finally!

[Former_Member]

first of all: a while back someone posted a thread about a great little scale on groupon for sale... well, i got one, and i love it! but i cant find that thread and i dont remember who posted it. so to that person: thank you!!

and the main purpose of this post, is to share my excitement in finally being able to post accurate shipping prices! i have shorted myself, i have overcharged, it was basically a guessing game up until now. i remember one of my first sales, the cost of the shipping cost me more than what the buyer paid for the item and shipping combined -face palm-

im so excited to know that the shipping costs are good now :D

and to anyone who doesnt know, use this site
http://postcalc.usps.com/
to calculate shipping costs. what a handy tool!
(for united states based etsy sellers)

[Former_Member]

Congratulations! That must be a good feeling!

I just posted something yesterday--charged the customer $2 and it ended up being almost $6! Doesn't help that my perception of weight is nonexistent.

Good job! and thanks for the link!

[Former_Member]

ha yea i hear ya there, having no perception of weight. is that little scale is still available on groupon, look it up - its wonderful!

http://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-arti-digital-glass-kitchen-scale-1
i just looked, its not available. that was the first time i used groupon, so i duno if things come available again... if they do, watch for it :)

[Former_Member]

do you have a brand name or type for the scale. I always have difficulty with shipping. I am looking for a scale.

[Former_Member]

Congrats! Thats awesome, I'm just starting out so definitely need to figure this out.

[FabulouslyHomemade]

I have a digital kitchen scale, and it works very well for me. My post office has commented frequently that my scale seems to be very accurate.

[DawnedOnMeDesigns]

I really need a scale too. I have seen some as much as $80 or more. There is no way I need something that expensive! Do kitchen scales cost less? I should look at those.

[UniqueSewingBoutique]

I bought my scale last year at WM for about $25.- for me it was a good investment, since I can print my own shipping labels this way and put package in my outgoing mailbox.

[PrettiesNPracticals]

I figure my shipping on the correctly sized flat rate box/envelope the item(s) need. If a regional box saves me money, I may pass it on to the customer, especially if it is a custom order. And, like Elly, I print my shipping label and put it out for the carrier to pick up. Super easy! Just got my second sale! I've had my shop since 2010 and my first sale was in early August, the second yesterday! :)

[Former_Member]

Thanks for posting!!! I recently shipped an international item and was glad that I "guessed" right in my favor by a few cents - lol

My first international sales cost me $3 or $4 dollars more than the customer paid.

[HopeAndGracePens]

What about tape, packing materials, boxes/envelopes, etc.? Do you guys factor the cost of these into your shipping cost?

[Former_Member]

I use the kitchen scales - :) - they seem pretty accurate! And for U.K sellers (like me) check out the Royal Mail postage calculator on their main site. It IS so good to know you're not under/overcharging on postage - I've been on both sides of the fence.

[Former_Member]

Bryce - I do factor the cost of my jiffy bags (main packaging for me) into the price, but don't really add things like tape, extra bubble wrap, etc. Maybe I should, but high shipping prices might put off potential customers!