2011 01:06:00 PM new
Where I drop off my UPS package is a UPS store - they take USPS package as well. They are really nice there and I hate not letting them do the labels for me but I would lost the ebay discount.
Shag - I have a friend that let's UPS pack and ship most of her item. She is under the impression that if they pack it and it get's broken that she's 100% covered. I let the UPS store pack an expense mirror for me one time and I believe they told me that if there was any damage UPS had to pay the claim because they packed it?? Is that wrong? Dang I'll get it in writing next time.
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shagmidmod
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posted on March 13, 2011 11:20:09 AM new
There are a few things to consider when using their packing services. The most important is cost. It is extremely expensive to have them pack items. I would consider this only if the item was fragile and had a high value. The thing is that UPS won't cover certain items even if it is packed by their reps. They have this written into their user terms. Just b/c someone at a counter says it is covered, doesn't mean that it is written in stone... or their user agreement and it is still determined by UPS. Keep in mind, UPS Stores are independently owned. UPS can easily tell you to take it up with the local store that packed it.
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shagmidmod
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posted on March 13, 2011 11:21:34 AM new
Also, I was just sending a buyer an invoice and looked at the drop down menu for shipping options. eBay still does not provide any Fed Ex options.
So, I have to send invoices still showing UPS is being used when in fact it is not.
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niel35
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posted on March 13, 2011 11:57:35 AM new
Right, I always use UPS on EBay to figure the shipping cost and when I go to ship, I go into my FEDEX account to do the actual label, it is always cheaper, so if there is no packing material involved, I refund the buyer the difference.
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shagmidmod
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posted on March 13, 2011 01:43:31 PM new
refund the buyer the difference???
I have "free shipping", so I always keep any difference as profits. There is almost always a positive gain for me now.
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niel35
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posted on March 13, 2011 04:08:51 PM new
I sure do. Thats why my stars are 5 across the board and no negs
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hwahwa
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posted on March 13, 2011 05:18:20 PM new
That Mail Box etc store which charges one dollar for UPS drop off is the only game in town.
But I dont use UPS,I ship exclusively USPS,I will only drop off USPS Express mail when the customer must have it yesterday.
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
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shagmidmod
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posted on March 14, 2011 08:02:08 AM new
seems like a lot of work to overcharge people and then issue refunds. rather than go through the trouble, i just offer free shipping and accept lower offers from buyers that cost me less to ship to. customers are very pleased with "free shipping" and i offset all of my costs much more effectively.
speaking of dsrs, can anyone explain how a 4.96 = 5.0, but a 4.97 = 4.9???
one is for shipping cost, the 2nd for shipping time.
funny how eBay holds us to such high standards, but they can't even hold themselves to the same quality standards.
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shagmidmod
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posted on March 14, 2011 08:06:54 AM new
you pay a buck a package to have your USPS packaged dropped off?
do you have a post office nearby? can't you just drop your packages off at the post office? you don't have to wait in line if you have your packages ready to be shipped. you can even request a free pick up at your home or office.
All of my USPS packages go right on my front porch and our carrier picks them up between 9-10am. i don't even bother to set up a pick up any longer.
i take fed ex packages to kinkos which is close by.
i know i live in a major city, so it is more convenient, but i can't imagine paying $1 per package for USPS.
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