Poll: How long would it take you to ship 50 items.

notwilight · October 16, 2008 12:50AM

I've been selling a lot of inexpensive items on eBay and on any given Sunday night I have about 50 items to ship. Think about how long it takes you to ship one item and try to estimate how long it would take you to ship these 50.

adamlaneus · October 16, 2008 12:54AM

If everything is in order, my ducks are in a row, materials and product at the ready. It's about 2 minutes per package for packing, printing, taping, etc.

Fortunately, I use PayPal labels to get the 18 cent sig. conf. The wait at the Post Office for getting 50 packages stamped would be horrible.

This is called 'working fast'. And there is a risk of getting confused and sending the wrong thing to the wrong person. It's always good to be very deliberate and careful in the packing phase.

seanq · October 16, 2008 12:54AM

I figured right around four hours, or roughly five minutes per package. In reality it would take me a lot longer because no project lasting longer than five minutes ever goes without several interruptions in my household.

Sean Reynolds

TwoSides2aCoin · October 16, 2008 12:55AM

10 days not a minute more.

rgCoinGuy · October 16, 2008 12:56AM

I sent out 40 in one day a couple months ago, close to 4 hours IIRC. I do individual paypal shipping on each item, which probably slows the process.

Type2 · October 16, 2008 12:58AM

4HR if you are not sending them all to the same buyer.

mgoodm3 · October 16, 2008 1:03AM

Everything I do is registered - that means it would take forever.

Casman · October 16, 2008 1:26AM

It takes me around 12 minutes per box, I pack them, Tape and glue sealed, so that it's near impossible to open...I know cause I left an invoice outta 1 and had to open it myself...All the while I was thinking maybe I'd over done it...

notwilight · October 16, 2008 1:27AM

I'd like to see the guys doing it in an hour or less. They must be a blurr....

19Lyds · October 16, 2008 1:51AM

<< <i>I'd like to see the guys doing it in an hour or less. They must be a blurr.... >>

Actually, #10 envelopes and wrapping a coin in a packing slip doesn't take that long at all.

CarlWohlforth · October 16, 2008 1:52AM

I'm pretty fast but it would still take me more than 2 hours.

slipgate · October 16, 2008 2:00AM

WHen I do sell something, I have it in the box and ready to seal before I even list it.

mrpotatoheadd · October 16, 2008 2:06AM

<< <i>WHen I do sell something, I have it in the box and ready to seal before I even list it. >>

I used to do that, except with bubble envelopes instead of boxes. I stopped because the time saved on some packages was wasted on repackaging others when buyers bought multiple items.

Russ · October 16, 2008 2:46AM

It really depends on how many coffee breaks I take.

Russ, NCNE

Dog97 · October 16, 2008 5:34AM

I'm slow & easily confused so it would take me 4-8 hours. I sold 15 eBay auctions once and it just baffled my mind trying to kep track of who paid, who's yet to pay, and keeping everything straight to make sure the right person gets the right stuff.

messydesk · October 16, 2008 6:59AM

The typical thing I ship goes into a padded mailer with a PayPal-generated shipping label. 2 minutes per package seems pretty reasonable once I hit my stride. Lately, however, I've had to spend time wondering where I put the coin I just sold, then looking for it, so I put 2-4 hours, which includes about 3/4 of an hour trying to find the stuff to package.

If I had to do 50 registered, I'd probably call the post office and see if I should just make an appointment (can you even do that?). There's one clerk there that would cost me a couple hours of standing at the counter waiting for her to figure out what she's doing for Every...Single...Package.

derryb · October 16, 2008 7:20AM

Man, ya gotta take is slow and do just one at a time all the way through. I sent two gold coins to the wrong two fellas and all i had to get out that night was (you guessed it) two packages. The paypal shipping label (with packing slip, etc.) is a many step process and it is so easy to get the product in the wrong package if you don't take it one at a time. Still quicker than waiting in line at the PO.

BAJJERFAN · October 16, 2008 7:36AM

Probably longer than its worth which is why its a waste to sell/take low dollar orders. It takes as much time to package a $5 coin as it does a $5K coin.

tightbudget · October 16, 2008 7:58AM

I don't know for sure, but I can tell you it'd take a while.

ILikeMercs · October 16, 2008 8:01AM

til I finished.

abitofthisabitofthat · October 16, 2008 8:02AM

I could do it in an hour, but that's because my wife helps. I pull the coins from inventory and wrap them, she tapes up the envelopes.

sumdunce · October 16, 2008 8:04AM

I package anything I send in large priority boxes, my penmanship is terrible, and I double check everything. Takes about 15 minutes per package.

S

jessewvu · October 16, 2008 8:28AM

I guess it does all go back to quality. If you are dumping them in a bubble envelope, probably 1 min each with time to print shipping label included. If you are wrapping them in top quality shipping materials like tissue paper and bubble wrap, then into boxes that need to be sealed on each side, it takes about 5 min each with shipping label printing included.

OPA · October 16, 2008 8:46AM

I'm older & slower than Jesse ... Even with the PayPal self adhesive label & packing slip, it still takes me about 10 minutes per item ...."

abitofthisabitofthat · October 16, 2008 8:58AM

<< <i>I guess it does all go back to quality. If you are dumping them in a bubble envelope, probably 1 min each with time to print shipping label included. If you are wrapping them in top quality shipping materials like tissue paper and bubble wrap, then into boxes that need to be sealed on each side, it takes about 5 min each with shipping label printing included. >>

My minute per coin (wife help included) does not involve 'dumping' anything. Each coin is carefully packaged and individually wrapped.

adamlaneus · October 16, 2008 9:02AM

I have to amend my statement about 2 minutes per package. That is what it would take me to whip cheap stuff out into padded envelopes.

Some packages get fussed over. Sometimes the item is important enough that I will fuss over it for quite some time. I think i've spent half of an hour finding the right box and padding for particularly delicate items.

If those 50 items were a typical set of 50 items, then I suspect i'd fuss over at least the 5 most expensive items. So that 2 hour job will easily become a 4 hour job, some of it spilling into the next day because I get tired or hungry.

ArizonaJack · October 16, 2008 10:12AM

When I run a string on the bay, a minute apart, I can usually keep up as they end. Final combining add a few here and there.
a cpl hours, no more

eyoung429 · October 16, 2008 12:06PM

Um is this in regards to only coins?? I have sold cars, motorcycles, gas pumps, toys, coins........

notwilight · October 16, 2008 1:03PM

I started this thread to show what I think is the best thing about ebay/paypal--the automatic tracking and binning of paid items and the the automated shipping. I can usually do 50 items, usually including a couple of $500 to $1500 coins as well as the cheap ones, in about 2 hours if nothing gets screwed up. Takes me about 20 minutes to print out the address labels, packing slips, and shipping reciepts. Then I have to put together some flat rate boxes for the big items (usually a PCGS blue box full of coins). I have about 20 different products right now so very few envelopes have the same item in them. I've learned there are some error traps that can cause me to ship the wrong coins--suppose I'm shipping pair after pair of various 2008 MS68 SF P and D pennies, nickels, dimes, halves, etc and someone goes to my store and buys a pair of 2007 MS68 SF nickels. It is very easy to just ship them a pair of 2008s since that is what I was expecting.

So I double check everything and it takes me less than a minute per package that goes into an envelope. 2-4 minutes per box, and 8-10 minutes per registered package and it all adds up to about 2 hours and usually error free.

Like I said, I could never do this without the ebay/paypal shipping system.

Still, their fees are getting out of hand.

--Jerry

notwilight · October 16, 2008 1:08PM

<< <i>I could do it in an hour, but that's because my wife helps. I pull the coins from inventory and wrap them, she tapes up the envelopes. >>

As someone pointed out in another thread a wife is not free help so your shipping costs are the highest among us. Those who reported 8 hours or more would have to hire full time help. --Jerry

BECOKA · October 16, 2008 2:33PM

Having done it a few times I'd say a couple of hours. I just print pack and ship.

Texast · October 16, 2008 5:28PM

Without knowing the type of item it's hard to say, best to take your time and get the shipping right the first time, it's no fun to get an email asking where the rest of the order is only to find out you switched it with someone elses.

If it's the same item at the same weight to 50 different people it should go quick, (2-3 hours) using Paypal multi shipping option.

Poll: How long would it take you to ship 50 items.

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