no idea about ebay

robwend

hello me lovlies. now help me out here. i want to sell on ebay. how do i work out postage costs? and how to send them ,and also whats the safest way to take there money? thanks guyssss wendy

Sugar_Coated_Owl

:hello:

What items are you wanting to sell?

Have a look on the Royal Mail website for information re: postage charges. Did you receive one of those free pricing in proportion guides?

I would choose to accept PayPal.

bluebell13

Its a good idea to check what postage other people are charging as this will give you a rough idea. Obviously check for over-inflated prices by looking at a few different sellers. Dont forget to make a charge for your packing materials too within the price.

I accept Paypal, cheques and postal orders. have had no problems with any so far (touch wood!)

pigsmightfly

I personally only accept Paypal because I've had a lot of bounced cheques sent to me.

madbazoo

You can download current mail prices from: http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/jump2;jsessionid=YDUKK1E0YOK4AFB2IGFENZQUHRAYWQ2K?catId=400023&mediaId=11200122

Jiffy bags are usually the best for mailing most products but larger items may needs packing in boxes. To keep down costs try to get a selection of box sizes free from your supermarket and if you haven't got any bubble wrap use shredded paper. I have a cross cut shredder and recycle most of it as packing materials.

If you want to keep mailing costs down use second class post. If there are a number of similar items for sale on ebay the lowest postage costs may get you more bids.

Look at prices for Standard Parcels for larger and heavier items. Always make it clear what method you are going to use to avoid later complaints.

Always weigh your items (kitchen scales will give you a rough idea) and use next highest rate as packing will add to the items weight. I then usually add between 50p and £1 for additional costs over and above postage.

Finally always get a proof of posting certificate from the PO. They are free and you may need them to prove you have posted the item. It is not unknown for a buyer to say they have not received an item and try to reclaim their payments.

I always use Paypal only as it saves you problems with bounced cheques, trips to the bank and waiting for cheques to clear before sending out the items.

Hope this helps

Tim_Deegan

As far as paypal goes, it is a good way to take credit card payments from customers if you don't have a credit card machine. However Paypal is very slow when you transfer money from your paypal account into your bank account, and they are also expensive.

If you also accept cheques, postal orders, and bankers draughts, then make it clear on all your listings that you won't post items until cheques clear.

I actually prefer customers not to pay by paypal, but we deliver using our own transport, so we can take paypal, credit cards, cheques, postal orders, or best of all cash on delivery.

Another site worth listing on is https://www.tazbar.com they are much cheaper than ebay, and are growing fast.

Bambywamby

Personally I dont like Paypal for items of small monetary value as they charge such a wacking big fee.

Cheques and postal orders are fine by me.

FloFlo

I would say start with lower price items and you will learn as you sell. Most questions you will have someone will answer for you on here.

samanthaknd

robwend wrote: »

hello me lovlies. now help me out here. i want to sell on ebay. how do i work out postage costs? and how to send them ,and also whats the safest way to take there money? thanks guyssss wendy

ok i know it may no be safest for alot of people on here but i like paypal for funds! as it protects the buyer and seller. but thats just my opinion.

oliveoyl

another reason to start with low value items is that many bidders won't buy expensive things from a person with low/no feedback, so build up a decent reputation first.

angelcake

Hi Robwend - welcome to the world of ebay selling!

I would first start of selling low cost items just so you get a feel of it, check to see similar items people are selling and see how much the are asking for it/starting bid, then check in ebay advanced to see how much they end up going for, this will give you a rough idea whereabouts what you will get!

At this stage of starting off don't accept any 'buy it now' offers from people who may see your picasso for 99p and say they need it for their mums birthday yesterday so will you accept a tenner!? usually its worth more, if you are tempted or unsure then come here and ask us to look at their account etc and give you our opinion, you can always pm some of us if you don't wanna post link.

Postage costs... I think people have covered that all, Just as advice do not charge over the top, I have lost some money by underquoting but you live and learn! I think that if you put an 'accurate' and honest amount it will attract people more and offer postage discounts for purchases of combined items but be careful that it doesn't exceed what you have quoted i.e. put both items on kitchen sales and work out the cost and perhaps if you can just discount on the packaging!

When you go to the post office ask for a load of COP and recorded slips to save you waiting for them to write them out in PO!!

Good Luck - remember any little thing we are here to help!!! Let us know how you get on!