For some reason I thought I’d post the methods to my madness with eBay shipping, to help others who casually sell on eBay.  When I first started selling, I would list with a message like “To ensure fair shipping costs, contact me for specific shipping options to your location”.  I did this because as a buyer I always felt like I was getting hosed on exorbident shipping and handling fees, and to this day I contend that there are way too many people making a tidy profit from these fees and it drives me nuts.  I didn’t want to be one of those sellers.  What I found when listing items this way was the following:

1. I had a hard time keeping up with requests for shipping quotes, and it really took alot of effort typing all of that info into the various shipper’s websites.
2. Most requests didn’t end up as sales
3. Paperwork for shipping internationally via UPS was a huge PITA
4. Requiring quotes for shipping disadvantaged people who want to bid on the last day or at the last minute

I’ve now switched to flat-rate shipping using Canada Post, and always make sure that there is delivery confirmation and insurance to ensure it gets there safely and limits my risk.  As a seller the customs paperwork with the post office is a breeze, and I find that the combination of Canada Post / USPS is the most relaxed for fees, duties, and taxes for shipping across the border which helps out the buyers.  By contrast, shipping across the border with UPS seems to always leave someone holding the bag for exorbidant brokerage fees which is just wrong and inconvenient.

At the beginning of every auction, I get shipping quotes from the Canada Post website using the actual size and weight of the package.  I use Victoria, BC and Beverly Hills, CA as the destinations which tends to give a pretty accurate worst-case scenario for both Canada and the US.  Whatever that shipping fee is in Canadian dollars, I then simply mark that as the shipping cost on eBay but put it up in US Dollars (assuming that the exchange rate difference will pay for materials like bubble wrap, tape, etc).

Then when it comes to shipping day, I try to be as honest as possible and treat the shipping charge as my budget.  This means that if you live closer to me than expected, I’ll upgrade the shipping method for you and get it there a bit faster (parcel versus Xpresspost).  And on the rare occasion that it costs me more than expected to ship, I’ll simply eat the cost.  At the end of the day, this method gets me pretty close to break even across all of my auctions, makes life easier for me and the buyer, and I think is a pretty fair way to do shipping on eBay.

I’m not a professional seller by any means, I use eBay like a big global garage sale to get rid of my excess “stuff”.  Of course getting some “walking around” money is always nice but it’s not about simply maximizing profit for me.  Hopefully good karma on the selling side of things will get me good karma as a buyer as well.