New ebid user wants to make sure he is doing things correctly

[suesjools]

Hi and welcome to eBid.

I ship internationally using USPS Priority Mail, they provide the boxes, you can order them for free at the USPS website and they'll mail them to you. The small boxes are the only ones I use, as the larger ones tend to be cost prohibitive, though if you sell smalls they should work just fine, (I sell mostly jewelry and can fit several pieces in a box). Pricing for Priority Mail as well as other types of international shipping are available on the USPS website, with Priority there's one shipping cost to the UK and Europe which makes it easy for me to list overseas postage as one rate; (Canada is a little cheaper, but I just refund the postage difference to Canadian buyers when I send an invoice). I fill in and print out my shipping labels at the USPS website and the customs form is included when you fill out the shipping label, so no extra labels to attach/forms to fill out.

I agree that shipping overseas if you sell smalls is a good idea, a good percentage of my customers are from overseas.

Happy holidaze and best wishes for many sales to all,

[All_My_Collections]

Thank you. I actually have a bunch of USPS Priority Mail boxes and mailers in my packing material stockpile, didn't realize I could use them for international shipments.

A lot of the things I sell are primarily smaller items, but some of the things I sell wouldn't be able to fit in a small flat rate box, so I would have to use the medium and large sized boxed, but they are generally pretty light so I don't think it should be a problem cost wise right? I also assume that I would be better off bringing an international shipment straight to the post office? Most of the time I leave my packages in the mailbox with a prepaid label for the mail truck to pick up, something tells me I should bring an international package to the post office directly.

[hurryb4itsgone]

Thank you. I actually have a bunch of USPS Priority Mail boxes and mailers in my packing material stockpile, didn't realize I could use them for international shipments.

A lot of the things I sell are primarily smaller items, but some of the things I sell wouldn't be able to fit in a small flat rate box, so I would have to use the medium and large sized boxed, but they are generally pretty light so I don't think it should be a problem cost wise right? I also assume that I would be better off bringing an international shipment straight to the post office? Most of the time I leave my packages in the mailbox with a prepaid label for the mail truck to pick up, something tells me I should bring an international package to the post office directly.

Priority flat rate boxes ship for the same cost regardless of weight ... around $60.00 for medium flat rate to Europe. Check if your items will fit in a Priority flat rate padded envelope. It holds more than a small box, but to Europe it is the same cost.

My mailman picks up international packages from my mail box with no problem. The only exception is when a package is going to one of those countries that require more than one copy of the custom form. I forget which countries those are, but as Sue mentioned the USPS site prints what you need when you use them for shipping.

[All_My_Collections]

I was wondering if the padded flat rate envelopes could be used internationally. When I checked their site they had the prices for the boxes but not the mailers. The things I have that are larger would be car parts like corner and turn signal lights and others which I wouldn't be comfortable mailing those in mailers. They aren't that heavy so weight shouldn't be a problem.

[hurryb4itsgone]

I was wondering if the padded flat rate envelopes could be used internationally. When I checked their site they had the prices for the boxes but not the mailers. The things I have that are larger would be car parts like corner and turn signal lights and others which I wouldn't be comfortable mailing those in mailers. They aren't that heavy so weight shouldn't be a problem.

I wrap breakables well ... put in a box and then put the box in the mailer.

[JanetB]

Once you know the full weight of the package, you can use the USPS mail calculator:
http://postcalc.usps.com/

[All_My_Collections]

So I should have the weight predetermined beforehand then? I don't think I could have it prepackaged considering my space limitations, but I could probably get a rough Idea of the weight. I can't believe it would cost $60 to mail something to Europe. Do people really pay that much for postage on a frequent basis?

Also, I got a 'friend request' here on ebid. What is that and what advantages would it have in selling?

[hurryb4itsgone]

So I should have the weight predetermined beforehand then? I don't think I could have it prepackaged considering my space limitations, but I could probably get a rough Idea of the weight. I can't believe it would cost $60 to mail something to Europe. Do people really pay that much for postage on a frequent basis?

The $60 amount is only if you use flat rate medium boxes. If your items are light weight consider shipping 1st class international, rather than using Priority flat rate.

[HDLuckyLady]

Feel free to ask away on any postal questions. I have been selling worldwide for years and years. If you use PayPal, it's a cinch to ship international. The last package I shipped international, they did the custom form automagically!

So I should have the weight predetermined beforehand then? I don't think I could have it prepackaged considering my space limitations, but I could probably get a rough Idea of the weight. I can't believe it would cost $60 to mail something to Europe. Do people really pay that much for postage on a frequent basis?

Also, I got a 'friend request' here on ebid. What is that and what advantages would it have in selling?

[All_My_Collections]

I do use PayPal.

Is there any way that I can have it calculated and then add a handling fee for materials, time packing, etc? I package my items as they are sold, so to have their weight plus the weight of the packing materials predetermined is a bit difficult for me right now.