Postage and Packing Question

Hi Arondelle! I usually charge a flat rate of $2.00 for shipping one item and add $.50 to each additional win within 3 days.

If you want to charge actual shipping only, then you can do that as well. Instead of giving a flat rate you will put in your zip and how much the package actually weighs. Then if the bidder wants to know how much shipping cost they have the option to find out.

The reason I charge a flat rate of $2 is because I calculate in my bubble envelopes, my wrapping stuff, my time, and my drive to the PO. I have a scale and online postage so I don't have to go in the PO. I use stamps.com and love it. Oh, and I also always get tracking. With stamps.com it's only $.13 and very reasonable. That's part of the $2.00 charge as well.

I ship internationally and have never had any problems.

Starlia

I vote ship internationally, especially for small items like beads & jewellery. I've not posted much small stuff abroad but I've bought plenty of beads and plenty of them only cost a couple of dollars for postage! What I do is weigh stuff, including the packaging (the packaging for the charger I just sold adds 10g to the weight) and refer to a postage chart for the cost.

I charge $4.00 for s/h for one or several small items. This is for priority mail with delivery confirmation and a tracking number. Packing box is free from the PO.

The thing about variable weights and prices is---you have to add your time for figuring and weighing. Sounds like nothing---till you sit and pack ten-twenty boxes, weigh and calculate--time starts to add up. Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery

I didn't think about that, but I know what you mean. I sold Tupperware for a couple of years before they went to direct shipping, and I'd spend many hours packing up my parties and driving all over to to deliver them. Of course, opening a shipment of Tupperware (3 or 4 giant cartons; my UPS guy hated me!) is like Christmas morning, so I didn't really mind that too much! ;-)

Meanwhile, I'm going to start slowly with eBay, only 4 items. For the moment, I'm only trying to make my internet connection pay for itself, not make an actual business out of selling jewelry. So, I want to keep it as simple as possible. If I do well, I'll take on more complicated things. :o)

Another question about international deals: how does eBay handle currency exchange rates? Does PayPal take care of that?

Arondelle

Beware the idea that "If I enjoy it I shouldn't get paid"!! Its not a good work incentive in the long run. We can enjoy what we do AND still deserve payment.

I'm writing a regular cloumn now in the magazine Belle Armoire, about being a professional artist. there's a column coming up about pricing and valuing your own time.

You can't write off your own labor time on a tax schedule C, but ALL OF IT

*must* figure into fair pricing of your output. Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery

Paypal does the conversion. I always use a cc, so it's no problem, when I get my statement, the $US (or what ever) is stated as well as the $AU rate.

Consider that you are competing for the over the counter dollar. If a store has a bead for $10, that's what it costs. If you want to compete with that LBS, you need your bead to cost the same TO THE CUSTOMER. I (customer) don't care if that money you're charging is for beads, skill, gas, or postage. It's the same money out of my pocket. Further more if you say it takes $4 to drop off a package with 60 cents postage in the mail, I feel gouged. The cost of your getting your bead ready for the customer IS part of the cost of the bead. That includes the packing, same as it includes the electricity for the kiln.

Tina

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Christina Peterson" :

]The cost of your getting your bead ready for the customer IS part ]of the cost of the bead. That includes the packing, same as it includes the ]electricity for the kiln.

that's why i'm considering going to free shipping/handling and just figure it's part of the cost of the jewelry.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

(Jewelry) newest creations: ----------- The measure of the menace of a man is not what hardware he carries, but what ideas he believes.-- Jeff Jordan

No--but it it does take $3.50 for Priority Mail with delivery confirmation. This means my hubby gets 50 cents for his time in packaging, labeling, and driving to the PO, standing in line, and mailing. Less the cost of the bubble wrap or the packing peanuts and the tape, of course.... so he's not exactly making big bucks. Sometimes, if he's got a lot of them to mail, he might "rake in" as much as $3.00 for a couple hours of his time. I'm lucky he's willing to work for perks!

I DO offer buyers the opportunity to have items sent 1st class actual postage---but I'm not responsible for whether it gets there without delivery confirmation. Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery

I checked the USPS website, and they have a postage calculator. You can, in fact, get delivery confirmation with your Fist Class mail; it just costs $.10 more. There's no tracking, though.

Arondelle

Thanks for the info, Arondelle! Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery

Yes. I put the 60 cents part in because I was specifically not referring to tracked packages.

And just to argue with myself, I could point out that in many parts of the world (though not USA), when you pay for your liter of juice, you ARE expected to supply your own container.

Tina

confirmation.

Since I sell mostly on eBay, my customers decide how much they want to pay for my beads. The $1.50 I charge for shipping does cover my costs... I don't drive to the PO unless I'm shipping internationally. My customers have the ultimate control over how much they are willing to pay for the beads, and I charge just enough to cover packing materials and postage.

When I buy > Consider that you are competing for the over the counter dollar. If a store

Yup.

Tina