How can i lower my shipping cost?

[bigcasey123]

Currently i'm using USPS first class and paying $1.93 but that's way to much since the items i sell don't go over $3.

If i up the price my buyers stop coming and if i don't do anything my profits pay the price (currently only making 20 - 30 cents on one of my listings).

I requested a quote from DHL (seeing that most ebay sellers use them they must be very cheap) but i have never heard back from them :(

[ilcarletto]

How your competitors (if any) ships they items?

[bigcasey123]

They ship with DHL.

[rsot]

You might need a large business account to make shipping cheaper then...

[JamesNorth101]

What sort of $ are you spending on shipping per month

[nodeal]

Was selling cheap jewelry to build feedback on accounts and had the same problem…

I just stopped paying the $1.93 for First Class package… paid $.49 postage, put it in a regular envelope and shipped without tracking.

If a buyer wants to scam me and say they never got the item, they would of course get away with it, but 9/10 times that doesn't happen. And if it does, I am only losing $.50 on the item, but I am gaining $1.00 extra profit on the successful transactions, so it makes sense.

If your items are at a very cheap cost to you, consider this.

[bigcasey123]

Originally Posted by nodeal

Was selling cheap jewelry to build feedback on accounts and had the same problem…

I just stopped paying the $1.93 for First Class package… paid $.49 postage, put it in a regular envelope and shipped without tracking.

If a buyer wants to scam me and say they never got the item, they would of course get away with it, but 9/10 times that doesn't happen. And if it does, I am only losing $.50 on the item, but I am gaining $1.00 extra profit on the successful transactions, so it makes sense.

If your items are at a very cheap cost to you, consider this.

I actually was considering this but the price of postage varies from destination. If i was shipping from FL to NY maybe $.49 would be ok but if i was shipping to CA then it could cost anywhere between $2.00 - $3.00.

@JamesNorth101

I'm spending about 193 bucks a month (since i only have a hundred limit on my account).

@rsot

I'm trying to expand into a large business but i can't do so without cheap shipping.

[yotano211]

Originally Posted by bigcasey123

I actually was considering this but the price of postage varies from destination. If i was shipping from FL to NY maybe $.49 would be ok but if i was shipping to CA then it could cost anywhere between $2.00 - $3.00.

@JamesNorth101

I'm spending about 193 bucks a month (since i only have a hundred limit on my account).

@rsot

I'm trying to expand into a large business but i can't do so without cheap shipping.

I think the last person was saying that he/she used "forever stamps" inside untracked mail envelops to ship his/her small items. They are currently 49 cents anywhere within the US. I think you must-of used some kind of other shipping method to get your price of $2-3.

I have used the same method of using "stamps" to ship very small items without tracking. The cheapest shipping method with tracking will be USPS 1st class mail. It will not get cheaper than this. You can get commercial rates but you will need to ship a lot of items and the price will not be much cheaper.

[Artann]

$1.93 is the commercial rate. I don't think there is anyway to ship cheaper. I will check DHL if I remember to get into the system while at work but I doubt that DHL is any cheaper.

[bigcasey123]

Originally Posted by yotano211

I think the last person was saying that he/she used "forever stamps" inside untracked mail envelops to ship his/her small items. They are currently 49 cents anywhere within the US. I think you must-of used some kind of other shipping method to get your price of $2-3.

I have used the same method of using "stamps" to ship very small items without tracking. The cheapest shipping method with tracking will be USPS 1st class mail. It will not get cheaper than this. You can get commercial rates but you will need to ship a lot of items and the price will not be much cheaper.

I thought forever stamps was the same thing as normal stamps? can i use forever stamps on my 4x8 padded envelopes? or would i need to use normal mail envelopes?

[nodeal]

Originally Posted by bigcasey123

I thought forever stamps was the same thing as normal stamps? can i use forever stamps on my 4x8 padded envelopes? or would i need to use normal mail envelopes?

If you use normal mail envelopes and are using USPS first class letter service (the service you would use if you were sending a letter to a friend and dropping it in a mailbox) it should only be .49 cents to anywhere within the U.S. Look on their website for the rules and regulations regarding first class letter envelopes. I believe there are restrictions on weight and thickness of contents within the envelope to qualify for the .49 cents rate.

[bigcasey123]

It's all so damn confusing! one guy told me i would have to pay $1,00+ and the USPS price calculator says i only need to pay $0.92... there's no damn straight answer.

[joesshooze]

Originally Posted by bigcasey123

I thought forever stamps was the same thing as normal stamps? can i use forever stamps on my 4x8 padded envelopes? or would i need to use normal mail envelopes?

USPS has a thickness gauge at their offices that you can use to check your padded envelopes. I was selling cheap key chains and using USPS regular mail $.49 anywhere in the US. Good luck.

BTW, I used to manage the shipping dept. for a medical device co. & you have to ship a whole lot of stuff to get even a small discount from any carrier.

[bigcasey123]

Originally Posted by joesshooze

USPS has a thickness gauge at their offices that you can use to check your padded envelopes. I was selling cheap key chains and using USPS regular mail $.49 anywhere in the US. Good luck.

BTW, I used to manage the shipping dept. for a medical device co. & you have to ship a whole lot of stuff to get even a small discount from any carrier.

were you using the standard white mailing envelope? i'm thinking about using this but i don't know if it will damage my items. They are made out of stainless steel and are increably small (so you wouldn't know if they were in the envelope).

[joesshooze]

Yes but I taped the flat flat key chain to an 8 1/2 X 11 piece of paper so it would not move around. I mailed myself a test and it worked.

[yankee]

DHL is going to be MUCH MUCH MUCH more expensive than first class mail. When did DHL resume domestic shipping?

[Hercules]

USPS is cheapest under 13 oz's. You could try .49 cent stamps but they have computers watching thickness sometimes....
It's cheap because the USPS is in the red each year for 18 billion dollars!

[Moocheeme]

DHL only ships internationally. You can't ship within the US with DHL from what I heard.

[vogeltron]

Originally Posted by bigcasey123

They ship with DHL.

Does DHL have something like FedEx Smartpost or the UPS version?

[rsot]

FedEx is a better option - business account

[Sandy D]

Going to be very hard to get down below that amount.

[MM78]

Pigeons.....