Postage questions

[mountainherbs-123]

I sell plants and before packaging I don't exactly know how much they weigh.

So far I used the ebay feature for Australia post.

I find that the value of what I send is poor compared to the postage. And sometimes the ebay feature does not work out well for me.

Furthermore I cannot charge for packaging.

How do you do the postage?

Are other carriers cheaper? I need a carrier which is as fast as Australia Post and reliable and I am not in a metropolitan area.

What is the advantage of e-parcel? They don't really say on their webpage.

[pennyforum14]

You can just use Australia post and pay at the PO without using eBay labels, but eBay is a little cheaper.   With plants your items would have to go as parcels, so letter posr (which is the only cheaper option) is not suitable.

[digital*ghost]

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@mountainherbs-123 wrote:

Furthermore I cannot charge for packaging.

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Sounds like you might be using eBay's calculated postage option? Where the postage cost is automatically entered by eBay. If so, you can add a handling charge to the postage amount - it has to be done separately, but I'm not 100% sure where the option is located when using calculated postage, you may need to click "Add or remove options" to find and enable it (a link is located at the top of each section of the listing form, so to go straight to the additional postage options, scroll down to the postage section and use the link on that section). 

I personally use flat rate postage options, where I enter the cost myself, so my pricing includes the cost of packaging and so forth. But, my items are very suitable for specific costs across all of them, so it's easy for me to say X amount for one, X for all additional items (I have postage discounts set up to automatically apply during the checkout process).  

[davidc4430]

if your planning on selling a lot of items of different weights i's sugest buying a set of scales that show grams and go up to say 5kg, makes figuring out charges much easier.

[mountainherbs-123]

Thanks, I'll look into that.

I use a scale, but I remove the dirt and then have to pack and post immediately to avoid that the plant is a long time in the parcel.

Australia post is really a pain in the neck.

I only started selling and I cannot list more than ten items, but I nearly sold all of them, which is a miracle to me as the postage is not cheap at all.

The tip with the ebay post that it is a bit cheaper is good. So how much is a bit - worthwhile? Maybe I use the postage label function next time - anything to mention against it?

[digital*ghost]

eBay flat rate satchel prices are about 10% cheaper than the normal flat rate you buy over the counter, but you do need to buy the satchels and print out the labels yourself - the cost of the postage is added to your eBay fees - the BX flat rate boxes can also be very good value for items that fit, as the same thing over the counter (or through Click & Send) is quite a bit higher.

They have a store on eBay if you want to check out AP's flat rate range, http://stores.ebay.com.au/Australia-Post-Store

[mountainherbs-123]

thanks 10% is better than nothing. What are BX flat rate boxes?

[davewil1964]

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@mountainherbs-123 wrote:

thanks 10% is better than nothing. What are BX flat rate boxes?

The sorts of things you should research BEFORE you start selling.

AP website and/or eBay postage.

[mountainherbs-123]

That is true, but my plants are just so good!