You HAVE to try this!! EBAY your way to DISNEY!!

[jgates]

I would try the grocery store or a furniture store for various box sizes. Even possibly your WalMart or equivalent store if you can catch them when they are stocking.

I'm hoping for some green too and I'm not getting anywhere......

The Polly purchaser did purchase 1 additional one for a lower price, but wants regular shipping so I had to scrounge a box up instead of PM. I don't have a problem but I would love to know this ahead before the auction is done - not afterwards. Can't blame them for asking though.

 

[jgates]

OK - I know we went through this once. I need to do DC on a Media Mail package which should be .15 if I do it online. However, I get the following in the FAQ's:

Q. Can I print an online shipping label for Parcel Post, Special Standard, Bound Printed Matter or Library Mail?
A. Not at this time, however, we are considering adding online labels for these services in the future.

And no matter where I got, I cannot get anything to come up other than my standard PM or Express Mail shipping options. Even when I go thru the calculator FOR MEDIA MAIL, and enter the weight etc. it only brings up PM!!!! Won't even bring up the PM!

I print PM & Express all the time, but cannot locate anything else to help me. I was told on another board to use shipping assistant, but isn't that what I downloaded for the PM labels? I can't get anything else to come up to download.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

You can make labels for services other than PM or EM with the Shipping Assistant download. Anyone care to provide that link........again

 

[jgates]

I know - I didn't want to start paging thru 300 pages!!! (What are we up to now?)

One of my planned projects was to go through this thread. Cut and paste the IMPORTANT info and then have it ready for when they locked us out for length! Then we could have the stuff we knew was a FAQ at the top!

I have such big plans and here I sit............................

Aha! I see someone asked for it on the bottom of page 313 or 314 but I didn't spot a reply for it yet!

Update!!! Thank goodness for the find on this page function in explorer! I think we were back on page 289 or 290!

Shipping Assistant

 

[jgates]

OK - Downloaded and complete. Now for the easy question. It mentioned 30 day trial. Is there a fee after that? I refuse to go back any more page and hunt........... Just too tired. I would have expected if there were a fee that it would have required me to enter a credit card number. I kind of faked it out and used my employers address & company name since it wanted one - hopefully that is ok. It seemed to work anyway! I suppose I could have just repeated mine?

It seemed to work really nicely. I like that for a faster calculation of PM rates for zip codes etc.

 

[bafmrf]

I am still waiting for payment on two really big ticket items. I know they have 10 days to pay according to my instructions, but why do they have to wait till that 10th day. Almost all of my auctions get paid within 48-72 hrs. I was really depending on the $$$ from those auctions. I guess I better not do that anymore. Sorry about the rant. I am just frustrated. I keep checking my Paypal Account hoping for a deposit to my account. No luck so far. Oh, well. I am done complaining now.

Martha

 

[cpl100]

I know I read that earlier that it was possible to enter feedback after 90 days if one knows the item number. It seems that this may have changed with the new feedback look/system as I just tried to do it with two different items (just over 90 days) and it would not let me.

Or did I miss that it has to be entered by starting someplace other than my feedback page?

 

[jennymouse]

Originally posted by bafmrf
I am still waiting for payment on two really big ticket items. I know they have 10 days to pay according to my instructions, but why do they have to wait till that 10th day. Almost all of my auctions get paid within 48-72 hrs. I was really depending on the $$$ from those auctions. I guess I better not do that anymore. Sorry about the rant. I am just frustrated. I keep checking my Paypal Account hoping for a deposit to my account. No luck so far. Oh, well. I am done complaining now.

Martha

Hang in there and don't count your chickens before they hatch! Did you send a reminder? Just don't be pushy until it's gone over your 10 days. Then file your Non Paying Bidder with eBay. Sometimes that wakes them up. You have to remember that MLK holiday may slow the mail. I know it's hard to wait though!LOL

 

[autumnblue]

I must be doing something wrong.....

This board inspired me and I decided to take the ebay plunge and I listed several books last week. I put is flat shipping rate of $3.50. I just brought the books to the post office to mail then in 81/3 by 12 bubble wrap envelopes and it came to $10.15 for 2 books. I actually took a loss on one of them because of the shipping. What am I doing wrong? There has got to be a cheaper way to mail a book.

Autumnblue

 

[Cindy B]

Originally posted by autumnblue
I must be doing something wrong.....

This board inspired me and I decided to take the ebay plunge and I listed several books last week. I put is flat shipping rate of $3.50. I just brought the books to the post office to mail then in 81/3 by 12 bubble wrap envelopes and it came to $10.15 for 2 books. I actually took a loss on one of them because of the shipping. What am I doing wrong? There has got to be a cheaper way to mail a book.

Autumnblue

Did you use either bound printed material or media mail rate?

Those rates are noticeably less than regular first class rates. You could go to the post office website and determine the rate with the weight of your package. From there you can tell what shipping is going to cost you. Then I would pick the furthest zip code, ( I use one in California, and Alaska/Hawaii) to determine what my absoleute highest cost will be.

I then put a shipping calculator in my auctions, so that the buyer can tell the exact price of shipping. (i usually add one or two ounces because the Post Office scale is consistently a few ounces higher than my home scale)

Sorry about the shipping mishap. We've all done it, and we chalk it up as a learning experience.

 

[autumnblue]

Where can I download a shipping calculator?

Autumnblue

Thanks Cindy B

 

[cpl100]

Originally posted by bafmrf
I am still waiting for payment on two really big ticket items. I know they have 10 days to pay according to my instructions, but why do they have to wait till that 10th day. Almost all of my auctions get paid within 48-72 hrs. I was really depending on the $$$ from those auctions. I guess I better not do that anymore. Sorry about the rant. I am just frustrated. I keep checking my Paypal Account hoping for a deposit to my account. No luck so far. Oh, well. I am done complaining now.

Martha

Did you only have Paypal for a payment option? My experience is that checks/money orders take a week at least.

 

[disneychrista]

If you are shipping books always use Media Mail. If you ship magazines or other "bound items" that may contain advertisment then you use Bound Printed.


And as mentioned use the USPS website or the shipping assistant download to determine shipping, based on weight and a zone 8 shipping (for me in California I use NY zip 10018 for shipping, those on the east coast could use the most popular zip in the world 90210.)

 

[Cindy B]

Originally posted by autumnblue
Where can I download a shipping calculator?

Autumnblue

Thanks Cindy B

I really don't know, DH downloaded it... maybe some one else can direct you.

 

[disneychrista]

Originally posted by autumnblue
Where can I download a shipping calculator?

You can not download the shipping calculator that is right on the USPS website. You can however download the shipping assistant that will allow you to calculate postage as well as print shipping lables with free or $.13 Delivery Confirmations.

JGates provided this link on the previous page Shipping Assistant

And to answer the question regarding cost, no there is no cost for the shipping assistant. Go ahead a register.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

A shipping calculator is also available when creating your listings.

 

[strasfamily]

I bought a book with BIN on Sunday with immediate payment required with PayPal. The seller has not responded yet and I even e-mailed them yesterday asking to let me know when the book ships. I am really axious for this book (How to Start an E-Bay Business for Dummies). How long do I wait for the seller to communicate? I think that if they have the immediate payment option required on their BINs, they should be responsible for quick turnaround - at least on communication.

What is a reasonable time for a sellers communication?

TIA

Tracey in AZ

 

[bafmrf]

Originally posted by cpl100
Did you only have Paypal for a payment option? My experience is that checks/money orders take a week at least.

Since they were such high priced items, I only gave the option for Paypal. I looked through one of the winners feedback and even though it's positive there are many, many comments that the buyer waits until the very last minute and even sometimes pays late.

The other buyer has generally good feedback but a couple neutrals and couple negs but the negs look like a misunderstanding. I did send reminders 3 days after the invoice. I guess I just have to wait it out. Thanks for the help.

Martha

 

[disneychrista]

Originally posted by strasfamily
What is a reasonable time for a sellers communication?

I had a seller never once email me in regards to my purchase. The only way I knew anything was that they did leave feedback that the item was on its way. I would wait a week (so next monday) and if you haven't gotten the item then I would email them again.

I know as buyers we are anxious to get our merchandise. Just as as sellers we are eager to get payment. We do have to realize that not everyone (even those who buy or sell on ebay) is at their computer every day so it may take several days to get a response to email.

As for waiting until the last minute to pay, I guess in a way, as frustrating as it is, if you give them 10 days to pay then they have those ten days to pay. If you want payment quicker then 10 days then set your TOS as 5 days for payment.

 

[wdwpluto]

Originally posted by strasfamily
I bought a book with BIN on Sunday with immediate payment required with PayPal. The seller has not responded yet and I even e-mailed them yesterday asking to let me know when the book ships. I am really axious for this book (How to Start an E-Bay Business for Dummies). How long do I wait for the seller to communicate? I think that if they have the immediate payment option required on their BINs, they should be responsible for quick turnaround - at least on communication.

What is a reasonable time for a sellers communication?

TIA

Tracey in AZ

It seems like lately most sellers I end up buying from, don't communicate ever. I pay via PayPal, my package shows up a few days later, I leave feedback (generally something like "fast shipping, item as described") and then I'll eventually get feedback from them.

As a seller, I always email the buyer "your payment was received, your package will be shipped on XX date" (I have a template email that I copy & paste, just changing the shipping date). It takes a whopping 15 seconds of my time to do this (granted, I run 20-50 auctions a week, so it's not a huge volume). And I think that this is reflected in my feedback, because I get a lot of comments about "good communication".

I think that people really appreciate being kept up to date as to what's going on with their order (I know I do!). Heck, you order from Amazon, you get a "your package was shipped email". It frustrates me that it seems like it's too much to ask of most sellers.

Generally when I pay w/ PayPal, I'll put in the notes section "please email me with shipping date and delivery confirmation number (if applicable)" and people still don't communicate. Knock on wood, I've never had a problem, but it's annoying nonetheless.

Wow, sorry for rambling so much
Lori