Size Matters ( Shipping )

[kmmcrafts]

Had a order that required a larger box.. I typically package very well as in much larger box than needed ( post office requires 1" space around the item to qualify for insurance claim otherwise it goes fault of poor packaging ) so my box was 12 x 12 x 15 and package is a international order going to Australia.. Originally packaged at 2lb 1oz. I had a fixed shipping rate of $22 and packaged the way I originally had it put it oversized and Priority mail was only option.. which cost $64.. Thought to myself nope not happening.. cut the box down and removed some of the cardboard to lighten it up some. Ended up with a 12 x 12 x 7 box ( I did mention I package well right ? LOL) with still some decent amount of cushion room. Got the weight down to 1lb. 13oz. and now shipping is $29.. without the reduced weight but only changing the size the price would have been $45.. 

I especially like to package very well for international orders because they go through much more processing and handled more due to going through the customs etc.. and it's more difficult to file a claim on damaged items from across the pond.. which is why I left the box as it's original size..   I've been doing fixed rate shipping for most of my selling years.. I've been considering charging by the purchasers zip code and charging actual price since Etsy and other sites now are set up to do that( wasn't the case back when I first started out.. The last few years of changes in shipping based on size and weight for various locations has changed a lot.. Shipping my clocks to California used to be just some chump change difference from shipping closer to home. Last couple years it has been a few dollars difference sometimes as much as $4 depending on weight and size. It'll take some time changing up 500 listings to enter weight and box size but once I do that.. I shouldn't have to be recalculating shipping every time they raise the rates.. Most times I was so close in price that closer to home I may have made a extra $0.50 ish and I'd loose around the same amount for west side of the USA..and at the end of the day it seemed to have always worked out well... But lately $4 in the hole adds up.. especially because I seem to do a lot of business in California and Washington.  Even with the calculated shipping by zip code isn't always right.. but usually close enough to not have to constantly change rates due to being burnt on outrageous cost every now and then..

 

  Anyway, just thought I'd share this shipping experience.. I don't always have it all figured out to where I don't loose out on a little cash... sometimes it's trial and error..  

[John M]

I live in Connecticut and have the post office give me the rate to go to California. Add a little for packaging and etsy fee and that is the fixed rate. I don't do international sales as of yet.

[kmmcrafts]

3 minutes ago, John M said:

I live in Connecticut and have the post office give me the rate to go to California. Add a little for packaging and etsy fee and that is the fixed rate. I don't do international sales as of yet.

This is what I did years ago when I first started selling... Quickly found that the 12 mile each way drive to the post office is a waist of valuable time and money in gas.. I have my own little shipping scale.. I can box it up and weigh it, however no two pieces of wood weigh the same due to moisture content and wood density.. When I first started and a learning experience was that I did as you do.. then one day a order came for another same item but do to the wood ( same type of Cherry lumber) the piece actually weighed 6oz. more.. and then it was too heavy for first class mail which is how I had the item fixed rate set at.. I ended up eating about $5 on that one sale due to the wood being heavier making me go over the weight of the 16oz limit for first class.. SO you'll have to watch out for that.. doesn't happen a lot but I've been there done that.. I now make it a priority mail item if it's real close to the weight limit.. I now have sold enough that I have a really good idea of shipping cost before I even make it.. BUT.. now that they calculate off of the box size too.. it can get tricky for items I don't sell a lot of.. I know the average weight.. but forget to consider the package size. For the most part I don't ship very many larger packages.. 

[BadBob]

I try to stay under the 16oz limit so I can ship first class. I ship priority mail rarely. I have never had a customer choose priority mail. I reuse packing material and boxes, so measuring and weighing is something I always do. Sometimes I will repack or cut down a box to get it under 16oz or fit in my mailbox.

I have stopped going to the post office and changed my processing time to 2 days to allow for postal pick up when things don't fit in the mailbox. If it fits in the box, they get same-day shipping. If it doesn't fit in the box it goes out the next day.

I purchased a set of weights for testing my scale and found that it weighed a tiny bit high, which is fine. I like having the weights to test if something seems a little off.