Shipping Supplies For Your eBay Auction Business

Auction supplies are clearly an expense and major consideration for an eBay auction business. Of course, the most critical supply is the item you are selling, but mailing supplies are necessary for every auction and their cost and supply must be figured into your overhead. If they are not, you might get a nasty surprise when you sit down to figure out your eBay profits at the end of the week.

The most basic supply is, of course, a box. Obviously packing begins with a box ? but not just any old box. A shipping-type box is necessary because if you use a shoe box or some other flimsy box, you can be certain your package will be a disaster! Your customer will be quite peeved when her item arrives in pieces!

You will become a box-fanatic, like the rest of us. When you swoop into a store or home, with joy in your voice, the proprietor will foolishly assume that it is the merchandise you are exclaiming over! We're just like the kids on Christmas day ? dump the toy on the floor and play with the box! In other words, drooling over boxes is an occupational hazard.

Be aware that lots of merchants have boxes that you can have for free. You might become a scavenger at stores like WalMart, Linens & Things or Bed, Bath and Beyond. They have hundreds of boxes every week, and will often give them away to anyone who wants them.

If you are shipping really fragile items, two boxes are safest. The outer box should be a couple of inches larger than the inner one, to allow extra padding.

Padding for your packages: do you always need padding? Well ... yes and no. I have sent a few tough books without padding. But sending grandma's dishes unprotected is a recipe for disaster!

What kind of padding do you use?

* Newspaper is my padding of choice, because it is cheap and readily available. However, be careful because the ink can rub off on some objects and detract from their beauty. Wrap these kinds of items in plastic. Some auction users buy shredders and use the strips of paper as packaging.

* I hate those plastic peanuts, personally, but lots of people swear by them. They are an environmental disaster and the static electricity is terrible. Electronics manufacturers say to never pack computer and other kinds of equipment with peanuts, just because of the electric problem. Electrocuting your customers isn't good business :-)

* The post office recommends popcorn (without butter and salt, of course ? is that to keep us from eating it?) I like popcorn for packing, but you might not want to use it to go on safari because little critters might like it, too.

* Cut up cardboard can be very effective as packing material, but it is mighty tough to chop up.

* Padded envelopes are a popular choice, because they are so simple ? just insert the whatever and mail. But, of course, they aren't cheap. Whenever you receive anything in one of these envelopes, save them! (Are you thinking about all the envelopes you've thrown away?)

* Bubble wrap is the preferred favorite. It cushions objects so well (and it's such fun to pop the bubbles!) Of course, it costs more than the the other materials, so always look for bargains on this valuable product and save every scrap you get.

And (big surprise) the best place to get bubble wrap, as well as other supplies, is on eBay. Today, for instance, I find 700 feet of 12" wrap for $34.50.

By contrast, only 25 feet of 12 bubble wrap at Staples is $4.98 That means that 700 feet at Staples would cost $139.44. Whew ... quite a saving.

Other necessary auction supplies include mailing tape, regular tape, scissors, labels and an easily legible marker.

I wrap everything in plastic bags, just for safety's sake, so you might want some of those handy, too. One of my packages arrived damp and with the corner shredded (wonder where that box had been?) But, since I had wrapped the books and tapes in plastic, they were unharmed and the buyer was so appreciative.

Another precaution you might consider is to include an extra label inside the package, just in case. You don't want your inventory sitting around one of those dead mail offices.

Auction supplies are like everything else in our eBay business that raises overhead: we must use wisdom and judgment so we can keep those expenses at bare minimum.

Sydney Johnston, the AUCTION QUEEN, was one of the original sellers on eBay and has been selling on eBay since the winter of 1996. She is the originator and teacher of the famous Auction Genius Course, a powerful 16 hour multi media seminar on the Internet that teaches her students how to sell on ebay.

---

How To Use A WYSIWYG HTML Editor To Make Stunning Ebay Auction Listings

What kind of browser are you using for online surfing? Explorer, Netscape, Firefox, Opera?? Sure, all are good programs but I want to talk about an excellent program called Netscape. If you use... Read More

Sell Your Items at Cost and Make a Fortune on eBay!

Like all ebay sellers I wanted to sell all of my items at a profit and what I found was that when I was getting to the end of line items that I... Read More

Use Auction Templates For eBay Success!

Auction templates are simply a must for successful online auction selling. One day I spent approximately 45 minutes writing a listing for an item that would make me about $5 in profit! I... Read More

Do You Pay Taxes On eBay Income?

Q: I read your last column about paying income tax on eBay sales if you are doing it as a business, but as someone who only sells on eBay occasionally I'm still confused... Read More

The Quickest Way To Have A Product To Sell On The Internet

Creating a product from scratch that you can sell on the Internet will take some time to do.Writing a book, for example, can take weeks or months to complete. If you're not a... Read More

EBay Feedback, 5 Key Things All EBayers Should Know

eBay's user feedback system is one of the site's most important components. Without the conscientious comments recorded by both buyers and sellers, there would be no way for anyone to build up a... Read More

Killer Tips To Succeed With eBay Auction

For just a moment, try to comprehend the power of the Internet. Every day, there are millions of people from around the globe "surfing the web."People run their business from the Internet, search... Read More

Buying Used Dell Laptops, PCs and Servers on eBay - How to be successful

Two years ago I needed a way to refresh more PC's and Laptops at my company without spending more. New Dell laptops were great but expensive and over the years we had accumulated... Read More

Auction Sales - Keeping Customers You Worked So Hard To Get!

If you've studied business concepts you know that finding a customer can be the most expensive part of the sales process. Once you've got a customer why not maximize the money you've already... Read More

Your eBay Business - 8 Ways To Insure Its Success

I don't know if you've ever noticed, but it seems like every week or two we read about another Powerseller going out of business.If you want your auction business to be a long-term... Read More

Tips on How to Profit from eBay Buy It Now Auction Listings

eBay is an online auction site so it stands to reason that most users will tend to auction off their items aiming to get a high price.The problem with auctioning items is that... Read More

Negating Negative Feedback on eBay

Taking some pride in my one hundred percent positive feedback score on eBay, I was horrified to see a negative feedback appear against me.What had I done wrong? Had I overlooked an auction... Read More

Top Secret Ebay Powerseller Technique: Classifieds Produce Auction Power

I was browsing through all of the classified sections, and stumbled on Wanted to Buy. I noticed that people were placing ads for items they wanted to purchase. Great! I could do this!... Read More

eBay Auction Sellers Guide to Finding Hot Money Making Products

You might be one of the thousands of individuals who open a trading account with eBay and dream about making auction selling a full-time home-based business.However, before that dream can become a reality,... Read More

Profit through Other Peoples eBay Errors

There are many issues that influence how an eBay auction ends. Timing, Description, Title, Photos, the list could go on and on. However, one tiny error will be the deciding factor on what... Read More

How to Sell on eBay Internationally without Risk

eBay allows you the opportunity to sell all over the world. It is exciting to communicate with a customer from England, Australia or Japan via email. It is almost as if you are... Read More

Snipe Your Way to Auction Success

Bidding for a bargain is all part of the exciting eBay experience. But what can really disappoint is when you're all set to win that fantastic, gold plated gizmo and someone else just... Read More

Selling Effectively on Ebay Motors

Remember back when selling online was a new experience? Dealers tried everything to sell their vehicles online. Today's market has expanded to include several hot online marketplaces but there is the largest online... Read More

An eBay Computer Purchase

An eBay purchase that turned sour.A story of fraud, deceit, and broken promises.Let me preface my statements by saying that I think eBay is great. I'm a handicapped senior citizen and it's been... Read More

Drop Ship Your Way to eBay Profits

One of the most difficult things to do when looking to start an online business is to find that elusive supplier that will supply you, put simply you need a source of real... Read More

eBay: What Should I Sell?

There is an art to picking profitable products. It's not just what you want to sell but rather what will sell. Unless you pick a product in demand in the marketplace, you will... Read More

Start Selling On eBay - Getting Started On The Right Foot

You've started your own eBay business and, even though it's part time right now, you know it's going to become a huge success. You are able to see the day when you can... Read More

Online Auction Sellers - Seize Control Of Your Business!

As the online auction model of business continues to evolve toward a more commoditized, corporate marketplace, it is time for online auction sellers to seize control of their business, before it's too late.In... Read More

7 Simple Steps To Profit Without Your Own Product

Most people do not succeed on the internet because they are selling products no one desperately wants.If you want to be truly successful sell only things that people really really really want to... Read More

Is Your Trash Cash? 5 Easy Places to Sell Your Stuff

The old adage that says "one person's trash is another person's treasure" never goes out of date. So when you're looking for some extra spending cash and you want to make some space... Read More

Affordable Online Car Auctions

Still hunting for the car of your dreams? Public car auctions online are becoming a happy hunting ground for car aficionados for they bring you a huge selection of affordable cars in various... Read More

Better Than Sliced Bread? Drop Shipping, The New Home Business Craze

Many of you will probably remember the days when the only way to start a successful home business was to join some sort of multi-level marketing program or sell makeup at parties. In... Read More

Nine Simple eBay Selling Hints

Some of these eBay hints will save you money, others will result in higher prices. Either way, these will help you run more profitable eBay auctions.1. Write a simple description and do not... Read More

Save on EBay Fees with Free Image Hosting

Experienced sellers at online auction sites such as EBay will tell you that the single most effective tool of persuasion is a good image. Multiple images are even better. After all, buyers want... Read More