Packaging and Shipping your Resale Items

Packaging and shipping your resale items is something that I cannot stress how important the care is for handling your items effectively. This is a pretty big learning curve, so I’m going to provide as much detail as I can, but this is something you will have to learn over time. Because as much as I emphasize double-boxing an item, or using specific materials, you will try it your own way. And you will learn your own way as well. I know it seems like shipping should be basic, but it’s quite involved. And I have specialized in ceramic and porcelain items, so getting really good at packaging breakables has had to go into my wheelhouse.

Packaging and Shipping your Resale Items Means you have Estimated Weight and Box Size Correctly

When you are posting your item, getting your weight and box size as close as possible is key. I have learned over time it’s better to have as many square box sizes as possible, especially ones that you can fit a “box inside a box”. For breakables, this is paramount. I don’t ship anything breakable any longer without a box within a box. So, I have a lot of one-inch boxes that are close in size: 4x4x4, 5x5x5, 6x6x6. More on how this works in a moment.

I also have rectangular boxes for items that are less square in nature, and I keep around some very odd, longer boxes, just in case I need to ship something a little strange in size. I picked up some wonderful poster shipping boxes at a garage sale at one point, and all of my posters are rolled and put into one of these boxes for safe keeping. Then, once the item sells, I can tape a label on because the size and weight are spot on accurate.

Back to estimating…If I have a 7-inch item, I know that I will package it in an 8x8x8 within a 9x9x9 box. When I am posting the item, I weight it and then usually double the weight – for breakables, definitely double it. For lighter items, you know you won’t need as much wrapping and boxing, so adding a pound or two is likely fine. Enter the best guess at a box size, if the item isn’t rectangular. A good rule of thumb is to add two inches around the item so you have that much room for double boxing, bubble wrap, if needed, and brown paper. It’s been my experience that it is harder to find the clean one-inch upsize like in square boxes, so you have to guess that the box may be bigger in order to find a box to accommodate the inside box. For more information on key tips for packaging, see my summary page below.

Packaging and Shipping your Resale Items Means Having the Right Materials Around

As with the 7-inch item mentioned above, I have selected an 8x8x8 box to go within a 9x9x9 box. The breakable is bubble wrapped, put inside the smaller box with lots of brown kraft paper around the extra inch. Then, that box is put in the larger box with another inch of brown paper around the entire box. In this video, I have walked through an example packaging of breakable china.

I know this seems like overkill, but if you know anything about the shipping companies, sometimes they don’t always have the most respectful of workers, who understand the importance of the item they are transporting.

I purchase poly mailer envelopes for my soft goods. And I use clear inside envelopes to put clothes or other soft good inside. The reason I do this and the same thing really goes for any other items is that you want a layer between any outside package and inside package. Sometimes, the receiver is not careful and slices open the package. This can damage the item, but I have found an extra layer usually saves the item.

In this picture you can see the clear envelope on top, and the purple poly mailer underneath.

Packaging and Shipping your Resale Items Requires Creating Shipping Rules

Creating shipping rules can be a bit tricky, and after over a decade of doing this, I still struggle a bit with it. The bottom line is that you have to create different shipping rules that will apply across your items, so you can select the best possible rule to go with each item. An example of a shipping rule includes the title of the rule such as “Lighter Items Domestically”, then you would select FedEx Economy, UPS Economy, and USPS First Class. These options would then be shown to customers at checkout. For heavier items, I might title it “Shipping Larger Items Domestically”, and I often choose FedEx or UPS Ground as the options.

You likely don’t need many shipping rules, and that’s why it’s probably more difficult for me. I have a lot of shipping rules that I don’t even need. I think I use the same handful all the time. Also, I don’t really include any express shipping options, because it is so rarely asked for. If someone does ask for it, you can go in and add it as a new shipping rule, and then adjust the listing accordingly. One thing to note on adapting shipping on the fly is that if you have any offers out there, many fields in a listing cannot be altered including shipping. Sometimes, I will create a brand new listing that is considerably different from the original listing, customized specifically to the person requesting it. Just don’t forget to delete the original listing, after the purchase has been made.

Selecting the Right Postage Service for the Package to be Delivered

Selecting the right postage service involves a little bit of knowledge about the different shipping services and how they work. Currently, most of the ecommerce sites use UPS, USPS, and FedEx as their options for shipping services. A good rule of thumb is that packages 4 pounds or less will likely ship USPS, and packages over 4 pounds will go FedEx.

That has changed some with the new economy shipping options – UPS and FedEx both have smaller package options now. Although, ironically, they are usually taking the package to USPS to deliver the item. Why USPS negotiated this kind of rate that beat out their least expensive shipping option is beyond me. Now, for the most part, you can find a shipping option with UPS and FedEx that are less expensive than USPS. Unfortunately, USPS continues to make decisions that risk their entire existence.

Understanding Breakage with the Different Postal Carriers

The only issue that you have to be aware of is whether damage occurs to the item in transit. Because as of now economy shipping is a more laborious process that can take three times as long. Usually, with FedEx, you log into your account, file a claim, upload documentation and pics of the broken item, submit and within 2 weeks or so you have a check. This takes so much longer with economy and you don’t have access to the site to see the status of the claim. By the way, most ebayers are trained to upload pictures of a broken item, but you will get newbies that you have to explain the process to sometimes.

Also, USPS says they insure their items for up to $100. If the item is lost in transit, this is true, and they will reimburse you. However, if the item is damaged in transit, they will almost always create a vicious circular process that never allows you to really get reimbursed. So, I add third party insurance to USPS packages, so I don’t have to deal with USPS if the item is damaged. This adds even more money to the package cost, and also decreases the usage of USPS.

I mentioned a few other things in my summary below. The packing station with lots of boxes organized by size is the most helpful thing I ever did. It has always been pretty stressful to me to find the right boxes to use so that the package comes out just right and doesn’t break in transit. Having box options makes the whole process less stressful. Here’s a picture of my boxes organized by size.

In summary…these key elements, go in to packaging.

A Quick Note on eBay’s Global Shipping Program

eBay’s global shipping program has come a long way since the earliest days of the program. Now, it makes most sense to select this as the option for a couple of reasons. First, it is actually less expensive than trying to send any of the other international means. Second, eBay takes care of any damage, so you don’t have to even get involved with it. These two reasons, alone make it worth doing.

We have more on this, be sure to see the Main Page of Information on “Second-Hand Resale” Here.