Ebay Sales Down

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by ggxarmy

They do, but its small on your Seller Hub in the selling announcements. Its on the community page as well.

However from my experience, the average buyer doesn't care to look at that sort of stuff. Most buyers don't even know there is a community page to ask questions or complain. Its not their problem.

It needs to be broadcasted better.

I agree.

[shrevecity]

Originally Posted by ggxarmy

They do, but its small on your Seller Hub in the selling announcements. Its on the community page as well.

However from my experience, the average buyer doesn't care to look at that sort of stuff. Most buyers don't even know there is a community page to ask questions or complain. Its not their problem.

It needs to be broadcasted better.

in these cases I just mention in the response the weather or whatever issue is going on and not worry about it. Ebay has always handled these correctly for me when I had to contact them most of the time it was handled automatically.

[msucollector4]

How are yall getting your cardboard for shipping? Just cutting up random boxes or are yall ordering pre-cut pieces?

[rwperu34]

Originally Posted by msucollector4

How are yall getting your cardboard for shipping? Just cutting up random boxes or are yall ordering pre-cut pieces?

I cut mine by hand. I'm going to get one of those heavy duty paper cutters that every elementary school classroom had back in the day. Just haven't gotten around to it.

[Eric1285]

Originally Posted by rwperu34

I cut mine by hand. I'm going to get one of those heavy duty paper cutters that every elementary school classroom had back in the day. Just haven't gotten around to it.

I had trouble finding one of those old school ones at a reasonable price. I ended up buying a new one from X-acto for like $30-40 and it works a treat for cutting up cereal boxes and such. Not quite beefy enough to cut actual cardboard though.

[jkampis]

Originally Posted by Eric1285

I had trouble finding one of those old school ones at a reasonable price. I ended up buying a new one from X-acto for like $30-40 and it works a treat for cutting up cereal boxes and such. Not quite beefy enough to cut actual cardboard though.

It cost $30-$40 and won’t cut actual cardboard? Ouch. I use a pair of scissors that cost a few bucks and can cut up boxes. They occasionally break so I buy another. But it’s just a few bucks so I got plenty of value out of it.

[byronscott4ever]

Originally Posted by msucollector4

How are yall getting your cardboard for shipping? Just cutting up random boxes or are yall ordering pre-cut pieces?

Didn’t someone on here post about a motorized cutter?

[shrevecity]

Just use a regular box cutter. I get boxes and packing materials from dollar tree dumpster about a mile from house

[LVDan]

Luckily I work in wood&metal shop w/ endless 4'x8' sheets of cardboard. I just ask one of the wood guys to chop up a few sheets on the table saw into 3"x4" chunks when we're slow.

[paulcarlcards]

Stop wasting time on arts and crafts. Just ship cards in a box instead of a bubble mailer and use bubble wrap/voidfill. I dunno what it is about card sellers that compels us to send customers garbage and to cut boxes for an hour to save $4.

[premium1981]

Originally Posted by paulcarlcards

Stop wasting time on arts and crafts. Just ship cards in a box instead of a bubble mailer and use bubble wrap/voidfill. I dunno what it is about card sellers that compels us to send customers garbage and to cut boxes for an hour to save $4.

Both are silly IMO. Boxes are a wasted expense for small orders and cutting cardboard is a waste of labor IMO. I'm assuming when people are talking about cutting cardboard its for single card sales, or very few cards. I will put the card in a toploader, and place a stack of freebie cards on either side. Usually 10-20 free cards, depending on the thickness and into a team bag all together. Keeps you from needing other cardboard, and keeps you from spending extra on boxes that are not needed. Boxes don't even cross my mind until I get to the 50+ card range. Never had a issue/complaint from this type of shipping in however many tens of thousands of transactions.

[cardtrader22]

Anyone else getting a lot of ESE sent back to them requiring more postage? I've had two in the last week stating I needed more postage on them, but they are clearly less than 2 oz and have the 0.97 postage on them.

I swear it is like eBay rolled this out and didn't tell the USPS about it.

[Bosoxfan5990]

I purchase bulk 5x7 cardboard from Amazon and cut them in half using a paper cutter for my bubble mailer and ESE shipments. It comes out to roughly $0.05-$0.10 in supplies per shipment.

[Swipe79]

I don't generally use any cardboard - a really simple way to stiffen the package is to use a team bag and put a toploader upside down on either side of the cards you're shipping. Helps eliminate unnecessary used toploaders for me, the buyer gets a couple free ones, and it makes shipping in a bubble mailer a lot simpler.

[rwperu34]

Originally Posted by paulcarlcards

Stop wasting time on arts and crafts. Just ship cards in a box instead of a bubble mailer and use bubble wrap/voidfill. I dunno what it is about card sellers that compels us to send customers garbage and to cut boxes for an hour to save $4.

The calculus is pretty simple. For every hour I spend cutting cardboard, I save $30. That's before accounting for the extra expense of packing tape and the extra time it takes me to package a box. The latter is a pretty big deal. In fact cutting cardboard might even be a time saver relative to shipping in boxes!

Originally Posted by premium1981

Both are silly IMO. Boxes are a wasted expense for small orders and cutting cardboard is a waste of labor IMO. I'm assuming when people are talking about cutting cardboard its for single card sales, or very few cards. I will put the card in a toploader, and place a stack of freebie cards on either side. Usually 10-20 free cards, depending on the thickness and into a team bag all together. Keeps you from needing other cardboard, and keeps you from spending extra on boxes that are not needed. Boxes don't even cross my mind until I get to the 50+ card range. Never had a issue/complaint from this type of shipping in however many tens of thousands of transactions.

It's all about how much insurance I want. For non-graded bubble mailer orders, I use dummy toploaders. For low $ PSA 9 I don't bother with the cardboard because the cost is really only the return shipping (I typically list PSA 9 and raw at the same price). It's the PSA 10 that really need it, especially as they get up there in price. At some point I will even put it in a box for even more protection!

[thenightman]

The only thing I ship with cardboard are graded cards.
, those I cut with utility scissors.

[NYBBFAN]

Originally Posted by premium1981

Both are silly IMO. Boxes are a wasted expense for small orders and cutting cardboard is a waste of labor IMO. I'm assuming when people are talking about cutting cardboard its for single card sales, or very few cards. I will put the card in a toploader, and place a stack of freebie cards on either side. Usually 10-20 free cards, depending on the thickness and into a team bag all together. Keeps you from needing other cardboard, and keeps you from spending extra on boxes that are not needed. Boxes don't even cross my mind until I get to the 50+ card range. Never had a issue/complaint from this type of shipping in however many tens of thousands of transactions.

50 cents for these boxes. I’ll stick graded cards in a bubble mailer, then place it in these. So easy.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08PQ...b_b_asin_title

[paulcarlcards]

Originally Posted by premium1981

Both are silly IMO. Boxes are a wasted expense for small orders and cutting cardboard is a waste of labor IMO. I'm assuming when people are talking about cutting cardboard its for single card sales, or very few cards. I will put the card in a toploader, and place a stack of freebie cards on either side. Usually 10-20 free cards, depending on the thickness and into a team bag all together. Keeps you from needing other cardboard, and keeps you from spending extra on boxes that are not needed. Boxes don't even cross my mind until I get to the 50+ card range. Never had a issue/complaint from this type of shipping in however many tens of thousands of transactions.

Boxes are cheap and efficient. You can get them for free with eBay credit or buy them wholesale for ~$0.25/each. They take up less space than bubble mailers and stack neatly without slipping so your workspace can always be clean, organized, and efficient.

They’re practical but also a branding play. They communicate to your customers that you care and that you’re a professional. People buying $20+ singles aren’t usually the type to want/appreciate bulk but they do appreciate boxed shipping to protect their card, especially when it’s easy to unbox. If you like adding freebies, a new One Touch is a nice touch (ba-dum-tschhh) and it’s something they’ll appreciate and use.

I’m all for minimizing costs as much as possible. But when saving a few cents detracts from the customer experience and their perceived value of the brand, then you’re stepping over a dollar to save a nickel.

Think of all the cards you’ve purchased and how incompetent the typical card seller is. Receiving a bubble mailer for my cards makes me nervous—I have to open it wondering if the corners are all going to be screwed up or if I’m going have to waste time dissecting a monstrosity made of cereal boxes, paper towels, and scotch tape. A box that rattles inspires the same fear of dinged corners. But a silent box that is easy to open, that’s a unicorn. Those are the sellers I save and make repeat purchases from.

[Eric1285]

Originally Posted by jkampis

It cost $30-$40 and won’t cut actual cardboard? Ouch. I use a pair of scissors that cost a few bucks and can cut up boxes. They occasionally break so I buy another. But it’s just a few bucks so I got plenty of value out of it.

I mean, compared to the old Boston ones that go for $120+ I figured it was a good deal. I've gotten plenty of other uses out of it - it's super handy to have around.

[shrevecity]

a case of 250 bubble mailers fits on the top of my supply shelf nicely I put a small cut at the bottom where they can be pulled out one at a time. Takes up about the same space of 100 8x6x4 boxes do. They don't fall everywhere if you set them up properly from the start. Bubble mailers are cheaper as well. Only cards I send in boxes are bigger lots and cards over 50.00 and ships priority anything else goes in a 6x9 padded mailer or ESE. I usually order bubblemailers in large quantity with 2 friends of mine who sell so the cost is close to 16 cents each and we can get them 99.9% of the time next day

Only boxes I buy are 8x6x4 as they are the most versitile for me and I get 100 of them for very little every quarter.

[thenightman]

Originally Posted by shrevecity

a case of 250 bubble mailers fits on the top of my supply shelf nicely I put a small cut at the bottom where they can be pulled out one at a time. Takes up about the same space of 100 8x6x4 boxes do. They don't fall everywhere if you set them up properly from the start. Bubble mailers are cheaper as well. Only cards I send in boxes are bigger lots and cards over 50.00 and ships priority anything else goes in a 6x9 padded mailer or ESE. I usually order bubblemailers in large quantity with 2 friends of mine who sell so the cost is close to 16 cents each and we can get them 99.9% of the time next day

Only boxes I buy are 8x6x4 as they are the most versitile for me and I get 100 of them for very little every quarter.

And this is why I come here. Thank you! Why haven't I ever thought of this?

[premium1981]

Originally Posted by paulcarlcards

Boxes are cheap and efficient. You can get them for free with eBay credit or buy them wholesale for ~$0.25/each. They take up less space than bubble mailers and stack neatly without slipping so your workspace can always be clean, organized, and efficient.

They’re practical but also a branding play. They communicate to your customers that you care and that you’re a professional. People buying $20+ singles aren’t usually the type to want/appreciate bulk but they do appreciate boxed shipping to protect their card, especially when it’s easy to unbox. If you like adding freebies, a new One Touch is a nice touch (ba-dum-tschhh) and it’s something they’ll appreciate and use.

I’m all for minimizing costs as much as possible. But when saving a few cents detracts from the customer experience and their perceived value of the brand, then you’re stepping over a dollar to save a nickel.

Think of all the cards you’ve purchased and how incompetent the typical card seller is. Receiving a bubble mailer for my cards makes me nervous—I have to open it wondering if the corners are all going to be screwed up or if I’m going have to waste time dissecting a monstrosity made of cereal boxes, paper towels, and scotch tape. A box that rattles inspires the same fear of dinged corners. But a silent box that is easy to open, that’s a unicorn. Those are the sellers I save and make repeat purchases from.

I'm not saying sending in a box is a bad thing. I'm saying its unnecessary. I do not imagine anyone has gotten a package from me and stated "If only this was in a box I would buy more, but alas I shall not return due to the bubble mailer". That just isn't happening. Maybe if one is wrapping their cards in Captain Crunch cardboard or something. Furthermore, I can only imagine the look I would get at the post office if I had a wheel barrel full of boxes to ship out every day. It just isn't practical unless you are a smaller seller. Even then, I still see it as an extra cost that isn't needed. It isn't being cheap, it just isn't needed. But, with you selling lots, and only a few at a time I'm sure it works just fine.

[jkampis]

You don’t need a bubble mailer if you ship your cards between cardboard. My plain Manila envelope with cardboard sandwich will protect a card better than a bubble mailer with no cardboard will. So I save on supplies by cutting them up. FWIW, any cards I sell above $100 go in a box.

I wonder if the people on here dissing “arts and crafts” as a waste of time are the same ones who sell 99-cent cards on eBay.

[shrevecity]

Originally Posted by premium1981

I'm not saying sending in a box is a bad thing. I'm saying its unnecessary. I do not imagine anyone has gotten a package from me and stated "If only this was in a box I would buy more, but alas I shall not return due to the bubble mailer". That just isn't happening. Maybe if one is wrapping their cards in Captain Crunch cardboard or something. Furthermore, I can only imagine the look I would get at the post office if I had a wheel barrel full of boxes to ship out every day. It just isn't practical unless you are a smaller seller. Even then, I still see it as an extra cost that isn't needed. It isn't being cheap, it just isn't needed. But, with you selling lots, and only a few at a time I'm sure it works just fine.

I agree. Most buyers only care about 1 thing. Getting the item in the expected condition. If the seller does that then they did their job. I could actually see boxes being issues for some buyers and have had people request I send some things in bubble mailers instead of boxes like clothing and unpackages action figures. Their reasoning is that boxes often do not fit in their mailbox so they end up having to go to the PO to pick them up which can be inconvenient.

[Crosby 87]

Originally Posted by shrevecity

I agree. Most buyers only care about 1 thing. Getting the item in the expected condition. If the seller does that then they did their job. I could actually see boxes being issues for some buyers and have had people request I send some things in bubble mailers instead of boxes like clothing and unpackages action figures. Their reasoning is that boxes often do not fit in their mailbox so they end up having to go to the PO to pick them up which can be inconvenient.

Yes, I prefer a bubble mailer over a box simply for the fact it can fit in my locked mailbox as opposed to a box which gets placed in front of my door. Plus your "branding" for packaging materials makes zero difference to me in purchasing in the future. Use Cap'n Crunch cardboard for all I care as long it makes it safely.