Buying & Selling Thru Ebay & Other Auctions/How to estimate shipping

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Expert: - 6/8/2008


Question
Suzanne - if I'm sitting in my home with 5 items to sell and I want to list them.  How do I estimate shipping for each.  Do I only need dimensions and weight?  What about for books?  Item examples: 1) a brand new book, 2) a brand new board game, 4) an out door soccer net, 4) a power drill, 5) a cell phone.  Thanks!

Answer
You can just weigh the items in whatever packaging you plan to ship them in, then go to USPS.com and calculate the postage based on the weight. A basic home bathroom scale will give you a close enough weight to estimate with.

You may also want to check current ebay listings for comparable items and get a ballpark idea of how much to charge for shipping and handling fees.

You can also check the eBay help index for more information on shipping, or review the USPS site.

Regards,

Suzanne Wells

Buying & Selling Thru Ebay & Other Auctions

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Suzanne Wells

Expertise

I can answer eBay selling questions such as what items to sell, eBay how-tos, marketing, shipping, and working with international customers.

Experience

I am an eBay Silver Level Powerseller. I have been an eBay seller since 2003 and have sold over 18,000 items as a one-person operation, have over 12,00 positive feedbacks from customers all over the world.

Education/Credentials
I have a BA in Business Administration, have written 5 books on eBay selling, offer free eBay instructional podcasts, have a free eBay discussion forum. My book, "The Stay-at-Home Mom's Guide to Successful eBay Selling" is available on Amazon, and has helped many moms create a lucrative home business selling on eBay.

Visit my website at www.ebaysellingcoach.com for eBay selling tips and resources.

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