Attn: Ebay Experts...Shipping Advice Needed....

[Dutch]

Hey Smilin'Sam, DaveC and all you other Ebay-savvy members: I want to sell something on Ebay, more for the experience than anything, so that if/when I am doing business re: a more expensive item, I know what to expect. I almost threw away this non-powered, "reel-type" pushmower, which I originally picked up ("recycled?") b/c it seemed in good condition, sharp, etc.... I'd like to have an ebay auction, and am concerned about how I will go about shipping such a bulky, heavy (sharp!) item. It must weigh 50 lbs. Are there companies like UPS or Mailboxes that box something like this? It would seem to be ex$pen$ive, no? Is the buyer accostomed to paying this $? Is it common for the seller to build a crate out of wood, and charge the buyer for the lumber and a reasonable amount for his time, i.e. for an hour? What is a reasonable amount? Perhaps I should ask: how do you guy's do it? That might be more to the point than me reinventing the "reel," so to speak (oops--sorry!). Thanks in advance. Peter

[LesH]

UPS can help you out on that one. 50# is no problem. Make sure you completly drain the gas and oil before you ship it. Here is their link- http://wwwapps.ups.com/servlet/QCCServlet

[carter]

Peter, If the handle folds you can make a pretty small package of the unit. Most do cause they were originally shipped that way. Go to www.ups.com as Les suggests and you can get shipping costs based on package size & weight and shipping and receiveng zip codes. Good cardboard is all that is required. Crating adds too much weight. Ron

[SmilinSam]

Buyers in general do not like handling charges so I rarely add these kind of charges. When I do add in some for time and effort I usually establish a fixed shipping price in the auction listing based on what like items I have sold before cost to ship and add so much to that. The rarer the item the more forgiving the bidders are on the shipping. To get a rough idea what shipping will cost you can take your item, box abd weigh it . then go to UPS.com and calculate rates using several zipcodes from cities in different areas around the country. I generally ship everything under 5 lbs via priority mail, as they will provide all the tape, labels and boxes for free. Everything around 5 lbs and over goes out via UPS. I did however ship a garden tractor loader bucket via Greyhound bus lines. It weighed under 100lbs but the box exceeded UPS max limits. The buyer cued me in on Greyhound, and they do have a website for calculating rates. They don't ship to businesses or residences but from one bus station to another. They are more expensive than UPS but are far less than the truck freight companies. Gives me another alternative for bulky packages. They do have size and weight restrictions as does UPS. I do all my own packaging. I do not think UPS does that, but could be wrong. PAying someone else to pack your items and passing the cost to the buyer will generally make the cost of the item prohibitive to potential bidders. I don't buy packing or boxes. I get them at local businesses from the stuff they will otherwise throw out.(and No, I don't dig through the dumpsters either, I have them save them on certain days and times and I promptly pick them up.) Shipping anything via UPS in material other than a cardboard box costs extra. If I sell something like a heavy briggs block, I build a wood frame around it and set the whole thing in a "Heavy" cardboard box. A lot of work, and if the bids are not high enough its not really worth it, but if you add for the time to box it, the people will not bid.......-almost a catch 22. Then you have to decide what to sell. Certain things seem to sell , others do not. Anything antique that has a collector following seems to be sellable. Everyday items still sold in the stores don't seem to be so great(my opinion) Your reel mower for example, will not likely sell to anyone who wants to use it, because with the shipping added they may be able to buy it cheaper at their local store. BUT, if it somehow is "antique" and has collector appeal, it may sell. Hard to tell sometimes. Really one never knows what will sell and what will not. I get suprised all the time. Another ball of wax is trying to decide how to list it. I have been asked alot "What categories do you list your stuff under?" To me category is less important than the actual words you use in your item heading line.. I think most people type in the general words of what they are looking for in random searches, IE- "Simplicity Tractor" or " lawn Tractor" or " garden tractor" and so on. Most don't search by category. You have to try and think what words the prospective buyer will be typing to conduct their search and use them in your listing. Other questions are whether to use a reserve, a buy it now, or what price to start it at. Ebay charges differently for each way. The best and most cost effective listings are those where you don't care what the item brings and start it at $9.99 or less. That only costs you 30 cents to list. You can read up on Ebay about the rest of the cost details. It all depend what you are willing to sell your item for. Pictures are a must!!! All this is from my experience and is my opinion in general. Not necesarily the rule of the day.

[Dutch]

Peter, The above post by Sam is what could be a "manual" for successful eBay selling. One thing Sam missed is how the seller describes the item and ethics. Study some of Sam's offerings. Sam doesn't use meaningless words and phrases like "this is spectacular" - "it's the greatest" - "bid now before it's to late". Sam just gives an accurate description of condition and the required facts. Sorry if I embarrassed you Sam. I just wish all sellers were like you.

[JeffG]

Everyone: Thanks a lot! Dutch, I was thinking the same thing, basically, that Sam was essentially giving a "how to ebay" and I think it's great--thanks Sam--that's what I need! The mower is certainly antique, which I forgot to mention. Upon moving it today, however, I'd have to say it weighs 25-30 lbs., not 50. (Don't have a scale). I think the (heavy duty) cardboard box would be the way to go, as Ron suggested. I was kind of imagining the scenario Sam suggested, re: heavy items w/o great value being "borderline," i.e. crating/boxing/shipping effort$ prohibit selling if the bids are on the low side. Great suggestion re: packing materials, though. There's a woodstove store nearby I get pallets at...I'll have to explore that.... Thanks again guys. It seems there's always more to "the ropes" than one imagines when "kiting" an idea. Would anyone care to satisfy my curiosity on how the whole "escrow" thing works? I know that's only for items over a minimum dollar amount, ($250.?) but I'm just curious about how each party protects themselves against fraud (which I read is increasing on ebay). Specifically, how does the buy trust the seller to actually ship the buyer the msde. after payment is received, and vice versa. It it a third party arrangement? Of course I realize I could probably decipher some of this from ebay's site, but I trust you guys/gals to tell me the impt. stuff, and I still think the board's been kind of slow, for a while now. Thanks again, Peter

[dlcentral]

Peter, Be honest with your ad Good pics ARE a must.Shipping that item shouldn't cost all that much if it can be broken down some.I am very lucky shipping wise as my Agco dlr. does mine at a quite reduced rate.Mailb**** etc.and such places are very highly priced.,,Good luck to you!