Shipping 2009 Blog

Archive for the ‘Costs’ Category

As a seller and a buyer on eBay, over the years, I have noticed a major discrepancy in shipping charges. Some charge the minimum for shipping while others charge more than the actual costs. As a buyer your rights are at a minimum; however, being on both sides of the coin, I can offer some tips to make sure that you are getting the most out of your eBay experience.

As I stated earlier, buyers have very few rights when it comes to shipping; in turn, the buyer needs to protect themselves. The first step to protecting yourself is to read the shipping description completely. If the fee is listed as actual shipping cost, ask the seller how much the item would cost to ship. Most sellers are very helpful and will give you a quote quickly. If the seller charges a set fee and it seems high, check USPS.com or the appropriate site, any shipping cost can be found on the shipper website. When in doubt ask. Some sellers will lower shipping costs if they seem too high, while other will state that the shipping is a set fee.

If you want to combine shipping, ask the seller what the charges will be. Combine shipping is where most people are taken advantage of. Some sellers will combine shipping at no extra charge while others will charge the shipping no matter how many items you buy. Most items; especially if they are under a pound or if they are smaller than the largest flat rate shipping box, can be shipped for $5 or $9 domestically and under $37 internationally. Most sellers will place as many items as they can in one box; this saves the shipper time and packaging cost as well as saving the buyer in shipping costs. Find out how this combined shipping is handled. Does the seller charge per item, are they going to charge you full price or are they going to place all items in one box and charge you the actual? Be sure to ask about the combine shipping and only bid if you are satisfied with the answer.

If you still are not sure, check the seller’s feedback. Feedback is used to determine how satisfied the buyers are with that particular seller. How feedback works is that a buyer or a seller rates you on how satisfied they are with a purchase. Always check feedback before bidding on an item. A new feature on the site is the, Detailed Sellers Rating. This is a section where sellers are rated on: item description, communication, shipping time and shipping costs. The way it works, buyers rate the seller on these categories by giving them the appropriate

There are many car shipping companies nowadays providing a variety of car shipping services. By far, the cheapest and most economical way of shipping a car is by using open multi car carriers.

These carriers are huge trucks that can carry up to 10 cars at one time. You may have seen some of these on the roads before. They usually have 2 levels and can carry 4 to 5 cars on each level. Because they are so long and high, they are limited to travel along major highways and roads with no obstruction of low hanging trees and bridges.

When shopping around for cheap car shipping services, there are a couple of pointers you need to bear in mind

1) Federal Car Shipping License

All car shipping companies need to be registered with a federal license before they are allowed to ship cars. Make sure you ask the car shipping company for proof that they carry the federal license.

2) Extra Cost

Some car shipping companies appear to offer very cheap transport services but in fact, there are many hidden cost that they do not state upfront.

Make sure you check with the company the total cost of shipping up front before signing the agreement letter. Examples of hidden cost are usually fuel surcharges, car insurance and extra charges for shipping to your house.

3) Door to Door Or Terminal To Terminal

Not all car shipping services will ship the car to your house. Some car shipping companies only deliver to major cities and towns and will deposit your car in a terminal. From there, you will collect your car. There are also some companies that charges additional fees for shipping to your house.

In any case, make sure you ask the car shipping company whether they provide door to door delivery for terminal to terminal delivery. In most cases, terminal to terminal is cheaper.

4) Shipping Insurance

Make sure you have sufficient insurance coverage when shipping your car. Some car shipping companies already factor in the insurance in the total shipping cost while others require additional cost.

It’s also important to know what you are being covered. Most car shipping insurance cover against damage and loss of vehicles up to a certain amount. Make sure you know all the details before signing the agreement.

With so many cheap car shipping services available today, you should take your time and search for a few car shipping quotes before deciding on one.

Whether you run a big time eBay business or you simply sell various trinkets from your garage on occasion; everyone can stand to trim some of the fat from their shipping charges. However, as a seller you should continuously strive to package your items securely. Pinpointing a harmonious medium between these two ends of the spectrum can sometimes prove to be difficult.

eBay now has the option for buyers to search auctions by shipping as well as price; making it all the more important for you to be frugal with your packaging. Don’t be mislead, though, as waiving the shipping fee and tacking it on to your reserve price will cause eBay to claim a higher percentage of your profits.

If you are like most eBay sellers; the majority of the items you sell are less than two pounds. The US Postal Service offers the most cost-effective means for shipping items of this size and the free, yes, I did say free, Ebay/USPS co-branded boxes are an excellent perk (http://ebaysupplies.usps.com).

If you are planning on shipping a great deal, or have a lot of weighty packages, your best option is to ship via DHL. While the US Postal service is primarily the cheapest, DHL offers a lower cost than UPS and FedEx; and if you have a membership with Sellsi.com (http://www.sellsi.com/), you can save up to an additional forty percent.

Before you ship, it is important that you make sure the item does not rattle in the box. Try not to skimp on the packing peanuts or bubble wrap. Believe it or not, the best place to purchase inexpensive shipping materials is on eBay! Do a search for “packaging material” or “shipping material” and you will find pages and pages of items that will fit the needs of both small and large sellers.

Are you looking to obtain more customers? Of course you are! Buyers appreciate sellers that will reduce shipping costs when they purchase multiple items from you. Not only does it save them money but it also saves you the expense of having to ship two, or more, separate packages. Offer this benefit in your auctions and you might see your sales increase.

The days of a buying a digital camera for under a buck and charging $150.00 for shipping are over. Not only does eBay frown on this practice but buyers have become aware of this trick and prefer to deal with a seller that offers reasonable shipping charges in their auction listings. Be fair and upfront with your shipping charges, and your shipping schedule, and your customers might come back for more of your items later.

As much as cost of shipping is an important matter to consider, it is equally critical to make sure your customers are satisfied with the condition in which they receive their items. In my experience, the top three reasons eBay buyers leave negative feedback for an auction is due to a product not arriving on time, a product arriving damaged or the cost of shipping being too high. A happy medium of these three will help to ensure customer satisfaction…and increase your feedback rating.

In today’s business world, shipping is an essential part of getting products to your store and to your customers; especially now that many goods are produced in other countries. With gas prices climbing higher than five dollars a gallon, shipping can cost a pretty penny though. That is why more businesses are investing some time and money in a search for discount shipping rates. After all, if your business ships a lot of goods, you can save hundreds and even thousands of dollars by finding better rates.

Fortunately, when you face the challenge of moving goods, there are several different shipping companies to choose from. The plethora of competitors in the market can help keep prices reasonable, but it also creates a sea of options to sort through because individual carriers usually specialize in different services. For example, Carrier A might offer the best pricing on small package shipping while carrier B has the best rates on full truck load shipments. If you don’t want to spend all your time searching for good deals though, one option would be to turn all your shipping needs over to a broker.

A broker’s knowledge and experience is valuable because shipping rates are influenced by many different factors. For example, freight dimensions, weight, distance, speed, and quantity can all impact which carrier would be the best choice for your needs. The relationships that brokers have established with major carriers, warehouses and smaller shipping companies can help them find good deals as well.

In addition to finding the best rates for your shipping needs, a broker will orchestrate everything from pick-up and delivery, to tracking, customs, and bills of lading. This can save you a lot of time and frustration and will allow you to focus more of your time on other aspects of your business.

Since brokers need to communicate with several parties to orchestrate shipping, look for a company that provides extraordinary customer service. A few minute on the phone with them could give you a general feel for the emphasis they put on good customer service but referrals and testimonials are also good indicators since they usually come from unbiased sources. For complete satisfaction, you should be able to contact them easily, they should be very reliable, and they should offer competitive prices. If you can find a broker with all of these qualities, their services would be well-worth the investment.

With the world becoming more and more globalized, there has been a increase in business for car shipping companies to ship all types of vehicles ranging from motorbikes to lorries, trucks etc. Online car sales and car auctions have also contributed to an increase in demand for car shipping services.

As a result, today there is a wide range of car shipping companies to choose from. But how do you go about picking a car shipping service that is suitable for your car? Here are a few tips to bear in mind.

1. Enclosed Or Not Enclosed

You will need to decide whether your car needs to be enclosed in a container or not during shipping. Generally enclosed containers are more expensive but the advantage is your car will not need to suffer from wind, rain, debris etc during transportation.

I would recommend to use an the enclosed method of transportation if your car is a brand new one or is expensive. An example would be a vintage car or an expensive sports automobile.

2. Shipping Routes

You may need to check with the car shipping company whether they can deliver to your house. Some shipping companies only deliver to major cities and certain pickup locations after which you are expected to go there to collect the car.

Other car shipping companies will charge an additional fee to ship it to your house. So it is important you check with the company before hand the shipping arrangement.

3. Car Inspection

Most car shipping companies will have a car inspection checklist before and after the car is shipped. You want to go through that checklist and make sure your condition of the car is checked correctly before shipping.

You can take your time to inspect the car after it has been shipped to check for any damages to your car.

5. Car Shipping Insurance

You may want to check with the car shipping companies on the shipping insurance coverage on your car and the cost involved. Most car shipping companies include insurance in the total shipping cost but some don’t and will require an additional charge. So make sure you know the insurance coverage and the cost if needed.