3 Options for Shipping When Reselling Online

Reselling

Jan 16

There are several factors that you must consider when reselling online; one of those is what to charge for shipping your items.

The cost to ship an item is based on 3 variables:

The weight of the package
The overall dimensions of the package (width x length x depth)
The distance it must travel from your zip code to the delivery zip code

With these variables in mind, let’s discuss your options for what to charge the buyer for shipping.

Option #1: Offer a flat rate shipping

If you are selling smaller items that are cost effective to ship, then flat rate shipping is easy. It is easy for the buyer because they know what to expect from your store, and it is easy for you.

Option #2: Offer shipping that is calculated

This is the option I ALWAYS utilize. I rarely make money on shipping but I surely don’t like losing money on it. Calculated shipping requires that you have a general idea of the package weight and dimension ahead of it selling. This gets easier to guess with practice.

TIP: Use a food scale to help guide you on the package weight.

Option #3: Offer free shipping

I never offer free shipping. I prefer to keep the price of the item favorable and competetive and let the shipping cost be calculated based on the factors above.

The only time I would recommend offering free shipping is when you are first starting your store. You may want to offer free shipping to draw more eyes to your items. Be sure to offer it on smaller items that are easier to pack and don’t weigh over 1 lb.

Let me give an example:

Let’s say you want to sell a Christmas Village House. It sells for $30 and you decide to offer free shipping on the order.

You pack the house and get ready to ship. The weight is over 3lbs and the dimensions are roughly 20” x 20” x 12”. The person who bought it lives in California.

You type in the details and hit calculate…..$20 to ship! After the platform takes their cut and USPS takes theirs for shipping, you basically paid someone to buy your item. Not exactly sustainable. ;)

We will discuss which carrier to use next along with how the cost will vary based on where you purchase your shipping label. Stay tuned!