comicblast Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I just started to ship my minifigures on eBay and when I was about to print out the shipping label, I found out that it costed $1.69 for an envelope, that held less than an ounce of Legos inside. I thought this was way over the top, so I put a "Forever" stamp on it and shipped it out. A couple days later, I received the envelope back in the mail with an arrow to the stamps and the words "Incorrect Postage, add $0.20", so the next morning, I sent it out with the extra $0.20 on it. I received it back today, so I decided to take the envelope to the Post Office and ask them about it. The lady at the desk said that it qualified as a package since it was more than 1/4 inch thick, so it costed me $1.49 to ship that. This is obviously a pretty large amount for a little thing like a $4 minifigure, and chips into your profit by a chunk. I was offering Free Shipping on this one, so it really hurt the ROI. Also, just wondering why eBay charges $1.69 for an envelope when the USPS Post Office charges only $1.49. How does everyone else ship their minifigures? I know that people also sell the minisets from the Advent Calendars individually, so how do you ship those too? Am I missing something or is spending $1.49 the cheapest way to go? Just so you know, it was shipped via First Class USPS Mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcarin Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Be happy.... whatever I sell on ebay means 4.70 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeiempee Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Go to Walmart/Costco. Buy 150 envelopes for 9.00 or 25 for 4.00. Throw them in there and call it a day. Must ship as parcel though which is 2.07. No problems at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aspen Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I know of no other way than the package rate. I sold two minifigures a month ago, and decided there was not enough profit in it when you consider the cost of shipping. I am surprised your Post Office only wanted $1.49. I found out that the $1.69 Ebay wants is DEFINITELY CHEAPER cheaper than the local USPS. (Another reason to use Ebay is you do not have to pay extra for the tracking of the package). When I sold the first minifigure, the seller emailed me and told me to package it carefully as he had received damaged minifigures. Even a padded envelope costs money. I swear by the tracking of a package though. I sold a very small Chima set. The tracking said the address was no good in Houston, the package then came back to Denver, then was sent back to Houston and finally made it back to us in Fort Collins. The seller was always asking about it, and I can't imagine how difficult this sale would have been without a tracking number, and the original address was correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeiempee Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Oh sorry after reading your text, you are not happy about the 1.49 and not the envelope. It cost me 2.07 because I am in California. I wish I had 1.49. Just don't sell anything you can't make a profit on in that case. Or sell more than one. I offer 2.00, 1st minifigure and 50 cents there after. Got the series 9 at bogo bring cost to 2.60 after tax. Must sell multiples or singles at 4.50 plus 2 shipping to show a modest profit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich B Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I don't sell many minifigures, but when I have I usually just throw them in a small padded envelope, pay the $1.49 or whatever and call it a day. There are probably cheaper pays of doing this, but I haven't mastered it yet. I typically try to include a little extra $$ in the shipping to cover the cost, because as you said it is quite expensive for something so small. Wish I could help you on this one, but I've been wondering the same thing myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aspen Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 If you do not use a padded envelope, try to put some thin bubble wrap inside. Also, I have sold many silver coins, and several never made it to the buyers. One buyer received the envelope without the coin and said the side was torn apart. I swear by using the wide clear packaging tape, and wrapping each side with the tape to protect the sides from being damaged going through the postal machines. Just using some cheap tape sure beats having to pay the buyers back because the envelope was destroyed or a small Lego fell out. I know I use overkill, but my envelopes always get there safely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fcbarcelona101 Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Same thing, I usually don't sell minifigs or such as long as they can justify the shipping costs. The exception is when I want to increase feedback, and in those cases I settle for making just 50 cents or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicblast Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 Sounds like $1.49 is the cheapest I will see... Thanks everyone for the replies though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarCityBrickCompany Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 It is 1.69 w/ tracking - you just have to calculate that into your plans. By the way, regular postage generally goes through a machine that will flatten lego pieces quite impressively, so I do not suggest it. You are actually lucky that they caught it first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicblast Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 It is 1.69 w/ tracking - you just have to calculate that into your plans. By the way, regular postage generally goes through a machine that will flatten lego pieces quite impressively, so I do not suggest it. You are actually lucky that they caught it first.Scary...a Lego minifig's worst nightmare. Do you think it is better to spend an extra $0.20 and get the tracking number? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarCityBrickCompany Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Scary...a Lego minifig's worst nightmare. Do you think it is better to spend an extra $0.20 and get the tracking number? No doubt whatsoever - get the tracking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeiempee Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 That's funny you say a machine damages the lego. I have had nothing but positive reviews selling polybags and series 9. I just throw them in a non padded envelope pay the 2.07 postage and it gets to them without tracking or anything no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeiempee Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Well gonna keep doing it this way till I get some complaints. Out of 200 minifigures;. No complaints what so ever. No tracking bought either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunkers97 Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I just started to ship my minifigures on eBay and when I was about to print out the shipping label, I found out that it costed $1.69 for an envelope, that held less than an ounce of Legos inside. I thought this was way over the top, so I put a "Forever" stamp on it and shipped it out. A couple days later, I received the envelope back in the mail with an arrow to the stamps and the words "Incorrect Postage, add $0.20", so the next morning, I sent it out with the extra $0.20 on it. I received it back today, so I decided to take the envelope to the Post Office and ask them about it. The lady at the desk said that it qualified as a package since it was more than 1/4 inch thick, so it costed me $1.49 to ship that. This is obviously a pretty large amount for a little thing like a $4 minifigure, and chips into your profit by a chunk. I was offering Free Shipping on this one, so it really hurt the ROI. Also, just wondering why eBay charges $1.69 for an envelope when the USPS Post Office charges only $1.49.How does everyone else ship their minifigures? I know that people also sell the minisets from the Advent Calendars individually, so how do you ship those too? Am I missing something or is spending $1.49 the cheapest way to go?Just so you know, it was shipped via First Class USPS Mail.I know I had to ship a small amount of Legos and it cost like $2.40 for it, it's ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerrmando Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I ship first class mail. I don't do free shipping. You kind of have to use a padded envelope. If someone mailed me a minifigure in a non padded mailer I'd be pissed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeiempee Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Well so far so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicblast Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 Well gonna keep doing it this way till I get some complaints. Out of 200 minifigures;. No complaints what so ever. No tracking bought either.Wow! You must be a very serious minifigure seller! I think that it will take alot to crush a Lego, but I would rather play it safe and put a little padding in. Maybe a little newspaper or a small strip of bubbles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicblast Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 I think I will do a tracking number though. Seems to make the buyer like you a bit more. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aspen Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Still can't see not using the Ebay shipping label. It just looks very professional and I imagine gets through the Post Office system faster with tracking number, you know the address Ebay uses is correct, etc. Just seems to save time and is cheaper than driving to a post office and paying more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicblast Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 Still can't see not using the Ebay shipping label. It just looks very professional and I imagine gets through the Post Office system faster with tracking number, you know the address Ebay uses is correct, etc. Just seems to save time and is cheaper than driving to a post office and paying more.I can walk to the post office in only 2 minutes. So I save on gas, and I am a big anti fossil fuel-er, so it is a win-win for me. Not sure if it is just me, but I could care less about whether it looks professional or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fcbarcelona101 Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Still can't see not using the Ebay shipping label. It just looks very professional and I imagine gets through the Post Office system faster with tracking number, you know the address Ebay uses is correct, etc. Just seems to save time and is cheaper than driving to a post office and paying more. I agree. It's more convenient and comes with tracking that is something you NEED to have regardless. You just never know and even for 20 cents, its worth the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadowsk1 Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 I don't think there is a cheaper way to ship anything. Just the current cost of doing business. I sell minifigures on occasion so it's important to keep the shipping cost in the back of your mind. Always get at least something that is padded as far as an envelope goes. In the mail sorters a regular envelope will get hung up. I received a tusken raider in one instance that had the face nearly rubbed off delivered in a torn envelope because the width of the package wasn't right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDarkness Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 I rarely sell individual minifgs these days. Everything I send gets shipped registered, so it has insurance and can be tracked to an extent. Because of the $4 or so it costs here, alot of people don't think it is worth it. As such I look at selling the minifigs as sets or bulk lots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emes Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Do you think it is better to spend an extra $0.20 and get the tracking number? Yes. Absolutely. The benefit of having a tracking number is that you are eligible for PayPal seller protection. It's worth it. I just won a case where someone claimed an unauthorized charge through PayPal on a $50 makeup item (that my wife paid $2 for ). Without the tracking number and an indication that it was sent to the correct address PayPal would have found for the seller. In fact, I have a sneaky suspicion that the people we hear all over the Internet doing the most whining about PayPal are likely not following seller protection rules https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/security/seller-protection-learn-more For something small like a minifig or a polybag it costs me $1.69 + .23 for the self-seal padded bubble (7.25" x 12") mailer to ship, so $1.92 for 3 oz. or less. As others have said, just build it into the cost. It's not worth the small amount you save to skimp on shipping/packing. Skimping will eventually show up in your feedback too. It also doesn't matter if you're passing on the full cost of shipping and packing materials to the buyer. Also, depending on your volume, you might want to consider offering free shipping. If you make buyers pay separately for shipping that's another DSR someone can rate you on, and it seems that no matter how reasonable separate shipping costs are people are often unhappy about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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