Shipping troubles

[Macharaology]

I notice that most of us charge very little for shipping, approx $1.00 US. I have now had two orders over the last two months claim that they have not received their items. Adding tracking to the orders bump up the cost of shipping tremendously. I'm tempted to raise my shipping to take advantage of the PayPal labels so as to get a tracking number.

The USPS never seems to have any trouble finding my address for bills and such. :)

Any suggestions? How do you normally ship items?

[Former_Member]

I just put it in an enveloppe and send it with USPS, and charge $1.00 in the US. So far it has always arrived... The prices at which I sell are so low it's usually not worth it to use more expensive shipping... If 1 in 10 packages get lost it's cheaper to just replace it.

[Former_Member]

If you're able to use paypal shipping, do it! Your buyers are willing to pay the full shipping cost to get their item, and it's a good idea to add a couple cents to the cost to help cover packing materials. And with paypal shipping, there is built in delivery confirmation.
You should also take what you ship your items in into consideration. Think about how you like others' items to be presented to you. Would you be happy to receive an item in a letter envelope? Probably not. Investing in bubble mailers (I use size 000 for bracelets, you can get them for just a few cents each anywhere online) will not only make your item more presentable, but prevent damage to the item- regular letter envelopes are sent through a machine meant for flat items, not bumpy bracelets, it is not unusual for regular envelops to rip.

[Macharaology]

Thanks! :) I have been using a 6x9 yellow envelope, it's thicker than a normal letter envelope. It's a nice presentation but, the bubble would be more durable. I know it's only two bracelets so far that have mysteriously gone missing but, I hate having to replace any bracelet I've put time into. It takes money away from the shop and me.

@ Hattie: Your right with PayPal you do get the tracking and confirmation. I was just concerned with the $2.00 shipping rate but, you seem to make it work. :) The peace of mind I will have with sending my bracelets is worth increasing the shipping cost.

Thank you both again for your input, it's greatly appreciated!

Wishing you both many sales in this holiday season!!

[Former_Member]

Personally as a buyer, I'd rather pay a dollar less and get the crappy enveloppe. But I guess that's just me.

[TheGiantKnot]

Hmm do most people really charge 1.00? I've been charging .50 and I send them in a normal letter envelope but I'm trying to switch over but haven't because of fear of sales dropping since I don't get a lot anyway.

[Macharaology]

Shipping has been so much easier since I've gone with the bubble mailers and USPS PayPal shipping and tracking labels. It's much more professional and my sales have increased even with the higher shipping rate. Even return customers have commented positively on the new shipping policy.

[Former_Member]

Good for you, Michelle! Glad it's working out :)

[Former_Member]

I have been charging $2.50 for shipping and handling. It includes my bracelets wrapped around a sturdy cardboard that's inserted into a plastic sleeve and slipped into a bubble mailer that is then shipped with tracking. No one has complained to me about my prices, and they seem to enjoy the packaging.

I do mine this way because I have started using Sterling Silver and Gold beads in my bracelet designs, and I really don't want to risk the items being damaged or lost in the mail.

[Former_Member]

I recently heard that an enveloppe had been torn and my bracelet fell out (or was removed...) TBH I think it's in the way USPS handles the mail; I have never ever heard of a torn enveloppe of any kind here in the Netherlands. However, as most of my (our?) customers live in the US, I have to be sure that doesn't happen and upgraded to bubble mailers.

[Former_Member]

So sorry that happened to you, Tessa :(
USPS isn't known for it's gentle treatment. It's better to be safe than sorry.

[Former_Member]

that's terrible tessa!
i've never had anything other than a normal letter lost in the mail.
all my sales and trades get to their destinations, international and domestic.

i generally write fragive or do not bend on my packages/letters, if it calls for it.

and as for shipping, i wrap my bracelets in tissue paper, tied with ribbon then placed in a handmade cardstock card that is also closed with ribbon.

[greenyogini]

I'm really interested anytime shipping comes up as a topic...

Initially I was shipping in letter envelopes or whatever reusable envelopes I had on hand (sometimes bubble mailers, but often not) for $1.00, without any form of delivery confirmation or the like. After doing some research, I switched to bubble mailers (mostly purchased for about $0.65 each, if not more) and delivery confirmation. That actually bumps my shipping costs well above $2.00 most of the time, but I'm only charging $2.00 for shipping within the US (at the moment).

I looked into PayPal a couple of times (including once tonight), but it asks me for the weight of the package (and some other things I don't know), but I don't have a shipping scale. I'm not yet making enough sales to warrant purchasing or renting a shipping scale, and I've heard that sometimes the post office will hold an item and make the recipient pay extra if they don't agree with the weight determined by a seller's scale.

So...how does one go about using the better PayPal price (and included Delivery Confirmation service) without a scale? Or is there a cheap scale out there? And where can I get bubble mailers "for a few cents"? (The cheapest I found was something like 50 cents at a local Walmart.) I have no intention of fleecing my customers on shipping, but I also don't want to keep spending so much of my (modest) sales earnings on shipping and supplies. As it is, I haven't even broken even after the costs of materials, Etsy fees, PayPal fees, and shipping.

Thanks for bringing up this topic. :)

[Former_Member]

Green, I've found that shipping up to about 10 medium size bracelets in a bubble mailer is still under 2 oz (1-3 oz is the same price on paypal, $1.64), and that's including a cello bag, business card, and care instructions.
I got my scale at walmart for something like $25, definitely worth it in the long run.
You can get bubble mailers on line in bulk for just pennies each- try looking right here on etsy and on ebay. I usually order about 100 at a time so I'm set for awhile.

[greenyogini]

Thanks, Hattie! :) I'll check those sources. I had been >thisclose< to looking into Stamps.com because Etsy promotes a special rate for Etsy sellers, which seems to include a free postal scale. (But I hear so much more about PayPal and already have an account, so I think initially it will be easier.)

[Former_Member]

If you want to go the stamps.com way - just know that you will still pay for the scale.

I also started sending my bracelets in envelopes and never had a problem, but I have always wanted to make sure that my customers received their items so I bumped up the price and started using Paypal's shipping service. As far as weight, when I started sending my first items I always kept the receipt from the postal office which shows the weight of the package/envelope. That's how I first figured out what the average weight was - I also use my mom's food scale which works just as good.

Here is a quick reference for shipping:
USA shipping - $2 for First Class - $6 for Priority Mail.

Hope this helps anyone

[greenyogini]

So helpful! Thank you! :)

[greenyogini]

So this is weird:

I've been shipping in bubble mailers with Delivery Confirmation for about a month now. (Haven't yet gotten around to PayPal shipping or Stamps.com or any other method...still going to the post office.) Today, however, I was told that I can't use Delivery Confirmation on a shipment (using the same methods I have been using - bubble mailer, First Class)...because the envelope is too narrow. ?!?!?! The postal worker even showed me the tool he uses to determine whether or not an envelope is wide enough, and pointed out that it apparently says on the back of the Delivery Confirmation instructions that it has to be a certain width to qualify. (He offered Certified for an *additional* $3 on top of First Class, or something like $6 for Priority, *plus* the DC charge on top of that!)

Is this a new thing, or was I slipping in under the radar until now? Have any of you experienced this? Bracelets aren't very thick, so I imagine that if this is a nationally applied restriction, we would all be experiencing it, right?

Thanks for reading! :)

[Former_Member]

Technically and envelope has to be 3/4" thick for DC. Try adding a packing peanut to the package to bulk it up without adding any weight.

[greenyogini]

Great idea! I'll have to experiment with light padding in the package. (That just seems so silly and wasteful, but I guess we have to play by their rules...)

Thanks!