How do you know how much to charge on shipping?

This question actually stumped me when I first started selling online.  Every time you list an item on an online site, the question on just how much to charge comes up.  Just how do you know how much to charge on the item you’re selling?

After I get all of the pictures I need of the item, I always get a start on the packing process for the item to be mailed.  The first step is to find a box that the item fits in.  I look for a box that is a little bigger so that I can put some packing peanuts around it.

The second step that I do is to wrap anything that is breakable in bubble wrap.

After I get it wrapped, I go ahead and pack the item in the box with the packing peanuts all around it.

Don’t bother with taping up the end that is open.  This way you can put in a packing slip once the item sells.  Another thing that I do is to write on the inside of top of what it is (this helps you out so that you don’t have to unpack it).

 

Now here’s an interesting tip:  two sheets of paper will get a more accurate weight on the package.  I know this sound highly confusing to you.

 

All you have to do is to fold two pieces of paper in half and set it on top of you package.  This will add enough weight to the package when you weigh it to simulate the packing slip, shipping label, and the rest of the mailing tape to close the package.

On the USPS website, there is a postage calculator to help you out.  It will ask for the weight and dimensions of the package in question.  Now you can get a good idea on shipping costs.  One thing I build into the shipping cost is my handling fees.  I bump up the cost by at least a dollar (this helps offset the price of things like gas).

What kinds of tricks like this do you do?

Getting the right box to cut shipping costs

When I first started to buy goodies online, I never stopped to think about the box that it came in.  I would always just tear it up just to get at what I had bought.  But when I started to sell online, I started to look at boxes differently.

One place that offers a wide variety of boxes is the Post Office, and places like Walmart goes through quite a few of them on a daily basis.  More often than not, places like this will let you have these boxes.  One bit of advice that I keep in mind is to stay away from boxes that had food in it. I do this because the smell of the food that was in the box could potentially be there still and attract bugs to the box.

But what happens if you have a box that you want to use that has a ton of writing on the outside?  This is actually very simple, and all it takes is some mailing tape and a pair of scissors.

The first step is to cut the top and the bottom loose, like this:

 

Every box has a seam on the side where it was assembled.  The box can be unassembled at this seam, and the box will look something like this:

 

Once the box has been unassembled, you need to flip the box over and tape the box together at the seam again which can be seen here:

 

 

After doing that, the next step is to tape the bottom of the box back together:

 

 

Now that all of that is done, the easy part is next.  All that you have to do is to fill the box and tape it shut.  Make sure that you print out the correct postage for the brand new box that you just created and send it off.

 

What kinds of ideas do you use to help you and your customers save money?