Shipping costs so high

[Former_Member]

I just opened a shop yesterday and went to eBay to find similar items to see what their shipping charges were and based mine off of those. I got a scale today and began weighing some items in boxes and putting them into the usps.com website to see how much shipping would be. $8.09 plus $.80 for delivery confirmation for anything parcel post up to 2 pounds? That's crazy! How do you all ship your items? I want the cheapest for the buyers but also I want my items to get their in one piece. Have a few looks my first day so I'm excited. I get a decent amount of sales from Facebook from old high school friends and the such so I wanted to try and do this and hopefully it will take off. Thanks in advance for any input.

[AppalachianHerbarium]

I'm struggling with the same issue. I have a package of five soaps to send out, and shipping is going to kill me. I based my shipping prices off similar items on Etsy, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to increase mine to be able to cover the expense. :(

[threadsandthings1]

That's a tough call when you are shipping breakable things. One thing I do is I buy my postage on the usps site and that saves you the cost for the delivery confirmation. I know it's only $.75-$.80 but every little bit helps. You said it was $8.00 for parcel post, is that correct. It seems like that would be for priority. In fact, I haven't been able to get shipping on usps for anything but express and priority, so maybe I'm doing something wrong there. Make sure you check what it is giving you estimates for. If you have a PayPal account, you can get shipping labels there for first class. It may not let you get estimates though. That's all I know, so good luck. I hope you are able to figure something out.

[Former_Member]

Yep it's correct. When you go to Calculate shipping I choose my zip code then 90021 (Los angeles, CA) then package, type in 2 lbs and hit continue. If you hit Display All Option at the top it will give you Priority, Express then Parcel Post and Media Mail at the bottom of the list. I'm thinking First Class is cheaper than Parcel Post but no where to find out how much it is.

[threadsandthings1]

Well, like I said, PayPal will let you ship first class. But if you want to know now to put on your shop, I would go to the post office tomorrow and just ask them how much it would cost to ship something first class that weighs 2 lbs. Then you'll at least know what to charge. If you want, you could charge less for shipping, but up the price to buy the item. Good luck, I hope it works out for you.

[Former_Member]

I'll have to check with the post office tomorrow. According to the website First Class is only available for up to 13 ounces. Ugh! It's frustrating. LOL Thanks for the help! Much appreciated!

[threadsandthings1]

Ok. Good luck. I hope you find something that works for you.

[Former_Member]

I was going to say USPS first class . . . But didn't know there was a weight limit. I mail jewelry so I never ship anything over 6ounces. Good luck. Let us know what you find out, I may be adding a new shop with larger items . . . I'll need to know :)

[Former_Member]

Yes, shipping is expensive. Especially with my wreaths, I actually lost money on one I shipped this week. Be careful of what 'postal zone' its going to. I based my estimate on when I had shipped the same item before, but it was shipped within the same zone. This week I had to ship to NY and it cost more than double. Same item, same box, same everything. Maybe get an average price of all the zones. I wish etsy had the calculate shipping feature like eBay. Good luck!

[Former_Member]

Have any of you tried UPS or Fedex Ground? Sometimes the items will be cheaper to ship if you go through them. Also if your items will fit in a flat rate priority box or envelope then you will know the exact cost despite the weight because it is flat rate.

[Former_Member]

I ship from Australia which seems to have ridiculously high rates to send anything overseas. I do try and compare my shipping with what others have listed but it's not always accurate when compared with sellers in the US. To me $8 or $9 postage doesn't seem much because I'm used to paying upwards of $15 for things. I guess if your items are breakable your buyers should understnad the extra costs needed in shipping it to them safely. Good luck!

[Former_Member]

I have rather large items to ship, which require packing as they are fragile, too. So my shipping costs are high. The actual shipping with FedEx isn't that expensive. It's the packing, which I have to have done at a FedEx store because the boxes have to be specially made. Now having said all that, I haven't sold anything yet!

[Former_Member]

Hi deirdrelawson, I think your rosaries are great! You should add 'prayer' to your tags, if I were searching for them, I would search 'prayer beads' and 'rosary'. Just a thought :)

[Former_Member]

I did call the Post Office today and First Class mail is limited to 13 ounces so Parcel Post or Priority Mail are about your only choices after that.

[Former_Member]

Have you checked out the USPS flat rate shipping? It's priority mail and "if it fits it ships for a low flat rate" up to a certain weight. They come in several sizes and if you do it all online it you discounts. You can print the postage label and have schedule a pickup. Just a thought, I use it on some of my stuff but since knitting doesn't weigh that much.

[Former_Member]

I try to keep my shipping costs down,but it is hard when I am shipping delicate items. Sugar pieces are difficult to ship cheaply,as it takes more care and preparation in packaging in order to ship and deliver a great still-in-tact product!

[Former_Member]

I think with your breakables you should include insurance just to cover yourself. I agree with others, find a happy medium and have a set price, including insurance. Some buyers will not get insurance, but you just never know with the PO and parcel post.

Take an item into the PO and have them weigh it. Occasionally I have to pay at the PO due to weight. They ALWAYS give you the option of paying different rates inside the PO, but your options are very limited online.

Hope that helps.

blessings,
jilly

[GoTo]

If you're shipping from the US, there's plenty of help in this thread in the main forums:

~~Shipping Basics~~
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6382394

[FiredEarthEtc]

I set up a FedEX account as there is a discount if you are selling on Etsy. I don't remember how to do it, but if you go to the questions section you should be able to find it. Maybe look for FedEx discounts? Only less expensive if you're shipping heavier items. I can't remember the dicounted amount but worth my while. Less for me than shipping USPS.