Advice Please - eBay postage labels and B1 Boxes

[jfmgray]

Hi.  I have never looked into purchasing eBay postage labels as 90% of my items are sent as large letters.  But after reading that it only costs $7.15 to send up to 1kg in a B1 box, I am after some advice about this option, or are there any reasons why not to use the option for a parcel above 500 grams (but under 1 kg) which I would normally send in a 3kg bag for about $12.80.

The situatioon I have at the moment is also a bit different to the norm, where one buyer has purchased 4 items separately but I would like to send all in a B1 box using eBay postage label.  I assume I print the label for one of the 4 items, but can I copy the tracking number for the other 3?

Also can you use your own packaging rather than purchase a B1 box, providing the dimentions are the same or smaller?

Any tricks or pitfalls when printing the label?

Your pearls of wisdom would be appreciated.

[curraone]

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@jfmgray wrote:

Hi.  I have never looked into purchasing eBay postage labels as 90% of my items are sent as large letters.  But after reading that it only costs $7.15 to send up to 1kg in a B1 box, I am after some advice about this option, or are there any reasons why not to use the option for a parcel above 500 grams (but under 1 kg) which I would normally send in a 3kg bag for about $12.80.

The situatioon I have at the moment is also a bit different to the norm, where one buyer has purchased 4 items separately but I would like to send all in a B1 box using eBay postage label.  I assume I print the label for one of the 4 items, but can I copy the tracking number for the other 3?

Also can you use your own packaging rather than purchase a B1 box, providing the dimentions are the same or smaller?

Any tricks or pitfalls when printing the label?

Your pearls of wisdom would be appreciated.

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I think the Bx1 boxes are great value.    Specially if you buy from Aust Post in bulk, they deliver for free!

As said ^^, it takes a special kind of person to claim that there items are not sent when they only have one tracking number.    I would definitely combine and save your buyer some postage, I'm sure they will appreciate it.   You have taken the chance previously by sending non-tracking envelopes, so not much difference.

The tracking number can be copied on to each purchase, I have done this with no problem.

The flat rate postage offered by ebay and Aust Post definitely specifies that you use a Bx1 box from Australia Post - not to use your own similar box.

Refunding too much against one purchase - more than the postage - does seem to trigger a defect sometimes, what I normally do would be to refund a small amount against each extra item.

[curraone]

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@dylan11235813 wrote:

Package everyting together, it saves on everything. I don't bother refunding because I have to make up stories about paypal taking $0.30 for each lot and then the rest, by the time thats over it has cost more. I usually upgrade the postage if someone feels the need to make a million orders.

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IMO this is not good advice.     Most buyers - including me - get pretty narky if they have paid for several postage costs and then get the their items all in one parcel with no refund.

[dylan11235813]

I would happily refund but like I said it is made up of heaps of fees. I would rather not bother a customer about taking this and that and then this. It doesn;t seem to happen very often for me, usually actually from buyers that have a huge feedback rating and continually buy from me, funny really. As you say though it is and I think also taking money, Like I said I usually upgrade the postage.

[dylan11235813]

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@curraone wrote:

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@dylan11235813 wrote:

Package everyting together, it saves on everything. I don't bother refunding because I have to make up stories about paypal taking $0.30 for each lot and then the rest, by the time thats over it has cost more. I usually upgrade the postage if someone feels the need to make a million orders.

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IMO this is not good advice.     Most buyers - including me - get pretty narky if they have paid for several postage costs and then get the their items all in one parcel with no refund.

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 meow

[vproshop]

I use Ebay postage for 95% of my transactions.

BX1 up to 1kg is very good value, It is $7.15 as a pose to C&S at about $11 odd.

I use my own satchels for these...

Who cares whether you use boxes or satchels, you paid for the postage. it prints 1kg on the label.

Thats what you have, a 1kg parcel, whose going to stop you from using satchels or boxes.

I lodge my parcels at Privately owned franchised Aus Post outlet.

They dont care what they receive, as long as you are pretty close to what you have paid

for, it doesnt matter if you use boxes or satchels.

ie, if you have 3kg product, dont blatantly use 1kg, they won't like this,

but if 1.1kg and you chose BX1, its pretty much ok.

I use Zebra printer for my labels, so i dont waste time and paper on A4 sheets.

I get multiple purchases by customers all the time, I usually fit them all into 1 satchel and add the one tracking number against 

all the orders, its easily done.

I have been doing this for many years and i have had no problems.

Let me know if you want help setting up your zebra printer settings, it can be a little tricky and is different from

C&S and Ebay Labels.

Hope this info helps.

[curraone]

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@vproshop wrote:

I use Ebay postage for 95% of my transactions.

BX1 up to 1kg is very good value, It is $7.15 as a pose to C&S at about $11 odd.

I use my own satchels for these...

Who cares whether you use boxes or satchels, you paid for the postage. it prints 1kg on the label.

Thats what you have, a 1kg parcel, whose going to stop you from using satchels or boxes.

I lodge my parcels at Privately owned franchised Aus Post outlet.

They dont care what they receive, as long as you are pretty close to what you have paid

for, it doesnt matter if you use boxes or satchels.

ie, if you have 3kg product, dont blatantly use 1kg, they won't like this,

but if 1.1kg and you chose BX1, its pretty much ok.

I use Zebra printer for my labels, so i dont waste time and paper on A4 sheets.

I get multiple purchases by customers all the time, I usually fit them all into 1 satchel and add the one tracking number against 

all the orders, its easily done.

I have been doing this for many years and i have had no problems.

Let me know if you want help setting up your zebra printer settings, it can be a little tricky and is different from

C&S and Ebay Labels.

Hope this info helps.

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Every couple of months, some seller gives this advice about using your own packaging  and getting the flat rate postage,  and it is simply wrong.    Just because  you get away with it, doesn't make it right.

(from Australia Post site):  eBay packaging and flat rate postage pricing

The following prices apply only when you use the specific eBay packaging, as listed below:

but if 1.1kg and you chose BX1, its pretty much ok.

and my PO weighs the Bx1 box every time, and if it is over 1kg then they reject it.

[digital*ghost]

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@dylan11235813 wrote:

I would happily refund but like I said it is made up of heaps of fees. I would rather not bother a customer about taking this and that and then this. It doesn;t seem to happen very often for me, usually actually from buyers that have a huge feedback rating and continually buy from me, funny really. As you say though it is and I think also taking money, Like I said I usually upgrade the postage.

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I refund as for me, most of the time the extra P&H doesn't quite cover an upgrade, but I just issue it via PayPal with a short note, and don't even explain why it's not the full P&H amount that was charged on that order, if I'm refunding less (I retain an average of 50c per additional postage amount for covering the extra costs incurred - my terms state that my flat rate postage is only applied when a single payment is made for all items - i.e. the special discount is conditional and they haven't met the conditions, so I feel further explanation isn't necessary). 

Funnily enough, the only time someone ever contacts me about the refund is when they haven't looked at the email notification properly and assumed I've just refunded their payment and won't send their items for some reason, even though I only process refunds once per day at most, several hours after everything's been posted (so they would have received notification of postage for all items first - occurs about 1% of the time).