postage - advice needed

[Former_Member]

Hi all - i'm new at etsy and i've just had my first order. only 3 sheets of wrapping paper but hey it's a start!! i sent them off to America and it cost me twice as much as i had quoted. I paid over the counter at the post office for first class post.

are any of you using the postage apps that i see mentioned on the site?? i think there must be more economical ways of posting as other shops are not charging huge amounts.

advice needed urgently - any ideas gratefully received,

Suzanne

[GwynnethRixon]

get the leaflet from the post office on posting costs, and if you're not near a post office make sure your scales are accurate. Add enough to cover the cost of packing materials AND the time spent processing the order, packing and getting it to the P.O.

I'm lucky, my local PO is only five doors up the street...and is a good source of free small boxes !

[Former_Member]

This happens to me all the time. Even though I weigh a sample package and check it off on the PO website one PO always overcharges me. I've changed to a different one and they are far more helpful.
Here's a helpful checklist of prices from the PO
http://c435158.r58.cf3.rackcdn.com/pricing_made_easy.pdf

[Former_Member]

thanks for the advice both. i'm doing a bit of revision now! it seems to me there are lots of people charging very little for postage!!!.

[Former_Member]

There are lots of people charging very little for their products too. It's what we're all up against sadly.

[teabreaks]

Cat, thank you for the postage link...I have saved it for future reference.
I try to keep my P&P to a minimum but sometimes get it wrong. I bought some digital scales and I have one of those silly plastic SLOTS to make sure that my packages isn't too fat....that was the worst thing that the p
PO ever did....I used to just be able to weigh an item and pop it in the box.
Now , if I have a larger parcel I have to drive to the post office and pay to park....all adds to the cost !!..Luckily for me, most of myh paintings are miniatures and just go for a standard postal rate.....

[sewmuchfrippery]

Getting the postage correct is always so difficult. Invest in some good scales (if you haven't already done so) and make sure you have an up-to-date leaflet on current postage rates. If in doubt, charge a little more than you expect shipping to cost - if you then find that you have overcharged you can always refund the balance via paypal (after allowing a little for your packaging costs).
Some sellers charge very little for postage because they 'subsidise' the true cost of postage themselves - usually by charging a little more for the original item than they would otherwise do. This is a good idea if you have quite heavy items or ship a lot overseas and don't want to charge the true cost of postage under 'shipping costs' in case it deters people.Tthe main thing is to make sure that you are not out of pocket on the final transaction.

[Former_Member]

I saw this on a blog and thought it might be useful
http://marketmyshop.blogspot.com/2012/01/benefits-of-free-shipping.html

[Former_Member]

Just read the blog Cat, thanks. I think I might try that on my stuff and see if it works over here. My daughter is offering free shipping with her jewellery and is selling it, albeit slowly.

[teabreaks]

mmm....I tried the free shipping idea on ebay last year....but I lost out because if you add the shipping to your selling price....when an item sells you are paying final value fees on your shipping as well...
so in the example on the blog an item was $15 shipping was $3 so they charged $18....if that item sold the % would be from the whole $18 whereas if the customer paid the shipping separately you would only pay the % on $15...
The only way you would really benefit was if you sold more than one item per transaction !!
I soon went back to charging shipping when I worked out that I was working at more of a loss.

[Former_Member]

Hi all, interesting post. My way of thinking is to put a nominal amount of postage, hopefully enough to cover it but with another £ or so added to the price of the amount you actually want for an item, it usually works out. Cat I totally agree with you about the price some people are prepared to sell there work for, I don't understand it and agree it makes it much harder for those that are seriously trying to run a bussiness. Kathy

[GwynnethRixon]

I'm not looking forward to the new postage rates...stamps up 50% and the lower packet rates disappearing..simpler but dearer.

[Marianne26]

Where did you find out about the new rates, Gwynneth? I've Googled, but I haven't found anything useful. I charge as closely as possible to the actual mailing cost, and include something for packaging costs (fairly standard with my items) in my prices. My local sub post office is close, so I don't add anything for travel, parking etc. Digital scales are essential, and I use the Royal Mail online price finder to calculate what to charge. I don't get too many unpleasant shocks.

[Former_Member]

I had a chat about it at the PO this afternoon. He didn't know anything but admitted they'd be the last to know.
Marianne, I use my ancient balance scales. They really are accurate.
I've updated all my items to reflect the exact weight of posting as an additional item.

[GwynnethRixon]

link on fb...
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/30120

unbelievably only 78 signatures so far..