topic Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages? in Selling

ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

aviationwidow — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 02:53:25 GMT

Ebay sent me 5 flat rate 500gm satchels as a 'thank you'. I'm struglling to see any advantage in this method. Ebay claims the following advantages:

Know exactly what prices to charge for delivery
Print your own postage labels at your home or office
Manage your eBay sales and delivery costs all in the one place:

I'm sure I can do all this when buying the satchels at the Post office with the added bonus of being not forced to pay by Paypal. Isn't the price for sending items under 500gms (or between 500gm & 3kgs) exactly the same regardless of where I buy the satchels? Isn't writing an address directly on the satchel easier and more cost-effective than printing labels? If someone can enlighten me, I'd be grateful.

Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

pennyforum14 — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 03:14:50 GMT

eBay satchels are for use with eBay shipping labels. The rates on offer for these labels are roughly 10% cheaper than the AP rate and they have the added advantage of integration with the eBay system so tracking numbers upload automatically. You can just pop the label on the satchel and drop it in a red box, but it is recommended that you hand them over the counter at the PO so it gets scanned, as the ones posted in red boxes are often not scanned until delivery.

Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

greenmoon33 — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 08:46:30 GMT

I find eBay postage quite useful and easier to use,and your eBay tracking number gets uploaded automatically ,either drop it in a red box or into the post office.Easy.

Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

phorum_junkie* — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 09:37:18 GMT

what makes you think it only works for Paypal payments? It is a bit slower if you mark items as paid yourself if it is bank deposit but the label will eventually be available, just not instantly as with Paypal payments.

It is cheaper to post using the ebay satchels and it is just so easy, print and attach the label and hand over the counter and that is it done and dusted. You have your proof of posting and you don't have to enter tracking numbers or mark things as posted.

It does make your ebay monthly invoice look formidable but if you don't want to pay a month's postage in one hit you can make manual payments weekly or even daily if you want.

I honestly cannot see any advantage in not using the ebay satchels and labels.

Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

black*poppy — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 12:24:49 GMT

@aviationwidow wrote:
Isn't the price for sending items under 500gms (or between 500gm & 3kgs) exactly the same regardless of where I buy the satchels? Isn't writing an address directly on the satchel easier and more cost-effective than printing labels? If someone can enlighten me, I'd be grateful.

Ebay postage is cheaper - $7.15 for a 500g satchel plus ~17c or similar for the satchel itself when you buy them - lucky you that you received a few for free.

Also, you have the advantage of automatic proof of address of exactly where you sent it with the labelling system, which is recorded in eBay. Unless you take a photo of each satchel you handwrite, you have no proof that you addressed it correctly in case of an INR (you only get a postcode if you lodge over the counter, nothing for posting in a red box). No mistakes with ebay labels. Might be very rare when it matters, but you might be glad one day.

Click and send is another service that has proof of address, and you can pay with a credit card, but costs a little bit more.

Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

lane-ends — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 12:44:32 GMT

The ebay labels ensure the address on the label is the same as that verified by the buyer at checkout, It also cross checks suburbs and postcodes, and picks up many addressing errors that previously caused a lot of lost or delayed items.

labels can be printed in black and white so worrying about colour printing is not an issue in case anyone is worried about that. You also dont have to pay up front large sums to bulk buy satchels. So you will have plenty on hand and wont run out as easily. I used to prepacks of 100 of each regular stachel, thats a big upfront expense.

If buyer selects signature option at checkout that will auto import to label, so you wont miss it.

Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

digital*ghost — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 16:25:15 GMT

@aviationwidow wrote:

I'm sure I can do all this when buying the satchels at the Post office with the added bonus of being not forced to pay by Paypal.

When you process a shipping label via eBay, the charge is added onto your eBay bill, so you can pay via any method that's accepted by eBay (automatic billing via credit/debit card or PayPal, one-off payments via bank deposit, and I think they still accept cheques / money orders), so you're not forced to pay by PayPal.

I use eBay to buy/print labels a few times a week, and while I try to avoid credit as much as possible (which the label system essentially provides in the short term), it has come in handy a few times when I had more packages than normal to send out (the vast majority of my items go as letters, but sometimes I'll get a few want express - which has to be a parcel, so that's minimum $10+ each one - and/or some larger orders, so those postage costs can add up quick when you've suddenly got a half-dozen or so in one day), and the payment for postage ultimately comes directly from the buyer's payment (because I pay off my eBay account frequently with one-off payments), rather than from the cash I have on hand (which can occasionally be limited ).

There are some other, minor time saving features, some which would likely be of more benefit to some sellers and not others (eg today I had to ship an order containing nearly 40 items. If I have to add the tracking number to an order like that manually, I either have to take the easy way and just add it to one item, or do it 40 times, eBay automatically adds the number to every item, which I prefer (for neatness if nothing else).

The cost of the label printing I could do without, as the page-use isn't exactly economical (one label per A4 page, even though it basically uses a quarter of it), but I re-use the rest for other things, and print on the lowest quality setting that will allow a readable (scan-able) barcode.

Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

jessicadazzler97 — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 21:22:22 GMT

If by flat rate you mean prepaid, I always use them. They're so much easier, you just print the address, and off it goes to the Post Office. No hassle at all and I can't imagine doing it any other way.

Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

davewil1964 — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 01:41:59 GMT

@digital*ghost wrote:
@aviationwidow wrote:

I'm sure I can do all this when buying the satchels at the Post office with the added bonus of being not forced to pay by Paypal.

When you process a shipping label via eBay, the charge is added onto your eBay bill, so you can pay via any method that's accepted by eBay (automatic billing via credit/debit card or PayPal, one-off payments via bank deposit, and I think they still accept cheques / money orders), so you're not forced to pay by PayPal.

I use eBay to buy/print labels a few times a week, and while I try to avoid credit as much as possible (which the label system essentially provides in the short term), it has come in handy a few times when I had more packages than normal to send out (the vast majority of my items go as letters, but sometimes I'll get a few want express - which has to be a parcel, so that's minimum $10+ each one - and/or some larger orders, so those postage costs can add up quick when you've suddenly got a half-dozen or so in one day), and the payment for postage ultimately comes directly from the buyer's payment (because I pay off my eBay account frequently with one-off payments), rather than from the cash I have on hand (which can occasionally be limited ).

There are some other, minor time saving features, some which would likely be of more benefit to some sellers and not others (eg today I had to ship an order containing nearly 40 items. If I have to add the tracking number to an order like that manually, I either have to take the easy way and just add it to one item, or do it 40 times, eBay automatically adds the number to every item, which I prefer (for neatness if nothing else).

The cost of the label printing I could do without, as the page-use isn't exactly economical (one label per A4 page, even though it basically uses a quarter of it), but I re-use the rest for other things, and print on the lowest quality setting that will allow a readable (scan-able) barcode.

Print landscape, you get 2 then.

Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

aviationwidow — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 07:15:15 GMT

Thanks all for your considered replies.

Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

misterforgetfulsbooks — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 23:57:08 GMT

@pennyforum14 wrote:
eBay satchels are for use with eBay shipping labels. The rates on offer for these labels are roughly 10% cheaper than the AP rate and they have the added advantage of integration with the eBay system so tracking numbers upload automatically. You can just pop the label on the satchel and drop it in a red box, but it is recommended that you hand them over the counter at the PO so it gets scanned, as the ones posted in red boxes are often not scanned until delivery.

You get the 10% discount when you buy 100 from Aus Post. The tracking numbers can still be uploaded. And you don't need to use your printer toner or expensive label machines.

Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

pennyforum14 — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 00:24:10 GMT

Yes, you can, but...

It's a very large outlay to purchase satchels 100 at a time amd likely out of the reach of your average mum and pop seller.
It's extra work to have to manually upload the tracking numbers while the eBay system does it automatically for you.
For my items 90% go as large letters, it would take me at least two years to use 100 satchels, just to save 10%, whereas I can get that discount with eBay labels every time, one at a time.

Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

digital*ghost — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 02:20:09 GMT

I know this won't apply to all, but just thought I'd mention Business 250 - Australia Post's discount via Click & Send if you send 250+ parcels a year.

The discounts on parcels range from about 5% - 10% (including the red & white flat rate satchels, which you can buy in small amounts for the same price as eBay satchels, I think), bringing a lot of the prices down to match eBay's (or close to them), except for perhaps the flat rate boxes, but you can also get a discount on international parcel prices, while eBay don't even have the function to create international postage labels.

Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

denhams — Wed, 04 Sep 2019 09:52:44 GMT

Not factoring the printing printer/cartridge/ink costs into that I guess

Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

padi*0409 — Wed, 04 Sep 2019 11:55:01 GMT

@denhams wrote:
Not factoring the printing printer/cartridge/ink costs into that I guess

After over FOUR YEARS they probably have............................

Re: ebay flat rate satchels - any advantages?

davewil1964 — Wed, 04 Sep 2019 12:18:46 GMT

... and after over FOUR years none of the prices quoted on this thread are anything like current, so why bump it and have people who don't read post dates think the prices have dropped?