@rec78 said:
I do not see anywhere where it says that ebay makes the envelopes. Anyways, now I will have to buy a label printer. My regular printer is not up to the task.
Why?
I have a $50 HP inkjet printer. You must buy the self adhesive labels and print them like any other dicument.
For those of us still stuck in the year 2000 on the technology learning curve, could you share the product number and printer combo. I spend waaayy to much on clear tape and paper... lol
Lol. Any HP printer should work. I currently have an HP Deskjet 1050 that's several years old.
For the labels, you can use any Avery equivalent. I've been using these for the last few years:
You'll have to decide whether they are cheaper than paper and tape. In bulk, they cost 3 cents or so per label. But they slap right on a catalog size 6x9 inch envelope.
@rec78 said:
I do not see anywhere where it says that ebay makes the envelopes. Anyways, now I will have to buy a label printer. My regular printer is not up to the task.
Why?
I have a $50 HP inkjet printer. You must buy the self adhesive labels and print them like any other dicument.
For those of us still stuck in the year 2000 on the technology learning curve, could you share the product number and printer combo. I spend waaayy to much on clear tape and paper... lol
Lol. Any HP printer should work. I currently have an HP Deskjet 1050 that's several years old.
For the labels, you can use any Avery equivalent. I've been using these for the last few years:
You'll have to decide whether they are cheaper than paper and tape. In bulk, they cost 3 cents or so per label. But they slap right on a catalog size 6x9 inch envelope.
I was thinking of a smaller label printer. What do you use for 3X5 envelopes?
@rec78 said:
I do not see anywhere where it says that ebay makes the envelopes. Anyways, now I will have to buy a label printer. My regular printer is not up to the task.
Why?
I have a $50 HP inkjet printer. You must buy the self adhesive labels and print them like any other dicument.
For those of us still stuck in the year 2000 on the technology learning curve, could you share the product number and printer combo. I spend waaayy to much on clear tape and paper... lol
Lol. Any HP printer should work. I currently have an HP Deskjet 1050 that's several years old.
For the labels, you can use any Avery equivalent. I've been using these for the last few years:
You'll have to decide whether they are cheaper than paper and tape. In bulk, they cost 3 cents or so per label. But they slap right on a catalog size 6x9 inch envelope.
Ah... so no special label printer needed!
So if you got five items you just bulk print from the ship or pick list?
Very helpful!
Not as costly as I thought!
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
@rec78 said:
I do not see anywhere where it says that ebay makes the envelopes. Anyways, now I will have to buy a label printer. My regular printer is not up to the task.
Why?
I have a $50 HP inkjet printer. You must buy the self adhesive labels and print them like any other dicument.
For those of us still stuck in the year 2000 on the technology learning curve, could you share the product number and printer combo. I spend waaayy to much on clear tape and paper... lol
Lol. Any HP printer should work. I currently have an HP Deskjet 1050 that's several years old.
For the labels, you can use any Avery equivalent. I've been using these for the last few years:
You'll have to decide whether they are cheaper than paper and tape. In bulk, they cost 3 cents or so per label. But they slap right on a catalog size 6x9 inch envelope.
Ah... so no special label printer needed!
So if you got five items you just bulk print from the ship or pick list?
Very helpful!
Not as costly as I thought!
Yes, more or less. I used to write the address by hand, long ago before eBay labels. For 5 minutes (LOL), I printed on paper and used tape like you. But at 3 cents or so (+ ink) per label, it is very quick to print and slap them on. Time, as they say, is money.
@rec78 said:
I do not see anywhere where it says that ebay makes the envelopes. Anyways, now I will have to buy a label printer. My regular printer is not up to the task.
Why?
I have a $50 HP inkjet printer. You must buy the self adhesive labels and print them like any other dicument.
For those of us still stuck in the year 2000 on the technology learning curve, could you share the product number and printer combo. I spend waaayy to much on clear tape and paper... lol
Lol. Any HP printer should work. I currently have an HP Deskjet 1050 that's several years old.
For the labels, you can use any Avery equivalent. I've been using these for the last few years:
You'll have to decide whether they are cheaper than paper and tape. In bulk, they cost 3 cents or so per label. But they slap right on a catalog size 6x9 inch envelope.
I was thinking of a smaller label printer. What do you use for 3X5 envelopes?
@rec78 said:
I do not see anywhere where it says that ebay makes the envelopes. Anyways, now I will have to buy a label printer. My regular printer is not up to the task.
Why?
I have a $50 HP inkjet printer. You must buy the self adhesive labels and print them like any other dicument.
For those of us still stuck in the year 2000 on the technology learning curve, could you share the product number and printer combo. I spend waaayy to much on clear tape and paper... lol
Lol. Any HP printer should work. I currently have an HP Deskjet 1050 that's several years old.
For the labels, you can use any Avery equivalent. I've been using these for the last few years:
You'll have to decide whether they are cheaper than paper and tape. In bulk, they cost 3 cents or so per label. But they slap right on a catalog size 6x9 inch envelope.
I was thinking of a smaller label printer. What do you use for 3X5 envelopes?
>
I just bought 1,000 3x5 envelopes. 😒
I see, Thanks! From the ebay template a 6x9 is usable for the shipping discount- right? I have one more question. What about weight? Will a large coin like a silver dollar put the weight over the 3 oz. limit? If I have to buy 6x9 envelopes I would like to know how much they weigh and THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!!!
Depends on how you package them. I use cardboard the same size as the envelope and cut a bubble Mailer to match the size of the coin and staple it in between the cardboard. It would be close, haven't ever weighed 1. I wouldn't want a silver dollar going through a sort machine myself though. With any protection it's going to be thicker than 1/4 inch.
Edit to add....Plus a silver dollar just screams steal me if not packaged properly!
@rec78 said:
I do not see anywhere where it says that ebay makes the envelopes. Anyways, now I will have to buy a label printer. My regular printer is not up to the task.
Why?
I have a $50 HP inkjet printer. You must buy the self adhesive labels and print them like any other dicument.
For those of us still stuck in the year 2000 on the technology learning curve, could you share the product number and printer combo. I spend waaayy to much on clear tape and paper... lol
Lol. Any HP printer should work. I currently have an HP Deskjet 1050 that's several years old.
For the labels, you can use any Avery equivalent. I've been using these for the last few years:
You'll have to decide whether they are cheaper than paper and tape. In bulk, they cost 3 cents or so per label. But they slap right on a catalog size 6x9 inch envelope.
I was thinking of a smaller label printer. What do you use for 3X5 envelopes?
>
I just bought 1,000 3x5 envelopes. 😒
I see, Thanks! From the ebay template a 6x9 is usable for the shipping discount- right? I have one more question. What about weight? Will a large coin like a silver dollar put the weight over the 3 oz. limit? If I have to buy 6x9 envelopes I would like to know how much they weigh and THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!!!
@rec78 said:
I do not see anywhere where it says that ebay makes the envelopes. Anyways, now I will have to buy a label printer. My regular printer is not up to the task.
Why?
I have a $50 HP inkjet printer. You must buy the self adhesive labels and print them like any other dicument.
For those of us still stuck in the year 2000 on the technology learning curve, could you share the product number and printer combo. I spend waaayy to much on clear tape and paper... lol
Lol. Any HP printer should work. I currently have an HP Deskjet 1050 that's several years old.
For the labels, you can use any Avery equivalent. I've been using these for the last few years:
You'll have to decide whether they are cheaper than paper and tape. In bulk, they cost 3 cents or so per label. But they slap right on a catalog size 6x9 inch envelope.
I was thinking of a smaller label printer. What do you use for 3X5 envelopes?
>
I just bought 1,000 3x5 envelopes. 😒
I see, Thanks! From the ebay template a 6x9 is usable for the shipping discount- right? I have one more question. What about weight? Will a large coin like a silver dollar put the weight over the 3 oz. limit? If I have to buy 6x9 envelopes I would like to know how much they weigh and THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!!!
I put silver dollars in bubble envelopes and ship them 1st class package. The issue is less about weight and more about the thickness. You can't go over 0.25 inches. By the time I put it in a 2x2 or a flip and put that in a corrugated mailer, it's too thick (in my estimation).
A silver dollar is under 1 ounce. Whether you get over 3 ounces in weight kind of depends on how much corrugated mailer you use. I often cut them down a bit to keep the weight down.
@rec78 said:
I do not see anywhere where it says that ebay makes the envelopes. Anyways, now I will have to buy a label printer. My regular printer is not up to the task.
Why?
I have a $50 HP inkjet printer. You must buy the self adhesive labels and print them like any other dicument.
For those of us still stuck in the year 2000 on the technology learning curve, could you share the product number and printer combo. I spend waaayy to much on clear tape and paper... lol
Lol. Any HP printer should work. I currently have an HP Deskjet 1050 that's several years old.
For the labels, you can use any Avery equivalent. I've been using these for the last few years:
You'll have to decide whether they are cheaper than paper and tape. In bulk, they cost 3 cents or so per label. But they slap right on a catalog size 6x9 inch envelope.
I was thinking of a smaller label printer. What do you use for 3X5 envelopes?
>
I just bought 1,000 3x5 envelopes. 😒
I see, Thanks! From the ebay template a 6x9 is usable for the shipping discount- right? I have one more question. What about weight? Will a large coin like a silver dollar put the weight over the 3 oz. limit? If I have to buy 6x9 envelopes I would like to know how much they weigh and THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!!!
On the 3x5 envelopes, you can change the size of the label. I've never tried to format the whole label on a 3x5 self-adhesive label (or the equivalent) because I buy in bulk and only have the one size label. I do cut the labels down for my 8x5 bubbly envelopes.
@rec78 said:
I do not see anywhere where it says that ebay makes the envelopes. Anyways, now I will have to buy a label printer. My regular printer is not up to the task.
Why?
I have a $50 HP inkjet printer. You must buy the self adhesive labels and print them like any other dicument.
For those of us still stuck in the year 2000 on the technology learning curve, could you share the product number and printer combo. I spend waaayy to much on clear tape and paper... lol
Lol. Any HP printer should work. I currently have an HP Deskjet 1050 that's several years old.
For the labels, you can use any Avery equivalent. I've been using these for the last few years:
You'll have to decide whether they are cheaper than paper and tape. In bulk, they cost 3 cents or so per label. But they slap right on a catalog size 6x9 inch envelope.
I was thinking of a smaller label printer. What do you use for 3X5 envelopes?
>
I just bought 1,000 3x5 envelopes. 😒
I see, Thanks! From the ebay template a 6x9 is usable for the shipping discount- right? I have one more question. What about weight? Will a large coin like a silver dollar put the weight over the 3 oz. limit? If I have to buy 6x9 envelopes I would like to know how much they weigh and THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!!!
On the 3x5 envelopes, you can change the size of the label. I've never tried to format the whole label on a 3x5 self-adhesive label (or the equivalent) because I buy in bulk and only have the one size label. I do cut the labels down for my 8x5 bubbly envelopes.
I might be to ancient to figure out how to format it down and get more then 1 label per sheet.
@rec78 said:
I do not see anywhere where it says that ebay makes the envelopes. Anyways, now I will have to buy a label printer. My regular printer is not up to the task.
Why?
I have a $50 HP inkjet printer. You must buy the self adhesive labels and print them like any other dicument.
For those of us still stuck in the year 2000 on the technology learning curve, could you share the product number and printer combo. I spend waaayy to much on clear tape and paper... lol
Lol. Any HP printer should work. I currently have an HP Deskjet 1050 that's several years old.
For the labels, you can use any Avery equivalent. I've been using these for the last few years:
You'll have to decide whether they are cheaper than paper and tape. In bulk, they cost 3 cents or so per label. But they slap right on a catalog size 6x9 inch envelope.
I was thinking of a smaller label printer. What do you use for 3X5 envelopes?
You get two labels per sheet and you can cut them down to fit your envelops. I use a #6 (about 4 1/2 by 6 1/2) with no problem. That also keeps the weight down a bit.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
@rec78 said:
I do not see anywhere where it says that ebay makes the envelopes. Anyways, now I will have to buy a label printer. My regular printer is not up to the task.
Why?
I have a $50 HP inkjet printer. You must buy the self adhesive labels and print them like any other dicument.
For those of us still stuck in the year 2000 on the technology learning curve, could you share the product number and printer combo. I spend waaayy to much on clear tape and paper... lol
Lol. Any HP printer should work. I currently have an HP Deskjet 1050 that's several years old.
For the labels, you can use any Avery equivalent. I've been using these for the last few years:
You'll have to decide whether they are cheaper than paper and tape. In bulk, they cost 3 cents or so per label. But they slap right on a catalog size 6x9 inch envelope.
I was thinking of a smaller label printer. What do you use for 3X5 envelopes?
>
I just bought 1,000 3x5 envelopes. 😒
I see, Thanks! From the ebay template a 6x9 is usable for the shipping discount- right? I have one more question. What about weight? Will a large coin like a silver dollar put the weight over the 3 oz. limit? If I have to buy 6x9 envelopes I would like to know how much they weigh and THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!!!
On the 3x5 envelopes, you can change the size of the label. I've never tried to format the whole label on a 3x5 self-adhesive label (or the equivalent) because I buy in bulk and only have the one size label. I do cut the labels down for my 8x5 bubbly envelopes.
I might be to ancient to figure out how to format it down and get more then 1 label per sheet.
You might be able to print directly on the envelope for the 1st class letter rate. The printer dialog does have such options and most printers have some capability to print envelopes directly.
Otherwise, if you buy the two labels per sheet self-adhesives or just print to regular paper, you can change to "80%" in the printer dialog and you should be able to get the image area under 3x5. I just tried it at 80% and it's almost exactly 3x5. 78% or so probably would be spot on.
I haven't tried printing those labels to my Dymo label writer. All my ebay labels are printed using my regular printer. I'm guessing that I would have to change my print label destination to the DYMO label writer when generating an ebay 1st class envelope label.....True ?
"Bongo drive 1984 Lincoln that looks like old coin dug from ground."
@rec78 said:
Will a large coin like a silver dollar put the weight over the 3 oz. limit?
When they rolled it out initially, just for trading cards, the announcement said "for cards values $20 or less". This announcement says single orders will be protected up to $20. Does anyone know if they allow a coin that sells over $20 to be shipped in a standard envelope, or is that just the max you're protected up to?
@rec78 said:
Will a large coin like a silver dollar put the weight over the 3 oz. limit?
When they rolled it out initially, just for trading cards, the announcement said "for cards values $20 or less". This announcement says single orders will be protected up to $20. Does anyone know if they allow a coin that sells over $20 to be shipped in a standard envelope, or is that just the max you're protected up to?
It wouldn't let me select it on a $40 coin.
Of course you can send it regular first class without the tracking. It's the same rules. I do it all the time.
@rec78 said:
I do not see anywhere where it says that ebay makes the envelopes. Anyways, now I will have to buy a label printer. My regular printer is not up to the task.
Why?
I have a $50 HP inkjet printer. You must buy the self adhesive labels and print them like any other dicument.
For those of us still stuck in the year 2000 on the technology learning curve, could you share the product number and printer combo. I spend waaayy to much on clear tape and paper... lol
Go for a laser printer if you are printing in volume. I have had this printer for about 10 years, printed thousands of labels. I recently replaced the drum. Great machine.
@amwldcoin said:
I don't see this working if you want to protect the coin you are shipping.
fwiw. i've been shipping them this way for years. (w/o tracking lol)
i get card stock from a local print shop, cut it down and fold it in half and staple the coin(s) in-place between the folds and tape that to the inside of the envelope. doesn't take too long and i'm sure 99% of the buyers received the item(s). also print out addresses in nice big clear print since the printer allows for font type/size changes.
during these times $20/50/100 extra per week can really go far for a lot of people.
If you have soda or beer in 12 or 24 can packs you can use the cardboard for this purpose. Perfect and cheap.
my printer doesn't accommodate the 11" wide envelope horizontally, so i'll have to opt for a shorter one as i cannot get it to print vertically correctly, no matter what settings i change (yet).
also, cannot find my smaller envelopes, so i just printed out the "label" and taped it to the 11" this time around.
you can have up to $50 worth of material in an envelope but not a single transaction over $20. the $30 sale didn't offer me the option. i changed all the listings (en bulk) via the policies manager.
i wonder if the option is giving when it isn't selected in the listing. i wonder as if i ever change my policies or make a mistake. guess i need to sell a few things w/o the standard envelope option selected.
OH, and the major spoiler alert. the ebay user id is on the outside of the "label." talk about an unhappy camper. i probably need to send them a message about not painting a target on your back. we have coverage but no sense in shooting us in the foot. ><
edited to add, if you have any listings a little over the $20, you may consider lowering them to save $1-2 unless you already ship with first class and/or non-machinable rates then trying to save a couple bucks from the 3.50 label rate is moot.
New order tonight, I did check on the shipping options and it was there. Don't know if there was some kind of glitch when I tried before, but no matter- 71 cents for tracked shipping is a deal.
New order tonight, I did check on the shipping options and it was there. Don't know if there was some kind of glitch when I tried before, but no matter- 71 cents for tracked shipping is a deal.
Yes. I was paying 85 cents (2 oz + non-machinable) with no tracking. I don't even really care about the tracking or the insurance. But what a tremendous free benefit! The shipping is cheaper AND has perks.
It's going to be hard for the eBay haters to trash this.
@jmlanzaf said:
I don't even really care about the tracking or the insurance.
There's insurance too?
Key Benefits
Saves up to 70% vs. USPS® First Class Package Service
Available for trading cards, coins and currency, postcards and stamps
Integrated tracking and easy to print using eBay labels
Shipping protection plan up to $50 on combined items, in case of loss or damage
Drop off at regular USPS locations
I haven't had to try and use it so I have no idea what it covers or how to use it.
@jmlanzaf said:
I don't even really care about the tracking or the insurance.
There's insurance too?
Each eBay standard envelope shipment includes a $20 shipping protection plan on single item orders, and up to $50 on combined orders, to help in case of lost or damaged items.
If you believe your shipment was lost in shipping, you must wait 30 days to file a claim. You can reduce the amount of the claim if your shipment was only partially lost or damaged, however the claim amount cannot be more than the item's sold price.
To file a claim, select the button below and add the following information to the form:
Tell us what happened - was your item damaged, or was your shipment lost?
Enter the claim information and your PayPal email address.
Enter the following additional information:
Your first and last name
The buyer’s first and last name
Shipment tracking number
eBay item number
Screenshot of eBay Order Details
Screenshot of buyer’s complaint message or dispute details regarding the lost or damaged item
When finished, select File the claim.
Claims must be filed no later than 90 days from the date the shipping label was created.
@jmlanzaf said:
Each eBay standard envelope shipment includes a $20 shipping protection plan on single item orders, and up to $50 on combined orders, to help in case of lost or damaged items.
Sounds like a good deal, hope I never have to file a claim.
More importantly though- if the tracking cuts down on the number of people who file "Item not received" claims five days after they pay, that's huge. I'm getting tired of eBay sending me emails telling me I have too many of those claims filed, even though there are no losses claimed. I don't know why they think I can do anything about how the post office chooses to deliver the mail.
All the credit does not go to ebay. They had to co-operate with the USPS, so a lot of credit should go to the USPS. USPS and eBay working together to make this happen.
@rec78 said:
All the credit does not go to ebay. They had to co-operate with the USPS, so a lot of credit should go to the USPS.
The post office should be concentrating on competently handling the mail load they are currently being entrusted to deliver, not looking for ways to increase it.
@rec78 said:
All the credit does not go to ebay. They had to co-operate with the USPS, so a lot of credit should go to the USPS.
The post office should be concentrating on competently handling the mail load they are currently being entrusted to deliver, not looking for ways to increase it.
But then, that's just me.
They need to recover at some of the volume they lost when Amazon left them. I have not had much problem with the PO delivery. People need to be patient and realize the situation. If you don't sell on ebay then it does not effect you. A lot of commerce is items that cost under $20.
@rec78 said:
I have not had much problem with the PO delivery.
Not everybody is so fortunate. I have been having "Item not received" claims filed against me for at least the last six months, with not a single one of these buyers even bothering to take the time to contact me before filing. All of the items in these claims were eventually delivered but eBay considers having a claim filed as poor performance on the seller's part anyway.
@rec78 said:
People need to be patient and realize the situation.
Because of this thread, I have come out of the past, and purchased a new Rollo laser printer and sold a few things on eBay. The eBay envelope thing is great. Buying the label is well worthwhile it and this saves a lot of time also.
I bought a roll of self-adhesive corrugated: 250 feet by 15 inches. It cost me $130. I cut a 3 inch x 6 inch piece for a single 2x2 coin which results in roughly 2500 such coin pockets from the roll for a cost per unit of 5 or 6 cents.
If you really want to smooth out the envelope, you could cut one that fills the whole length of the envelope for under 20 cents. Even if you did that, your total cost of shipping the coin is 82 cents under one ounce and $1.02 cents for 1 to 2 ounces: 51 (or 71) postage + 20 cents corrugated + 5 cents envelope + 3 cents label + 3 cents ink. That is still far cheaper than the the $3.25+ it would cost to ship it package rate in a bubble envelope.
Obviously, if you have thicker coins or more expensive coins, you can't use this service. But I sold a bunch of relatively common date Indian cents this week for $3 to $4 each with free shipping. No way to do that with any other method of shipping. And, though I know this forum doesn't always recognize it, there are still hundreds of thousands of people buying raw coins to fill albums.
[Whether it is worth my time to cater to this retail crowd is a more complicated question that almost deserves its own thread.]
USPS clerk said they are not able to scan or track.
Curious as to how Ebay tracking will show online.
You can only track it through Ebay and most likely the tracking number will start with ESUS. I have had several like this in the last month.
Jim
I find the tracking really interesting. Postal employees have virtually no idea they are tracking it as there is no barcode. The tracking information is in the QR code which is machine read. That must mean the "delivered" code is generated automatically BEFORE it is actually delivered, probably at the last routing post office in the chain.
Obviously, this gives you less detailed tracking information and less accurate information than the barcode that the postman scans at your front door - not that they always do that right, either. But, remember, this service is only for coins/stamps less than $20 and no package over $50. So, it is better than normal 1st class and INCLUDES INSURANCE.
I look forward to my first lost package (letter package? letter?) so I can see how the insurance process actually works.
I used my last free eBay shipping coupon to buy these. They work great but as posted above they’ll usually be really close to the 3 oz limit.
But for the price I’m very happy with this new service. It’s allowed me to start selling lots of small items that I didn’t want to hassle with before. I don’t really like the idea of sticking coins in a stamped envelope with no tracking. Although I know lots of people have been doing it safely for years.
I used my last free eBay shipping coupon to buy these. They work great but as posted above they’ll usually be really close to the 3 oz limit.
But for the price I’m very happy with this new service. It’s allowed me to start selling lots of small items that I didn’t want to hassle with before. I don’t really like the idea of sticking coins in a stamped envelope with no tracking. Although I know lots of people have been doing it safely for years.
It's really more a question of value. I shipped a lot of coins 1st class with no tracking. I still do for non-U.S. destinations as you can't ship anything out of the country for less than $11 these days. For a coin under $10, there isn't too much point in trying hard to track it given that the post office loses maybe 1 in 1000. The only thing the tracking helps with is the occasional impatient/unreasonable customer who is wondering if you shipped their coin.
It's kind of funny because the new service makes it easy for me to sell EVEN MORE low cost items. LOL. But is it worth my time to sell EVEN MORE low cost items when it doesn't take any longer to sell a $1000 coin than a $3 coin?
I shipped 45 coin packages using the eBay standard envelope. My packages are #10 white envelope with a safe T mailer, and eBay label. There appears to be a tracking issue with the eBay standard envelope. About 20% of the packages had tracking issues. 3 coin packages dropped off at Post Office Box never received any tracking. It appears all 3 packages made it to buyer. One package had tracking to the city of delivery, but was never delivered and buyer requested a refund after 3 weeks. Five packages made it to out for delivery, but not shown as delivered. One package shown as delivered, but not delivered and the package showed up at buyer's mail box the next day. `
I will be applying to eBay for a refund after a 30 day waiting period on the standard envelope package that was not delivered and buyer refunded,
It is my understanding that all the tracking is done with sorting machines.
@jmlanzaf said:
But is it worth my time to sell EVEN MORE low cost items when it doesn't take any longer to sell a $1000 coin than a $3 coin?
I have thought about that, too. But then, I already have all these $3 (and $5 and $10) coins that are hard to sell with "free" $3 shipping and I'd need to buy the $1000 coin for resale. So even though it's a lot of work per coin for a not very big sale, whatever I sell them for (minus shipping and fees) is profit as otherwise, they're just poundage- about 3 to 5 cents each.
@jmlanzaf said:
But is it worth my time to sell EVEN MORE low cost items when it doesn't take any longer to sell a $1000 coin than a $3 coin?
I have thought about that, too. But then, I already have all these $3 (and $5 and $10) coins that are hard to sell with "free" $3 shipping and I'd need to buy the $1000 coin for resale. So even though it's a lot of work per coin for a not very big sale, whatever I sell them for (minus shipping and fees) is profit as otherwise, they're just poundage- about 3 to 5 cents each.
That's basically my rationale also. I also only ebay at night after work so I consider it monetizing my "TV time". It is essentially valuing my time at zero but it lets me play with some coins and stamps and things for fun and make a couple bucks on the side.
It's kind of funny because the new service makes it easy for me to sell EVEN MORE low cost items. LOL. But is it worth my time to sell EVEN MORE low cost items when it doesn't take any longer to sell a $1000 coin than a $3 coin?
Very true.
But in the past, for me anyway, all those $3-$20 coins that seem to accumulate from buying group lots or collections just piled up in my safe. Now at least I feel better about mailing them. I didn't really care about the cost of possible lost items, it was more about losing the Top Rated discount. Because I don't do a huge volume of sales, just a few item not received or lost could have affected it.
Comments
Ebay is your friend. I've been using these for years and typically bought them with ebay bucks. https://ebay.com/itm/193343637012
I was thinking of a smaller label printer. What do you use for 3X5 envelopes?
Ah... so no special label printer needed!
So if you got five items you just bulk print from the ship or pick list?
Very helpful!
Not as costly as I thought!
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
Yes, more or less. I used to write the address by hand, long ago before eBay labels. For 5 minutes (LOL), I printed on paper and used tape like you. But at 3 cents or so (+ ink) per label, it is very quick to print and slap them on. Time, as they say, is money.
I use 6x9.
>
I just bought 1,000 3x5 envelopes. 😒
I see, Thanks! From the ebay template a 6x9 is usable for the shipping discount- right? I have one more question. What about weight? Will a large coin like a silver dollar put the weight over the 3 oz. limit? If I have to buy 6x9 envelopes I would like to know how much they weigh and THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!!!
Depends on how you package them. I use cardboard the same size as the envelope and cut a bubble Mailer to match the size of the coin and staple it in between the cardboard. It would be close, haven't ever weighed 1. I wouldn't want a silver dollar going through a sort machine myself though. With any protection it's going to be thicker than 1/4 inch.
Edit to add....Plus a silver dollar just screams steal me if not packaged properly!
I put silver dollars in bubble envelopes and ship them 1st class package. The issue is less about weight and more about the thickness. You can't go over 0.25 inches. By the time I put it in a 2x2 or a flip and put that in a corrugated mailer, it's too thick (in my estimation).
A silver dollar is under 1 ounce. Whether you get over 3 ounces in weight kind of depends on how much corrugated mailer you use. I often cut them down a bit to keep the weight down.
On the 3x5 envelopes, you can change the size of the label. I've never tried to format the whole label on a 3x5 self-adhesive label (or the equivalent) because I buy in bulk and only have the one size label. I do cut the labels down for my 8x5 bubbly envelopes.
I might be to ancient to figure out how to format it down and get more then 1 label per sheet.
You get two labels per sheet and you can cut them down to fit your envelops. I use a #6 (about 4 1/2 by 6 1/2) with no problem. That also keeps the weight down a bit.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
You might be able to print directly on the envelope for the 1st class letter rate. The printer dialog does have such options and most printers have some capability to print envelopes directly.
Otherwise, if you buy the two labels per sheet self-adhesives or just print to regular paper, you can change to "80%" in the printer dialog and you should be able to get the image area under 3x5. I just tried it at 80% and it's almost exactly 3x5. 78% or so probably would be spot on.
Thanks guys!
Just tried the Ebay envelope for the first time.
Eliminated one step of the PWE process with "tracking"
I will be much more accurate than just affixing a .75 cent stamp onto everything.
That small savings will likely save enough to pay for most of the Basic store subscription.
I see efficiency as well.
Picked up some Avery labels to try as well... thanks amwldcoin and jmlanzaf
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
I haven't tried printing those labels to my Dymo label writer. All my ebay labels are printed using my regular printer. I'm guessing that I would have to change my print label destination to the DYMO label writer when generating an ebay 1st class envelope label.....True ?
When they rolled it out initially, just for trading cards, the announcement said "for cards values $20 or less". This announcement says single orders will be protected up to $20. Does anyone know if they allow a coin that sells over $20 to be shipped in a standard envelope, or is that just the max you're protected up to?
It wouldn't let me select it on a $40 coin.
Of course you can send it regular first class without the tracking. It's the same rules. I do it all the time.
~~~~> @yspsales said:
Go for a laser printer if you are printing in volume. I have had this printer for about 10 years, printed thousands of labels. I recently replaced the drum. Great machine.
Brother HL-2270DW
If you have soda or beer in 12 or 24 can packs you can use the cardboard for this purpose. Perfect and cheap.
first batch ready to go out.
my printer doesn't accommodate the 11" wide envelope horizontally, so i'll have to opt for a shorter one as i cannot get it to print vertically correctly, no matter what settings i change (yet).
also, cannot find my smaller envelopes, so i just printed out the "label" and taped it to the 11" this time around.
you can have up to $50 worth of material in an envelope but not a single transaction over $20. the $30 sale didn't offer me the option. i changed all the listings (en bulk) via the policies manager.
i wonder if the option is giving when it isn't selected in the listing. i wonder as if i ever change my policies or make a mistake. guess i need to sell a few things w/o the standard envelope option selected.
OH, and the major spoiler alert. the ebay user id is on the outside of the "label." talk about an unhappy camper. i probably need to send them a message about not painting a target on your back. we have coverage but no sense in shooting us in the foot. ><
edited to add, if you have any listings a little over the $20, you may consider lowering them to save $1-2 unless you already ship with first class and/or non-machinable rates then trying to save a couple bucks from the 3.50 label rate is moot.
Sent my first one out today.
USPS clerk said they are not able to scan or track.
Curious as to how Ebay tracking will show online.
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
My items that are listed with regular first class (not eBay standard envelope) do not offer the option when it comes to printing labels.
Might> @MasonG said:
Might be the category or price. I did not change any shipping options and it has been an option for everything that is eligible.
I'll check again on my next sale.
You do get some intermediate location updates and it did register as "delivered".
What a great service!
New order tonight, I did check on the shipping options and it was there. Don't know if there was some kind of glitch when I tried before, but no matter- 71 cents for tracked shipping is a deal.
Yes. I was paying 85 cents (2 oz + non-machinable) with no tracking. I don't even really care about the tracking or the insurance. But what a tremendous free benefit! The shipping is cheaper AND has perks.
It's going to be hard for the eBay haters to trash this.
There's insurance too?
Key Benefits
Saves up to 70% vs. USPS® First Class Package Service
Available for trading cards, coins and currency, postcards and stamps
Integrated tracking and easy to print using eBay labels
Shipping protection plan up to $50 on combined items, in case of loss or damage
Drop off at regular USPS locations
I haven't had to try and use it so I have no idea what it covers or how to use it.
Each eBay standard envelope shipment includes a $20 shipping protection plan on single item orders, and up to $50 on combined orders, to help in case of lost or damaged items.
If you believe your shipment was lost in shipping, you must wait 30 days to file a claim. You can reduce the amount of the claim if your shipment was only partially lost or damaged, however the claim amount cannot be more than the item's sold price.
To file a claim, select the button below and add the following information to the form:
Tell us what happened - was your item damaged, or was your shipment lost?
Enter the claim information and your PayPal email address.
Enter the following additional information:
Your first and last name
The buyer’s first and last name
Shipment tracking number
eBay item number
Screenshot of eBay Order Details
Screenshot of buyer’s complaint message or dispute details regarding the lost or damaged item
When finished, select File the claim.
Claims must be filed no later than 90 days from the date the shipping label was created.
Anything that saves the collector a buck ( or 2, in this case) is fine by me.
Sounds like a good deal, hope I never have to file a claim.
More importantly though- if the tracking cuts down on the number of people who file "Item not received" claims five days after they pay, that's huge. I'm getting tired of eBay sending me emails telling me I have too many of those claims filed, even though there are no losses claimed. I don't know why they think I can do anything about how the post office chooses to deliver the mail.
All the credit does not go to ebay. They had to co-operate with the USPS, so a lot of credit should go to the USPS. USPS and eBay working together to make this happen.
The post office should be concentrating on competently handling the mail load they are currently being entrusted to deliver, not looking for ways to increase it.
But then, that's just me.
They need to recover at some of the volume they lost when Amazon left them. I have not had much problem with the PO delivery. People need to be patient and realize the situation. If you don't sell on ebay then it does not effect you. A lot of commerce is items that cost under $20.
Not everybody is so fortunate. I have been having "Item not received" claims filed against me for at least the last six months, with not a single one of these buyers even bothering to take the time to contact me before filing. All of the items in these claims were eventually delivered but eBay considers having a claim filed as poor performance on the seller's part anyway.
I'm not the impatient one, it's eBay's buyers.
apologies for the extra post but feedback came in after iposted last here.
3 packages sent, 3 delivered, 3 positives. yay. $70+ in value for $1.53 shipping.
Well, this new rate finally nudged me into buying a Zebra LP2844.
Because of this thread, I have come out of the past, and purchased a new Rollo laser printer and sold a few things on eBay. The eBay envelope thing is great. Buying the label is well worthwhile it and this saves a lot of time also.
Really both the managed payments change, which decreased selling costs, and the ebay standard labels have been very pro-seller.
Loving ebay even more.
put it in a folded flip taped to the packing receipt. I add an extra sheet of blank paper before folding and putting in a #10 business envelope.
These paperboard ebay envelopes work well when using the new ebay standard envelope option. However they weight just over an ounce, using them will cost you at least .71 in postage but guarantees the USPS letter machine doesn't eat your coin.
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Debt
You can only track it through Ebay and most likely the tracking number will start with ESUS. I have had several like this in the last month.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
I bought a roll of self-adhesive corrugated: 250 feet by 15 inches. It cost me $130. I cut a 3 inch x 6 inch piece for a single 2x2 coin which results in roughly 2500 such coin pockets from the roll for a cost per unit of 5 or 6 cents.
If you really want to smooth out the envelope, you could cut one that fills the whole length of the envelope for under 20 cents. Even if you did that, your total cost of shipping the coin is 82 cents under one ounce and $1.02 cents for 1 to 2 ounces: 51 (or 71) postage + 20 cents corrugated + 5 cents envelope + 3 cents label + 3 cents ink. That is still far cheaper than the the $3.25+ it would cost to ship it package rate in a bubble envelope.
Obviously, if you have thicker coins or more expensive coins, you can't use this service. But I sold a bunch of relatively common date Indian cents this week for $3 to $4 each with free shipping. No way to do that with any other method of shipping. And, though I know this forum doesn't always recognize it, there are still hundreds of thousands of people buying raw coins to fill albums.
[Whether it is worth my time to cater to this retail crowd is a more complicated question that almost deserves its own thread.]
I find the tracking really interesting. Postal employees have virtually no idea they are tracking it as there is no barcode. The tracking information is in the QR code which is machine read. That must mean the "delivered" code is generated automatically BEFORE it is actually delivered, probably at the last routing post office in the chain.
Obviously, this gives you less detailed tracking information and less accurate information than the barcode that the postman scans at your front door - not that they always do that right, either. But, remember, this service is only for coins/stamps less than $20 and no package over $50. So, it is better than normal 1st class and INCLUDES INSURANCE.
I look forward to my first lost package (letter package? letter?) so I can see how the insurance process actually works.
I used my last free eBay shipping coupon to buy these. They work great but as posted above they’ll usually be really close to the 3 oz limit.
But for the price I’m very happy with this new service. It’s allowed me to start selling lots of small items that I didn’t want to hassle with before. I don’t really like the idea of sticking coins in a stamped envelope with no tracking. Although I know lots of people have been doing it safely for years.
My Ebay Store
It's really more a question of value. I shipped a lot of coins 1st class with no tracking. I still do for non-U.S. destinations as you can't ship anything out of the country for less than $11 these days. For a coin under $10, there isn't too much point in trying hard to track it given that the post office loses maybe 1 in 1000. The only thing the tracking helps with is the occasional impatient/unreasonable customer who is wondering if you shipped their coin.
It's kind of funny because the new service makes it easy for me to sell EVEN MORE low cost items. LOL. But is it worth my time to sell EVEN MORE low cost items when it doesn't take any longer to sell a $1000 coin than a $3 coin?
I shipped 45 coin packages using the eBay standard envelope. My packages are #10 white envelope with a safe T mailer, and eBay label. There appears to be a tracking issue with the eBay standard envelope. About 20% of the packages had tracking issues. 3 coin packages dropped off at Post Office Box never received any tracking. It appears all 3 packages made it to buyer. One package had tracking to the city of delivery, but was never delivered and buyer requested a refund after 3 weeks. Five packages made it to out for delivery, but not shown as delivered. One package shown as delivered, but not delivered and the package showed up at buyer's mail box the next day. `
I will be applying to eBay for a refund after a 30 day waiting period on the standard envelope package that was not delivered and buyer refunded,
It is my understanding that all the tracking is done with sorting machines.
I have thought about that, too. But then, I already have all these $3 (and $5 and $10) coins that are hard to sell with "free" $3 shipping and I'd need to buy the $1000 coin for resale. So even though it's a lot of work per coin for a not very big sale, whatever I sell them for (minus shipping and fees) is profit as otherwise, they're just poundage- about 3 to 5 cents each.
That's basically my rationale also. I also only ebay at night after work so I consider it monetizing my "TV time". It is essentially valuing my time at zero but it lets me play with some coins and stamps and things for fun and make a couple bucks on the side.
Very true.
But in the past, for me anyway, all those $3-$20 coins that seem to accumulate from buying group lots or collections just piled up in my safe. Now at least I feel better about mailing them. I didn't really care about the cost of possible lost items, it was more about losing the Top Rated discount. Because I don't do a huge volume of sales, just a few item not received or lost could have affected it.
My Ebay Store