Shipping Questions

[Former_Member]

I just shipped the item from my first sale (yay!) and now that I've actually gone through the process, I wanted to ask a few questions from more experienced sellers.
Do you recommend priority shipping? Is it the same price for international orders? Is there some way that you let the customer pick what kind of shipping they prefer? Thanks for your time! I want to be really ready for the holidays!

[Former_Member]

Congrats on your first sale, btw! :)

I use flat rate priority shipping for US orders (with delivery confirmation, and insurance on orders over $150), but then my pieces are quite heavy. Yours look to be pretty light, so basing shipping on weight might be more economical for you. Just always always always get delivery confirmation.

Priority International is WAY higher than First Class International, so unless your customer asks for expedited shipping, I wouldn't offer it. I do make that offer in my policies and request that customers convo, but so far no one has. I don't know if that's because no one has needed it, or no one has read that I offer it.

For the holidays, remember to put in your announcement when the last day you can take orders meant to arrive for Christmas. I'm still trying to figure out the exact date, but I know it needs to be done.

[Former_Member]

I use First Class mail- as light as our items are, the flat rate box wouldn't be helpful. So I only offer Priority mail in my shop policies- that way if someone needs it, they have to request it, and I pass the expense on to them.

[Former_Member]

Thanks! So, if I let them request priority, do I tell them to convo me first before purchasing so I can change the shipping cost?

[Former_Member]

First class is definitely the way to go for smaller/lighter items, it's not a whole lot slower than priority and people generally prefer the savings. I also offer a priority shipping upgrade, but it needs to be requested before purchase (nobody has ever requested it.) International shipping always costs more, but first class is still the most economical choice. If you know the weight of your package, there are calculators on the USPS site that will give you the cost of shipping your package to various countries. Many post offices have a shipping scale that you can use if you don't have access to one.

[Former_Member]

Yes, I have it in my shop policies to contact me if the buyer needs faster shipping.