Questions about Shipping (Domestic and International)
 

Hey guys, right now I'm trying to start an eBay store. I haven't had much experience with shipping things at all, so I was wondering if those that had more experience can give me some advice and pointers. I'll be doing plenty of shipping both domestically and internationally, and I was wondering what the cheapest options would be? The items I'll be shipping are very small, some could fit into envelopes and some has packaging but are very very light. The price of these items are going to be roughly usually under 20$ so I'm not too worried about insurance and stuff like that.

Also, where are good places to buy shipping supplies? Stuff like bubble wrap, wrapping paper, etc etc etc. Staples stuff is super super expensive.

Thanks in advance, and all answers are greatly appreciated!

try ULINE - Shipping Boxes, Shipping Supplies, Packaging Materials, Packing Supplies

I know alot of ebayers use regular post for small shipments. But the only thing you have to worry about it "missing or lost" packages as they do not come with tracking numbers.

If they are easy to replace items I recommend using post.. But like I said if they are missing the item then you will either have to refund or resend the item..

I ordered a $40 battery charger of ebay, and my first package didnt arrive so they had to send me a replacement unit.

Use eBay's built-in Canada Post shipping label service. You can choose your level of service, whether it be ground, expedited or Xpresspost. You punch in the weight and dimensions of the package, pay for it through your PayPal account, print out the shipping label and you're done. It's actually even cheaper than bringing it to the post office, because you get a discount for doing it through eBay.

As for shipping supplies, depends whether the items you have are fragile or not. If not, then by far the cheapest option would be buying a pack of poly shipping envelopes on eBay and using those.

If you need cardboard boxes, you could look at Great Little Box Company... they're located on Mitchell Island. Definitely cheaper than a retail store, but a lot more expensive than poly envelopes.

Thanks everyone for their replies. I'm going to be checking out all these options tonight to see what would be most cost effective. I just tried taking something I wanted to ship to Canada Post. I sold it online for 3.99, and it needs to be shipped to Edmonton Alberta. I paid 1.50$ for a bubble envelope, and the guy told me that it'd cost 9-10$ to ship to Alberta! That would terrible for business lol ... The stuff I'm trying to sell are all usually under 20$. How are everyone on eBay offering free shipping?!

Probably just high markup to eat the cost of shipping. Or they do not use ebay shipping service so they might even get better discounts from their local post.. I guess it really depends on the business.

Anything that needs to go as a parcel won't be cheap. Yeah, you're looking at like $10 to Alberta. In the US, they have flat rate boxes and envelopes where you can ship whatever fits into it for a set amount...

what would be my best option to ship this camcorder setup i'm selling?

the box is probably slightly smaller than your typical bowling ball, its a fairly secure box in itself, would i be able to tape it all up in paper and ship it like that?

ebay Canada has their own flat rate boxes that might fit your camcorder.

Canada Post-eBay Flat Rate Box

If you want one I got some lying around.

actually, it might be to small. it's about the size of a shoe box.

After some research I did online today, it seems that shipping anything from Canada (especially within Canada) is just not a cost effective method to do business online and on eBay. Shipping intra-Canada is at least 9-10$ per parcel. If you drove down to Washington and shipped it to somewhere in Canada, it will cost you around 6$. Isn't that ridiculous? It isn't viable unless you are selling things that have a high return for cost or have customers willing to pay for shipping. I'll prob end up having my stuff ship from Asia instead from now on.

I don't know what the fee's are to have a corporate account with FedEx and UPS, but they do save almost half of what retail consumers pay...

An $80 shipment ends up becoming $42 with a corporate account and that's what I use now. If this is going to be a frequent occurrence (you shipping products), I would recommend looking into becoming a corporate account holder with one of the big shippers.

Do you know how much it is to become a corporate account? Or is it dependent on how often you ship ?

Edit: sorry just re read where it says you don't know :D

You don't pay to set up corporate accounts, infact my UPS and Purolator Rep brings me Coffee and Donuts, etc, all the time to "shine my shoes"

Its easy to set up an account but your discounts will range depending how much volume you do with them.

My company ships about 500 parcels a day, i get about 80% discount off their tariff (published rate)

But we also spend $700,000 a year on our carrier services.

Canada Post is way more expensive that USPS. If you're shipping within Canada, Canada Post would be the cheapest.

If you are shipping in the USA and its worth it for you, drive across the border and ship through USPS.

And people on Ebay charge shipping on small items (under $100) if you notice people who sell items for $0.99 - $99.99 they usually charge shipping but more of a flat rate.

be aware that if you are bringing something across the border to sell to someone in the states, you'll have to pay a fee (well, supposed to pay a fee - forget what it's called) to the US customs people. i had to pay like US$10 last time. this was at the point roberts crossing.

...A duty or tariff?...

No it is a "filing fee" collected by their border agents.