Ebay selling question....

[RockMyAmadeus]

I'm not surprised you don't want to work with this guy - sounds like a pain in the proverbial.

 

A pain in the provincial, too...

[ckp1680]

Just sell to Americans.... "USA..USA..USA..USA"...

There still can be a slight loophole with that, Hawaii,Puerto Rico or Alaska can be costly when offering free shipping depending on what part of the country your from, especially on the East coast. An example is California to Hawaii free shipping is not expensive but Maine to Hawaii free shipping is. I wonder if Ebay has anything to protect from that like just have free shipping to the 48 continental states?

 

Isn't flat rate priority just that, flat rate? Or do slabs not fit in the flat rate boxes anymore?

 

Slabs have never really fit into flat rate boxes - better to use the longer 1095 Box

 

I couldn't agree more. I have received plenty flat rate boxes with no trouble but I cringe every time I receive one. Not only does the 1095 box fit better, if you use it you will save yourself money most of the time when shipping a single slab (thumbs u

[EdRod68]

The medium flat rate box that I use works very well for CGC slabs....

 

I follow this process when packing a slab for shipping in the $10.70 med flat rate box:

 

1) Bubble wrap around the slab, then a second layer around the slab.

 

2) Cut cardboard to cover the slab front and back, then tape in place

 

3) Cut cardboard to cover the ends and sides, then tape in place

 

4) Bubble wrap the slab again.

 

5) Assemble flat rate box, slide package inside and use additional cardboard to ensure slab does not slide around.

 

6) Seal, address and send on its way.

 

7) I typically pay for delivery confirmation myself to ensure delivery.

 

8) I offer insurance if the buyer desires it, and I do recommend it.

 

I do this for anything I ship to buyers, be it CGC slabs or other items I sell. I have recieved too much stuff that was packed badly and I don't want to do it to someone else.

 

And just to clarify one thing.. I was not worried about my "perfect" feedback rating... I cancelled the transaction because I definitely got the feeling that I was going to be negged no matter what I did, so since the buyer was not wanting to pay for proper shipping, I get the feeling that he might claim he never received the item, then would neg me, and demand a refund... just wasn't worth the hassle to me...

 

I am not going to stop selling to buyers outside the US... I will however, ensure that the shipping options are not Air Mail anymore... that way there will not be a cheap-out option on the shipping so I can make sure that tracking is always included in the option from now on...

[RockMyAmadeus]

 

And just to clarify one thing.. I was not worried about my "perfect" feedback rating...

 

Since I'm the one who referred to a "perfect FB rating", I'll assume you're responding to me, and I'll clarify that I was referring to FB as a buyer...not as a seller.

 

(thumbs u

 

If you weren't, cool.

 

As Branget and Diva said above, I'd really recommend the 1095 boxes. They're bigger, and the Flat Rate Medium boxes are more expensive for one slab.

 

Here's why:

 

A flat rate medium box is $10.70, $10.20 if buoght through Paypal or USPS.com. A slab usually weighs 2 pounds or less with packing.

 

But a Zone 8 (say, Los Angeles to Mass), the most expensive 48 state rate, is only $9.55, or $8.82 only...a nearly $1.40 savings online.

 

And it just gets cheaper from there. If I were to ship to San Francisco, for example, the price is only $5.95/$5.38. Flate rate box? Still $10.70/$10.20.

 

Not only that, but the 1095 boxes, as mentioned, are larger, and much more accomodating for slabs. No bulge necessary.

 

Now, yes, shipping 2 or more slabs does alter this, and Flat Rate has benefit over 2 pounds. But 2 pounds or less, a 1095 is the way to go.

 

Also...I would recommend to everyone to stop worrying about tracking, signature confirmation, and Paypal's dubious "protection" policy, and simply add insurance to everything you ship. Insurance is foolproof: if the item is lost, it's covered, regardless of what Paypal says. And...for all packages over $200 insured, the buyer has to sign for it anyways. Damage is covered, too, which is not with Paypal (for the SELLER.)

 

Paypal protection for sellers doesn't exist. A buyer can get a refund for anything or nothing these days. Insurance protects sellers.

[EdRod68]

I wasn't really responding to you in general man, I thought the thread got pushed towards a discussion about feedback... and that wasn't what I was asking about in the beginning..

 

I may look into the other boxes.. I was using the med flat rate as it was easy since it was the same price for the whole US... plus the way I pack it, it ends up being around 3 lbs.. so it is easy to just have the flat rate, plus I can put up to three slabs in the box in the way I pack..

 

In the future I may try the others and see how that works...

[Boozad]

people trying to get away with the customs charge

 

There is no customs charge in the UK if you label the box 'Comics' or 'Printed Matter'. So will you ship to us now?

[seanfingh]

So will you ship to us now?

 

No. You guys put mustard in a toothpaste tube and that's just wrong.

[ComicConnoisseur]

people trying to get away with the customs charge

 

There is no customs charge in the UK if you label the box 'Comics' or 'Printed Matter'. So will you ship to us now?

Yes but I don`t think I have the Walking Deads your looking for.

[divad]

 

And just to clarify one thing.. I was not worried about my "perfect" feedback rating...

 

Since I'm the one who referred to a "perfect FB rating", I'll assume you're responding to me, and I'll clarify that I was referring to FB as a buyer...not as a seller.

 

(thumbs u

 

If you weren't, cool.

 

As Branget and Diva said above, I'd really recommend the 1095 boxes. They're bigger, and the Flat Rate Medium boxes are more expensive for one slab.

 

Here's why:

 

A flat rate medium box is $10.70, $10.20 if buoght through Paypal or USPS.com. A slab usually weighs 2 pounds or less with packing.

 

But a Zone 8 (say, Los Angeles to Mass), the most expensive 48 state rate, is only $9.55, or $8.82 only...a nearly $1.40 savings online.

 

And it just gets cheaper from there. If I were to ship to San Francisco, for example, the price is only $5.95/$5.38. Flate rate box? Still $10.70/$10.20.

 

Not only that, but the 1095 boxes, as mentioned, are larger, and much more accomodating for slabs. No bulge necessary.

 

Now, yes, shipping 2 or more slabs does alter this, and Flat Rate has benefit over 2 pounds. But 2 pounds or less, a 1095 is the way to go.

 

Also...I would recommend to everyone to stop worrying about tracking, signature confirmation, and Paypal's dubious "protection" policy, and simply add insurance to everything you ship. Insurance is foolproof: if the item is lost, it's covered, regardless of what Paypal says. And...for all packages over $200 insured, the buyer has to sign for it anyways. Damage is covered, too, which is not with Paypal (for the SELLER.)

 

Paypal protection for sellers doesn't exist. A buyer can get a refund for anything or nothing these days. Insurance protects sellers.

 

All good advice, and saves me the keystrokes . . .

[HouseofComics.Com]

Are we sure that $200 of insurance still gets you a signature? i was told over a year ago that they had changed it to something like $400. (I forget.)

[Topnotchman]

Are we sure that $200 of insurance still gets you a signature? i was told over a year ago that they had changed it to something like $400. (I forget.)

 

Its $201.00 and over for signature insurance USA postal service

[PurpleZeke]

I prefer the 1095 Priority boxes for single slabbed books in the U.S. and we charge 8.00 shipping for single CGC graded books. Yes, when we ship to the West coast it might cost us a little more than we charged, but it's worth it due to the size of the box being better than the flat rate boxes available for single books and the west coast shipping is offset by shipping costs to middle part of country, granted we normally refund excess shipping costs to customers on the east coast. Also there is no buldge in the box even after the slab has been properly wrapped in bubble wrap.

 

[HouseofComics.Com]

Are we sure that $200 of insurance still gets you a signature? i was told over a year ago that they had changed it to something like $400. (I forget.)

 

Its $201.00 and over for signature insurance USA postal service

 

Good to know and to get that, you need to pay for $300, correct? Ie, $201 to $300 is the same price.

[lizards2]

Are we sure that $200 of insurance still gets you a signature? i was told over a year ago that they had changed it to something like $400. (I forget.)

 

I still got charged for signature with insurance of $500 last week.

[Topnotchman]

Are we sure that $200 of insurance still gets you a signature? i was told over a year ago that they had changed it to something like $400. (I forget.)

 

I still got charged for signature with insurance of $500 last week.

 

If its over 201.00 and higher it will be signature insurance, 200.00 and under there is no signature.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Are we sure that $200 of insurance still gets you a signature? i was told over a year ago that they had changed it to something like $400. (I forget.)

 

Its $201.00 and over for signature insurance USA postal service

 

Close enough for government work! (thumbs u

[RockMyAmadeus]

Are we sure that $200 of insurance still gets you a signature? i was told over a year ago that they had changed it to something like $400. (I forget.)

 

I still got charged for signature with insurance of $500 last week.

 

If its over 201.00 and higher it will be signature insurance, 200.00 and under there is no signature.

 

The important thing to note is that, signature or no, it's a moot point either way.

 

Yes, it's nice to be able to have the sig to show Paypal if the item is "lost", but even if you can't, all you need to do is file a claim with the USPS (which you can now do online!), add the note from the buyer that they "never received it", and in a month or so...maybe less...you get your money back from the USPS for the entire insured amount PLUS the shipping (insurance fee, of course, is not refunded.)

 

You can ignore Paypal, you don't have to "prove" someone signed for something, or that it even was delivered...you don't even have to involve them (because they're useless anyways.) And you don't have to worry about whether a buyer is being honest or not...once you file the claim, it's the USPS' responsibility

 

The peace of mind insurance buys me is absolutely priceless. In fact, I just filed a claim in January for a slab not received (though I believe the buyer did receive it.) The book was insured, and the DC showed that the package was "out for delivery"...and then it just vanished. I think the carrier DID deliver it, and just forgot to scan it at delivery, but again, not my problem.

 

I filed the claim online, and in a month, the refund was in my hands.

 

Awesomeness defined.

 

The only thing you have to make sure is that the package gets scanned into the USPS system. If it doesn't, you have no way of proving you dropped the package off, and you'll be SOL. So make sure.

[Boozad]

So will you ship to us now?

 

No. You guys put mustard in a toothpaste tube and that's just wrong.

 

We also do it the other way around. It's great seeing people put toothpaste on their beef.

[RockMyAmadeus]

It's great seeing people put toothpaste on their beef.

 

If that wasn't ready made.....