Tuesday, November 12, 2013

An Expensive Mistake!

I sold these tapes tonight! Started them at auction for $10.00 and that's what they sold for. I just had them in a cupboard for ages gathering dust so I was glad to sell them! Trouble is, I must have made a mistake when listing them and hit "free shipping" and didn't realize it! So shipping to New York cost me $7.48!! Fees were $1.19 and the padded mailer was 40 cents! I made a whopping 93 cents on the deal! Now that was worth it....(rolls my eyes). I have noticed that sometimes when I change my shipping when I'm listing that it will go back to what it was before and I have to change it again....does this happen to anybody else? I'm going to have to be more watchful....don't want this to happen again! At least it wasn't on something that might have cost $20 or more to ship! Yikes!

Have a good day! ~~Pam

11 comments:

  1. Bummer. We all make some kind of mistake sometimes that cost us some money. You could have shipped in a flat rate bubble mailer (free from post office) for $5.35. HTH

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    1. I didn't realize that the post office had such a thing! I guess I just see the basic supplies at my post office. Thank you so much for that info! I thought about using just a priority mail flat rate envelope but I thought the tapes would need a little more protection than that. I just ordered some padded ones this morning! Thanks again! ~~Pam

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    2. sometimes when it needs extra protection I bubble wrap it before sticking it in the envelope....never had a problem. thats 1 thing i really love about clothes they are unbreakable

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  2. i have had it flip various times....whether back to a BIN or auction for .99 or F/S sometimes I feel they are trying to force it to make it lower. my suggestion was what was placed above. stock up on flat rate bubble envelopes as well as regular flat rate envelopes. Regional rates boxes (a and b....i find c pointless) are also good. my post office (the biggest in the area) doesnt stock any of these so you may be better off picking them up online at either ebays or usps website (they are free and the shipping is free)

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    1. Thank you so much! I just ordered the padded ones! I never knew they existed! I guess we learn from our mistakes! Thanks for commenting! ~~Pam

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  3. Another good thing to have at home is a postal scale. Never have to take anything to the post office, because it is more. Ebay gives you a discount for printing your shipping at home. I don't know if you do that or not. You don't need fancy self adhesive labels, tape will work for now until you get ahead. But a postal scale is a must. I had to replace my printer earlier this year and the cost of the printer was only about $5 more than the replacement printer cartridge. Couldn't do without my scale and printer, and of course the free USPS envies.

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    1. I've had a scale for a few years now....been selling on Etsy mostly but the past few months trying more on Ebay. Yes, I wouldn't want to be without my scale either! Don't have to wait in those long lines at the Post Office! Thanks for your comment! ~~Pam

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  4. Don't feel too bad, you're not the only one to make that mistake. I did the same thing yesterday. I placed a lower the price on a stuffed animal, added the weight for calculated shipping, but forgot to take off the free shipping (I use a template to list). It sold in just three hours! I think I probably made about $5 when I could have made $14. I think it's a good idea to double or triple check that free shipping box whenever doing any listings.

    You could have shipped your tapes using Media mail which probably costs about half of what you've paid. I usually ship my tapes with a box, since I have seen cases cracked when shipped in a bubble envelope.

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    1. When I listed the tapes I checked to see whether I could send them by Media Mail and since they are blank, they don't actually have any media on them so then they can't be mailed by Media mail! I also thought twice about whether I should put them in a box and I even said to my husband that I hope the cases don't get broken during shipping! That's probably what will happen and then I'll end up having to refund the $10! Thanks for your comment! ~~Pam

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  5. The post offices never carry the padded flat rate envelopes. I send everything I can in those. I know people that send mugs in them. I uses them all time. You would be surprised what you can fit in there.

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    1. I've heard that people send mugs in them too! I don't think I could ever chance that! I sent a vanity mirror in a kraft bubble mailer awhile back and had the mirror wrapped in bubble wrap too and it was cracked when it got there. I did order some of the padded flat rate envelopes and got them a couple of days ago! Just waiting for something to sell that I can ship in one ! Thanks! ~~Pam

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